The Killing Fields

BattleTech Universe #46

by Loren L. Coleman

In hope of salvaging the embattled worlds of the renegade St. Ives Compact, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao has launched a war that stretches far beyond the scope of military conquest. His mission: reunite St. Ives with his own Capellan Confederation. But after months of combat extend into years, the smash-and-destroy tactics have turned the crippled Compact into a bloody wasteland- and the Chancellor's costly victory into a virtual deathwatch.

For the warriors of Hause Hiritsu, and for the Capellan and Compact soldiers on the 'Mech-shredded front lines Sun-Tzu's noble crusade has become a nightmare. And now, with his dream of glory slipping away, the Chancellor will make one last desperate gamble - a final solution to regain total control of a civil war exploding out of control. no matter what the cost.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

Loren L. Coleman (born 1968) is a science-fiction writer, born and grew up in Longview, Washington.

He is known for having written many books for series such as Star Trek, Battletech/Mechwarrior, Age of Conan, Crimson Skies, Magic: The Gathering and others. Former member of the United States Navy, he has also written game fiction and source material for such companies as FASA Corporation, TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast.

In early 2010s, he began writing The ICAS Files series, science fiction short-stories. [wikipedia]

Reviews

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that things would pick up in the second part of this duology, but they really didn't. We had less of Sun-Tzu and more stories of the front lines and some shifting environments in terms of the dynamic battlefield. The overall impact of the war sort of felt cheapened by the end despite how it meant half of the St. Ives Compact getting re-absorbed by the Capellan Confederation. And I think that largely boils down to how things were presented and the slight imbalance in how the different POV chapters were presented and used to weave the larger story together.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just not invested in this story thread. Not a bad book, though.

[Brian Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow up in The Capellan Solution series (part one was Threads of Ambition).
The battles for the St. Ives Compact lead to conflict both on the field and in the actions of people taking part.

This was a good sequel, with plenty of mech action. Fizzled out slightly towards the end, but leaving Sun-Tzu Liao in a better position then before.

This book/story arc actually does him a bit of justice, showing him to be a shrewd, calculating character working towards his dream of a reunited Confederacy.