Overall a good book, but it feels incomplete. For example, it doesn't cover well the history of Atari and Commodore during that time. Sure, the PC ended up dominating the market, but both companies made many mistakes (the Deathbed Vigil video has some memorable scenes). David Pleasance would have way more to say as he's never been shy about Commodore **** ups.
The presentation of the book is great, as is the quality of the pages and the book cover.
The books contains lots of interesting stories and tidbits about the beginnings and rationale of the cracker scene.
Good stuff
I backed "STamiga - The Flame Wars" early on right after I saw it. To be honest, I regretted it during the waiting time and asked myself whether I really needed a book on that topic - as I wasn't a die-hard Amigan vs Atarian advocate in the first place (and of course it was clear that Amiga was better ;-)). But now: I'm very glad that I made this decision and helped this masterpiece to get published - because "The Flame Wars" illuminates those exciting times in an impressive way. The book is heavy and feels good in the hand, is produced to a high standard and has a stunning layout. A perfect coffee table book. But as each page invites you to read and continue reading, it is also a perfect history book for Amiga and Atari enthusiasts and anyone interested in this important phase of home computing.
This is a marvelous and delightful book! "The Flame Wars" by MicroZeit, explores the rivalry between Atari ST and Commodore Amiga from the late 1980s and very early 1990s.
The volume is a beautiful production! The design is stunning and lavishly illustrated. The writing is fluid and fun, very detail-oriented, capturing the times remarkably well. Writer Marco A. Breddin can be rightfully proud of his achievement.
The book covers the entwined history of the two systems, the games and creative that define the Amiga and the Atari ST. Additionally, "The Flame Wars" includes an extraordinary section about the demoscene. This book completes the oral history of the Atari ST and the Commodore Amiga, describing how these two systems served as creative tools for graphics, music, and game development, as well as for the demoscene. The book is well-balanced, without taking sides describes the advantages of both systems. Chapters have been contributed by a wide range of personalities from gaming, the demoscene and computer history likle: Marc Rosacha, Jurie Horneman, Erik Simon, Simon Butler, David Pleasance, Stoo Cambridge, Tobias Richter and many others!
Microzeit Publishing initiated this journey back in 2017 with their trilogy: "Breakin' the Borders", "Beyond the Borders" and "Return of the Border" about the demoscene on the Atari ST and the creative folks. They continued with their duology about 16-bit home computers, bulletin boards, and warez: "Crackers I: The Gold Rush" and "Crackers II: The Data Storm".
The French publisher Editions 64K covered the Amiga side of the demoscene with their three gorgeous volumes "Demoscene: the Amiga Years (1984 - 1993)", "Demoscene: the AGA Years (1994 - 1996)" and "Demoscene: the Amiga Eenaissance (1997 - 2023)"
"The Flame Wars" began as a collaboration between the two publishers. To me, this is the the ultimate team-up, the "68K Cinematic Universe" of computing history. Highly recommended!