Book Series Guide
Ernest Cline

Author guide

Ernest Cline Books in Order

Ernest Cline is an American novelist, screenwriter, and poet based in Austin, Texas. He is best known for the science-fiction novels Ready Player One, Armada, and Ready Player Two, as well as the middle-grade novel Bridge to Bat City. His earlier spoken-word writing was collected in The Importance of Being Ernest.

science fictionmiddle-grade fictionpoetryspoken-word poetry

Catalog record updated .

Ernest Cline's Newest Book

Cover of Bridge to Bat City

Bridge to Bat City

middle-grade-novel · First published 2024

After losing her mother, thirteen-year-old Opal B. Flats moves in with her uncle Roscoe on the family farm. There, she bonds with Uncle Roscoe over music and befriends a group of orphaned, music-loving bats. But just as the farm is starting to feel like home, the bats’ cave is destroyed by a big mining company with its sights set on the farmland next. If Opal and the bats can fit in anywhere, it’s the nearby city of Austin, home to their favorite music and a host of wonderfully eccentric characters. But with people afraid of the bats and determined to get rid of them, it’ll take a whole lot of courage to prove that this is where the bats—and Opal—belong.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Ready Player One

Ready Player One

The first novel and entry point to the Ready Player One series.

Cover of Armada

Armada

A standalone science-fiction novel.

Cover of Bridge to Bat City

Bridge to Bat City

A standalone middle-grade novel.

Cover of The Importance of Being Ernest

The Importance of Being Ernest

A standalone collection for readers interested in Cline's poetry and spoken-word writing.

Read in order

Books by series

novel-series · ongoing

Ready Player One series

A science-fiction series following Wade Watts and his companions through the virtual world of the OASIS and its successor quests.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Ready Player One

    Book 1 · novel · 2011

    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…

  2. 2
    Ready Player Two

    Book 2 · novel · 2020

    AN UNEXPECTED QUEST. TWO WORLDS AT STAKE. ARE YOU READY? Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies…

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (1)
  1. Armada

    novel · 2015

    "He vastly prefers the countless science-fiction movies, books, and videogames he's spent his life consuming. And too often, he catches himself wishing that some fantastic, impossible, world-altering event could arrive to whisk him off on…

Essays and speeches (1)
  1. The Importance of Being Ernest

    essay-and-poetry-collection · 2001

    Ernest (Ernie) Cline has been Ernest his whole life and in this first slim (48 pages) volume, he begins to explain to us what that has meant in these poems intended for performance. This companion book to his CD, The Geek Wants Out,…

Children's books (1)
  1. Bridge to Bat City

    middle-grade-novel · 2024

    After losing her mother, thirteen-year-old Opal B. Flats moves in with her uncle Roscoe on the family farm. There, she bonds with Uncle Roscoe over music and befriends a group of orphaned, music-loving bats. But just as the farm is…

Frequently asked questions about Ernest Cline

Who is Ernest Cline, and where is he based?

Ernest Cline is an American novelist and screenwriter best known for science fiction. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.

Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)loc.gov (opens in a new tab)

How did Ernest Cline move from technology work into writing?

Before publishing, Cline worked in IT and tech support at emerging internet companies while pursuing screenwriting. He ultimately finished his first novel after wanting greater creative control than filmmakers typically have over a screenplay.

Source: theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Ernest Cline’s writing?

His writing was shaped by Star Wars, arcade and home video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and other science-fiction films and games from his childhood. He has described using that accumulated pop-culture knowledge as material for his stories.

Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)lightspeedmagazine.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Ernest Cline won?

Ready Player One won the 2012 Prometheus Award for Best Novel in a tie and was also selected for the 2012 Alex Awards, which recognize adult books with special appeal to young adults.

Sources: lfs.org (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)

What is Ernest Cline’s legacy in science fiction and popular culture?

His legacy is especially visible in the crossover between publishing, gaming culture, and film: his books have appeared in more than 50 countries, and he co-wrote the Spielberg-directed film adaptation of Ready Player One. His work helped bring game-centered, pop-culture-infused science fiction to a broad mainstream audience.

Sources: loc.gov (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)