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BattleTech Universe #31
Operation Excalibur
The Mercenary Code was broken by the Gray Death Legion during their desperate fighting on the planet Caledonia. At least, that is the ruling of the courts. And the judges decide to hit below the belt - Grayson Carlyle, revered leader of the now outlawed mercenary band, is stripped of his title and holdings, and the legion is banished from Glengarry, the planet they've called home for years.
All seems lost, but Carlyle and his legendary troop of hardened warriors know they've been set up - and they have a trump card yet to play. Their dangerous scheme just might work, with the help of House Steiner - and enough guts and firepower to restore the name of the mighty Gray Death Legion to its rightful place of honor. But should they fail, they could lose a great deal more than their reputation...
All seems lost, but Carlyle and his legendary troop of hardened warriors know they've been set up - and they have a trump card yet to play. Their dangerous scheme just might work, with the help of House Steiner - and enough guts and firepower to restore the name of the mighty Gray Death Legion to its rightful place of honor. But should they fail, they could lose a great deal more than their reputation...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1996
21 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
William H. Keith Jr.
81 books178 followersBill Keith was raised in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, and served in the Navy as a corpsman for many years. In addition to writing fiction and non-fiction works, he is an award-winning illustrator/artist.
He has also published under the psuedonyms:
Ian Douglas (SF series: Heritage, Legacy, Inheritance, Star Carrier, Andromedan Dark)
H. Jay Riker (SEALS:The Warrior Breed series)
Keith Douglass (Carrier and Seal Team 7 series)
Bill Keith
Keith William Andrews (Freedom's Rangers series)
Robert Cain (Cybernarc series)
He has also published under the psuedonyms:
Ian Douglas (SF series: Heritage, Legacy, Inheritance, Star Carrier, Andromedan Dark)
H. Jay Riker (SEALS:The Warrior Breed series)
Keith Douglass (Carrier and Seal Team 7 series)
Bill Keith
Keith William Andrews (Freedom's Rangers series)
Robert Cain (Cybernarc series)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 29, 2024
Slow with many unnecessary and extra facts about too many things. The plot is good and the moral is very deep. It’s a balance, I guess.
September 11, 2023
Proper!
Another exciting episode of the Grey Death Legion. Fills the gaps in the proper story of the inner sphere struggle to destroy itself.
Another exciting episode of the Grey Death Legion. Fills the gaps in the proper story of the inner sphere struggle to destroy itself.
December 24, 2024
This book is the last of the second trilogy of Gray DEATH Legion books.
Wait, it was a trilogy?
Yeah, that is sort of the problem.
The chickens come home to Glengarry as the moves taken by the Legion (or their members) in the previous two books must be accounted for. They did the principled thing, but things at least nominally in opposition to their employer, the Federated Commonwealth. And after a war where Mrs. DEATH has to take up the lead, Carlyle must stand trial.
The two things that I like the most about the author's writing, in comparison to the rest of the stable at any rate, is that he is much more interested in the science fiction elements, and he writes combat like war as opposed to jousting or gladiatorial contests (or unmitigated badassery).
Planets are not all just Earth, and the ways in which they are different matter. Combat is brutal and unpredictable, the protagonists make mistakes, and luck and morale rather than pluck and armaments, decide things. But for having these memorable fights, the emotional scenes are weighty, principally structured around the trial and Grayson DEATH Carlyle's struggle to find purpose after a major injury, and how that reverberates and affects everyone around him. It is top notch stuff, and evidences an understanding of narrative and what people care about that can get missed out on other military science fiction.
But there is just not a load-bearing antagonist. The bad guy, an accomplished FedCom general who is out to break off his own new house out of the newly formed Lyran Alliance, is only okay. He was secretly the antagonist of the previous two books, but what was meant to be a surprise does not work for three reasons. First, while it is a pleasant breeze to have more of an Affably Evil opponent, whose general defining characteristic is competence, it becomes clear why you have scenery chewers. They stir the blood. Here, I kept thinking 'this guy?'
Second, he has been the man pulling the strings in each of the prior books to engender a situation where he gets what he wants, with a scheme that makes sense, there is no tease to the reveal. We have not
Third, the falling action is a cliff. The heightened emotions and struggle just stops and becomes a summary conclusion. This is far before the actual conclusion. Easily the worst part is the reveal The only real actor who does something is someone we do not know (and I assume is foreshadoing for a future book, or meant as a clue from a prior one) and they do it with little in the way of stakes.
This is one of those books where it feels like Executive Meddling took over. Like the author had a great trilogy arc and either was not allowed to enact it, so put it all in one book, or otherwise most of the pipe got taken out of the other books.
Still fun, but this shows how having no connecting material is as bad as having only time wasting.
Wait, it was a trilogy?
Yeah, that is sort of the problem.
The chickens come home to Glengarry as the moves taken by the Legion (or their members) in the previous two books must be accounted for. They did the principled thing, but things at least nominally in opposition to their employer, the Federated Commonwealth. And after a war where Mrs. DEATH has to take up the lead, Carlyle must stand trial.
The two things that I like the most about the author's writing, in comparison to the rest of the stable at any rate, is that he is much more interested in the science fiction elements, and he writes combat like war as opposed to jousting or gladiatorial contests (or unmitigated badassery).
Planets are not all just Earth, and the ways in which they are different matter. Combat is brutal and unpredictable, the protagonists make mistakes, and luck and morale rather than pluck and armaments, decide things. But for having these memorable fights, the emotional scenes are weighty, principally structured around the trial and Grayson DEATH Carlyle's struggle to find purpose after a major injury, and how that reverberates and affects everyone around him. It is top notch stuff, and evidences an understanding of narrative and what people care about that can get missed out on other military science fiction.
But there is just not a load-bearing antagonist. The bad guy, an accomplished FedCom general who is out to break off his own new house out of the newly formed Lyran Alliance, is only okay. He was secretly the antagonist of the previous two books, but what was meant to be a surprise does not work for three reasons. First, while it is a pleasant breeze to have more of an Affably Evil opponent, whose general defining characteristic is competence, it becomes clear why you have scenery chewers. They stir the blood. Here, I kept thinking 'this guy?'
Second, he has been the man pulling the strings in each of the prior books to engender a situation where he gets what he wants, with a scheme that makes sense, there is no tease to the reveal. We have not
Third, the falling action is a cliff. The heightened emotions and struggle just stops and becomes a summary conclusion. This is far before the actual conclusion. Easily the worst part is the reveal The only real actor who does something is someone we do not know (and I assume is foreshadoing for a future book, or meant as a clue from a prior one) and they do it with little in the way of stakes.
This is one of those books where it feels like Executive Meddling took over. Like the author had a great trilogy arc and either was not allowed to enact it, so put it all in one book, or otherwise most of the pipe got taken out of the other books.
Still fun, but this shows how having no connecting material is as bad as having only time wasting.
August 9, 2021
The Gray Death Legion is called to account for their actions in Tactics of Duty. All is not not as it seems. Book 32 of the BattleTech Series, and book 7 of the Gray Death Legion.
May 29, 2016
A Gray Death Legion novel, following on directly from Tactics of Duty.
A breakaway general with dreams of empire has been slowly and quietly gathering forces loyal to him with the aim of creating his own army and claiming his own piece of inner sphere real estate.
The Gray Death are almost disbanded, causing their founder and leader to fall into depression.
Katherine/Katrina Steiner has broken the Lyran Alliance away from the Federated Commonwealth and started her own plotting.
An interesting book, as it's more favourable to her, and the Gray Death still support her.
Later books show anyone on her side to be sycophantic, blinkered and inevitably doomed by their own sense of importance, so it's nice to see a competent bunch working for her.
Lots of mech action going on, and some quite tense moments.
A breakaway general with dreams of empire has been slowly and quietly gathering forces loyal to him with the aim of creating his own army and claiming his own piece of inner sphere real estate.
The Gray Death are almost disbanded, causing their founder and leader to fall into depression.
Katherine/Katrina Steiner has broken the Lyran Alliance away from the Federated Commonwealth and started her own plotting.
An interesting book, as it's more favourable to her, and the Gray Death still support her.
Later books show anyone on her side to be sycophantic, blinkered and inevitably doomed by their own sense of importance, so it's nice to see a competent bunch working for her.
Lots of mech action going on, and some quite tense moments.
January 22, 2016
Following the story of the mercenary company known as the Gray Death Legion, Keith continues to demonstrate his skill with depicting some pretty convincing mech battles but sadly lacking in terms of mastery of the myriad political plot lines that make the Inner Sphere go round.
Still, it's an entertaining read and pretty fun to explore the massive factories behind a lot of the Battlemechs that roam the battlefields of the Inner Sphere.
Still, it's an entertaining read and pretty fun to explore the massive factories behind a lot of the Battlemechs that roam the battlefields of the Inner Sphere.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews