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BattleTech Universe #35
Double-Blind
BattleMech Blitzkrieg
Using fast and furious hit-and-run tactics, Marcus GioAvanti and his Avanti's Angels mercenaries have earned a tough reputation throughout the Inner Sphere. But the Inner Sphere isn't where their newest job is taking them - because their latest employer resides in that remote and mysterious region of space known as the Periphery...
Interworld Intrigue
The Magistracy of Canopus has been the target of aggression by the Marian Hegemony, and in hiring Marcus and his gutsy band of can-do commandos, it hopes to retaliate. But the fact that the Canopians are armed with technology that is considered rare in the Periphery is the least of Marcus's problems. Marcus and his "Angels" will have to face the real force behind the hostilities - the religious cult known as Word of Blake. This fanatical group has a scheme deadly enough to trap even the amazing Avanti's Angels...
Using fast and furious hit-and-run tactics, Marcus GioAvanti and his Avanti's Angels mercenaries have earned a tough reputation throughout the Inner Sphere. But the Inner Sphere isn't where their newest job is taking them - because their latest employer resides in that remote and mysterious region of space known as the Periphery...
Interworld Intrigue
The Magistracy of Canopus has been the target of aggression by the Marian Hegemony, and in hiring Marcus and his gutsy band of can-do commandos, it hopes to retaliate. But the fact that the Canopians are armed with technology that is considered rare in the Periphery is the least of Marcus's problems. Marcus and his "Angels" will have to face the real force behind the hostilities - the religious cult known as Word of Blake. This fanatical group has a scheme deadly enough to trap even the amazing Avanti's Angels...
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
11 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Loren L. Coleman
106 books39 followersLoren 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]
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]
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 3, 2024
Very compelling intrigue and action plus character growth. I could tell immediately that the author knew something of battle on a personal level then read the bio at the end of the book which explained the deeper insights about battle. I think my favorite or the authors so far.
January 5, 2024
This one was not enjoyable. I consider myself enough ‘into’ Battletech to know enough. I can name you era's, mechs, key events and characters, but this was just too opaque for me. Too many characters, factions and parallel stories for a such a short story with not enough context or clarity as to what is really going on and why. Maybe I should stick to the Succession Wars or Clan Wars eras. The characters don't save it either. Very tropey and predictable, with no development of their own, or unexpected turns.
Has some good points. Mech combat was described just fine (harder than you think), the POWs strapped to mechs for use as human shields and the resulting rescue calvary charge with the grappling hooks against the mech was great. Really rule-of-cool stuff.
But not enough to save the book as a whole. At least it is only short.
Has some good points. Mech combat was described just fine (harder than you think), the POWs strapped to mechs for use as human shields and the resulting rescue calvary charge with the grappling hooks against the mech was great. Really rule-of-cool stuff.
But not enough to save the book as a whole. At least it is only short.
April 27, 2025
For the first fourth of the book, this was in contention for a top five spot. The writing was clever and funny, and took risks. The A-plot is pure Battletech, a mercenary company on hard times due to a few bad deals and poor resources. The B-plot is pure Battletech, high politics with a personal edge. Better still, the politics is about the Periphery, which has passed without observation in the books so far, and with House Liao not as a cardboard cut-out. Maybe for the first time, the A and B plots work together, so we see the big picture and the small picture.
ComStar is suitably menacing, and the antagonist chews enough scenery, but overall, people are competent. The problem in fact is that Liao is too competent, in so many layers of Xanatos Gambit that it stops being interesting to read because you know it is all a scheme. The mercenary characters are colorful without being stereotypes, and the battles display people working strategy and tactics, with evenly-matched foes.
It was hitting all the notes, for me personally. Then, things get super-racist.
I do not mean the Liao katana. I mean that the planet things are set on is one big pastiche of Orientalism, specifically Arab stereotypes that are explained textually as that: this is the villainous ways of the deceitful Arab. So there is the evil Vizier, the humble slave girl, the soft people and the warrior people, desert tribes, absurd takes on gift culture, and constant double-crossing by self-important psychopaths.
It is frustrating because there is a very fun Periphery story here that involves the managing expectations of jumped up warlords. I want to keep that part. Everything else is just awful.
The author also makes this weird choice to tell not show the main emotional arc of the plot. There is a choice set up for tension between two members of the company over the question of leadership and the cost of war. The book could have run on this alone. But it is almost as if the author included it under duress. Major moments do not appear, but are only informed by the text. I could not explain its climax. I can tell you what happened, but it has little sense to it and is mostly describing the emotional moves of the persons involved.
There are bits to love here, the portrayal of both ComStar and the Magistracy are compelling. But even the Gray Death trilogy, ten years or so before this, had more subtle takes on Orientalism.
ComStar is suitably menacing, and the antagonist chews enough scenery, but overall, people are competent. The problem in fact is that Liao is too competent, in so many layers of Xanatos Gambit that it stops being interesting to read because you know it is all a scheme. The mercenary characters are colorful without being stereotypes, and the battles display people working strategy and tactics, with evenly-matched foes.
It was hitting all the notes, for me personally. Then, things get super-racist.
I do not mean the Liao katana. I mean that the planet things are set on is one big pastiche of Orientalism, specifically Arab stereotypes that are explained textually as that: this is the villainous ways of the deceitful Arab. So there is the evil Vizier, the humble slave girl, the soft people and the warrior people, desert tribes, absurd takes on gift culture, and constant double-crossing by self-important psychopaths.
It is frustrating because there is a very fun Periphery story here that involves the managing expectations of jumped up warlords. I want to keep that part. Everything else is just awful.
The author also makes this weird choice to tell not show the main emotional arc of the plot. There is a choice set up for tension between two members of the company over the question of leadership and the cost of war. The book could have run on this alone. But it is almost as if the author included it under duress. Major moments do not appear, but are only informed by the text. I could not explain its climax. I can tell you what happened, but it has little sense to it and is mostly describing the emotional moves of the persons involved.
There are bits to love here, the portrayal of both ComStar and the Magistracy are compelling. But even the Gray Death trilogy, ten years or so before this, had more subtle takes on Orientalism.
April 18, 2019
There are a lot of modern stereotypes in a story that takes place in 3058, which honestly should have it's own stereotypes at that point. The only characters who've had real development are Marcus and Sun-Tzu Liao, and while that's not always a bad thing, we've been introduced to a lot of characters who are all considered "main" so it's not a good thing here. Heck, we lost one of the Angels in a battle who sacrificed himself to keep the girl he loved from dying and the author literally insisted it wasn't because of that, and I didn't even feel empathy because that was his only trait. So while parts of this book are actually quite excellent, overall it's kind of middling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2021
A re-read to nail down which Mechs I'll need to acquire for the wargame to build a proper Avanti's Angels force.
It's fine! The Angels are well-represented, and mech combat is always interesting. Unfortunately the true monster villain escaped, but maybe I'll see him again later so he can get his just desserts. I'm fairly convinced that the author discovered the term 'double-blind' just before writing this, then made sure every character and faction in this tale used it as much as possible. There were some pretty egregious typos near the end, but I chalk that up to the absolute deluge of books like this in the '90s.
It's fine! The Angels are well-represented, and mech combat is always interesting. Unfortunately the true monster villain escaped, but maybe I'll see him again later so he can get his just desserts. I'm fairly convinced that the author discovered the term 'double-blind' just before writing this, then made sure every character and faction in this tale used it as much as possible. There were some pretty egregious typos near the end, but I chalk that up to the absolute deluge of books like this in the '90s.
January 25, 2020
By far my favourite battletech novel to date. Pacing is perfect. The characters aren't overly 2 dimensional. Tactics are used feasibly. The story is compelling and a good page turner. It does suffer from one major flaw. It is not a stand alone novel. You have to know what is going on as the author sort of dumps you into the middle of things and if you're not familiar with the setting, will probably have no clue what is going on with the politics side.
September 26, 2024
Starts with too much fancy politics. That part is a slog.
A small skirmish whets the readers taste for action before returning to some lighter politics before the big battle.
There are too many factions to easily follow in this storyline.
And the book felt rushed with a few typos and badly chosen words.
It was ok but not the best Battletech book.
A small skirmish whets the readers taste for action before returning to some lighter politics before the big battle.
There are too many factions to easily follow in this storyline.
And the book felt rushed with a few typos and badly chosen words.
It was ok but not the best Battletech book.
August 17, 2021
BattleTech book 35. Something is brewing in the Periphery, and the responsible parties are trying to frame Sun-Tzu and the Capellan Confederation. Avanti's Angels are brought in to resolve just how the Magistracy of Canopus keeps having raiders attack.
March 6, 2024
Politics take center stage but the action is still true battletech.
March 6, 2012
This book was a disaster to read.
First of all, and most notably, it makes too many assumptions of the reader. It assumes the reader knows, and understands the political factions, equipment, and geography of the world in which it is written. That might be the case for most fans who would pick up this book, but as literature it's an utter failure. You cannot just dump a reader, even if they are prepared, into this world and expect them to pick up the story.
If you want to see an example of how this is done correctly, take a look at the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Here the author does manage to go thick in the nautical jargon, but the jargon is not required to understand the book. Consequently, the story shines through the muddle.
And secondly, to make matters worse, the audio presentation of this book was below average. The reader's voices for different people were too similar, leaving the listener to further wonder exactly who was talking, and on which side.
I found my self hopelessly lost, and just waiting for the next battle.
Terrible.
First of all, and most notably, it makes too many assumptions of the reader. It assumes the reader knows, and understands the political factions, equipment, and geography of the world in which it is written. That might be the case for most fans who would pick up this book, but as literature it's an utter failure. You cannot just dump a reader, even if they are prepared, into this world and expect them to pick up the story.
If you want to see an example of how this is done correctly, take a look at the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Here the author does manage to go thick in the nautical jargon, but the jargon is not required to understand the book. Consequently, the story shines through the muddle.
And secondly, to make matters worse, the audio presentation of this book was below average. The reader's voices for different people were too similar, leaving the listener to further wonder exactly who was talking, and on which side.
I found my self hopelessly lost, and just waiting for the next battle.
Terrible.
August 8, 2020
Avanti's Angels, a mercenary unit, are sent out to the Periphery to investigate why raiders from the Marian Hegemony against the Magistracy of Canopus are so well equipped.
Throw Comstar/Word of Blake and Sun Tzu Liao into the mix and you know deception will be involved.
The Angels are a good unit, not infallible and worrying about how to keep their equipment paid for.
Most of the action takes place on a desert planet, with various rulers trying to influence them, and the fighting is quite intense.
Throw Comstar/Word of Blake and Sun Tzu Liao into the mix and you know deception will be involved.
The Angels are a good unit, not infallible and worrying about how to keep their equipment paid for.
Most of the action takes place on a desert planet, with various rulers trying to influence them, and the fighting is quite intense.
January 22, 2016
Loren Coleman's books are okay but nothing amazing - then again someone had to take the time to explore the Capellan Confederation and he did a good job of exploring that side of things fairly well.
The fact that the protagonist is a very diverse individual is pretty cool although at times he feels too much like a superhero given all the things he is capable of.
The fact that the protagonist is a very diverse individual is pretty cool although at times he feels too much like a superhero given all the things he is capable of.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews