Mechwarrior: Dark Age #9:: Patriot's Stand (A Battletech Novel)

When I first began this novel, I thought that I would be disappointed. The story seemed to be moving slowly and predictably-A desperate defense by the underdogs foils the nefarious plans of the well-armed, well-disciplined mercenary troops. However, the story is not that simple. In this story, the underdogs do fight back, but the catch is that the mercenary troops they are supposed to fight against end up having reservations about fighting them, which affects the outcome. This tale deals more with honor amongst soldiers than it does with the fall of the HPG net, but it provides a nice escape from the main Dark Age storyline. No faction plays a major role in this novel; however, Patriot's Stand could end up as a jumping off point for some of the more colorful characters introduced. If you are interested in the complete Dark Age world, then this book fits in nicely, but if you are desperately hoping to find out more about your favorite faction or why the HPG net is down, you can...Read more

Having run out of books in another series, I turned to Mechwarrior:Dark Ages to tide me over. I am not proud, but a man has to do what a man has to do. Anyway, I confess to enjoying them, but let's be honest, they are not fine literature. I enjoy that I can read a few pages or chapters and put them down...that is until this one. For some reason, I couldn't put it down. Yes, the villain is about as big a stereotype as you will ever find, but the situation and story were different from the others.

So four stars. I enjoyed it more than that, but my my degree in literature and self-respect simply won't let me score it that high.

The Republic of the Sphere has basically collapsed in the two years since the HPG interstellar communications grid went down. Clans and Houses are making power grabs all over the galaxy, and most of the now-isolated planets are finding out that ignorance is not bliss. Alkalurops is a seemingly insignificant little mining planet out in the middle of nowhere - galactically speaking; its people are simple miners and farmers. They have always stood up and fought for themselves in the past, but their noble ancestors never had to face Mechwarriors in hellish BattleMechs. When a raiding party lands on the planet and begins confiscating equipment and supplies, a lot of folks - mostly urban types - stand back and freely give what true patriots would never surrender. Not so in the small town of Falkirk, where a spunky redhead with Scotch-Irish blood coursing through her veins leads a group of citizens willing to fight for what is theirs. Using mining Mechs crudely fashioned with whatever...Read more