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moirwyn's review against another edition
3.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/05/03/the-empire-of-imagination-gary-gygax-and-the-birth-of-dungeons-dragons-by-michael-witwer/
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons is a stylized biography of the man behind the popular roleplaying game known as DND. (You can blame him when I decline Thursday night happy hours because my hipster cleric is trying to save the princess, rescue townsfolk, and convert all the ogres of Rokugan.)
Despite having played Dungeons & Dragons for several years now, my knowledge of Gygax’s life was sorely lacking. Empire of Imagination tells the story behind the story, and the story behind all of the stories that players create on a daily basis.
Ernest Gary Gygax was born to an working class immigrant family in Chicago, but grew up in the idyllic small town of Lake Geneva. Empire of Imagination begins with Gary’s childhood adventures, inspired by Robert E. Howard and similar authors of pulp fiction, and then progresses to his marriage, early career, and burgeoning role in the gaming community. He was an artist and a dreamer rather than a businessman, which led to troubled relationships and financial woes even as his games rose in popularity. This nature was both a bug and a feature, leading to both is greatest creations and his biggest failures.
The book opens as Gary is about to lose control of TSR, the company he founded to produce Dungeons & Dragons. Then it flashes back to the main body of the story. Between each chapter, there’s a stylized section that’s narrated as if it were part of a game of DnD, as the DM (here, a metaphor for God, fate, or what have you) throws new obstacles into Sir Egary’s path. Sir Egary reacts and casts his dice, paralleling the way that Gary navigates the troubles found in his own life. I love it when authors do creative things with literary form, especially in nonfiction, and so I found this structure intriguing, if not a little cliche. *rolls d20 to determine what aspect of the book to talk about next*
Even though this biography is stylized and told through vignettes based upon source material, the characters don’t jump off the page and aren’t fully fleshed out. It sticks very clearly to what happens, not necessarily the whys and the hows of interpersonal relationships. The book hints, but it doesn’t take the extra step and dive deep. For example, the book largely glosses over Gary’s marital troubles, stating the bare minimum to convey the big changes in their relationship rather than extrapolating upon the progression of the relationship’s deterioration. Gary’s wife didn’t feel like a complete character, and didn’t seem to have agency until the couple split. I felt as if some of the stylization made the book feel like a weak novel rather than a strong biography, but was able to forgive it because I do welcome experimental writing.
Even though I felt like the interpersonal relationships in the book were not fully explored or developed, Witwer has a knack for understanding and conveying corporate shenanigans that’s easy to understand even for audiences who aren’t so heavily involved in the business world (much like Gary himself).
Overall, I’m glad that I read Empire of Imagination, and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to learn more about Gygax’s life. It’s not the greatest biography I’ve ever read, but it’s an insight into the creator of DnD, and for that I will gladly forgive its flaws.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2016/05/03/the-empire-of-imagination-gary-gygax-and-the-birth-of-dungeons-dragons-by-michael-witwer/
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons is a stylized biography of the man behind the popular roleplaying game known as DND. (You can blame him when I decline Thursday night happy hours because my hipster cleric is trying to save the princess, rescue townsfolk, and convert all the ogres of Rokugan.)
Despite having played Dungeons & Dragons for several years now, my knowledge of Gygax’s life was sorely lacking. Empire of Imagination tells the story behind the story, and the story behind all of the stories that players create on a daily basis.
Ernest Gary Gygax was born to an working class immigrant family in Chicago, but grew up in the idyllic small town of Lake Geneva. Empire of Imagination begins with Gary’s childhood adventures, inspired by Robert E. Howard and similar authors of pulp fiction, and then progresses to his marriage, early career, and burgeoning role in the gaming community. He was an artist and a dreamer rather than a businessman, which led to troubled relationships and financial woes even as his games rose in popularity. This nature was both a bug and a feature, leading to both is greatest creations and his biggest failures.
The book opens as Gary is about to lose control of TSR, the company he founded to produce Dungeons & Dragons. Then it flashes back to the main body of the story. Between each chapter, there’s a stylized section that’s narrated as if it were part of a game of DnD, as the DM (here, a metaphor for God, fate, or what have you) throws new obstacles into Sir Egary’s path. Sir Egary reacts and casts his dice, paralleling the way that Gary navigates the troubles found in his own life. I love it when authors do creative things with literary form, especially in nonfiction, and so I found this structure intriguing, if not a little cliche. *rolls d20 to determine what aspect of the book to talk about next*
Even though this biography is stylized and told through vignettes based upon source material, the characters don’t jump off the page and aren’t fully fleshed out. It sticks very clearly to what happens, not necessarily the whys and the hows of interpersonal relationships. The book hints, but it doesn’t take the extra step and dive deep. For example, the book largely glosses over Gary’s marital troubles, stating the bare minimum to convey the big changes in their relationship rather than extrapolating upon the progression of the relationship’s deterioration. Gary’s wife didn’t feel like a complete character, and didn’t seem to have agency until the couple split. I felt as if some of the stylization made the book feel like a weak novel rather than a strong biography, but was able to forgive it because I do welcome experimental writing.
Even though I felt like the interpersonal relationships in the book were not fully explored or developed, Witwer has a knack for understanding and conveying corporate shenanigans that’s easy to understand even for audiences who aren’t so heavily involved in the business world (much like Gary himself).
Overall, I’m glad that I read Empire of Imagination, and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to learn more about Gygax’s life. It’s not the greatest biography I’ve ever read, but it’s an insight into the creator of DnD, and for that I will gladly forgive its flaws.
solostand's review against another edition
5.0
Unusual semi-fictionalized biography made in a really good taste/pace. While author filled the gaps with his own imagination, so a lot of things are probably not accurate, it is definitely a fun reading.
kavinay's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a rosy look at Gygax's life and career. Not a bad book, but the interesting bits are details about Gary's non D&D life, like the fact he loved chess and the Chicago Bears. The issues with Dave Arneson and even the conflicts within TSR aren't covered that deeply, in large part because we get mostly Gary's point of view.
myc_w's review against another edition
2.0
A completely fine book about Gygax, though there are some interesting choices made by Witwer. For instance, Empire of Imagination is not a biography, so much as a series of factionalized vignettes retold as if they were representing biographical stories. It’s more of an “inspired by” dramedy, one that would make for an interesting TV series with semibiographical characters, but doesn’t make for a great actual biography. There appear to be noticeable issues of bias throughout the book—this is clearly Gygax’s story, and so it takes his position. And while this lionizing of Gygax is well-written, it also often leaves out important facts, issues, and voices that would have more fully told the story of both Gygax and D&D. But that was not the story Witwer wanted to tell.
Overall, this is a light, easy to read story that gives some of the facts and creates a narrative to fill in the rest. It’s absolutely fine, but if you’re looking for a true biography of Gygax, I’d look somewhere else.
Overall, this is a light, easy to read story that gives some of the facts and creates a narrative to fill in the rest. It’s absolutely fine, but if you’re looking for a true biography of Gygax, I’d look somewhere else.
thomcat's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of scenes from the life and business of E. Gary Gygax. Not a true biography - whole incidents take place between the scenes, and are not explained. More a history of Gary leading to a history of Dungeons and Dragons. There were a few anecdotes I hadn't read, and I was surprised just how instrumental he was in starting and then building GenCon.
A solid 2.4 stars, but rounded up on the Gem Appreciation table to a 3.
A solid 2.4 stars, but rounded up on the Gem Appreciation table to a 3.
shirezu's review against another edition
4.0
I've been an on and off D&D player for most of my life but this year has really pulled me back into the fold. For the first time I've managed to drag friends and family in as well and it's been a joy to watch them fall in love with this, the most creative of games.
While I had heard of Gary Gygax, I knew very little about him or how D&D came to be. This book was mentioned on a show or podcast and when I stumbled across it on sale in a book store I decided to give it a shot. And then devoured it. It was a fascinating read. I didn't realize there had been so much back-stabbing, sex, drugs, and viciousness outside the game as there can be in it.
Now something to keep in mind is I applied the tag "non-fiction" rather loosely. While the author did have a lot of verified sources there is a great deal that is, at best, a fictionalized account. Things that were said, or done, or felt. And being written after Gygax passed away means the full account may never be known.
But I feel the bones behind it all are still solid and while I may not have liked Gygax the man very much I am appreciative of the work he did to bring this game to the world.
While I had heard of Gary Gygax, I knew very little about him or how D&D came to be. This book was mentioned on a show or podcast and when I stumbled across it on sale in a book store I decided to give it a shot. And then devoured it. It was a fascinating read. I didn't realize there had been so much back-stabbing, sex, drugs, and viciousness outside the game as there can be in it.
Now something to keep in mind is I applied the tag "non-fiction" rather loosely. While the author did have a lot of verified sources there is a great deal that is, at best, a fictionalized account. Things that were said, or done, or felt. And being written after Gygax passed away means the full account may never be known.
But I feel the bones behind it all are still solid and while I may not have liked Gygax the man very much I am appreciative of the work he did to bring this game to the world.
hestonhoffman's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
staatz's review against another edition
4.0
Not a bad book. Made me nostalgic for late night gaming sessions.