Ernest Cline’s Armada is a fun, fast-paced read that definitely has some of the heart of Ready Player One, but it’s missing the mystery and cleverness that made that book so special. The story is basically every nerd’s dream: a regular gamer gets the chance to save the world. It’s a page-turner but an unsatisfying one.
Everything happens way too fast. The romance? Instant love at first sight, barely believable even for a teenagr. The whole story should’ve stretched over at least a year or so to give the characters and plot more room to breathe. Even the action felt rushed at times, which is weird because you’d think real combat against aliens could be planned out a bit better? Like, why would they not have fixed that a player respawns miles/minutes away from the battle? That felt pretty silly.
The ending? Kind of disappointing. Still, Cline’s love for pop culture and gaming is all over the book, and it’s fun to see him lean into that again. I smiled a lot (I think more than I rolled my eyes).
