25 replies to this topic

[Azalie]

As if it hasn't been said enough....yeah the Warrior trilogy and the Blood of Kerensky trilogy are great sources of information to better understand just "what the deal is" in battletech (3049) and what is on the horizon. Heir to the Dragon is also a nice little add on if you want to know more about the DC.

Anything by Stackpole is an amazing read. All the other authors did great jobs too of course but Stackpole's books seem to stand out. He of course did the Warrior and Blood of Kerensky trilogies as well as some other battletech books.

If you are really gungho about reading then you can also pick up the Twilight of the Clans series...it's eight books long and by several different authors but tells the story of how the IS fought back against the clans post Tukayyid....has a bittersweet ending though.

And stay away from anything that says "MechWarrior: Dark Ages" those are crap and take place in the 3100's.

Edited by Azalie, 09 June 2012 - 11:18 AM.

[Beo Vulf]

The source books will be helpful since they contain unit break downs, and faction histories.

[Hagetaka]

Any Michael Stackpole novel is what's considered a "tentpole" book- they move the overall timeline of the Battletech universe forward, and cover the larger issues. Their quality, however....eh. He can move a plot forward, but just familiarize yourself with the concept of the Mary Sue. His dialogue and characterization are about what'd you'd read in a loose-bound book someone in a convention is trying to push on you.

The five original House sourcebooks are probably the best and most in-depth read to get a scale of the overall sweep of history, at least up until around 3025. They seriously are great reads no matter what you want to learn.

A couple of the more interesting novels to grab are Wolves on the Border (one of the best Btech books, period), the Victor Milan novels (just follow one unit and don't give you a macro picture of the game universe, but they are entertaining) and the entire Clans saga (whose quality varies greatly).

Edited by Hagetaka, 11 June 2012 - 08:39 PM.

[Nathan Sharp]

To anyone who may want them I have the following on electrons and I am more than willing to email them to anyone who wants them...I also understand that it may take me a bit(seconds) for each, but I will go in the order received. I am trying to get Liao's, Star League, Wolfs Dragoons and Comstar...as they are also relevant in the order of things. I am also so glad they chose to start here (3049) as the whole MWDA thing is well...depressing.

House Steiner Sourcebook
House Davion Sourcebook
Free Worlds League Sourcebook
House Kurita Sourcebook
Technical Manual 3027
Technical Manual 3050
Technical Manual 3060


sharphusband@gmail.com

[ltmyndonos]

I do not understand why there are a lot of anti-Stackpole statements, unless, of course, we have a bunch of new hippies and he's too "popular". 9 times out of 10, the first books people read of the series were his books, nad he was active with the rpg and the first roms. A little ironic that "Stackpoling" is the blowing up of Mechs but the games he worked on, they didnt have engines blowing up.
As my tag says-

[Urgewyrm]

Stackpole typically has the best of the Battletech novels. He gets so much grief because he loves to use the same phrase over and over again, uses a dozen words when 3 would suffice, and his characters tend to give speeches at each other instead of real dialogue.

Also, get to know the idea of Mary Sue.

If you want to get to know the houses, the House Chapbooks are the only way to go. The Era Report sourcebooks also do an excellent job of catching you up to speed on the different eras of Battletech. Don't get intimidated! You're jumping into a game that has over 25 years of history to it. There are a lot of stuff to take in. Sarna.net helps alot for the times when you go 'What the hell are these guys talking about?' but reading the sourcebooks will get you the most indepth look at the history of Battletech.

Make sure you read Far Country, though. It's the best Battletech novel ever written!