Mechwarrior: Dark Age #5: Truth and Shadows: (Book Two of the Proving Grounds Trilogy)

Finally, after one horrible novel (Ruins of Power) and one so-so novel (A Silence In The Heavens), the new Mechwarrior line has once again reached the platinum standard with Truth and Shadows.

Lost from the previous book in the trilogy is all of the self-brooding and what has been found are some familiar names such as "Dagger" Di Jones, Captain Tara Bishop, and "One Eyed" Jack Farrel with his mercenary company aka The Band of Five. Anastasia Kerensky remains the ultimate evil, only submersing herself in her Tassa Kay persona once for a very public hanging, but in the shadows lurks a greater evil that looks to ally itself with Kerensky and acts as a secret benefactor.

Will Elliot and his infantry are once again thrust into these decisive battles, but here they are no longer the green troopers from the first book, but veteran soldiers who have some fire time under their belts.

As for Paladin Ezekiel Crow, he remains the brooding stalwart of emotional...Read more

Battlemechs CANNOT knock each other over by doing a running forward handstand into a flip. Nor can they roll around on the ground clenching each other like lovers.

Delrio obviously didn't research his topic.

Other than the glaring lack of knowledge of the game universe that this series is based on, I felt that the book was okay. It worked as part of the larger trilogy. Let the buyer decide whether or not they can suspend their disbelief.

TRUTH AND SHADOWS continues the storyline of Northwind that began in A Silence in the Heavens, again utilizing a structure similar to its predecessor. This time, it's Ezekiel Crow, Paladin of the Sphere, who undergoes life-altering changes.

It's been several months since the Steel Wolves have been seen, and Northwind is finally starting to breathe easy. But Crow can't really do so—not when the specter of Liao is being hung over his head by an unknown party.

As before, much of the first two-thirds is spent on character development, with some minor action from the secondary cast. Only towards the end do Tara Campbell and Crow hop into their BattleMechs and join the fray.

The Wolves' defeat feels more honest this time, in that they weren't actually defeated. Rather, in the face of the scorched...Read more