Blood Avatar

BattleTech Universe #82

by Ilsa J. Bick

The first body that turns up in Farway, a secluded town on the planet Denebola, is from out of town. When the Denebola Bureau of Investigation and the legate's office from half a planet away decide to help identify the murder victim, Sheriff Hank Ketchum knows he's in over his head.

Enter the infamous detective Jack Ramsey. With the help of the talented and beautiful local medical examiner Amanda Slade, Ramsey digs into the case and discovers evidence that puts Farway at the heart of a conspiracy. But who's the greater threat - the Clans, the Word of Blake, or the legate's intelligence operative?

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

310 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 5, 2005

About the author

Among other things, I was an English major in college and so I know that I'm supposed to write things like, "Ilsa J. Bick is ." Except I hate writing about myself in the third person like I'm not in the room. Helloooo, I'm right here . . . So let's just say that I'm a child psychiatrist (yeah, you read that right)as well as a film scholar, surgeon wannabe (meaning I did an internship in surgery and LOVED it and maybe shoulda stuck), former Air Force major—and an award-winning, best-selling author of short stories, e-books, and novels. Believe me, no one is more shocked about this than I . . . unless you talk to my mother.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the nineteenth book in the Mech Warrior Dark Age series. This series is a continuation of the Battletech series. The books in this series, like the books in the original Battletech series, are by various authors. This one is by Ilsa J. Bick. In the authors forward she states that this book is a bit of a departure from the usual novels set in the Mech Warrior Dark Age universe. That is very true. While the novel does tie in with the rest of the novels, it is very different. In this one there no Mechs, no spacecraft, and no battles of any type. This novel is set on the very backwater planet of Denebola in Prefecture VIII. The story in this one revolves around a murder in a small town that will need the help of a disgraced big city cop, the beautiful local medical examiner and the local sheriff to solve. Before everything is said and done a conspiracy spanning most of the Inner Sphere will be uncovered, several more people will be killed and even more will be hurt. Although this book is very different than those that has gone before it is a great read. Fans of Detective/Mystery novels as well as fans of science fiction and this series will enjoy this book.
Warning: This book does have scenes of graphic violence.

[Josh Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

"So You've Decided to Read Battletech: Dark Age" - Review 18

The writing is an interesting diversion from the typical Battletech book. That's what I enjoyed with Ghost War and Scorpion Jar. Unfortunately for me, from the first chapter, things are very dark with the visceral torture and murder of children. I have developed a very weak stomach for that sort of thing and gave up on the book immediately.


DarkAge Tier List
from favorite to least favorite

Scorpion Jar
Service For the Dead
A Silence in the Heavens
Flight of the Falcon
Sword of Sedition
Target of Opportunity
Blood of the Isle
Fortress of Lies
By Temptations and By War
A Call to Arms
Truth and Shadows
Ghost War
Heretic's Faith
The Ruins of Power
Daughter of the Dragon
Blood Avatar

In a special list all its own for being the absolute worst:
Hunters of the Deep

Skipped:
Patriots Stand

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish. Barely even started.

Apparently this book doesn't feature a single Mech battle. It's just a murder mystery, so skip it if that's why you're reading BattleTech.

That being said, that's not what stopped me from reading this. I wasn't very impressed at Ilsa's last BattleTech novel, as it was very very adult and full of unsexy sexual content. I heard this one was better though and so I was going to give it a chance.

The entirety of page 18 is a conversation about someone's dick falling off.

And that's where I was done. Does it get better? I don't know, I don't care. I'll be skipping her next book as well.

[J Murdock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way to boring

I miss the days of good Battletech. The new writers should just quit ruining 25 years of Battletech and just go off on their own. Just like Microsoft and anti gun Bill Gates slightly destroy the Mechwarrior line of games.

B This is more drivel. A basic psycho thriller that belongs in 1920, not 3070. We just got done with the last psycho pedophile and now a ultra lengthy, over worded psycho killer.

I still don't even know the purposes of the weak association in the book. I'd read it again but if rather have I controlled explosive diarrhea.