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A review by shirezu
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer
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.