BattleTech: The Proliferation Cycle

BattleTech Universe

by John Helfers, Ilsa J. Bick, Herbert A. Beas II

In the 25th century, humankind is locked in a seemingly endless cycle of warfare as each of the Great Houses seeks to expand their holdings at the cost of the others. But in 2438, the Terran Hegemony perfects a battle system unlike anything seen in combat before—the Mackie, the very first BattleMech. With it, the Hegemony quickly reigns supreme on the battlefield.

The Mackie’s arrival sets off a desperate arms race among the Great Houses, each desperate to possess the BattleMech’s secrets. Some houses will use military force to steal them, others resort to stealthy espionage teams to infiltrate highly secured BattleMech facilities. Still other Houses will use diplomacy, or even corporate espionage to get their hands on the coveted plans or the men and women who can build a BattleMech.

Now, collected for the first time, stories by celebrated BattleTech authors Ilsa J. Bick, Herbert A. Beas II, Christoffer Trossen, Randall N. Bills, Chris Hartford and Jason M. Hardy, Jason Schmetzer, and Blaine Lee Pardoe—who wrote a brand-new novella about the creation of the Coyotl, the first OmniMech—tell how BattleMechs were invented in one complete volume.

Welcome to The Proliferation Cycle.

Genres: Science Fiction

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 12, 2021

Reviews

[Tim Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who enjoy Battletech fiction this is a lovely mix of stories. For those not aware of the Battletech Universe might be a bit harder to get into.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of stories. There was not very much Mech to Mech or even solo mech action due to the setting, but it was still great. This group of stories were great additions to the Battletech spy and special ops lot. Many of the stories were very well written with vivid descriptions that presented a strong mental picture.
There were no weak stories in this volume.

[Walter Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories

Great collection of short stories that brings life to the early years of the battlemech story , I know a number of people thinking up different scenarios for both table top and RPG games . So much fun to be had .