Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan review

I had my hopes set way too high.  That's what I get for reading 5 million reviews before deciding to pick this up thinking it would be the best thing since Ready Player One.  I should have known the bar had been set way too high to try to compare it to that book since it is one of my favorites, but I kept seeing comparisons to Ready Player One and so I was vibrating with anticipation to read this and stalked my mailman all day long while I waited for it to arrive from Amazon.

I really liked the writing in this book, but I think I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if I understood more about "tech" stuff.  Some of the references were way over my head, which is why I may not have enjoyed it as much as Ready Player One since it was all video game and 80's references and that was right up my alley.  Still an enjoyable read though.  I wish there had been more to the puzzle solution but the fact that it wasn't anything "heavy" made it feel more realistic. 

Not a life-changing book by any means but still a fast enjoyable read, just don't expect as intricate of a game as RP1 has.  I think the comparisons between these two books revolve more around the easy to read, geeky writing than the plot itself.  If you go in knowing that you will still enjoy this book.

3 out of 5 stars