A History of the Great Wars of EVE Online - Empires of EVE

Fantastically written piece of work chronicling the early history of EVE Online. Might be a bit difficult to get into for those who aren't already into the game, or know about EVE, but the introduction does a decent job.

A great book about a fascinating game, filled with intriguing plots and backstabbing diplomacy.
A book everyone should read, regardless if you play the game or not.
Written in a way anyone can follow and enjoy.

Absolutely fantastic, well-written history of the game, and the myriad politics involved in it. The hardcover edition is well illustrated and pleasant to read for anyone - even those not familiar with Eve online.

As an Eve player since 2010 - I highly enjoyed the book and loved reading about some of the battles that Andrew wrote about. I did the original kickstarter and have the hardcover, but also bought the kindle version as I will be reading this again!

This is a great book about gaming communities and what holds them together. It suggests that these communities are made strong not by powerful weapons, but by powerful communication which knits groups of players into effective teams.

Empires of Eve is a tremendously entertaining piece of history on a subject that has previously ignored by journalists. The histories of the political factions of EVE Online make for compelling reading, and I eagerly await a sequel.

Really nice feel and construction. Unique insight to the history of eve's empires. Would make an excellent coffee table book, albeit nerdy. I highly recommend it for anyone with an interest with eve's null sec history.

Very well-written. Could barely put it down start-to-finish (stupid work...). Really interesting to see the parallels between the conflicts discussed here and the real-world conflicts of the 20th century.

I've never played EVE Online, and am unlikely to. But I thought this looked like a fascinating project and backed it on Kickstarter. Andrew seemed like a good writer who was very interested in the topic, and I guessed he'd make it interesting.

The result exceeded my expectations. Andrew has produced a lavish, in-depth history, well illustrated with beautiful paintings, drawings and screenshots from the game, as well as actual propaganda posters. Propaganda? Certainly yes: one of the fascinating things about EVE Online is that its enormous sci-fi battles were often won or lost through influence and intrigue rather than plain firepower and might. "Empires of EVE" focuses on the people who did it: great leaders and underhanded agents who created and toppled massive empires.

The stories often feel like grand history, or intricately plotted war fiction. But there's a difference. In EVE Online, the participants are players, and their objective is to have fun, whatever form that may take. Additionally the limitations of the game itself sometimes intruded, dramatically changing the outcome of some situations. The result is certainly a grand history of wars, but with twists and turns that would likely never occur in real life.

I read the electronic PDF version, which was my Kickstarter purchase, so I can't speak to the quality of the hardcover. I've heard it's good.

In short, I strongly recommend this book.

Very good read. Even more exciting when you realize its based on a real story of stuff that happened. You don't have to know much about EVE to enjoy it. With all the twists and turns that come with stories in EVE, its easy to get into the habit of expecting something to go wrong, but not knowing what.

The main thing that came to my mind when i first got this, was the cover.

simple, small, black. with minimal text. this is SO fitting for a book on a EVE. The backstabbing, under the table deals, spying, turncoats, and ambushes that give EVE its delicious stories and lore. A small Black Book fits this theme so well. Just something to keep in mind when you begin reading.
unless your an Amarr, in which case you were probably expecting gold plated.
or Minmatar....in which case a rusty book? hm...

5/5 and i can't wait for the fountain war.

I got this book through the kick starter and this book is absolutely amazing. I was surprised how many of the players I had heard of in this book since I started playing EVE in 2012 well after the most recent events in this book. The author did an amazing job laying out the information and presenting it in a entertaining fashion. I really enjoyed the player made propaganda and the maps. I hope he goes on to write another book about the next 6 years of EVE so I can read about the history I may have been part of.

The allure of a sandbox game is the unscripted nature of the virtual world it encompasses. The stewards of the sandbox, the developers and the publisher, provide the tools that the players need to create their own content and then sit back to observe, but not direct, the outcome.

Andrew's book starts shortly before I began participating in this universe. I was there for the fall of BoB. I remain there today as the descendants of Goonswarm are again being challenged across New Eden. I fly with some of the same people whose deeds are recorded in these pages. I miss players who should be here, but are not. #RIPVileRat

Players continue to join together to build or destroy as they choose. Friendships are made. And broken. Oaths are taken and betrayed, just as they were during the time of Andrew's book. Real world lives connect in ways that otherwise would be impossible.

The role of the historian in such a universe is to capture pictures of the marks in the sand before tide, man or God smooth them away and the cycle begins again. Andrew has performed this role with distinction and I look forward to his future works, regardless of their focus.

Empires of EVE is the fascinating story of what happens when you put people into a virtual universe that isn't so virtual, and give them the power to become the kings and queens of this universe. If it was more novelized, it could read as a good sci-fi book, but as it stands it feels more like a documentary, an outlook into this very unique game.

As entertaining as the squabbles of the EVE factions are, it starts to get repetitive towards the end of the book, as you realize that the EVE Online ecosystem reproduces patterns over the years. I also regret that the book only covers the period up until 2009, missing about half of the game's lifetime and the many changes that happened during this time.

Still, Empires of EVE is both interesting and entertaining, and a book I would recommend to anyone interested either virtual universes, or science-fiction, or both !

This book is quite amazing in that, even as someone who was there in Eve at the time and who experienced many of the events described in the book first-hand, a lot of what Andrew wrote about was entirely new to me. It opened an entirely new side to both the events and the people behind them, and made me look at my (then) enemies and allies alike from a very different perspective.

I've backed the book on Kickstarter, and the end result has exceeded all of my expectations. I only wish that Andrew would write more about Eve, as the game still has many stories to tell.

Being an Eve player is by no means a requirement to enjoy this book. I've recommended it to several of my friends who have never played the game, and they've all enjoyed reading the book.

This is a very enjoyable book.
It details the struggles of various political, economic, and military factions for control of the open, uncontrolled spaces in Eve Online known as "nullsec".
I've never played EVE Online, and I had no trouble following the events or picturing what was happening. The descriptions are clear, and the book is organized quite well to show the ebb and flow of power and control over the player controlled regions of EVE Online.
This is also a very fun read.
Some of the events during the times detailed are hilarious, and yet quite serious for their ramifications in the events told.
To quote the beginning of the foreword: "EVE is real.", and I highly recommend this book to find out why, and to find out about the military, economic, and political struggles that happened within the game.

I got this book through the Kickstarter, even though I am not an EVE Online player. I am incredibly glad I did. This is a fantastic book that reads like a history novel of a fantastical place. The writing is engaging, interesting, and informative. This book reads like something by David McCullough (my favorite history author), with interviews, forum posts and emails in the place of the historical letters. The author brings these stories to life in a way that just reading forum posts or individual articles can't. The stories of this book are incredible, especially since they are all player driven.

The design of the book is also incredible. The artwork, star maps, and character photos are both a pleasure to look at and well laid out to aid and advance the story in each section of the book. The layout of the stories as well as the interludes explaining further details in the sidebars work well to give you all the information without disrupting the flow of the book.

The stories of the different corporations and alliances made for a thrilling read that left me wanting more. I could not put this book down. I look forward to many more books from Mr. Groen on EVE. Anyone remotely interested in EVE, intrigue, or player driven video games should absolutely pick up this book.

I have never played Eve Online, but I've followed the major exploits of the game from the sidelines as a casual observer. It's one thing to read a brief story about how hundreds of capital ships worth millions of in-game currency and required hours and hours to build were wiped out in a single battle. It's another thing entirely to read all the back story of why that battle started, and what happened afterwards.

This is a well written account of the history of Eve Online that should appeal to both casual observers (like myself), dedicated players that may have joined the game late, and former players that have moved on from the game. I highly recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in history, video game history, or Eve Online.

**Kickstarter backer

Paid for hardback, got sent a paperback.

the store are at least willing to refund the difference, but I wanted a hardback and I'm not paying to return the paperback from the UK.

No complaints about the book itself, as someone who started playing Eve Online towards the end of the book's timeline after the collapse of BoB in early 09, it was an interesting read and filled in many gaps of my knowledge in regards to the games early history.