PopSugar Reading Challenge Book 27 or This Means War

For a book that came out this year, I read Ernest Cline's Armada which came out this month. I'm in a FB group for this challenge and was able to sort of read along with someone else in the group. I'm waiting for him to wrap up so we can discuss without spoilers.

I was worried going in. Most of the themes Cline used in his story were so common in science fiction, they've become tropes. I liked the originality of Ready Player One but wasn't sure it could be replicated in such a common plot. Cline managed to pull it off. He made reference to all of the other stories that told similar tales but, I think, managed to make this his own.

It was as clear cut as 'must destroy aliens.' I was glad Cline managed to make the story deeper and more complicated. I can't say too much without spoilers but the plot has layers and big reveals that would put Shyamalan to shame. It also ended on such a note that I expect this is the first in a series. It could stand on its own but there's definitely more story here. Now that the biggest overused plot elements are out of the way, I want to see where this story can go.

I absolutely enjoyed this but it didn't have the same magic as his first one. I spent the first ~50 pages wondering if this was going to be a repeat of his first book (holy fan boy there's some overlap). After that I was worried it would be a repeat of the same story we've heard several times over. It was hard to relax and get into the story.

Once Cline was able to grow beyond the somewhat hackneyed set up, it was incredibly interesting and worth the read. If this becomes part of a series, the second book will definitely be better. It wasn't a sophomore slump but I hope his next work will be better.