Hey folks, Harry here... and that awesomely fast bastard, Mike Fleming gets the credit for nabbing the news first... even if his Logline isn't quite right. Long time friend of mine, Ernest (Ernie) Cline has sold his first novel for an advance of high Six Figures to Random House in a deal brokered by Foundry Literary + Media and Yfat Reiss Gendell.. Now - there are big geeks in the world - I should know, I'm one of them... but in terms of 80s geeks, there is no question in MY mind who the biggest geek in the world is. Ernie Cline. You see - unlike Mike Fleming, I've actually read READY PLAYER ONE. And I can say - without any hesitation - this is the most awesome 80s geek novel ever written - and it is set 60 years further down the road in the 2040s. Well, here's the official logline:

READY PLAYER ONE - In the near future, outcast teenager Wade Watts escapes from his bleak surroundings by logging in to the OASIS, a globally networked virtual utopia where users can lead idyllic alternate lives. When the eccentric billionaire who created the OASIS dies, he offers up his vast fortune as the prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Along with gamers from around the world Wade joins the adventure, and quickly finds himself pitted against powerful corporate foes who will do anything, in the oasis or the real world, to reach the treasure first. Think Willy Wonka, The Matrix, and Avatar all rolled into one.