Given that Ready Player Two, the highly-anticipated sequel to author Ernest Cline's 2011 science-fiction novel Ready Player One is due for release on November 24, it's pretty remarkable that plot details have only now come out. At the virtual New York Comic-Con, Cline revealed to host Wil Wheaton (Star Trek) that the new book picks up just days after Ready Player One ends.

　　For those who might need a bit of a refresher, Ready Player One is a nostalgia-soaked story almost entirely submerged in 1980s nerd culture about a boy named Wade Watts who lives in a dystopian future where everyone relies on a massive virtual-reality game called The Oasis for the most basic necessities. By the time the novel ends, Watts becomes the rightful owner in full control of The Oasis--although what that means and what he intends to do with the game was left unresolved--until now. (You can also catch up with the story with Steven Spielberg's hit 2018 film adaptation now available on Prime Video.)

　　According to a synopsis publisher Penguin Random House has issued on a slide, Watts stumbles upon "a new riddle, and a new quest--a last Easter egg… hinting at a mysterious prize." An "unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who'll kill millions to get what he wants." You can read the brief, though complete, text released below.

　　Photo: Penguin Random House Audio The "two worlds at stake" in the headline may likely also hint at bigger stakes and a bigger scope for the story.

　　Speaking at NYCC, Cline told audiences about how his time growing up in a trailer park influenced his writing on both novels.

　　"If I hadn't had those experiences, I never would have been able to write the book," said Cline. (via The Hollywood Reporter) "Something I share with writers who feel like they aren't doing what they want to be doing is to draw on whatever is happening in your life because those are the experiences that can help you change your life. Maybe you’re having those experiences for a reason."

　　David Wolinsky on Google+