Maybe. I quickly got over the writing style by accepting that it’s written in the first person, and a nerdy teenage boy would write like that.  After that I just found it a real page turner.  

Except it does, because the rich dude also invented the entire virtual world they inhabit, and meticulously researching and assimilating the rich dude’s (Cline’s) interests is key to success in the big motivating quest of the novel. For the protagonist and most of the characters in the book, who all live in the near…

Indeed.  I don’t really get why people get so worked up about what is obviously a disposable novelty book that was never supposed to be taken that seriously.

Agree. This is the terrible box some try to put writers into. They write what they know and people criticize it for lack of representation. They try to have representation and they turn around and attack you for appropriating something that is not you. These guys do this for a living. What is he supposed to do? He…

Again, I didn’t accuse anyone of “cancelling”. I’m not making some stealth pseudo-argument about “cancelling.” I used the intentionally ludicrous example of white guys never getting a book deal again to highlight what I see is a flaw of viewing everything through the lens of identify politics.

Yes, yes, a short poem expressing distaste for a particular style of objectification is the perfect grounds to accuse someone of violent rage.  

Was it a great book? No.  Was it fun? Yes. I don’t think it ever claimed to be anything more than exactly what it was.

I’m not saying that people can’t learn and grow in terms of taste, but people seem to forget how much people loved Ready Player One when it came out, including The AV Club, which gave the book an “A.” I feel like that evolution is way more interesting as a phenomenon than talking about how good or bad the first book…

I’m not accusing anybody of trying to “cancel” him. I’m saying it’s a bit ridiculous to criticize him for being too far up his own ass of straight white guy nostalgia while at the same time criticizing him when he clearly attempts to move beyond straight white guy nostalgia.

That’s the usual complaint, yes. This article, as quoted by the OP is that “the novel’s vision of geekdom focuses entirely on the favorite media of cishet white men”. And like the OP, I think that’s a bullshit complaint, because A) both the author and the character are in fact cishet white men, and B) the implication…

The core problem—that the novel’s vision of geekdom focuses entirely on the favorite media of cishet white men—is more difficult to address.

I know literally nothing about Ray Fisher except all the crap he’s put into the public, but if I were just some rando with no opinion, I would say he’s frustrated that his career didn’t take off like he wanted it to, and he’s lashing out at the guy he blames, even though Zach was making a truly terrible piece of…

Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of Joss Whedon. I’ve been rolling my eyes at his cult for ages, and it’s seemed for a while now like he’s likely gotten away with things that a less nerd-worshipped person would have been raked over the coals for long ago. I never got into Firefly, I may be one of the few people who…

JESUS H CHRIST

Every character I enjoy should be perfect in every way because I can’t handle anything that isn’t black and white! Please send help.

That’s my point, if I were to do movie editing or playing video games, I would get the 13in Pro for $300 more.  

Your 2013 Air is certainly not as powerful as this one is for sure.

I guess you are not doing movie editing or playing games.

Yeah but they beat you the last time, and they’ll do it again in the future.

Does it need to be? I’d be happy with more exciting and engaging to drive.

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to lean more on the proportions and less on the overly dramatic details.