Ready Player One - Spielberg takes on the king of MMOs.

Yes, very much so. And that’s why the constant barrage of references are integral to the book. They are authentic.

Also, they aren’t without context as given the plot of the book, deep understanding of old geek lore is absolutely required to solve the puzzle and win the prize. Without those references the plot doesn’t work. And if you replace Xwing fighters with “Space Superiority H-Class” or whatever because you didn’t get the nod from Disney, the whole thing just plain doesn’t work.

Thanks for the music suggestions. So far none of them are as embarrassingly terrible yet totally catchy as Bring Me to Life. But I’ll keep looking!