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isd's review
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Like the title says, it's the end of the FedCom Civil War. It's a slow and grindy process, as Victor's been heading towards New Avalon, and there's two capitals to be conquered. The Assassin is still on the run away from the Draconis Combine, seeing references to his previous personas all around.
The final chapters pick up the pace quite a bit, which feels a bit rushed after the slowness of the novel so far. It's also been 14 years since I last read it, so a good amount of other stories (from sarna, the MechWarrior games, and who knows where else) got mixed in my memories so I was surprised by some events like Nondi Steiner's solution and expected to read something that wasn't going to happen here - such as the Fourth Whitting Conference :D
I'll admit that the FedCom Civil War was never on top of my favourite storylines in the Classic BattleTech timeline. Maybe it's because of the massive size of the 'Mech battles, they tend to get a bit heavy, and there's not that much to break it. Here the politics and other out-of-cockpit scenes are a tiny sidestory anymore, but at least the Dancing Joker gets a couple of chapters.
The final chapters pick up the pace quite a bit, which feels a bit rushed after the slowness of the novel so far. It's also been 14 years since I last read it, so a good amount of other stories (from sarna, the MechWarrior games, and who knows where else) got mixed in my memories so I was surprised by some events like Nondi Steiner's solution and expected to read something that wasn't going to happen here - such as the Fourth Whitting Conference :D
I'll admit that the FedCom Civil War was never on top of my favourite storylines in the Classic BattleTech timeline. Maybe it's because of the massive size of the 'Mech battles, they tend to get a bit heavy, and there's not that much to break it. Here the politics and other out-of-cockpit scenes are a tiny sidestory anymore, but at least the Dancing Joker gets a couple of chapters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Gore, Suicide, Blood, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
isd's review against another edition
4.0
That's it, the Classic BattleTech storyline is now read. So many things remain(ed) incomplete :/ What about the WoB freaks? And everyone else? I WANTED TO KNOW!
I've never been a huge fan of Coleman's style with all the religious crap, though B.L. Pardoe was even worse... almost unreadably so. Bah! And while I'm at it: Coleman's depiction of the Wolves in Exile was a bit boring, very unClanlike in general. Then again, only Stackpole has written those damn Wolves in a tolerable manner, so I guess I'll just keep complaining. There's only one Blood of Kerensky -trilogy and this one isn't it.
Endgame itself went pretty quickly. The endless fights were mostly skimmed, parts were explained here and there but that's most likely because of the scale. Somehow I'd enjoyed a bit more of the political backstabbage, not to mention some more details of the Assassin's "adventures".
Oh, and was a bit sappy but not overexplained, so I can't complain much I guess :)
I've never been a huge fan of Coleman's style with all the religious crap, though B.L. Pardoe was even worse... almost unreadably so. Bah! And while I'm at it: Coleman's depiction of the Wolves in Exile was a bit boring, very unClanlike in general. Then again, only Stackpole has written those damn Wolves in a tolerable manner, so I guess I'll just keep complaining. There's only one Blood of Kerensky -trilogy and this one isn't it.
Endgame itself went pretty quickly. The endless fights were mostly skimmed, parts were explained here and there but that's most likely because of the scale. Somehow I'd enjoyed a bit more of the political backstabbage, not to mention some more details of the Assassin's "adventures".
Spoiler
His end's quickness was a surprise to me anyway.Oh, and
Spoiler
Victor's and Omiko Kurita's offspring partbrian's review against another edition
4.0
Really good ending to the classic Battletech series of novels, wrapping up the civil war arc.
Plenty of 'mech action, a lot of characters you've come to know over the series, and a slight twist at the end.
If you've read others in the series, you'll have a good idea of how it's going to end.
While there is a load of 'mech action, concentrating on the people involved, one of the other main characters spends no time in a 'mech, and thus seems to be overlooked or just thrown into the odd chapter as padding. No real insights to their thoughts as the war reaches its conclusion.
Overall, a good read, let down by a few spelling errors, or lack of proofreading, but not really a standalone novel.
Plenty of 'mech action, a lot of characters you've come to know over the series, and a slight twist at the end.
If you've read others in the series, you'll have a good idea of how it's going to end.
While there is a load of 'mech action, concentrating on the people involved, one of the other main characters spends no time in a 'mech, and thus seems to be overlooked or just thrown into the odd chapter as padding. No real insights to their thoughts as the war reaches its conclusion.
Overall, a good read, let down by a few spelling errors, or lack of proofreading, but not really a standalone novel.