Armada

By Ernest Cline

Narrated by Wil Wheaton

Reviewed by Miranda Boyer

After I fell in love with Ready Player One there was no doubt in my mind that I would gobble Ernie Cline’s new book Armada as soon as it became available. It has taken all the will power I have not to finish this book in a single setting. There are some books that I have regretted reading too quickly because you can only enjoy it for the first time once. I didn’t want to make that mistake with Armada.

Zach Lightman has been fantasizing his life away with an endless barrage of video games until one day a technologically sophisticated drop-ship lands in the courtyard of his high school drawing the attention of everyone near by. Men exit the ship in dark suits and sunglasses giving him and myself Men In Black flashbacks. Soon enough Zach learns that the endless hours of playing video games has paid off as he has been recruited by the government to fight an impending alien war using the same skills he’s mastered in video games.

In one very long day Zach and a few hundred other top gamers find themselves in a secret military bunker learning about a forty year old government cover up involving alien Europans. With a handful of colorful characters, and a long lost father Zach will be in a race to prevent genocide and save the world.

I’m sure by now, you all know how much I appreciate Wil Wheaton. So undoubtedly you could have guessed that I was going to read this via audible book. Again, without question Wil pulls off a great read. Each character is definable. I just read that Wil’s narration of Ready Player One was listed as one of the top ten narrations in 2014!

Gun to my head, I still prefer Ready Player One but that doesn’t negate the adventure, excitement, and intense action in Armada. It was a high-octane science fiction ride that kept me wondering from page to page how it would all end. I was not disappointed in the least, just the opposite in fact, I never wanted it to end.

Some day this gal wants to be invited to speak at a writer’s conference and with any luck about my own books. I just look forward to the day when I can sit next to Ernie Cline and know that I’ve made it in the science fiction universe.