Why am I passionate about this?

As a geek and tech professional, I've worked on software and gadgets in multiple countries and just as many industries. I'm fascinated by work that leads us to a better future built on technology while being fully aware of the dangers involved if we're not vigilant. I've built websites, fitness devices, and even spent some time working on Wikipedia's data structure. But my first tech love was that strange and beautiful blend of art and science we call video games. I’ve played more games than I can count and created a few of my own, but as a novelist and reader I found myself drawn to books about games just as much as the games themselves.


I wrote

Ghosts of ARCADIA

By Ramsey Isler,

Book cover of Ghosts of ARCADIA

What is my book about?

ARCADIA was the first gaming platform to offer a complete simulated reality experience using direct brain scans to trick the…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Ready Player One

Ramsey Isler Why did I love this book?

Let's just get this one out of the way early. Steeped in 80s gaming and pop culture nostalgia, Ready Player One cemented itself as the quintessential VR gaming book for a whole generation. The story is light on deep technology details but full of delightful references that retro geeks are bound to appreciate (I'm a child of the 80s so I was hooked). It is also a somewhat hopeful dystopian tale that shows how the fictional worlds we love can give us the tools we need to fight real threats.

By Ernest Cline,

Why should I read it?

19 authors picked Ready Player One as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that…


Book cover of Heir Apparent

Ramsey Isler Why did I love this book?

I first read this book back in 2004 when I was spending way too much time with MMO games. This YA novel is certainly a product of a time where the tech of today was within sight but social media and smartphones didn't exist as we know them now. But the story more than makes up for this unfortunate timing with its witty characters, a structure reminiscent of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books and a fantasy game setting that leads this book to cross genres. I’m a big fan of sci-fi stories that follow the “Groundhog Day” structure like Returnal and Edge of Tomorrow. Do-overs are a crucial part of gaming and this novel builds that idea into its core premise while adding a unique twist.

By Vivian Vande Velde,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Heir Apparent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Heir Apparent there are as many ways to win as there are to get killed. "A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship." (New York Times Book Review)

From Edgar Award–winning author Vivian Vande Velde comes a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure.

In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed—and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf's dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue,…


Book cover of Warcross

Ramsey Isler Why did I love this book?

Spies, hackers, VR eSports, and exciting action scenes in stunning worlds. This book has it all, plus a little bit of romance. I love stories with diverse casts and this novel delivers that and a plot that moves with relentless purpose and intrigue. The ending is a tad abrupt but leads in perfectly to the equally fun sequel, Wildcard.

By Marie Lu,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Warcross as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Perfect for fans of Ready Player One!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu - when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships -…


Book cover of True Names

Ramsey Isler Why did I love this book?

This one doesn’t involve a game in the traditional sense but indulge me for a moment. Imagine an online world of subterfuge and countermoves where the stakes are the revelation of your true identity and the loss of your freedom. It's a world where digital avatars mask influential hackers determined to bring down real-world institutions, and the manipulative games they play against each other aren’t for points or pride, but power. This is the world of True Names, arguably the first book to lay the foundations of cyberspace fiction. This short 1981 novella is like an ancient artifact reflecting the beginnings of a major shift in civilization. Although some of the tech references are so dated many readers won't even recognize them, a lot of the concepts were far ahead of their time.

By Vernor Vinge, Bob Walters (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked True Names as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A study of True Names, Vernor Vinge's critically acclaimed novella that invented the concept of cyberspace, features that complete text of the novella, as well as articles by Richard Stallman, John Markoff, Hans Moravec, Patricia Maes, Timothy May, and other cyberspace pioneers. Original.


Book cover of Slay

Ramsey Isler Why did I love this book?

Representation matters in popular fiction, and few pop stories showed that better than Marvel’s Black Panther film. Slay is often described as "Black Panther meets Ready Player One," and it's easy to see why. Ready Player One had a brilliant game creator who modeled his world after the culture he was raised on, Slay has similar elements, but in this unique novel the creator of a popular VR game is an African-American high school girl just trying to create a space for her and others like her. Steeped in Black culture in a way that feels accessible but genuine, Slay offers a different perspective on the genre via strong elements of mystery, anti-racism, and healthy doses of tech nerdery.

By Brittney Morris,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Slay as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

'We are different ages, genders and traditions ... but tonight we all SLAY'

Black Panther meets Ready Player One. A fierce teen game developer battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther-inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is a college student, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. By night, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide in the secret online role-playing card game, SLAY.

No one knows Kiera is the game developer - not even her boyfriend,…


Explore my book 😀

Ghosts of ARCADIA

By Ramsey Isler,

Book cover of Ghosts of ARCADIA

What is my book about?

ARCADIA was the first gaming platform to offer a complete simulated reality experience using direct brain scans to trick the gamer's senses. It was hailed as a breakthrough; the most innovative invention since the television. It sold out in record time. Then hackers started stealing from users' bank accounts.

Miguel Naciamento, award-winning journalist, has taken on the story of ARCADIA. Determined to find the thieves targeting players, Miguel tackles a mystery that involves an androgynous hacker, a veteran government specialist on cyber-warfare, and even the creator of ARCADIA. As Miguel's investigation reveals the true source of the hacks that brought ARCADIA to the brink of destruction, he makes a discovery that proves ARCADIA has become more advanced than anyone could have imagined.

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An Heir of Realms

By Heather Ashle,

Book cover of An Heir of Realms

Heather Ashle Author Of An Heir of Realms

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

My favorite fantasy novels tend to be rather complex. Winding plotlines, mysteriously interconnected characters, whimsical settings, and intricate, thoughtful worldbuilding combine to create immersive stories that stick in the mind like overworn folklore. Time travel or interworld travel lend additional layers of intrigue and mystery, forcing the inescapable contemplation of a more thrilling, alternate reality. And if it’s all packaged in artful, breathtaking prose that breeds full-color images, audible noises, indelible flavors, nose-crumpling odors, and tangible textures, I will happily lose myself in the pages, truly forgetting about the strictures of everyday life… at least until I get hungry and remember I need to consume more than books to survive.

Heather's book list on adult fantasy that won’t make you grow up too much

What is my book about?

An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction. 

Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to Ride, but her destiny will pit her against her uncle and king, who have scorned her since before her birth. 

In the Exchange, the waystation between realms, Emmelyn fights the G’Ambit, a gambling ring with members more intent on lining their pockets than protecting the realms—or their own lives.

Both…

An Heir of Realms

By Heather Ashle,

What is this book about?

Realm-devouring parasites threaten all existence. The Exchange is desperate to destroy them. But could their radical plans endanger the realms, too?

Soul-sucking parasites are overwhelming the realms.

Rhoswen of Stanburh is of age to train as a Realm Rider—a defender of the realms. Riders and their dragons work together to burn away infiltrating Narxon as they swarm in through tears in a realm’s fabric. But it’s not an easy battle: the mere touch of the smoky, dragon-like adversaries can reduce the lively winged beasts—and their Riders—to ash.

Becoming a Realm Rider is Rhoswen’s dream, but she carries far more responsibility…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in virtual reality, hackers, and video games?

Virtual Reality 54 books
Hackers 15 books
Video Games 101 books