21 replies to this topic

[HighlandCoo]

.. would you start with? If you had never read one before?

[Exilyth]

Depends... what aspect of the universe would you like to know more about?
Any specific event or faction?


If you're looking for something light on politics, I'd recommend one of
http://www.sarna.net...hWarrior_series



Oh, and you might want to stay away from far country, which is quite unusual for a battletech novel.
(Personally, I took more offense to "Höhenflug", which was published by Heyne as part of the series instead of a standalone. Reading a book that's written like a battletech novel but set in 2000 something, goes from slice of life over espionage up to arena battles on solaris is one surreal trip of an experience.)

Edited by Exilyth, 16 August 2012 - 04:01 PM.

[John Wolf]

Decision at Thunder Rift. Its what I started with, and was hooked.

[Hyzoran]

Far Country sounds as interesting as all the other novels, there is no reason why a universe should not have setting and storyline variety.

[Stable Manager William]

I would start with the Warrior Trilogy (En Garde, Riposte, and Coupe)

Edited by Stable Manager William, 16 August 2012 - 04:03 PM.

[Thuzel]

Exilyth, on 16 August 2012 - 03:50 PM, said:

Oh, and you might want to stay away from far country, which is quite unusual for a battletech novel.

I loved far country. I thought it rounded out the world a little bit. Just my opinion though.

Also, if you're not clan-averse, I recommend the Jade Phoenix series.

Edited by Thuzel, 16 August 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[Troy Montgomery]

John Wolf, on 16 August 2012 - 03:58 PM, said:

Decision at Thunder Rift. Its what I started with, and was hooked.

Yeah, I think the "Gray Death" trilogy of which "Decision at Thunder Rift" is the first is a good start. Also the "Blood of Kerensky Trilogy" is very good, giving a nice overview to the clans.

Edited by Troy Montgomery, 16 August 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[Razor Kotovsky]

Thirding the GDL "trilogy". Jade Falcon series is also a nice first step.

[HandofBane]

Warrior trilogy is probably the best starting point, followed closely by the Gray Death trilogy. The original novel, Sword and Dagger, is probably better to come to much later on, as it leans towards a much more late-3rd Succession War view of combat compared to later novels closer to our current place in the timeline, though it is useful for the "historical" perspective.

I recommend following those up with Wolves on the Border (technically takes place during/before Warrior, but makes more sense after reading them), then head into the Blood of Kerensky stuff (read the Jade Phoenix trilogy AFTER BoK, not before, or you may end up extremely confused). From there you can either follow the timeline given by the rough printing order, listed typically in the front or back covers of the novels, or read at-will. There is a relatively direct flow of progression amongst the novels, though some do overlap a bit.

Regarding Far Country - it stands out dramatically from the other books, as it is the only one that plays directly on intelligent species other than humans. Battletech in general has always stood out from nearly every other sci-fi universe out there in that there are no real intelligent alien species encountered by humanity, and the deviation turned many fans of the lore off to it. On its own, it is not a terrible book by any means, but it is one of the biggest breaks from the overall theme that humanity does plenty well screwing itself over, without needing outside assistance.

[Exilyth]

Thuzel, on 16 August 2012 - 04:04 PM, said:

I loved far country. I thought it rounded out the world a little bit. Just my opinion though.

Mhh... I see. I should have worded that sentence differently. I've got nothing against Far country, but it should definately not be one of the first BT novels you read.

[Telecleez]

try and start with most of the books that start BEfore the start of the clan invasion that will help u out with the IS lore then move into the "Blood of Kerensky" trilogy that will help learn about the clans before they arrive in the IS and let u decide if u want to be a clanner or IS

[Tevesh]

I was wondering the same thing so I did some googling. This is what I found.

http://www.stargazer..._novel_list.htm

I've been reading them in that order and it seems to be working so far. But I'm only 6 or 7 books in.

[PCMAN]

Stable Manager William, on 16 August 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

I would start with the Warrior Trilogy (En Garde, Riposte, and Coupe)

Agree. Also any of the pre-clan invasion books. Timeline prior to 3049. Get familiar with major houses during the Succession Wars.

[Octavian Dibar]

Warrior Trilogy, Wolves on the Border, and Heir to the Dragon are the novels to read to understand the state of the Inner Sphere going into the Clan War. There was a collection of short stories in a book call "Shrapnel: Fragments from around the Inner Sphere." that was very good as well, but it's been ages since I read it.

[Skylarr]

• I would start with the Warrior Trilogy

The Warrior Trilogy, by Michael A. Stackpole, is about the events before and during the Fourth Succession War. 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)
  
• Warrior: Riposte (October 1988)
  
• Warrior: Coupé (April 1989)

• 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)
  
• Mercenary's Star by William H. Keith, Jr. (June 1987)
  
• The Price of Glory by William H. Keith, Jr. (October 1987) (Helm Memory Core was Found in this book
  
• Blood of Heroes by Andrew Keith (July 1993) ( From This book on is about the Unit after the 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 start of the Clan Invasion.

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

You can also look here for a list of BattleTech Novels.

[Steven Dixon]

Octavian Dibar, on 16 August 2012 - 09:42 PM, said:

Warrior Trilogy, Wolves on the Border, and Heir to the Dragon are the novels to read to understand the state of the Inner Sphere going into the Clan War. There was a collection of short stories in a book call "Shrapnel: Fragments from around the Inner Sphere." that was very good as well, but it's been ages since I read it.

I pretty much agree, personally I would start with Wolves on the Border.

[Tanis McGavern]

I started with the books about the invasion. I knew nothing about battletech and they jumpstarted my interest in the TT game and later the video games. I don't remember being confused about much while reading them so they must have given sufficient detail for me to put the pieces together (and I would assume if you know even a little bit about the lore you'd have even fewer questions than I did). I would say find the one with the most interesting cover and read that one first.

[Bishop Steiner]

Warrior: En Garde

Mike Stackpole is the Bard of Battletech, and he really sets the tone and flavor. I actually did not like Decision at Thunder Rift too much the first time I read it, thought Mercenary Star was the better novel of that series. But after reading the Warrior Trilogy, I think it set the feel of the Btech universe for me to get the nuances of DaTR better.

I would definitely recommend starting in the classic Succession Wars era, as they set the tone to appreciate the Blood of Kerensky stuff.

Probably would say in this order.....

1) Warrior Trilogy
2) Gray Death Trilogy
3) Wolves on the Border
4) Heir to the Dragon
5) Kerensky Trilogy

[SteelWarrior]

In terms of time line I would go the Gray Death Legion books, then the Warriors series, then blood of Kerensky, then legend of jade falcon.


I started with the GDL books, but now that i come back to re read them years later I find them to be a bit less realistic then I remember in alot of places. Granted I never did approve of the Morgan Kell god mode ethier....

[Steven Dixon]

Ya I didn't like Morgan Kell's magic invisibility power either but the rest of the Warrior series was good and you can easily ignore that part. I actually read the GDL books after most of the other novels and I found them a bit weak in some areas but overall still good (as good as most BT novels) they are a fine way to start though.</p>

Edited by Steven Dixon, 16 August 2012 - 10:12 PM.