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Onslaught: Tales from the Clan Invasion!
Battletech: Onslaught - Tales from the Clan Invasion!
In 1990 Michael A. Stackpole's novel Lethal Heritage introduced readers to the Clans, genetically enhanced MechWarriors from beyond the Periphery who returned to the Inner Sphere to conquer the Successor States. With advanced BattleMechs and unstoppable skills, they crushed all who stood in their way — changing the BattleTech universe forever.
Now, in Onslaught: Tales of the Clan Invasion!, seven stories have been gathered from the BattleCorps fiction website to showcase this universe-altering event. Seven stories of incredible attacks from beyond known space. Seven stories of unremitting heroism in the face of defeat.
Seven stories of the onslaught of the Clans.
Now, in Onslaught: Tales of the Clan Invasion!, seven stories have been gathered from the BattleCorps fiction website to showcase this universe-altering event. Seven stories of incredible attacks from beyond known space. Seven stories of unremitting heroism in the face of defeat.
Seven stories of the onslaught of the Clans.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 11, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 6, 2017
It's about as good as you'd expect for a collection of fanfic based on a pen and paper role playing game involving giant walking tanks in the distant future... All action. No life-changing insights. It is what it is.
August 9, 2026
Pulpy as hell, fun at times but also lacking.
Well, this is my first foray into Battletech fiction. And while most people recommend to start with the 80s novels, I wanted to get a small taste through short fiction first, and honestly, what can I say? It is what I was expecting. Very pulpy and with a strong focus on mech on mech combat, all of the stories related the ways different Inner Sphere cultures and factions reacted to the Clan Invasion. I should note I am very, very new to Battletech lore (one of the reasons I wanted to read the books), so there's a lot of terms and lingo thrown around that might get a while to get used to, and this is definitely not a good starting point for a completely new Battletech reader. Only reason I managed to get passingly by is because I had played some of the games and devoured the wiki.
As usual, with most anthologies of short stories you tend to get a mixed bag of content. This one is not the exception but I'll say that it does feel like it leans more towards the "bad" side rather than the good.
The stories follow a repetitive structure and narrative that always begins and ends the same way. The prose is serviceable at best and harrowing at worst. Some of the dialogue feels stilted, unnatural and rather childish, and you can tell there was an attempt by the authors to explain things through conversations rather than lore dumps, but it feels artificial and almost stupid at times; there characters know their own cultures, why are they explaining them to themselves?
There were two good stories that did catch a good, fun, decent pulpy vibe with nice combat and good-enough characters: Fourth Form by Jason Schmetzer, and My Father's Sword Craig A. Reed, Jr. felt pulpy but in the best way possible; by being entertaining reads with decent writing.
The last story is the worst one by far because it's a fucking football match that poorly takes an attempt at humor.
Overall, this was rather shitty, but I won't give up yet. I don't really recommend anything in here other than the two short stories I listed.
Well, this is my first foray into Battletech fiction. And while most people recommend to start with the 80s novels, I wanted to get a small taste through short fiction first, and honestly, what can I say? It is what I was expecting. Very pulpy and with a strong focus on mech on mech combat, all of the stories related the ways different Inner Sphere cultures and factions reacted to the Clan Invasion. I should note I am very, very new to Battletech lore (one of the reasons I wanted to read the books), so there's a lot of terms and lingo thrown around that might get a while to get used to, and this is definitely not a good starting point for a completely new Battletech reader. Only reason I managed to get passingly by is because I had played some of the games and devoured the wiki.
As usual, with most anthologies of short stories you tend to get a mixed bag of content. This one is not the exception but I'll say that it does feel like it leans more towards the "bad" side rather than the good.
The stories follow a repetitive structure and narrative that always begins and ends the same way. The prose is serviceable at best and harrowing at worst. Some of the dialogue feels stilted, unnatural and rather childish, and you can tell there was an attempt by the authors to explain things through conversations rather than lore dumps, but it feels artificial and almost stupid at times; there characters know their own cultures, why are they explaining them to themselves?
There were two good stories that did catch a good, fun, decent pulpy vibe with nice combat and good-enough characters: Fourth Form by Jason Schmetzer, and My Father's Sword Craig A. Reed, Jr. felt pulpy but in the best way possible; by being entertaining reads with decent writing.
The last story is the worst one by far because it's a fucking football match that poorly takes an attempt at humor.
Overall, this was rather shitty, but I won't give up yet. I don't really recommend anything in here other than the two short stories I listed.
April 28, 2018
Surprisingly good! It’s interesting to read fresh, new Battletech stories written many years after BT’s heyday.
The only thing I did not like is the last story, which is a football sports story. Ugh. Really? Get your stinking football out of my Battletech! I don’t care about first downs, the line of scrimmage, and daring plays. This story doesn’t belong, and sticks out like a sore thumb. Really, really dumb. The other stories are all 5 stars, but -2 stars because of this silly ending story.
The only thing I did not like is the last story, which is a football sports story. Ugh. Really? Get your stinking football out of my Battletech! I don’t care about first downs, the line of scrimmage, and daring plays. This story doesn’t belong, and sticks out like a sore thumb. Really, really dumb. The other stories are all 5 stars, but -2 stars because of this silly ending story.
March 31, 2025
Good read
Really good selection of stories with interesting characters and different situations, I really enjoyed the last two about the clan elemental suffering from disease and the last story about the Ghost Bears winning a planet by playing American football, a team of elementals running rough shod over the opposing side 84 to 3 brings a smile.
Really good selection of stories with interesting characters and different situations, I really enjoyed the last two about the clan elemental suffering from disease and the last story about the Ghost Bears winning a planet by playing American football, a team of elementals running rough shod over the opposing side 84 to 3 brings a smile.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews