Armada by Ernest ClineMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ernest Cline has cemented himself as master of 80s pop culture and for me, admittedly the Dan Brown of arcade video games -related conspiracies.
Can we just stop and talk for a minute. Ernest Cline mentioning Flight of the Navigator is the pivotal moment that I just told myself, “There is no way I can rate this less than 4 stars, at the very least.” Because who mentions that EPIC movie anymore? And just how awesome that movie was when we were kids?!
A dose of advise : If you are that reader that puts on a pair of headphones while reading a book, this book is tailored to your taste! At the end of the book is a mix tape that you can upload in your iPod/iPhone or mp3 whatever. If I’d known it’d be at the very end of the book, I would have done the same thing. When I reread this masterpiece, I would definitely do the Audiobook version AND listen to the mix tape at the same time.
Some of the Cool Stuffs:
Like the rest of us smitten over comic con and such, if you are into sci fi (and fantasy too!), then you know that SWEAR WORDS are one of the coolest things to learn when subjected into an alter reality universe plot. And yes! I mean.
Firefly’s Gorram. (I still have not forgiven Joss Whedon for canceling this show. And NO, the spin off movie and those graphic novels DO NOT CUT IT. Gorr-)
BSG’s Frak. This swear word has been more popularly used by the general geek population and of course, is no surprise that Cline dropped the awesome bomb in his novel.
Doctor Who. Need i say more?
Zack's dad's geeky jacket. It was an old black baseball jacket with leather sleeves, and it was completely covered, front to back, with embroidered patches, all somehow science fiction or videogame related
For some reason, it makes me remember Back to the Future. I dunno but darn, that jacket will be a great future merchandise based on the book (if they exist out there, i think they are very limited and strictly personalized at this time!)
Initial Concerns:
The blurb sounded a lot like Ender’s Game and this was one of the things that I was worried about. Delightedly, Ernest Cline broke the ice by actually mentioning the said book in his novel making it one of the classic themes it is based on, and I feel good about this move because it’s like Ernest Cline is saying, “Yes, Ender’s Game is a classic. As an author, I admit and respect that. But ride my book and see where it takes you, little one.”
Although Armada is different from Ender’s Game, it does run in parallel to it. But the author did a great job overshadowing this detail with a lot of other components that drew the reader’s attention away from this like doing a Jack Bauer countdown at one point that felt breathtaking and like you're on the edge of your seat.
Essentially, there is a WHOLE lot to the story and the author did an excellent job as this was funny in ways geeks can fully appreciate. Banters are like, "This conversation was an intelligent one, right up until you joined it,"
Right?
The Characters.
Zack Lightman is a confused and quick tempered teenager in the first part of the book. He is impulsive and does not know how to tame his rage. Worse, he blames every mess on the fact that his father died mysteriously when he was a baby. Zack's character is very lovable as we will see throughout the book how he has evolved from a selfish turd into a responsible citizen of Earth. The author made this very believable and seamless.
Also, one of the most beloved characters i think is Zack's 'mentor' Ray Habashaw. (view spoiler)
About Armada
With a plethora of geek characters that injected a sense of gamer nirvana in me that I was riding the lightning fast. (which of course, the speed of lightning is not even a big deal on this novel, just sayin’)
This book has squirmed and lodged itself quite comfortably among the modern scifi books that are fast becoming classics in our time. I wish that Ray could have had more 'airtime' as we all are quickly enamored by the charms of mentors and masters and guardians of protagonists. Yeah?
I am most assured i have not spilled anything drastic on my review as you will later know upon reading the book haha
Geeky Words Worth a Tat
El Riesgo siempre vive - Based on the movie Alien, worn by one of the characters Vasquez on his plate.
Trägheitslosigkeit
Favourite Quotes:
"That's how you know you've mastered a videogame-when a bunch of butt-hurt crybabies start to accuse you of cheating in an effort to cope with the beatdown they've just suffered at your hands."
"Hello fish, welcome to my barrel."
"Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, i will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I remain." - Frank Herbert
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