Aaron Sloan

It is the most important day of young Frederick's life. Like a large number of children his age, Frederick is plagued by crippling anxiety brought on by a recent pandemic. He interviews for full time admittance into Kinth, a world renowned institute that is considered to be the only hope left for children like Frederick to live a normal life. Despite an apparent hallucination and a panic attack mid interview, Frederick is elated to find he has been accepted into Kinth. However, Frederick quickly learns that his admittance is conditional.

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.