Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paths of the Cursed, 30 Jun 2008
EVE-Online has been running for five years. Players have seen massive changes to the game play mechanics but the actual story line has been very slow to develop, being depicted through short stories and occasional in-game events. The Empyrean Age needed to pull together all these loose plot threads without resorting to the feared dei ex machinae that many thought would be necessary.
It has done an admirable job. The story fills in gaps and ties together plot elements without ever straining credulity. The characters are well written and the setting true to the game that inspired it. The author manages to describe and incorporate many elements of the EVE universe, presenting a coherent tale where before there were only snapshots.
The story takes place towards the end of a cold war between the four primary space-faring nations of EVE. The plot follows a small number of individuals whose actions shape events. Some of the characters are important figures with no small amount of power, while others are minor players reluctantly forced into the middle of the fray. Mysterious figures make desperate power-plays for personal ends, while democratic institutions are demolished in the face of strident nationalism. Tyrants and folk-heroes vie for power while new technology threatens to tilt the balance.
If there are things I would criticise I would say:
1. The portrayal of Amarrians is very one-dimensional. The only good ones are those that have lost their minds, or so it would seem. This goes to extremes with some chapters handling the Amarr Chamberlain. I think one of the descriptions, if portrayed visually, would land the author in jail. Caldari fare only a little better, while the Minmatar are all haplessly naïve.
2. The timing of this novel is a bit rushed. With so little for so long it too much to absorb all at once. It doesn't really strain credibility or in any way stretch the boundaries of the EVE universe, but it feels like it should.
All in all, for an EVE fan this is a great book. Even for those who have never heard of EVE it is still a well written stand-alone sci-fi novel, although the resonance will be diminshed. Finally, it has an interesting twist at the end... opening doors that were long thought closed.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Story and an important read to the serious EVE player, 24 Jul 2008
If you've been playing eve for a while, you will know all about the ideology and politics between the four main races. This book brings them together in an interesting and cohesive way. I guess in a way it sews the plotlines all together and is a good exciting read for the Eve player.
But, for those that are not eve players, picking up this book cold, they will likely find it a little too descriptive, which it may have to be for the new reader, and perhaps this is why Tony went to the lengths he did. For the eve player, the descriptive is simply an affirmation of our knowledge, setting the scene, as it were... but the cold reader might not realise the importance of certain elements without having played the game first, thus, significance might be lost.
The book reminds me in a way of Dune by Frank Herbert. Dune is an excellent read; descriptive just enough to titalate the imagination, and puts you on a wild ride through interstellar politics, racial tension, religious beliefs and all out combat in a massive space-scape. The Empyrean Age attempts to do the same and, in my book, passes, but only just.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant, 22 Jun 2008
Have to say I was a little sceptical at first but I'm half way through the book and am loving it. Granted, i am an eve online devout but this book is really well written with an interesting storyline. It ties in really well to the game and adds to the all important immersion. What's even better is you get to participate in the new update which allows you to join forces with one of the factions from the book and continue the war
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