I’m currently recovering from unexpected surgery – I spent the Labor Day weekend (and a few days after) in the hospital having my gall bladder removed. I’m trying to use this as an opportunity to rest and relax, but I’m always drawn to entertainments that feature inheritance, Wills, trusts, and the like.

In a sentence, Ernest Cline’s futuristic (set in 2044) novel Ready Player One might be described as “The DaVinci Code for 1980′s videogame and sci-fi geeks.” At the book’s center is a billionaire computer genius named James Halliday. Mr. Halliday dies, leaving a Will and a companion short film called Anorak’s Invitation. In the film, Mr. Halliday tells the world that:

My entire estate, including a controlling share of stock in my company, Gregarious Simulation Systems, is to be placed in escrow until such time as a single condition I have set forth in my will is met. The first individual to meet that condition will inherit my entire fortune, currently valued in excess of two hundred and forty billion dollars.

In order to claim the inheritance, a person must find Mr. Halliday’s “Easter egg,” which is hidden somewhere in OASIS, the vast virtual reality software program he created. (For my non-geek readers, an “Easter egg” is a message hidden in a videogame — or some other medium — by its creator.) Finding Mr. Halliday’s Easter egg involves deciphering clues as well as being completely familiar with all of his favorite things, namely videogames and science fiction-related media from the 1980′s, when he grew up. (Full disclosure: I also grew up in the 1980′s.) Given the value of the prize, there is a tremendous competition to find and secure all of the clues leading up to the Easter egg. And right in the middle of the competition is our narrator, Wade Watts.

This book might be incomprehensible (or just boring) to someone who didn’t grow up playing role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, or videogames such as Joust. But for me (a guy who did both of those things), it was a great read and a real page-turner.

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