Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I don’t know what publisher wrote the Amazon’s description for Armada but it’s terribly misleading. Armada’s only subversion is the way that Cline bucks against the works of sci-fi greats by only using tired character stereotypes to populate the story. Everyone is flat, unendearing, and so painfully boring as to make Wade Watts from Ready Player One look like Daniel Plainview from There Will be Blood. The inter-character dialog is so simplistic and unrealistic that it could almost be mistaken for satire. There are a few moments where it almost seems natural but the vast majority comes off as childish. Nor it here anything in the least that qualifies as thrilling. There’s no suspense as major events and twists are literally mused over chapters in advance of when they actually happen. Not once, not twice, but three times with every major plot point. Not to mention Cline constantly references the stories Armada takes inspiration from with a wink wink, nudge nudge. Cline also managed to take the multitude of references peppered though RPO and remove any meaning or plot importance. They’re now merely shoehorned side notes that overwhelm with the blunt force of a hammer. Many of these references come in twos, a single sentence where the the subject is compared to two separate pop culture references at the same time. After enjoying Ready Player One several times it's heartbreaking to see how badly Armada missed the mark.