Haha i don’t disagree - it’s in bad need of an editor and he loves info-dumpy segues for sure. By easy romp i meant the story was fun for me to read, not that it was a paragon of literary readability.

I will say though that as someone who loves knowledge for its own sake and will spend hours going down Wikipedia rabbit-holes that his random forays and commentaries on movies and games did not bother me at all the way it would bother a reader who favors a more focused narrative and story-telling.

I read it and enjoyed it because I love VR and it’s basically nerd wish-fulfillment.

That said I see the issues with it, and why a certain subset of people might gravitate towards it. However in and of itself it’s not a problematic book imo - it’s a easy romp of a read. The concept of a global treasure hunt driven by nerdery and the you-can-be-anything in virtual reality gives it its popularity. I have several female co-workers I respect who also read it and enjoyed it. It’s nowhere near well-written with great prose or anything close though.