Ready Player Two is coming to paperback, with Ballantine Books Trade Paperback publishing the new edition of Ernest Cline’s novel on Nov. 9.
The paperback edition includes new cover art conceptualized by Cline and inked by Paul Shipper, whose credits include the poster for the Steven Spielberg-directed Ready Player One film (2018) as well as posters for Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Ready Player Two follows 2011’s Ready Player One, which takes place in 2045, a time in which climate change, overpopulation and poverty have swept the Earth. In the first book, much of humanity seeks solace in an online virtual reality called The OASIS, created by 1980s-obsessed genius James Halliday. The plot sees teenager Wade Watts dedicate himself to solving Anorak’s Game, an OASIS-spanning treasure hunt announced after Halliday’s death and which sees the winner get his $500 billion fortune, as well as control of The OASIS.
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Published last November, Ready Player Two picks up days after Wade wins the Easter egg hunt for the OASIS. Within Halliday’s vault is a new technological advancement that will change the world and make the OASIS 1,000 times more wonderous than before. Wade must face off a powerful new rival, one who is willing to kill millions to get what he wants, forcing Wade into a new quest that will determine the fate of humanity.
Ready Player Two debuted No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list and was also a best seller in e-book and audio format, where Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Wil Wheaton narrated the book. It also has a presence on Roblox, the popular gaming platform, where the Ready Player Two hub attracted more than 37 million visitors.
Cline is also known for the 2015 novel Armada and co-wrote the script for the Ready Player One film with Zak Penn. Cline’s world has become a cultural touchstone and has been hailed as prescient for its vision of a world that is becoming more virtual. The paperback edition of Ready Player Two is available for pre-order now.
