Prince of Havoc (Twilight of the Clans Vii, Battletech , No 42)

Rating:
Summary: The Inner Sphere will never be the same!
Review: A good book. Not the best from Stackpole, but it does show that he continues to be THE BEST writer in the BattleTech series/universe. The beginning chapters describe various battles in a Trial with the Clans, and, while obligatory to any BattleTech novel, they seemed a bit too much at once, and a bit forced. Stackpole's done better battle scenes; however once the mech combat is out of the way, Stackpole's true genius comes out, and it's what makes him my favorite BT author. The political manuevering in the second half of the book is vintage Stackpole, and well worth the read. The Inner Sphere will never be the same! <g>

Rating:
Summary: The best Battletech book out on the market!
Review: After "Grave Covenant," I thought no book would top that, but Michael Stackpole simply amazed me with "Prince of Havoc." It is by far the best Battletech book to date. The constant action and masterful portrayal of Inner Sphere politics and plot twists, kept me reading nonstop until i was finished. Stackpole has a lock on the Battletech Universe that only few writers can attest to.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible piece of work
Review: An incredible addition to the battleTech universe. Prince of Havok has eough action to satisfy even the most die-hard combat fan, and lots of hte political maneuvering we've come to expect from Stackpole. And the assassin is back, which will make a lot of people happy (until....)

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Summary: If you like political intrigue, this book is for you.
Review: As a fan of the Battletech series, I was totally engrossed in this book. While the action was a little hard to follow at times, it was sufficient. What really grabbed me was the intrigue that has become Mr. Stackpole's hallmark in this series. The character development is phenomenal, to the point I take an interest in even minor characters like Curaitis and the assassin. The Byzantine intrigue, snappy dialogue, and rich attention to characters marks this book as a great read.

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Summary: This book was great! And the Saga continues.
Review: As I was reading the first part of the book, the battles just didn't have the usual punch that I have read in the past. The Clans are so much more Advanced, has the Inner Sphere caught up that quickly? The Trial of Refusal on the Invasion could have been a whole novel in its self. Then came the second half! There was twist after twist that just kept you guessing. A lot of politics were played out, but that is the other half of the whole Battletech Universe, and it left you asking, "What will happen next?". Michael Stackpole is definately one of the best when it comes to the Batteltech Universe.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece in an ongoing great saga!
Review: I am a hard-core Battletech fan, and I have nearly every Battletech book there is. The Twilight of the Clans series has been excellent so far, and this book is the best one yet! I think that this book has an excellent amount of intriugiing politics, character developments, and intense Mech' battles. I love Victor Davion, and this book only made him more of a hero in my eyes. He is a true leader, perhaps along with Theodore Kurtia and Candace Liao, the only sane leaders left in the Inner Sphere. Katherine is a treacherous, insane dog, Sun-Tzu is a minipulative weasel, and Thomas Marik is just plain stupid! Especially for sheltering the Word of Blake from the justice that they deserve. The new Star Leauge is not too concrete, but with the Clans stopped, they might stand a chance(along with a few choice assasinations). I wanted to cheer when, despite Katherine's vile treachery, Victor rebounded, humbling himself and once again becoming one of the greatest leaders in the Inner Sphere. A must read for any true fan!

Rating:
Summary: Good book, but BattleTech is not quite what it used to be.
Review: I genuinely enjoyed reading Prince of Havoc, I still pick it up and re-read it every once in awhile. But the problem is BattleTech has changed. I remember reading the "old-school" books, the Warrior series, Wolves on the Border, Heir to the Dragon, and so on. BattleTech had a "cyberpunk" feel to it. Things were industrial and dirty, the machines everyone depended on were irreplacable and unreliable. I could have pictured a character wearing dirty clothes with oil stains walking down a dark alley with a big Stersnacht strapped to his side. But now, things are going towards the "space opera," like Star Trekkish. Things are never desperate. The cavalry always arrives (in this case Victor Steiner-Davion) to save the day. It used to be that in conflicts the winner still loses in the sense that whatever he lost cannot be regained. But now conflicts are big and the good guys always win without much cost (the lost machines and technology is now replaceable). I remember in Heir to the Dragon, I could feel Theodore Kurita's fear of bieng assassinated by his father. But now all of the characters don't have this fear and all the factions of the Inner Sphere are "happy." Maybe that's why I don't really play BTech anymore (and if I do it's a Periphery Campaign), I just read the novels. Fading Suns, now that's a RPG with a true "fallen empire" feel with retrograde technology! You can guess what I play now.

Rating:
Summary: Change of the poltical Tide in BattleTech
Review: I had been eagerly waiting for this book to come out . I was fairly dissappointed with Michael Stackpole's bland discription of Battles at least compared to his other books I have read. This book is still a definite must have, due to the sweeping change in Inner Sphere and Clan Poltics. If you don't pick this one up, Your definitely going to be left wondering "what happened?" later in the BattleTech universe. I just wish for once, that Fasa would concentrate a novels focus on one of the other clans (Ghost Bears), instead of The Jade Falcons and Clan Wolf.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece!
Review: I have kept up with the whole Twilight of the Clans series, and I have to say that this book has been the best one yet. I love Michael Stackpole, and after having read all of his other Battletech books, this one is just as good as all the rest. A must read for any serious Battletech fan, especially for those like myself that love Victor Davion and would like to push Katherine off the nearest cliff!

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Summary: Very good Political Information on the Battletech Universe
Review: I have read all of the Twlight of The Clans novels and this one brings a new twist. Yes Battletech is mostly about Wars in Mechs but the political environment has a great influence on why they are fighting in the first place. This book brings back the political aspect of Battletech and gives a reason why the houses broke up in the first place.