Paperback version, published June 5, 2012. Cover design by Jim Massey, with an illustration by Whiskytree Inc.
Ready Player One is a science fiction and dystopian novel by Ernest Cline. The extrabold type on the cover of the Crown/Random House editions appears to be Mekon Alt. Mekon(2010) is a digitization and expansion of Black Body (1973) by Peter Steiner — annoyingly, The Northern Block fails to mention this phototype-era typeface as the source of the revival.
I love the hardcover design, because the design and color remind me of the cover of Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, one of my favorite books. Along with the title, the 80s style font and the tiny 8-bit avatar leaping for the key hint at the plot in an alluring way. Both I and my publisher wanted a cover that would appeal to all sorts of readers and not just science fiction fans, and think the hardcover design does that really well.
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There is also an animated version of the paperback cover.