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BattleTech Universe #36
Binding Force
Aris Sung, a rising star in House Hiritsu, noblest of the Warrior House that have sworn allegiance to the Capellan Confederation. The Sarna Supremacy, a newly formed power in the Chaos March, is giving the Confederation some trouble - and Aris and his Hiritsu comrades are chosen to give the Sarnans a harsh lesson in Capellan resolve. But there is far more to the mission than meets the eye - and unless Aris beats the odds in a race against time and treachery, all the ferro-fibrous armor in the galaxy won't be enough to save House Hiritsu from the high-explosive cross fire of intrigue and shifting loyalties...
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
10 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Loren L. Coleman
107 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 15, 2024
I hate to spoil any surprises by saying that there are surprises, but I like the development of characters and potential surprises. 😉
The set-up was a bit slow.
The set-up was a bit slow.
July 4, 2025
This is a replay of Highlander Gambit, but in a bigger sandbox yet a smaller bucket.
The book is the story of Aris Sung, member of one of the House Liao warrior houses, starting with his entry into the house, and, with occasional flashback, the story of that warrior house being sent into the Chaos March to (re)take a planet for Liao.
The architecture of this story is classic, or cliche in the best of ways. We open with the high level politics at the house leader level, then are down into the story of Sung, much of which involves deeply personal, occasionally Byzantine politics within House Hiritsu (Sung's warrior house). There is betrayal, grudging respect from grumpy mentors, and a lot of arguments about strategy and tactics with an personal edge.
The twist(s) is unpredictably predictable, a murder-mystery where you can tell who the perp is by how the book is structured, rather than the clues in the plot. I liked the mixing in of the scenes from the opposing side. These did the Chaos March well, maybe for the first time, in presenting both why these people ought to be in charge, as opposed to one of the major Houses; how due to the strata of damage laid on by the years of changing control the name of the place is apt, and also how bad things can get out of a confused political situation. Basically, we see why imperialism is bad at the same time we see why people may accept or even desire it. And it closes out back in the big political picture, with our high level understanding of what is going on, and a bit of a teaser for future novels.
The combat is weak. There is a decent amount of attention on the things that I like, but Sung drifts towards Mary Sue and it is a damning by faint praise about how middle of the road it is. It avoids the excesses of bad choices, but it also does not do anything to make it stand out.
The writing is good in terms of stylistics, with a decent amount of variation and a high level of clarity. The characters are flatter, but still manage to hold interest.
The problem? Calling it the racism is accurate but unhelpful.
One of the tropes of Orientalism is "inscrutability." Not only do Asians think in an alien way, it is one that is unknowable, full of mystery and strangeness. It grieves me to say it, but I feel like the flatness of the characters is less a matter of shoddy craftsmanship in the writing and more an acceptance of that as writ. The author himself feels unable to grasp the interior life of his characters.
This is not always true, and there is one standout section where we get the interior thoughts of a character which provides some interesting nuance to what we saw externally. But the House Hiritsu looks like any other Liao/Kurita elites. That its katanas all the way down is a bad look but one that Watsonian around.* But again, like in Highlander Gambit, it pains me to read because there exists such a rich actual history in China of warrior classes, cultures, and expressions, that is all being left on the table. Here is hoping for future writers in reckoning that.
* - Something that comes up with inconsistent attention is that there is not a direct line from each of these national identities historically to Battletech's setting. Marik is not the Holy Roman Empire, but a future nation who started cosplaying as the HRE, and did it so well that they forgot about who they really were. So mix-ups and aberrations are a product of the in-universe misunderstanding, the sort of thing we have seen in other nations - including right now the U.S. and the political movement that is MAGA - and a sort of fetish for the past rather than any actual historical fact.
The book is the story of Aris Sung, member of one of the House Liao warrior houses, starting with his entry into the house, and, with occasional flashback, the story of that warrior house being sent into the Chaos March to (re)take a planet for Liao.
The architecture of this story is classic, or cliche in the best of ways. We open with the high level politics at the house leader level, then are down into the story of Sung, much of which involves deeply personal, occasionally Byzantine politics within House Hiritsu (Sung's warrior house). There is betrayal, grudging respect from grumpy mentors, and a lot of arguments about strategy and tactics with an personal edge.
The twist(s) is unpredictably predictable, a murder-mystery where you can tell who the perp is by how the book is structured, rather than the clues in the plot. I liked the mixing in of the scenes from the opposing side. These did the Chaos March well, maybe for the first time, in presenting both why these people ought to be in charge, as opposed to one of the major Houses; how due to the strata of damage laid on by the years of changing control the name of the place is apt, and also how bad things can get out of a confused political situation. Basically, we see why imperialism is bad at the same time we see why people may accept or even desire it. And it closes out back in the big political picture, with our high level understanding of what is going on, and a bit of a teaser for future novels.
The combat is weak. There is a decent amount of attention on the things that I like, but Sung drifts towards Mary Sue and it is a damning by faint praise about how middle of the road it is. It avoids the excesses of bad choices, but it also does not do anything to make it stand out.
The writing is good in terms of stylistics, with a decent amount of variation and a high level of clarity. The characters are flatter, but still manage to hold interest.
The problem? Calling it the racism is accurate but unhelpful.
One of the tropes of Orientalism is "inscrutability." Not only do Asians think in an alien way, it is one that is unknowable, full of mystery and strangeness. It grieves me to say it, but I feel like the flatness of the characters is less a matter of shoddy craftsmanship in the writing and more an acceptance of that as writ. The author himself feels unable to grasp the interior life of his characters.
This is not always true, and there is one standout section where we get the interior thoughts of a character which provides some interesting nuance to what we saw externally. But the House Hiritsu looks like any other Liao/Kurita elites. That its katanas all the way down is a bad look but one that Watsonian around.* But again, like in Highlander Gambit, it pains me to read because there exists such a rich actual history in China of warrior classes, cultures, and expressions, that is all being left on the table. Here is hoping for future writers in reckoning that.
* - Something that comes up with inconsistent attention is that there is not a direct line from each of these national identities historically to Battletech's setting. Marik is not the Holy Roman Empire, but a future nation who started cosplaying as the HRE, and did it so well that they forgot about who they really were. So mix-ups and aberrations are a product of the in-universe misunderstanding, the sort of thing we have seen in other nations - including right now the U.S. and the political movement that is MAGA - and a sort of fetish for the past rather than any actual historical fact.
August 17, 2021
BattleTech Book 36. Sarna declared independence from the Capellan Confederation. Now Sun-Tzu wants all of the Sarna March back, and invasion of Kaifeng and control of the food production it provides is the first step.
December 19, 2022
Not bad but long winded.
Better than most Capellan stories with the ridiculously long winded, double and triple explanation of Japanese culture.
The story line is fair but long to tell the tale of Aris Sung.
Better than most Capellan stories with the ridiculously long winded, double and triple explanation of Japanese culture.
The story line is fair but long to tell the tale of Aris Sung.
December 23, 2024
Coleman sets up a Warrior House that is stratified, steeped in tradition, and has deep roots in Confucianism. This House (Hiritsu) now serves the Capellan Confederation. This house has now been assigned to assimilate/conquer a breakaway polity called the Sarna Supremacy after the FedCom civil war has begun. This is set amidst the backdrop of Operations Bird Dog and Bulldog - the annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar.
So far so good, except the way the House works, it mirrors the Draconis Combine (reminiscent of the Japanese samurai society). It doesn't feel very original. Second, the protagonist, Aris Sung, must navigate House politics. He is an outsider but accepted by a House Mentor (sound familiar? If you read Stackpole's trilogy with Phelan Kell/Ward...) Again, it doesn't feel original.
His House has been assigned to take Sarna, except there are traitors in the House. But who? About half way through, I suspected who the traitor was. And guess what? I guessed correctly. I won't say who. (NO spoilers). Meanwhile, Aris gets trapped behind enemy lines and smokes out the traitor. There is one more traitor whom Coleman saves to the end - that one I didn't see coming.
I liked it, but I don't plan on reading it again. There were some good things - the Mech battles - but the anticipated intrigue and house politics, that fell flat like a 2 day old open can of Coke. You can still drink it, but it's not the same as a fresh can.
One last thing: a highly structured society based on Confucianism does not translate well into a modern military, especially a 21st century one or even a 31st century. On the battlefield, the situation is dynamic, chaotic, and hence "the fog of war". The best armies are those who give as much as information and most importantly initiative to the junior officers, before and during the battle. If the op-plan makes no sense or has holes, ask. Question. Prod. Challenge. Get clarification. That way, when things fall apart, let those who are closest to the action make the decisions. But if you are Chinese or Arab or from any culture where questioning authority, even for good reasons, is anathema or taboo, you will fail on the battlefield and at war.
You might win if it is heavily scripted and have overwhelming firepower, but the other side also gets a vote. That's why he's the enemy.
Thus, whenever Aris is talking to his superiors or to his subordinates, I tend to cringe because there is no way you can have a functional military, however respectful Aris is.
So far so good, except the way the House works, it mirrors the Draconis Combine (reminiscent of the Japanese samurai society). It doesn't feel very original. Second, the protagonist, Aris Sung, must navigate House politics. He is an outsider but accepted by a House Mentor (sound familiar? If you read Stackpole's trilogy with Phelan Kell/Ward...) Again, it doesn't feel original.
His House has been assigned to take Sarna, except there are traitors in the House. But who? About half way through, I suspected who the traitor was. And guess what? I guessed correctly. I won't say who. (NO spoilers). Meanwhile, Aris gets trapped behind enemy lines and smokes out the traitor. There is one more traitor whom Coleman saves to the end - that one I didn't see coming.
I liked it, but I don't plan on reading it again. There were some good things - the Mech battles - but the anticipated intrigue and house politics, that fell flat like a 2 day old open can of Coke. You can still drink it, but it's not the same as a fresh can.
One last thing: a highly structured society based on Confucianism does not translate well into a modern military, especially a 21st century one or even a 31st century. On the battlefield, the situation is dynamic, chaotic, and hence "the fog of war". The best armies are those who give as much as information and most importantly initiative to the junior officers, before and during the battle. If the op-plan makes no sense or has holes, ask. Question. Prod. Challenge. Get clarification. That way, when things fall apart, let those who are closest to the action make the decisions. But if you are Chinese or Arab or from any culture where questioning authority, even for good reasons, is anathema or taboo, you will fail on the battlefield and at war.
You might win if it is heavily scripted and have overwhelming firepower, but the other side also gets a vote. That's why he's the enemy.
Thus, whenever Aris is talking to his superiors or to his subordinates, I tend to cringe because there is no way you can have a functional military, however respectful Aris is.
April 6, 2021
A good novel, setting the Capellan Confederation against some of the splinter worlds of the Sarna Supremacy.
Plenty of good mech battle action, although the Capellans always seem to be able to dish out more than they take.
Interesting characters behind it, especially Aris Sung and his dealings with his mentor and leader Ty Wu Non.
Let down slightly by the predictability of various parts (without giving anything away), the enemy characters don't have a lot to do apart from being generic people to dislike.
Plenty of good mech battle action, although the Capellans always seem to be able to dish out more than they take.
Interesting characters behind it, especially Aris Sung and his dealings with his mentor and leader Ty Wu Non.
Let down slightly by the predictability of various parts (without giving anything away), the enemy characters don't have a lot to do apart from being generic people to dislike.
January 22, 2016
Another adventure with the Capellan super-agent crafted by Coleman. Aris Sung makes some strange mistakes in this book which of course he gets to recover from beautifully. Sometimes the whole thing just makes me wonder, aha.
Still, great battles.
Still, great battles.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews