This post is going to assume you have read the book, and thus will contain spoilers. If you’re not done reading and don’t want spoilers, bookmark and come back later. For those not owning the book, there is an excellent quick summary in the first post of this thread.
Despite the great skepticism of the RP community, I decided to get the book so I could judge for myself, as I find the RP community often shoots things down because it simply doesn’t suit them and damned if you dare to think differently! Perhaps a bit exaggerated and certainly generalized, but mention Empyrean Age or Tony Gonzales and people start throwing a hissy fit. Granted, I had gripes with that book, but it’s not a bad book by itself. I see it as an author’s first attempt at writing a full novel in a well-established universe, and falling into certain plot traps.
What seemed to annoy people about EA is that the information provided did us no good, yet it has consequences. I think Templar One did better in that it provided more information for the day to day use. Yet, I don’t mind learning more about what goes on behind the scenes, even if it can’t be taken in character. Personally, I liked the insights provided on the Roden Shipyards – Serpentis relationship, as well as the inner workings of Mordu’s Legion. Also, more information on Ishukone, for whom I’ve always had a bit of a personal weakness. For faction loyalists, these are solid cornerstones, since while you can’t directly quote these facts they do give you a general outline of what the faction does, and thus what kind of storyline arcs you could come up with.
I’m pretty sure a great deal of Amarrian roleplayers are pissed off however at how their faction is portrayed, but frankly, I feel it had to be done. I do think it makes a lot of sense for Amarrians, in character, to be in denial or try to spin it. That’s what Amarrians do. But the OOC hate? Meh. It’s EVE Online, you can’t honestly believe your faction is the good guys. Maybe you play a good guy, and that’s your full right, but just like in the real world, there is corruption within all groups, and you will risk being judged for that. You’re just a facet of a faction, so where exactly is your right to say that “TonyG is ruining everything”. It’s not ruining it, it’s revealing a different take than was previously established or assumed. It doesn’t invalidate your take on it, or undo your work.
The whole Sleepers / Jove / Enheduanni / Architects thing is starting to make a lot more sense now. I know this is the focal point of a lot of hate, and it did indeed seem very much up and out there. Now however, it is starting to make more sense. It’s becoming more ingrained into everything. I think what a lot of people dislike is that it seems very much like fantasy and breaks with how the backstory once was very tangible and accessible. EVE was epic because of the shades of gray and the human conflict, and suddenly there’s this ‘alien’ stuff. Except it isn’t that alien, at all. Jove messed with their DNA, and the Sleepers with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and cryonics. But when you look back, they once were both very ‘human’, and I’ve always thought of them as the warning sign of what capsuleers and their technology could bring on. After all, history tends to repeat itself.
What I do miss is game changes based on the novel. Official news posts we could use as storyline hooks, maybe some missions too. There has been a player attempt, but that is hardly believable for other characters, especially since the news source is a sensationalist outlet. I hope we’ll see them closer to the DUST launch, but you can kinda expect as soon as a book is released that people will be all over it, as well have questions on what to do with all this new knowledge.
Unfortunately, I don’t have immediate access to my copy of Empyrean Age, and I did feel that the characters weren’t always sufficiently explained. I also feel that sometimes, a bit more information on who’s who again would have been nice. Granted, I read the book in several small chunks before bedtime, so a second read together with linked material like the Ruthless novella might be in order.
All in all, I had fun reading the book, and I now feel that DUST and EVE will make sense together.
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