If you are an eagle-eyed game shopper, you may have seen some new, 5"x8" books by Dream Pod 9. If you are a fan of Heavy Gear, you have been waiting for them.

The Making of a Universe: Heavy Gear Design works is a pictoral history of the creation of Heavy Gear. From the look of the Gears, the world of Terra Nova, the cultures of the people, and the production history of the Gears, this book has it all. It is a fascinating read - rarely do companies show so much of the visual "brainstorming" that goes into the creation of a game. Plus, this book also shows a number of impressive color pictures - something is that often missing from most Heavy Gear books. (DP9 says that they do all their pictures in full color - the costs of doing full computer colored illustrations that will only see print in black and white is....questionable)

In any case, Heavy Gear fans will rejoice at this book. They may NOT, however, rejoice at the price. Even for a lavishly designed book like this, I know a number of fans who will pass on it. Worse, I have seen a number of places that have this book shrink-wrapped (I am not aware if this is DP9's intent), which does not allow the casual browser to see what goodies lie inside. This is not going to help the book - if you can't see what it has to offer, you are going to put it back on the shelf.

Also, this book offers 0 playing information. That's correct- no new Gear stats, no characters stats, no adventure, nada, zip. It is PURELY appreciative to people who want to see the background design of the world.

So, if that is what you have come for, you are going to be pleased. If not...then I suggest you look elsewhere.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 3 (Average)