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EVE: The Burning Life
A new novel set in the world of the popular science fiction online role playing game, EVE.
We all crave a purpose.
A fire to spark our lives into action.
It's this burning life within that drives us to our destinies.
But when it burns too deep, or goes unchecked, it can shatter innocent lives in its wake.
A vicious attack on a deep-space mining colony rains death and destruction on nearly all its inhabitants. Only a handful survive. Among the shattered survivors is a young man, hell-bent on an impossible revenge.
In another part of the universe, a wealthy agent of death finds her tenuous grip on sanity slipping, and is forced to leave everything she's come to know and love. But her last chance at redemption lies in the last place she ever thought to look.
Their respective paths take them through the vast universe of EVE, to galactic empires built on faith, hedonism, discipline, and rebellion. Their fates plunge them into the darkest parts of this galaxy, to encounters with denizens of the chaotic and dangerous pirate kingdoms. And all the while, as each draws closer to what they seek, they begin to realize that the only stakes worth playing for are the ones from which they've run so far away. . . .
We all crave a purpose.
A fire to spark our lives into action.
It's this burning life within that drives us to our destinies.
But when it burns too deep, or goes unchecked, it can shatter innocent lives in its wake.
A vicious attack on a deep-space mining colony rains death and destruction on nearly all its inhabitants. Only a handful survive. Among the shattered survivors is a young man, hell-bent on an impossible revenge.
In another part of the universe, a wealthy agent of death finds her tenuous grip on sanity slipping, and is forced to leave everything she's come to know and love. But her last chance at redemption lies in the last place she ever thought to look.
Their respective paths take them through the vast universe of EVE, to galactic empires built on faith, hedonism, discipline, and rebellion. Their fates plunge them into the darkest parts of this galaxy, to encounters with denizens of the chaotic and dangerous pirate kingdoms. And all the while, as each draws closer to what they seek, they begin to realize that the only stakes worth playing for are the ones from which they've run so far away. . . .
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 21, 2010
Until the final 50 pages, this book was 1-star material. It only marginally improved, and only for a short time. Of the two main characters, one careens through an artificial, forced tour of the four factions in the EVE universe, and the other is just incomprehensible... and requires explanation:
What do good directors and authors always say about developing characters for a story? The more depth they have, the more engaging they are. Depth does not mean that you have to shift your main character's outlook on life every 2 chapters. It also doesn't require you to throw in an epilogue that
I enjoyed how the two story threads came together in the end (even though it was an arduous journey getting there, for both the characters and the reader), and the outcome of the revenge plot was fun (if lacking in the elements of a space opera, which a reader would expect, given the universe the book is set in), but the middle 300 pages contributed nothing to the plot, and it seems the epilogue was tacked on merely to "shake things up." An author I am not, but here's my humble and opinionated hint: if you find that your book needs a surprising, earth-shattering epilogue to make the story interesting, your problems lie elsewhere.
What do good directors and authors always say about developing characters for a story? The more depth they have, the more engaging they are. Depth does not mean that you have to shift your main character's outlook on life every 2 chapters. It also doesn't require you to throw in an epilogue that
I enjoyed how the two story threads came together in the end (even though it was an arduous journey getting there, for both the characters and the reader), and the outcome of the revenge plot was fun (if lacking in the elements of a space opera, which a reader would expect, given the universe the book is set in), but the middle 300 pages contributed nothing to the plot, and it seems the epilogue was tacked on merely to "shake things up." An author I am not, but here's my humble and opinionated hint: if you find that your book needs a surprising, earth-shattering epilogue to make the story interesting, your problems lie elsewhere.
February 16, 2015
The writing style is easy to follow but the book jumps around way too much with many unconvincing plot decisions. It seems the author was set on covering every subject/setting in the Eve lore rather than keeping with a compelling and believable story. It has a few moments but overall it's just passable, if your into Eve. If you haven't played Eve then just plain pass.
September 25, 2011
As with the other Eve Online book, remove one star if you are not familiar with the setting. Empyrean Age was about universe-spanning politics, this books presents a more down-to-earth perspective of ordinary people who are on the fringe of capsuleers' (the players in game) attention. People who never played Eve Online won't like the fact that world presentation is very compressed and can be a bit confused. For Eve players, it adds interesting flavour to the setting.
January 30, 2018
Overly descriptive to the point of stalling the story. Overall a decent story, but not a page turner like the other two E:O books. The author is great at short stories but gets lost in filler for this novel.
April 3, 2024
Starts off ok, then descends into a long and boring conversation. Not even a close match for the other Eve novels.
June 1, 2024
Another one from my little friends’ book club, this was captivating in parts, sluggish in others. Good and light to read among other heavy books currently reading.
January 12, 2017
This is somewhat of a sequel to Eve: The Empyrean Age. I say somewhat because the only character to come from that book to this one was Tibus Heth and he only appears most of the way through the book. The main problem with this book is that it feels like a shell of what the other one was. The action is less frequent; the stories are more centered on the two main characters instead of ranging it out like the other one did. That doesn’t make the book any less readable then it’s predecessor, it just makes it not as enjoyable. The writing aspect of this was actually fairly equal to the other one.
The main characters in this story are Drem Valate who is a man who watches as his home gets destroyed and his family dies. At first he is bent on getting his revenge on the race of the people who did this. But as he gets closer to his new crew and learns about what it means to be a hero, he realizes that it’s better to help people then just focus on revenge. The Other Lead character is a woman named Ralea. She is a drug addicted agent who is forced into being a fugitive when she kills her drug dealer. She also ends up learning a lesson with the help of her best friend, Heci. In the end it was a good book in it’s own way, but definetly not a equal to the Empyrean age.
The main characters in this story are Drem Valate who is a man who watches as his home gets destroyed and his family dies. At first he is bent on getting his revenge on the race of the people who did this. But as he gets closer to his new crew and learns about what it means to be a hero, he realizes that it’s better to help people then just focus on revenge. The Other Lead character is a woman named Ralea. She is a drug addicted agent who is forced into being a fugitive when she kills her drug dealer. She also ends up learning a lesson with the help of her best friend, Heci. In the end it was a good book in it’s own way, but definetly not a equal to the Empyrean age.
January 19, 2012
Game fiction is a genre unto itself. Not only are game fiction authors usually not the best writers, the very nature of a game universe makes it difficult to write good fiction for it. Difficult, though not impossible. If the author introduces technology, she always has to make sure that such technology would make sense in the game world, and that what the characters in the novel do is not something that would invalidate normal gameplay. It's a difficult art.
Where The Empyrean Age, the first EVE Online novel, fails in pretty much any category, The Burning Life does a lot better. An avid gamer will find lovely descriptions that simply make sense in the world, and will even remind him of situations that he experience himself when playing the game. The plot is a bit weird and strictly speaking, the conclusion does not make a lot of sense, but it's an enjoyable read in any case. Sadly, the author is not used to such long stories, and that shows. The character development is a bit shallow, and plot lines do not develop too well. The writing style is also a bit on the weaker side.
All in all, nice read for fans of the game. Can't recommend it to anyone else, though.
Where The Empyrean Age, the first EVE Online novel, fails in pretty much any category, The Burning Life does a lot better. An avid gamer will find lovely descriptions that simply make sense in the world, and will even remind him of situations that he experience himself when playing the game. The plot is a bit weird and strictly speaking, the conclusion does not make a lot of sense, but it's an enjoyable read in any case. Sadly, the author is not used to such long stories, and that shows. The character development is a bit shallow, and plot lines do not develop too well. The writing style is also a bit on the weaker side.
All in all, nice read for fans of the game. Can't recommend it to anyone else, though.
July 31, 2012
Probably one of the worst books I've ever read. I know tie in books with movies or video games are not always the best but you do expect a story. This book spends most of it's time lecturing on background to the universe though characters so poorly written it's difficult to connect or care about at all. The plot, such as it is, pops up about half way through. I may as well have bought an EVE compendium.
I generally will always finish a book, even if I dislike it, in the belief that it may get better or that to really appreciate the good books in life you should understand what makes a bad book.
This is a bad book.
It get's one star, simply because anyone who has the perseverance to finish a book should get something.
I generally will always finish a book, even if I dislike it, in the belief that it may get better or that to really appreciate the good books in life you should understand what makes a bad book.
This is a bad book.
It get's one star, simply because anyone who has the perseverance to finish a book should get something.
July 18, 2010
A disappointing read overall. While the author is good at writing captivating dialog, the overarching story arc was weak, did not seem to have any kind of structure to it. The way the characters where portrayed was at once quite thorough, but also slightly off kilter, and didn't always come across as realistic. Especially the main protagonist Drem, seems to flip back and forth on his loyalties seemingly at random and with little reason. Seeming changes in attitude or emotional state of all the characters seemed to be handled far to casually, making it all feel a little schizophrenic. The ending seemed to be an afterthought and was not compelling or satisfactory in the slightest.
January 7, 2011
The book started off on a bad foot for me by apparently attempting to make me feel guilty for shooting npcs. This was not happening and only led into my soon-to-be mantra for the book, "This could all have been avoided if SOMEONE had been using T1 lasers."
The bulk of the book reads like an "Intro to the Universe of EVE" which didn't really appeal to me as I was already familiar with the game. The action does pick up near the end, but fails to save the book overall in my opinion. After having enjoyed the previous EVE novel (_Empyrean Age_), this was a rather disappointing read.
The bulk of the book reads like an "Intro to the Universe of EVE" which didn't really appeal to me as I was already familiar with the game. The action does pick up near the end, but fails to save the book overall in my opinion. After having enjoyed the previous EVE novel (_Empyrean Age_), this was a rather disappointing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2012
Ultimately, the only thing saving this book from 1 star is the last 50 pages or so. As the plot line finally comes together, I finally enjoyed myself. Honestly, it felt like it should have been a short story, as it spent too long with pointless space filling, letting us familiarise ourselves with characters that were ultimately uncompelling, and often irrelevant.
A shorter, punchier version that focused purely on the final "reveal" would have made for a compelling story
A shorter, punchier version that focused purely on the final "reveal" would have made for a compelling story
April 25, 2013
In a Sci-fi world one man plans his revenge on those that have destroyed his family / world and a woman looks for redemption for the harm she has caused.
The premise of this book was good and I found the first hundred pages quite entertaining then the writing style turned into something than read like an instruction manual / history book with too much explanation / detail. A few times I found myself questioning what was happening.
I doubt I'll read any other books by this author.
The premise of this book was good and I found the first hundred pages quite entertaining then the writing style turned into something than read like an instruction manual / history book with too much explanation / detail. A few times I found myself questioning what was happening.
I doubt I'll read any other books by this author.
November 1, 2022
The typical Hollywood-esque narrative of a protagonist embarking on a journey of personal quest is often hollow to the point of irritation, however when placed in the realm of the universe of New Eden, the place where life in EVE Online unfolds, it regains some of the credibility. Following the diverse faces of the novel throughout the vast expanses of space in their goals and struggles was enjoyable.
April 12, 2010
This was a fantastic book. It has a cliffhanger ending in a sense, but the vision into the world of Eve and all the pirate factions and empires is quite stunning. A must read for any Eve lore enthusiast.
April 4, 2013
Started off well then became hard going. Improved in latter half as the pace picked up. Then threw it all away at the last with a rather unexplained ending. Lost a rating star for the ending, up until then it was a 3 star.
February 25, 2015
Just for EVE Players
An uneven read that does give a fleshed out perspective of the EVE Online lore. At times the language is great and almost poetic but more commonly the writing feels rushed and there are plot holes the size of a capital ship.
An uneven read that does give a fleshed out perspective of the EVE Online lore. At times the language is great and almost poetic but more commonly the writing feels rushed and there are plot holes the size of a capital ship.
June 3, 2010
A little bit disappointed in this book.
The story is very sketchy and you are easily lost. And the ending well .....
The story is very sketchy and you are easily lost. And the ending well .....
August 16, 2011
the book is poorly written and flows like tar, the author tends to write short stories and it shows. love the game disappointed in this book.
July 26, 2012
This book - even tough I have been an EvE-player, unbearably boring and horribly bad. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I stopped reading it about half way and I usually don't stop reading books.
February 23, 2013
referenced a major event in eve history at the end, pretty quick read i would put it at about a tenth grade level.
August 10, 2013
Amazing.
January 6, 2014
While not as good as the newer ones coming out it has an interesting universe. But rather typical characters list and is fairly predictable.
December 12, 2013
Great stories but I believe a bit harder to digest if your are haven't played Eve MMO before.
October 21, 2015
This book turned out to be better than expected. Through two character threads it turned into a nice tour of most of the major factions of New Eden.
April 25, 2016
A pretty well-written and enjoyable book, except for the ending, which I felt rushed and a bit ambiguous. An enjoyable foray through the story universe that wraps Eve:Online.
March 25, 2016
A series of poorly connected and cliche vignettes set in the EVE online universe.
June 29, 2017
??? ....
May 12, 2013
A good "tour of eve factions" kind of book. The main thread is just ok though.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews