14 replies to this topic

[Hyperlynx]

I happened to check the Amazon store for battletech kindle books, and saw a few. Any recommendations? Are any of them actually good books in their own right, actually well written regardless of being about mechwarrior? I could do with a good sci-fi series to read anyway...

[Skylarr]

I feel the following books will give you a good feel of the BattleTech Universe.

I would start with the Warrior Trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole, is about the events before and during the Fourth Succession War( 3028 to 3030). The main acts are the wedding of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, the experiences of Justin Xiang on Solaris VII and as spy on Sian, the vendetta between Morgan Kell and Yorinaga Kurita, the machinations of Michael Hasek-Davion and of subversive elements inside the Steiner nobility, ComStar's secret manipulations and of course the most important battles of the war.

• Warrior: En Garde (August 1988) 3026
  
• Warrior: Riposte (October 1988) 3028
  
• Warrior: Coupé (April 1989) 3029

Heir to the Dragon, by Robert N. Charrette, follows Theodore Kurita for twenty-two years as he learns to survive and thrive in the subtle and deadly courts of the Draconis Combine. The novel is also the only narrative of the War of 3039.


The Saga of the Gray Death Legion is a series of books about the famed Gray Death Legion mercenary unit. Most of the novels are by William H. Keith, Jr., with additional writing by Andrew Keith and Thomas S. Gressman. (This is the Mercenary unit that found the Helm Memory core that brought back Star League Tech right as the Clans hit.)

• Decision at Thunder Rift by William H. Keith, Jr. (June 1986) 3024
  
• Mercenary's Star by William H. Keith, Jr. (June 1987)
  
• The Price of Glory by William H. Keith, Jr. (October 1987) 3028 (Helm Memory Core was found in this book)
  
• Blood of Heroes by Andrew Keith (July 1993) 3056 -From this book on the novels cover the unit after Clan Invasion-
  
• Tactics of Duty by William H. Keith, Jr. (August 1995)
  
• Operation Excalibur by William H. Keith, Jr. (August 1998)
  
• The Dying Time by Thomas S. Gressman (January 2002)

The Legend of the Jade Phoenix trilogy, by Robert Thurston, is the story of the fall and redemption of Aidan Pryde, hero of Clan Jade Falcon.

• Way of the Clans (August 1991) (This happens in Clan space before the Clan Invasion)
  
• Bloodname (October 1991) (This happens in Clan space before the Clan Invasion)
  
• Falcon Guard (December 1991) (This is about Aiden Pryde during The Invasion including the Battle of Tukayyid)

Blood of Kerensky is a trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole about the Clan Invasion (3049 - 3052)

• Lethal Heritage (September 1989)
  
• Blood Legacy (December 1990)
  
• Lost Destiny (April 1991)

There are many other fine novels you can read. Here is a complete list of BattleTech Novels.


v This is a list that I made over a year ago and I post when someone asks for a recommendation.

[wickwire]

I just finished "Hector" and "Vengeance" by Jason Schmetzler, and albeit short, they're both very good reads.

[Hyperlynx]

Thanks, I'll check 'em out.

Edited by Hyperlynx, 16 July 2013 - 04:05 AM.

[Hyperlynx]

Started reading Lethal Heritage. So far, Stackpole seems to have this weird habit of presenting background information in character dialogue, rather than directly. The result is every second conversation seems to be people explaining stuff to each other that they surely would already know, and doesn't sound natural at all. It's a bit ham-fisted. Does he always do that?

[wickwire]

Hehe. On a similar note I'd like to confess that I've trouble with the 2nd book in the Grayson Death trilogy, Mercenary's Star. Too much background information for my taste I'm only on page 69, so I hope it gets better with more action and interesting dialogues when I eventually continue reading it.

[Lavi]

do it exist any timeline-novel guide?
If someone wanted to follow the book-lore of battletech historically?

My mind is more prone to understand sequential events..
I know some books make 1-2-20 years leaps... but I must confess I felt a little pissed reading about Victor, Kai, Galen.. and after this, reading Warrior trilogy or the history of Tetshuhara...this one being almos 10 years before...

[Lavi]

Hyperlynx, on 18 July 2013 - 02:41 AM, said:

Started reading Lethal Heritage. So far, Stackpole seems to have this weird habit of presenting background information in character dialogue, rather than directly. The result is every second conversation seems to be people explaining stuff to each other that they surely would already know, and doesn't sound natural at all. It's a bit ham-fisted. Does he always do that?

Stackpole was my favourite BT writer, before I met Coleman and a few others...
After reading those other writers... Stackpole novels always give me the sensation of being reading cheapo western movies (with exploding cowboys... that is)

and yes... Stackpole usually do this kind of things... but i prefer this rather than a somewhat lengthy paragraph that will look a bit forced.

[wickwire]

Lavi, on 18 July 2013 - 06:08 AM, said:

do it exist any timeline-novel guide?
If someone wanted to follow the book-lore of battletech historically?

My mind is more prone to understand sequential events..
I know some books make 1-2-20 years leaps... but I must confess I felt a little pissed reading about Victor, Kai, Galen.. and after this, reading Warrior trilogy or the history of Tetshuhara...this one being almos 10 years before...

by roosterboy on the BattleTech forums ( http://bg.battletech...74449#msg174449 ):







he also summarized dark age: http://csha.roosterv...ls_timeline.pdf

you also might wanna check this out http://www.libraryth...l+Reading+Order

Edited by wickwire, 18 July 2013 - 06:23 AM.

[Lavi]

wickwire, on 18 July 2013 - 06:23 AM, said:

by roosterboy on the BattleTech forums ( http://bg.battletech...74449#msg174449 ):

THX! thats what I was looking for!

[Kanya Pryde]

Skylar's got a great list. For my .02 I recommend Thurston and Stackpole.

[Reod Daie]

Hyperlynx, on 14 July 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:

I happened to check the Amazon store for battletech kindle books, and saw a few. Any recommendations? Are any of them actually good books in their own right, actually well written regardless of being about mechwarrior? I could do with a good sci-fi series to read anyway...

One of my majors is English, and while I certainly wouldn't compare any of these books to "Crime and Punishment" or "Leaves of Grass" I still recommend reading them. Why? Because these books exist to expand and give substance to the Battletech and Mechwarrior universe. The latter books are written better in terms of style and description. The original 12 or so...(I'm reading those now) not so stellar, but the stories themselves are what are intriguing.

If you want to read a beauitufl, nonlinear, and engrossing book, I highly suggest "Cloud Atlas".

Edited by Reod Daie, 18 July 2013 - 09:28 AM.

[Sadistic Savior]

Hyperlynx, on 14 July 2013 - 12:50 AM, said:

I happened to check the Amazon store for battletech kindle books, and saw a few. Any recommendations? Are any of them actually good books in their own right, actually well written regardless of being about mechwarrior? I could do with a good sci-fi series to read anyway...

The best books in all of Battletech IMO are the Jade Falcon series. And their follow ups (I am Jade Falcon).

I would read the Blood of Kerensky trilogy first. That is really necessary to get a feel for the background, and Stackpole is a good writer if a little sloppy.

Lots of Battletech books are good, but IMO battletech really peaked with jade Phoenix. The pre-clan books were not that great IMO, and Dark Age seems to go in a very cartoony direction that I really didn't like. Blood of Kerensky to Endgame is the era I'd recommend focusing on.

(That being said...I am in the process of re-reading the series now. I imagine I will eventually read the pre-clan stuff again and the Dark Age stuff, but I would never start with it)

[Sadistic Savior]

Hyperlynx, on 18 July 2013 - 02:41 AM, said:

Started reading Lethal Heritage. So far, Stackpole seems to have this weird habit of presenting background information in character dialogue, rather than directly. The result is every second conversation seems to be people explaining stuff to each other that they surely would already know, and doesn't sound natural at all. It's a bit ham-fisted. Does he always do that?

I used to think he was an awesome writer. But time has not been kind to him...on re-reading, he seems a lot more mediocre to me. Not bad, just not great.

He had this annoying habit in that series of making the Clan character use contractions, and it irritated the hell out of me.

[Philipe von Rohrs]

My personal faves are Star Lord and Ideal War.

Ideal War especially; it is a well written, gritty and quite graphic novel that can be taken outside the BT universe if one wishes.

Many depend on what you are looking for in a BT novel really...