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BattleTech Universe
BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction
BattleTech: 25 Years of Art & Fiction is the ultimate chronicle of the BattleTech/MechWarrior universe. Full-color, hard-back and coffee-table-sized at over 10" by 12", its 304 pages are brimming with hundreds of color and B&W illustrations that span BattleTech's 25-year legacy. Additionally, the book contains:
# An 8-page, detailed treatise on the evolution of the BattleTech/MechWarrior computer games and the creation one of the most successful franchises in history: from The Crescent Hawks Inception to MechWarrior 2, Virtual World Entertainment Cockpits to MechWarrior 4 and more!
# A 25-page bibliography detailing every rulebook, box set, scenario pack and more ever sold for BattleTech/MechWarrior by FASA, FanPro, WizKids or Catalyst Game Labs; an era stamp with each entry allows for easy time period identification.
# A universe timeline from the launching of Crippen Station in 2005 until the reformation of the shattered Free Worlds League in 3139
# 18 all new stories from best selling, perennial authors Michael Stackpole, Robert Charrette, William H. Keith, Loren L. Coleman and authors; stories set from the time of the Star League to the Succession Wars, Clan Invasion to The Dark Age.
# A look at a host of licensed products over the years, from comic books to the cartoon, toys to patches, and more.
# An 8-page, detailed treatise on the evolution of the BattleTech/MechWarrior computer games and the creation one of the most successful franchises in history: from The Crescent Hawks Inception to MechWarrior 2, Virtual World Entertainment Cockpits to MechWarrior 4 and more!
# A 25-page bibliography detailing every rulebook, box set, scenario pack and more ever sold for BattleTech/MechWarrior by FASA, FanPro, WizKids or Catalyst Game Labs; an era stamp with each entry allows for easy time period identification.
# A universe timeline from the launching of Crippen Station in 2005 until the reformation of the shattered Free Worlds League in 3139
# 18 all new stories from best selling, perennial authors Michael Stackpole, Robert Charrette, William H. Keith, Loren L. Coleman and authors; stories set from the time of the Star League to the Succession Wars, Clan Invasion to The Dark Age.
# A look at a host of licensed products over the years, from comic books to the cartoon, toys to patches, and more.
- GenresScience FictionGaming
306 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2009
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 11, 2011
"25 Years of Art and Fiction" is a collection of short stories and artwork associated with the Battletech game universe, published in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of the game "Battledroids," published in 1984 by FASA Corporation. While FASA is no more, successor companies have continued to publish new material for the game. While starting as a tabletop game, it didn't take long for short stories and novels to be published, fleshing out the game universe and driving along an overall meta-plot that allowed for ever more sourcebooks and other material to be published for the game.
The bulk of this book consists of all new short stories written for the collection, as well as reprints of famous pieces of artwork from the various books and boxed sets published for the game over the years. In a nice touch, the short stories are usually associated with a particular iconic picture, telling the story of what is going on in the picture. None of the stories is longer than 8 pages long (though this is an over-size book, so there can be a lot of words on each page), so individually they do not take that long to read. This makes the book more suitable to reading in short bursts over a period of time, rather than just sitting down to read it.
After the stories and art are through, there is a discussion of computer and video games that have been created in the Battletech universe, a listing of all of the novels and short story compilations published up to the publication of this book in 2009, and then a listing of every Battletech game product ever published up to that point, as well.
If you are a long-time Battletech fan, then this book is a 'no brainer,' as seeing the old artiwork in large format and reading the new stories is a real treat. However, if you aren't a big Battletech fan, then there is not enough here to justify the hefty price tag. Very much a fan project, though an excellent one.
The bulk of this book consists of all new short stories written for the collection, as well as reprints of famous pieces of artwork from the various books and boxed sets published for the game over the years. In a nice touch, the short stories are usually associated with a particular iconic picture, telling the story of what is going on in the picture. None of the stories is longer than 8 pages long (though this is an over-size book, so there can be a lot of words on each page), so individually they do not take that long to read. This makes the book more suitable to reading in short bursts over a period of time, rather than just sitting down to read it.
After the stories and art are through, there is a discussion of computer and video games that have been created in the Battletech universe, a listing of all of the novels and short story compilations published up to the publication of this book in 2009, and then a listing of every Battletech game product ever published up to that point, as well.
If you are a long-time Battletech fan, then this book is a 'no brainer,' as seeing the old artiwork in large format and reading the new stories is a real treat. However, if you aren't a big Battletech fan, then there is not enough here to justify the hefty price tag. Very much a fan project, though an excellent one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review