I have a confession to make: I love Jordan Weisman's BattleTech series. To make a long story short, it's like Game of Thrones but deeper, in space, and filled with giant walking machines of destruction. My first exposure was in 1995. I was 9 years old when we got our first home personal computer, a Toshiba model that came with the video game MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat. The game enthralled me and my then 7-year-old brother at the time with its deep lore and fast-paced strategic combat, and the soundtrack wasn't bad to boot (here's a sample). Since then, I bought almost every game in the series, up to and including the recent BattleTech game by Hairbrained Schemes. It wasn't until my university years, interestingly enough, that I heard about the BattleTech novels, specifically the Twilight of the Clans series. With the "infinite" resources of the internet at my disposal (thank you, Amazon and eBay, though I have some stern words for you, Amazon, given your recent kerfuffle with Palestinians living in the West Bank), I was able to secure (like) new copies of the entire 8-book series, from "Exodus Road" to "Falcon Rising". I just recently finished the series, and my full review follows.
However, let me entertain you with a quick (not really) summary of the already complex story-line. In the future, mankind develops faster-than-light travel and quickly colonizes a large region of space which later becomes known as the Inner Sphere. However, due to the paucity of faster-than-light communication (emphasis on the distinction), the resulting Inner Sphere dissolves into feudal states, the major ones being the opulent Lyran Commonwealth (ruled by House Steiner), the draconian (pun not intended) Draconis Combine (House Kurita), the liberty-loving Federated Suns (House Davion), the capricious Capellan Confederation (House Liao), the disorganized Free Worlds League (House Marik), and the ancient Terran Hegemony (House Cameron). The latter group brought all the royal houses together and formed an interstellar union called (drumroll) the Star League. During centuries of peace and prosperity, terrible war machines called BattleMechs (seen on the covers of the books) were created to enforce and keep the peace between the nations.
However, not everyone was happy with the Star League's increasingly iron-fisted approach to ruling, most notoriously adopted by First Lord Richard Cameron, the 4th man to sit on the throne of the Star League. He was assassinated by an ambitious man, Stefan Amaris the Usurper, who in turn was killed by Aleksandr Kerensky (no, not THAT Aleksander Kerensky), the leader of the Star League Defense Forces (i.e. the Star League's standing army). Disgusted with the politics of the bickering houses of the Inner Sphere, he initiated the Exodus, taking the majority of the Star League army and vanishing from known space. For the next few centuries, up to the 31st Century, the rest of the houses fought and squabbled with each other for territory and power. It wasn't until 3050 that the Inner Sphere would again unite to face a terrible threat: the invasion of the Clans, a technologically superior force of genetically-engineered humans who are later discovered to be the descendants of Kerensky's Star League army that left centuries earlier. After repelling a vicious assault by the clans, the combined might of several regiments from the Inner Sphere decided that the best defense was an aggressive offense, and so departed the Inner Sphere to fight the Clans on their home turf and end their threat once and for all. This is the period of the series that I will review today.
The first book of the series was written by series veteran Blaine Lee Pardoe. Its premise focuses on a disillusioned warrior of Clan Smoke Jaguar who defects to the Inner Sphere and provides them with a map of the eponymous Exodus Road, the path to the Clan Space Capital World of Strana Mechty. The book's main characters, Star Captain Trent and Judith Faber, are compellingly life-like, and they follow believable character arcs. The story's writing style takes into account those readers who may be unfamiliar with BattleTech lore as a whole, and the plot advances at a steady pace. This, in my opinion, is the third-best book of the series: a story of betrayal and redemption woven into one gritty and suspenseful epic.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
The second book, Grave Covenant, which I think is the second-best in the series, is written by science fiction veteran Michael Stackpole, who in my opinion is one of the best science fiction writers out there. It follows the plot of "Exodus Road" as the Inner Sphere reforms the Star League and musters its military might to go after the aforementioned Clan Smoke Jaguar, notorious for its vicious streak during the initial Clan invasion. Although the story lacks descriptors of physical combat, it is rife with political intrigue, diplomacy, and deception. Philosophical and political arguments abound between the characters, and the stage is set for later books in the series. The writing style is easy to follow, and the plot is page-turning and absorbing at the same time.
Style - 4.5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 4.5/5
The third book, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired, but I blame its pacing. The Hunters follows the story of Task Force Serpent, one of the two military arms of the Inner Sphere sent in to annihilate Clan Smoke Jaguar. With both 'Mech and Space combat featured heavily and a story of political espionage and subterfuge woven in the middle, the book itself appears rather lost in direction, and the aforementioned pacing is slow with a bit of a jerky quality to it, advancing the plot in several jumps. That being said, this is Thomas Gressman's first foray into the BattleTech universe, and it is at best an average read: not bad, but not great.
Style - 3/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 3.5/5
The fourth book in the series, Freebirth, takes a rather divergent route from the abovementioned storyline. Written by series veteran Robert Thurston, this book follows the escapades of Clan Jade Falcon warrior Horse, a "freeborn" (i.e. naturally conceived and birthed) warrior who is captured by the "trueborns" (genetically engineered, vat-born, bred for battle) warriors of Clan Smoke Jaguar. His master is a rather drunken sot of a character revived from the first novel in the series. Horse tries his best to leave his state of bondage, but that would mean violating all that the Clans hold sacred: their laws and traditions. The book is a segue to another book later in the series, Falcon Rising (the better of the two Thurston books in this series, in my opinion), and takes the meaning of the word "Twilight" in its more figurative sense: the end of something that heralds the beginning of another (see Falcon Rising). The style is easy to follow but the pacing is as slow as a mech walking on one leg. The book later falls flat on its face with quickly resolved plot points and a character arc that also misses the mark.
Style - 4/5
Content - 3/5
Overall - 3.5/5
The fifth book of the series, and the second in the BT series by Thomas Gressman, Sword and Fire deals with the continuation of Task Force Serpent as they move to capture the Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress. Space naval and ground combat abound, with the resolution of a mystery plot found in Gressman's previous entry in the series (see above). This is the better of the 3 Gressman books in the series, namely because its pacing is much steadier, and the character arcs are more believable and relatable. What the book suffers from is how much Gressman owes the story to its clunky predecessor, a "thriving-in-the-shadow-of" analogy if there ever was one.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
Following Gressman's second-best entry in the series is his best. Shadows of War wraps up the plot points of Sword and Fire and sets the stage for probably the best BattleTech novel to date: Prince of Havoc. It depicts the horrors of war in a stark, gruesome manner. The style is easy to follow, the pacing is steady up until the end, with plot twists that get resolved in the next novel. I would go so far as saying that this is the fourth-best book in the series.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
If there is one book in the entirety of this 8-book series that should be read by any fan of the BT universe, this would be it. It takes the best of all the above and winds them in a fast-moving, pulse-pounding plot. It has it all: 'Mech combat, politics, diplomacy, intrigue, and deception. And it does so wonderfully in a span of just over 200 pages. While loaded with characters and depth, there are some points that do feel diluted if you haven't read the previous novels, especially Stackpole's previous entry in this series, Grave Covenant. The book itself marks the end of the battle with the Clans, and signals the beginning of troubles brewing at home in the Inner Sphere. The star of the show is clearly Prince Victor Steiner-Davion, as the titular Prince of Havoc. He has survived one tribulation only to encounter another, and his character is shaped around these tribulations. This is clearly the best book in the series, and one that shouldn't be missed as it represents a turning point in the relationship between the Clans and the Inner Sphere in the larger scheme of the BattleTech universe.
Style - 5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
While the main plot point of the Twilight of the Clans series was concluded in the previous entry in the series (Prince of Havoc), this book throws the Clanners a bone. Falcon Rising is the better of Thurston's two books in the series namely because it takes the tattered remains of Freebirth's plot and crafts a story akin to that of a phoenix reborn. The story follows MechWarrior Diana, a proud freebirth Clan Jade Falcon warrior, as she fights for recognition and acceptance by her fellow trueborn clanners. She rises over adversity and steels herself for a larger conflict brewing between her Clan and Clan Steel Viper, a thorn (or fang) in the side of the Jade Falcons. The stakes are higher, and although the pace is marred by exposition in the first half of the book, it kicks off well afterwards and wraps the story in a conclusion that is relatable and satisfying as it brews a tale of triumph over trials and grievances.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 5/5
And that, fellow reader, is my ramshackle review of the Twilight of the Clans series. What follows is my ranking of the books in order of preference. While I recommend reading it in order if you are interested in the Battletech lore in general, I would recommend sticking with Prince of Havoc on its own if you're in a rush.
1. Prince of Havoc by Michael Stackpole
2. Grave Covenant by Michael Stackpole
3. Exodus Road by Blaine Lee Pardoe
4. Shadows of War by Thomas Gressman
5. Falcon Rising by Robert Thurston
6. Sword and Fire by Thomas Gressman
7. Freebirth by Robert Thurston
8. The Hunters by Thomas Gressman
Salaam
However, not everyone was happy with the Star League's increasingly iron-fisted approach to ruling, most notoriously adopted by First Lord Richard Cameron, the 4th man to sit on the throne of the Star League. He was assassinated by an ambitious man, Stefan Amaris the Usurper, who in turn was killed by Aleksandr Kerensky (no, not THAT Aleksander Kerensky), the leader of the Star League Defense Forces (i.e. the Star League's standing army). Disgusted with the politics of the bickering houses of the Inner Sphere, he initiated the Exodus, taking the majority of the Star League army and vanishing from known space. For the next few centuries, up to the 31st Century, the rest of the houses fought and squabbled with each other for territory and power. It wasn't until 3050 that the Inner Sphere would again unite to face a terrible threat: the invasion of the Clans, a technologically superior force of genetically-engineered humans who are later discovered to be the descendants of Kerensky's Star League army that left centuries earlier. After repelling a vicious assault by the clans, the combined might of several regiments from the Inner Sphere decided that the best defense was an aggressive offense, and so departed the Inner Sphere to fight the Clans on their home turf and end their threat once and for all. This is the period of the series that I will review today.
The first book of the series was written by series veteran Blaine Lee Pardoe. Its premise focuses on a disillusioned warrior of Clan Smoke Jaguar who defects to the Inner Sphere and provides them with a map of the eponymous Exodus Road, the path to the Clan Space Capital World of Strana Mechty. The book's main characters, Star Captain Trent and Judith Faber, are compellingly life-like, and they follow believable character arcs. The story's writing style takes into account those readers who may be unfamiliar with BattleTech lore as a whole, and the plot advances at a steady pace. This, in my opinion, is the third-best book of the series: a story of betrayal and redemption woven into one gritty and suspenseful epic.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
The second book, Grave Covenant, which I think is the second-best in the series, is written by science fiction veteran Michael Stackpole, who in my opinion is one of the best science fiction writers out there. It follows the plot of "Exodus Road" as the Inner Sphere reforms the Star League and musters its military might to go after the aforementioned Clan Smoke Jaguar, notorious for its vicious streak during the initial Clan invasion. Although the story lacks descriptors of physical combat, it is rife with political intrigue, diplomacy, and deception. Philosophical and political arguments abound between the characters, and the stage is set for later books in the series. The writing style is easy to follow, and the plot is page-turning and absorbing at the same time.
Style - 4.5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 4.5/5
The third book, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired, but I blame its pacing. The Hunters follows the story of Task Force Serpent, one of the two military arms of the Inner Sphere sent in to annihilate Clan Smoke Jaguar. With both 'Mech and Space combat featured heavily and a story of political espionage and subterfuge woven in the middle, the book itself appears rather lost in direction, and the aforementioned pacing is slow with a bit of a jerky quality to it, advancing the plot in several jumps. That being said, this is Thomas Gressman's first foray into the BattleTech universe, and it is at best an average read: not bad, but not great.
Style - 3/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 3.5/5
The fourth book in the series, Freebirth, takes a rather divergent route from the abovementioned storyline. Written by series veteran Robert Thurston, this book follows the escapades of Clan Jade Falcon warrior Horse, a "freeborn" (i.e. naturally conceived and birthed) warrior who is captured by the "trueborns" (genetically engineered, vat-born, bred for battle) warriors of Clan Smoke Jaguar. His master is a rather drunken sot of a character revived from the first novel in the series. Horse tries his best to leave his state of bondage, but that would mean violating all that the Clans hold sacred: their laws and traditions. The book is a segue to another book later in the series, Falcon Rising (the better of the two Thurston books in this series, in my opinion), and takes the meaning of the word "Twilight" in its more figurative sense: the end of something that heralds the beginning of another (see Falcon Rising). The style is easy to follow but the pacing is as slow as a mech walking on one leg. The book later falls flat on its face with quickly resolved plot points and a character arc that also misses the mark.
Style - 4/5
Content - 3/5
Overall - 3.5/5
The fifth book of the series, and the second in the BT series by Thomas Gressman, Sword and Fire deals with the continuation of Task Force Serpent as they move to capture the Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress. Space naval and ground combat abound, with the resolution of a mystery plot found in Gressman's previous entry in the series (see above). This is the better of the 3 Gressman books in the series, namely because its pacing is much steadier, and the character arcs are more believable and relatable. What the book suffers from is how much Gressman owes the story to its clunky predecessor, a "thriving-in-the-shadow-of" analogy if there ever was one.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
Following Gressman's second-best entry in the series is his best. Shadows of War wraps up the plot points of Sword and Fire and sets the stage for probably the best BattleTech novel to date: Prince of Havoc. It depicts the horrors of war in a stark, gruesome manner. The style is easy to follow, the pacing is steady up until the end, with plot twists that get resolved in the next novel. I would go so far as saying that this is the fourth-best book in the series.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
If there is one book in the entirety of this 8-book series that should be read by any fan of the BT universe, this would be it. It takes the best of all the above and winds them in a fast-moving, pulse-pounding plot. It has it all: 'Mech combat, politics, diplomacy, intrigue, and deception. And it does so wonderfully in a span of just over 200 pages. While loaded with characters and depth, there are some points that do feel diluted if you haven't read the previous novels, especially Stackpole's previous entry in this series, Grave Covenant. The book itself marks the end of the battle with the Clans, and signals the beginning of troubles brewing at home in the Inner Sphere. The star of the show is clearly Prince Victor Steiner-Davion, as the titular Prince of Havoc. He has survived one tribulation only to encounter another, and his character is shaped around these tribulations. This is clearly the best book in the series, and one that shouldn't be missed as it represents a turning point in the relationship between the Clans and the Inner Sphere in the larger scheme of the BattleTech universe.
Style - 5/5
Content - 5/5
Overall - 5/5
While the main plot point of the Twilight of the Clans series was concluded in the previous entry in the series (Prince of Havoc), this book throws the Clanners a bone. Falcon Rising is the better of Thurston's two books in the series namely because it takes the tattered remains of Freebirth's plot and crafts a story akin to that of a phoenix reborn. The story follows MechWarrior Diana, a proud freebirth Clan Jade Falcon warrior, as she fights for recognition and acceptance by her fellow trueborn clanners. She rises over adversity and steels herself for a larger conflict brewing between her Clan and Clan Steel Viper, a thorn (or fang) in the side of the Jade Falcons. The stakes are higher, and although the pace is marred by exposition in the first half of the book, it kicks off well afterwards and wraps the story in a conclusion that is relatable and satisfying as it brews a tale of triumph over trials and grievances.
Style - 4/5
Content - 4/5
Overall - 5/5
And that, fellow reader, is my ramshackle review of the Twilight of the Clans series. What follows is my ranking of the books in order of preference. While I recommend reading it in order if you are interested in the Battletech lore in general, I would recommend sticking with Prince of Havoc on its own if you're in a rush.
1. Prince of Havoc by Michael Stackpole
2. Grave Covenant by Michael Stackpole
3. Exodus Road by Blaine Lee Pardoe
4. Shadows of War by Thomas Gressman
5. Falcon Rising by Robert Thurston
6. Sword and Fire by Thomas Gressman
7. Freebirth by Robert Thurston
8. The Hunters by Thomas Gressman
Salaam
Comments
Post a Comment