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BattleTech Universe
BattleTech: The Corps
The Corps. Warriors All. The Great Star League general, Aleksandr Kerensky. Colonel Archer Christifori, a man with a score to settle. Nelson Geist, on Christmas patrol. Clan Jade Falcon's MechWarrior Joanna. The Northwind Highlanders. A Sandoval scion. A prisoner of war. An eleven-year-old girl. They all have two things in common. A universe torn apart by unending warfare. A mission, to stand up against the darkness.
The Corps: a print anthology of 18 short stories, 17 previously published via BattleCorps, and an 18th, previously unpublished story (Destiny's Challenge) that continues the story of one of the others. It also includes a Foreword by the editor, Loren L. Coleman, how BattleCorps came into being; an "About the authors" section at the end; and a collection of BattleMech illustrations in the back.
Contents:
A Race to the End / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
Damage Control / short fiction by Ilsa J. Bick
Eight Nine Three / short fiction by Steven Mohan Jr.
Isolation's Weight / short fiction by Randall N. Bills
Destiny's Call / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
Poison / short fiction by Jason M. Hardy
The Immortal Warrior at the Battle of Vorhaven / short fiction by Kevin Killiany
Ghost of Christmas Present / short fiction by Michael A. Stackpole
Zeroing In / short fiction by Robert Thurston
For Want of a Nail / short fiction by Dan C. Duval
Art of the Deal / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
McKenna Station / short fiction by Kevin Killiany
Echoes in the Void / short fiction by Randall N. Bills
The Longest Road / short fiction by Blaine Lee Pardoe
The Back Road / short fiction by Louisa M. Swann
Commerce Is All / short fiction by Steven Mohan, Jr.
En Passant / short fiction by Phaedra M. Weldon
Destiny's Challenge / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
.
The Corps: a print anthology of 18 short stories, 17 previously published via BattleCorps, and an 18th, previously unpublished story (Destiny's Challenge) that continues the story of one of the others. It also includes a Foreword by the editor, Loren L. Coleman, how BattleCorps came into being; an "About the authors" section at the end; and a collection of BattleMech illustrations in the back.
Contents:
A Race to the End / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
Damage Control / short fiction by Ilsa J. Bick
Eight Nine Three / short fiction by Steven Mohan Jr.
Isolation's Weight / short fiction by Randall N. Bills
Destiny's Call / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
Poison / short fiction by Jason M. Hardy
The Immortal Warrior at the Battle of Vorhaven / short fiction by Kevin Killiany
Ghost of Christmas Present / short fiction by Michael A. Stackpole
Zeroing In / short fiction by Robert Thurston
For Want of a Nail / short fiction by Dan C. Duval
Art of the Deal / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
McKenna Station / short fiction by Kevin Killiany
Echoes in the Void / short fiction by Randall N. Bills
The Longest Road / short fiction by Blaine Lee Pardoe
The Back Road / short fiction by Louisa M. Swann
Commerce Is All / short fiction by Steven Mohan, Jr.
En Passant / short fiction by Phaedra M. Weldon
Destiny's Challenge / short fiction by Loren L. Coleman
.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2008
31 people are currently reading
79 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 10, 2015
An excellent set of short stories and novellas done in various eras of this exciting universe. I'm looking forward to the next installments. Some great work by unsung yet deserving writers!
November 16, 2020
This first compilation of stories from the original BattleCorps website and really captures that sense of excitement of these writers deciding to continue telling stories of the Classic BattleTech era. As far as short story collection collections go, this is a pretty solid mix of stories from all over the Classic era going all the way back to the Star League.
I think my only complaint is how the average length of the stories doesn't really provide a lot of opportunity for extended battles or the sort of complex political intrigues that define a lot of the stories of the BattleTech universe. But you work with what you have, I suppose.
There are a few stories that are direct tie-ins to other BattleTech novels, whether they are prequels to the main events or side stories for supporting characters or other people a bit more removed from the main action but still affected by those events. Makes for great reading and a nice enrichment of the existing works of fiction.
I think my only complaint is how the average length of the stories doesn't really provide a lot of opportunity for extended battles or the sort of complex political intrigues that define a lot of the stories of the BattleTech universe. But you work with what you have, I suppose.
There are a few stories that are direct tie-ins to other BattleTech novels, whether they are prequels to the main events or side stories for supporting characters or other people a bit more removed from the main action but still affected by those events. Makes for great reading and a nice enrichment of the existing works of fiction.
December 11, 2017
Hace unos diez años encontré unos libros en una tienda de segunda mano que parecían entretenidos. Batallas de enormes máquinas pilotadas por humanos. Me atrapó de tal manera que me he pasado años rebuscando en puestos de librerías de viejo hasta lograr completar buena parte de la colección en castellano.
Y hace unos días vi este ebook, baratito, diciendo "vamos, anímate a intentarlo en versión original", tan dulcemente que no me pude resisitir. Al final fue una buena decisión porque parece que los autores, liberados del corsé de sus novelas programadas por la editorial, han sacado lo mejor de sí.
Totalmente recomendado para fans de BattleTech.
Y hace unos días vi este ebook, baratito, diciendo "vamos, anímate a intentarlo en versión original", tan dulcemente que no me pude resisitir. Al final fue una buena decisión porque parece que los autores, liberados del corsé de sus novelas programadas por la editorial, han sacado lo mejor de sí.
Totalmente recomendado para fans de BattleTech.
May 9, 2017
Collection of short stories, mostly Civil War period but a few covering earlier eras.
Some of them seem to be "deleted scenes" from other novels, expanding on people and events in the original. If you've read the other classic Battletech books then you can work out where they fit in quite easily.
As with most collections, some stories stand up better than others, but there's no real weak ones.
A good selection of stories to scratch the Battletech itch.
Some of them seem to be "deleted scenes" from other novels, expanding on people and events in the original. If you've read the other classic Battletech books then you can work out where they fit in quite easily.
As with most collections, some stories stand up better than others, but there's no real weak ones.
A good selection of stories to scratch the Battletech itch.
June 4, 2018
Out of 18 stories. 2 are worth your time: a surprisngly engaging one about a young Kerensky and the other a wonderful Joanna story from Robert Thurston.
Honestly, I just could not get into many of the other stories. I tried. They're just all over the place. Even Blaine Pardoe's bit about the final moments of the Fedcom Civil War... sigh. Just a disappointing collection when you consider how many pieces of sourcebook fluff work well.
Honestly, I just could not get into many of the other stories. I tried. They're just all over the place. Even Blaine Pardoe's bit about the final moments of the Fedcom Civil War... sigh. Just a disappointing collection when you consider how many pieces of sourcebook fluff work well.
August 27, 2019
Some stories are hit and miss, but most are good - and I do like Battletech fiction!
May 23, 2020
Good book
Great book helps fill out the time line for me !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!! !!!!! !!!!!!! !!!! !!! !!!
Great book helps fill out the time line for me !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!! !!!!! !!!!!!! !!!! !!! !!!
July 15, 2020
Cheap at Wargames Vault, this contains lot of stories spread through BattleTech eras. Some are lame, some are good and some excellent. Altogether a worthy read.
March 16, 2021
Not a lot of Mech fighting. Lots of backstory fluff.
August 27, 2021
Took a trip down nostalgia lane. Enjoyed the stories.
August 7, 2019
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. While I had heard of the famed BattleTech sci-fi game, and had seen the various book tie-ins on store shelves, I had never been interested in reading any of them. But then HBS released their Battletech PC game...and I suddenly had a reason to give the books a try. Ha! I always like to start with anthologies when exploring a new sci-fi setting because short story collections can cover a lot more ground than a single story that is tightly focused on a limited cast of characters or one particular setting. With that in mind, "The Corps: BattleCorps Anthology Vol. 1" fit the bill nicely as the stories within covered a lot of ground in the BattleTech universe.
As I wrote above, I ultimately enjoyed this book much more than I expected. I particularly enjoyed how grim these tales often were. When dealing with giant mechs, it is easy to get sucked down the path of farce or Saturday morning cartoon fare, but the authors in this collection were much too sharp for that. Instead, these tales brought to life the brutality of mech warfare with the grim realism of, say, a novel about armored warfare on the Eastern Front during WWII. The "pilots" in this book might be piloting bipedal tanks from the future, but the fundamentals of warfare - death, destruction, and personal suffering - were just as present, something that lent a lot of gravitas to the various stories in the collection. And that is what hooked me so!
I also was not prepared for the complex history of the Battletech setting. Many of the tales in this collection deal with key characters and pivotal battles of the Battletech mythos, and while much of it was lost on me, I nevertheless appreciated the depth it brought to the setting.
All in all, a very good collection for those who enjoy Battletech, or even those who just like military sci-fi.
Recommended!
As I wrote above, I ultimately enjoyed this book much more than I expected. I particularly enjoyed how grim these tales often were. When dealing with giant mechs, it is easy to get sucked down the path of farce or Saturday morning cartoon fare, but the authors in this collection were much too sharp for that. Instead, these tales brought to life the brutality of mech warfare with the grim realism of, say, a novel about armored warfare on the Eastern Front during WWII. The "pilots" in this book might be piloting bipedal tanks from the future, but the fundamentals of warfare - death, destruction, and personal suffering - were just as present, something that lent a lot of gravitas to the various stories in the collection. And that is what hooked me so!
I also was not prepared for the complex history of the Battletech setting. Many of the tales in this collection deal with key characters and pivotal battles of the Battletech mythos, and while much of it was lost on me, I nevertheless appreciated the depth it brought to the setting.
All in all, a very good collection for those who enjoy Battletech, or even those who just like military sci-fi.
Recommended!
June 25, 2009
A collection of short stories by various authors, including Michael Stackpole. There are some real jems in there, but others are a waste of time, and you cant tell whats what until you've read it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews