Good VR novel

[WiredEarp]

I just read a novel called 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline. Its set mainly in a near future, online VR world. I thought it was a good read, and also I really liked the fact that the VR is set in the near (recognizable) future. The author seems to have a good idea of the directions things will go in (well, hopefully not in the fact that the world is a distopia in it) and isn't just some author talking about VR without knowing anything about the tech.

The thing I like about the VR is its all stuff we could easily identify with. There are no direct brain jacks or anything like that, its all a range of different levels of VR immersion, from basic retina scanning goggles and haptic gloves, up to the top level gear with exoskeleton suits and robotic arm devices to give force feedback. Even omnidirectional treadmills get a mention.

Definitely worthwhile checking out IMHO.

[FingerFlinger]

Very much agreed; Ready Player One is great, and it's a fairly realistic vision of where we could end up the near future.

What are some others inspiring VR novels? Snow Crash, obviously.

MetaGame by Sam Landstrom is worth a read. It's set in a future where everything is game-ified and the world economy is set up similarly to an MMO. Players earn many points for performing useful work, but fewer for playing escapist fantasy sims, and there are PvP rules and inter-faction competitions. The tech involved is pervasive nanotech that interfaces with brain implants, and allows total reskinning of the real world, basically perfect AR.

[nrp]

Halting State and Rule 34 by Charlie Stross and Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge are also excellent, though they are more about life with ubiquitous AR.

[cybereality]

Not sure it needs to be said, but Neuromancer and the whole Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson.

I also like the Ghost in the Shell graphic novels a lot (the first one is very good, reading volume 2 now).

Not totally VR related, but Daemon by Daniel Suarez is really exciting. Its about a rouge AI, hacking and stuff like that.

[bobv5]

Going to have a look at Ready Player One, keep me busy while we wait for December. Will let you guys know what I think.

[Krenzo]

Simulacron-3 is one of the earliest books on VR and worth reading.

[space123321]

Currently reading otherland - and enjoying it so far!

[love2scoot]

+1 for Rainbows End. I'm 2/3 through and it's great stuff.

[WiredEarp]

Cheers guys, will check out most of those. Already read Neuromancer and Snow Crash, great books, but I did prefer the near term reality of Ready Player 1.

Neuromancer was actually also a great Amiga game back in the day (which I never was able to complete, unfortunately).

On a slightly different note, one thing I liked about the MMO's in Ready Player 1 was the fact that when your player died, you lost your entire character, instead of just getting some minor penalties. Dont know if anyone has played DayZ recently, but the permadeath in that is similar, and it makes a massive difference to the way you play and the emotional investment you have in your character!

[bobv5]

About 3/4 of the way through ready player one. Overall I would recomend it, but parts of it feel like they are very forced to make the story work.

I WILL TRY TO AVOID SPOILERS, BUT DON'T READ ON IF IT WOULD BOTHER YOU!!!!!!!!!







Anyway...
The VR world is suposedly open source. Why aren't the guys who are looking for stuff looking through the source code?
Why is transport so expensive? If it was open source, couldn't somebody program a transport method that was free to use?

[WiredEarp]

The VR world is suposedly open source. Why aren't the guys who are looking for stuff looking through the source code?
Why is transport so expensive? If it was open source, couldn't somebody program a transport method that was free to use?

Hey bobv5. Good points, it wasn't really very open source in that way. I think it was more that people could build stuff inside it that was 'open source' but the underlying structure that actually ran it couldn't have been. I mean, lets face it, if the whole world was open source, they'd never have been able to make money off it, especially with their 'transport methods' like you say. I thought of it more like Second Life on steroids, the source code that runs it all underneath would be closed source, but the scripts that you use to build stuff on top of it could/would be open.

We could explain some of the ways stuff was hidden, by it being an attribute of the underlying closed source, not the open source, so that users could not just scan the world source to find the Easter eggs. I mean, that would be the only possible explanation (if not trying to inject too much reality into fantasy) as otherwise if it was all open source, people could just run their own servers and hook them up to the other worlds (like the internet) whereas it seemed that was not how it was done - people had to buy 'space' from the corporation running the VR.

Really though, the thing I liked the most compared to most cyberpunk books, was the attempt to put the actual hardware on a realistic/achievable level.

[EdZ]

A mention in another thread:

Put the cell phone in a real race car, let people experience the race at full effect, in real-time

Reminded me of a panel from the back of one of the Battle Angel Alita books:

[space123321]

Just finished Ready Player One - loved it - great inspiration of what is ahead of us with the introduction of the Rift! Really enjoyed the various VR technologies present in the book.

Now I am trying to find that next novel to keep me busy until Dec! Not sure there is anything out there simular to Ready Player One - most other VR novels are of a fantasy/sci-fi basis (not not real VR feeling that RPO had).

[WiredEarp]

Glad to hear you liked it as well. I agree, it was the 'this is right around the corner' feeling that sets it apart from most other cyberpunk type novels. It probably also didn't hurt that i'm the right age to have experienced all the old games and movies it referenced.

[FingerFlinger]

Yeah, it definitely hits you hard in the nostalgia.

[Zaptruder]

Having a go at RPO thanks to this thread. Pretty fun book so far.

Bit skeptical about the whole Halliday superwunderkind genius programmer setup so far - essentially paints what is in reality something that will required the concerted efforts of the entire high tech industry to pull off (i.e. a VR universe with full sensory simulation) over a period of decades (starting from now), as something that's done by one genius programmer (Steve Woz + Notch?).

Also, it's not quite a novel, but there's a new anime series called Sword Art Online that deals with a near future MMORPG (called Sword Art Online). I found it to be a pretty interesting setting; but if you do watch it, bear in mind it's written for the young/teenage crowd in Japan.

It also uses the hokey - VR will fry you brain trope - that is common to a lot of VR fiction, but at least it does so in the service of setting up an interesting premise; which is essentially modern day gamers get 'teleported' to a VRMMO fantasy world, and must fight their way out of it - or die trying.

The theme of death and desperation is explored somewhat, and I can see that the world does what it can to allude to the idea of what the day to day of living in such an 'alternative reality' is like... but it never really rises above the target demographic for which it's written (so it's happy to skip out on details when it gets uncomfortable, leaving gaping plot points at inconvenient moments).

But if wanna see what VR + Harry Potter/Twilight Series + Japan =, then Sword Art Online is the answer.

[cybereality]

@Zaptruder: Thanks man. Love anime, I will have to check that out.

[rhinosix]

This isn't a novel. It's a 6 part series by Oliver Stone called Wild Palms. You should definitely check it out if you haven't seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQq3CDwLKPM

There's also a brief appearance by William Gibson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J1taQAsHJg

[cybereality]

Wow! I remember seeing Wild Palms when in originally aired on TV. Very interesting concepts in that series.

[Zaptruder]

Just finished reading RPO.

Thoroughly excellent and fun book.

The hokey setup with wunderkind genius James Halliday is imminently forgivable in that it's a set up for a lot more fun stuff that happens in the novel. It is also a book written for the young adult crowd (that will also have excellent appeal for somewhat older geeks like us) - but that's a good thing rather than a bad thing; with the book been simple enough to read with a good flow. It doesn't patronize with unnecessary deus ex machinas (even when literal deus ex machinas in the avatars of Anorak and Og are used), and elements are setup and flow and intersect into each other nicely.

From a technological and computing industry point of view, the setting can definetly be picked apart - but as long as you realize that those elements are there for dramatic flair, rather than an exposition on future technology, then it's all good - although the author does attempt to be 'realistic' with the technology where possible.

I also think the whole second life on steroids setting of OASIS is pretty intriguing... although realistically, I don't think a VR future could or even should pan out as a singular self contained global simulation, where a single persistent avatar with it's own inventory/HP/equipment/etc is used across all environments and game systems.

I envision a system more akin to modern web pages - most locations are open and free access. Each website/location has its own rulesets and themes. Some are content based, some are user interaction based. Some even have game like rules/may be self contained games in their own right.

The closest we'd want to get to the persistent system described as the Oasis is in the idea of an 'avatar passport' - not dissimilar to how various websites calling for user discussion now allows you to login with off-site credentials (i.e. posting on Wired comments lets you login with a wired/facebook/disqus/etc account) - just to lower the barrier of persistent and convenient online avatar interaction.


Now to give other books listed in this thread a read.

[cybereality]

Also, how could I forget to mention Infinite Reality:
http://www.infinitereality.org/

Its not a novel, its non-fiction. Very interesting look into academic VR studies. It is not especially technical, its more about the psychology of VR.

Interesting read. Well, I actually "read" the audio-book and it was a good performance.

[Zaptruder]

Also, how could I forget to mention Infinite Reality:
http://www.infinitereality.org/

Its not a novel, its non-fiction. Very interesting look into academic VR studies. It is not especially technical, its more about the psychology of VR.

Interesting read. Well, I actually "read" the audio-book and it was a good performance.

Yeah, I'd recommend this book myself. Bought the audio version, then bought the hardback just so I could make references quicker.

It's got some good ideas that I didn't think of until I read the book myself (e.g. teaching avatar is able to look at all students simultaneously in a classroom)... but it doesn't go quite as far as I would in writing such a book (i.e. VR is a critical post-scarcity technology that will allow for essentially unlimited experiential possibilities).

[rmcclelland]

Just finished this book and loved it, basically couldn't put it down. It could make a -great- movie! I'm generally not a big fan of love-interest in my sci-fi, but it did fit here.

I love the whole idea of OASIS and its benevolence vs. IOI's corporate greed.

There are also some great ideas such as the movie-game. I also like the idea that there are various levels of technology that can be employed to enter OASIS from school-issued HMDs and haptic gloves up to full haptic suits and ODTs. I can see this becoming reality. If you 'commute' in VR for work, why not spend car-level money on a VR rig?

I highly recommend this book, even if you weren't a teenager in the 80's.

I just read a novel called 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline. Its set mainly in a near future, online VR world. I thought it was a good read, and also I really liked the fact that the VR is set in the near (recognizable) future. The author seems to have a good idea of the directions things will go in (well, hopefully not in the fact that the world is a distopia in it) and isn't just some author talking about VR without knowing anything about the tech.

The thing I like about the VR is its all stuff we could easily identify with. There are no direct brain jacks or anything like that, its all a range of different levels of VR immersion, from basic retina scanning goggles and haptic gloves, up to the top level gear with exoskeleton suits and robotic arm devices to give force feedback. Even omnidirectional treadmills get a mention.

Definitely worthwhile checking out IMHO.

[space123321]

I agree 100% - loved it. There are so many practical uses of VR brought up in the book - I also loved the interactive movie idea, the idea of social chat rooms, education, etc... we are on the edge of something big and this book just helped with my excitement lol!

[zalo]

By the way guys, I found this really awesome book a little while ago called Labyrinth of Reflections. It was originally in Russian, but there's an amateur translation (the one I read) here. I'm sure Ready Player One, and maybe even the Matrix got a few things from this book. It sure explores the details and fleshes out the world a whole ton more than ready player one, and it has a better story I think.

The premise is that computers are not nearly powerful enough to simulate a plausible world, so a revolutionary hypnotic program puts the brain in a trance so that it will accept the Virtual Reality and fill in the details with its own enormous power. Unfortunately, people are unable to voluntarily escape from "The Deep" except for a gifted few: The Divers can enter and exit the computer simulation without the aid of a computer, and are unconstrained by the laws of the virtual world.

Also, the chapter numbers are in BINARY! How much cooler can you get?

[bobjwatts]

Iain M Banks writes some fantastic sci-fi books, his Culture series has some very cool VR in them as well as being awesome.

I recently finished reading Surface Detail which has a few cool VR scenes. http://www.iain-banks.net/uk/surface-detail/

And just so you know, if you wake up and see the words "Simulation" at the bottom of your FOV, you might in VR.

I highly recommend.

[WiredEarp]

It could make a -great- movie

I agree, its got a fairly well paced plot, young characters, is simple enough to follow (yet visionary enough to show us something of what is to come), and the whole 'saving the virtual world' plot would fit well with Hollywood.

@ zalo: Labyrinth of Reflections sounds pretty interesting, i've sometimes wondered just what would happen if drugs were combined with virtual worlds (in a more realistic way than Lawnmower Man

[wavefunction]

I read the Otherland series when I was a kid and that was what first got me thinking about VR. I haven't read the books in a long, long time mind you, but they take place quite a ways in the future where everyone connects to the internet via VR. If I remember correctly, only rich people in the book could afford full immersion VR while everyone else has to settle for something less. One character is a boy with a crippling illness who lives out his fantasies in VR while in real life he undergoes constant treatment.

In one part, the characters use full immersion VR by submerging themselves in a giant vat of goo that gave them a full range of motion while their brain was connected to VR through a neural implant of some sort.

Also, it's not quite a novel, but there's a new anime series called Sword Art Online that deals with a near future MMORPG (called Sword Art Online). I found it to be a pretty interesting setting; but if you do watch it, bear in mind it's written for the young/teenage crowd in Japan.

I checked that out along with .hack//sign as per a friend's recommendation. Like you said, they're written for kiddies, as are most anime shows. I couldn't really get into them.

[rhinosix]

I started reading Ready Player One and made it about 78% of the way through. I'll pick it up again. It's a light, fun read. I was really into it in the beginning, but some of the exposition and descriptions seemed to go on forever and I began trailing off.

I had to laugh at how similar some of the concepts were to ones I've been thinking about - even down to the 1980s style rooms with old video game consoles. But then the endless 1980s references get a bit much even for me. Oh well, it's a fun book. It makes you feel like you're on the adventure.

It reminded of a book I read when I was young: Space Demons

[Flassan]

You might also like these TV dramas by a twisted Brit comedian
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/blac ... sode-guide
He takes the ideas of google glass, twitter and x factor to the extreme

[cybereality]

Black Mirror is awesome. My brother put me on to that. The H+ series on YouTube is also similar in ways (not exactly VR, but still great).

[Zodiakos]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Daemon yet! http://www.amazon.com/Daemon-Daniel-Sua ... 0451228731 It, and it's sequel Freedom(tm) both deal with augmented and virtual reality. I read them both right before reading Ready Player One, and although I liked that book immensely, I'd rate Daemon and Freedom(tm) quite a bit higher. The whole concept (can a bot-mediated reality work as a method of government?) very thought-provoking, as well, especially when you get into the sequel, which flips the story on its head.

[cybereality]

Yeah Daemon was awesome! I thought I mentioned it (maybe in a different thread). I bought Freedom also, but haven't listened to it yet. Really a great book.