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Eve: The Empyrean Age

Author: Tony Gonzales
Publisher: Gollancz
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

3 reviews
Sales Rank: 4804

Media: Hardcover
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.9 x 1.8

ISBN: 0575082682
EAN: 9780575082687
ASIN: 0575082682

Publication Date: June 19, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Eve: The Empyrean Age (Gollancz S.F.)
•	Paperback - Eve: The Empyrean Age (Gollancz S.F.)

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Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing read July 19, 2008
Unless you are an avid fan of the game and it's storyline then give this a miss. Unlike the 2 previous reviewers I think this is poorly written. I gave up reading it as I felt that ploughing through 500+ pages of turgid, plot driven, description and explanation was more than I could bear. The writing is annoying at best, full of mistakes and explanation when it should be full of storytelling and wonder. Tony Gonzalez is good at short fan-fiction but in longer form you can clearly see he just doesn't have the skill to pull it off. I came to this after reading quality writing from Charles Stross and Ken MacLeod so it grated having to read this and my annoyance and disappointment overtook my resolve to continue. I may finish it at some point when I've nothing to read, have no money to buy books and have lost my library card. Sorry Tony.

5 out of 5 stars

Paths of the Cursed June 30, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

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 naive.
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.

5 out of 5 stars

brilliant June 22, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

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