Sword of Sedition

BattleTech Universe #78

by Loren L. Coleman

Newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin is still trying to come to terms with the responsibilities of his office. With his recent discovery of treachery in The Republic's Senate, he can trust very few people - and not even his own Paladins have been immune to murderous intrigue...

Tensions are heating up between Exarch Levin and the senators determined to fight what they call the "injustice being done to The Republic's government." Some are even agitating for Levin's censure - a move that could accomplish the same thing as the recent attempted coup that killed legendary Paladin Victor Steiner-Davion.

One of The Republic's last hopes is the summit of Inner Sphere leaders gathering on Terra. Ostensibly a tribute to the assassinated Steiner-Davion, it also has the potential to halt the escalating violence of the last few years. And although Victor would not have wanted his death to be the cause of more political maneuvering, Levin knows that the great man would not begrudge The Republic this one final service - if only it isn't too late...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 4, 2003

About the author

Loren 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]

Reviews

[Vez'Roth · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the series progresses I see more and more problems with the way that they are written. This book kept teasing something, teasing, teasing teasing then BAM! At the very end of the book the author throws it all right the hell away. It completely destroys all of the work that Loren was working towards on this book. I won't ruin anything, but it was so mindnumbing for a huge portion of the book it was setup, then more setup, then more setup... then nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened. A few small things happened, and one enormous cliche, but NOTHING HAPPENED!

I read this book a long time ago, when it was first released, but now? Now I'm marching through all of the BattleTech and MechWarrior: DarkAge with continuity. Some are hit, some are misses. So far, DarkAge has had far more misses than they have hits. This is definitely a miss...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifteenth book in the Mech Warrior Dark Age series. This series is a continuation of the Battletech series. The books in this series, like the books in the original Battletech series, are by various authors. This one is by Loren L. Coleman. The Republic of the Sphere has known a long period of peace and prosperity. Then the interstellar communications network a.k.a. the HPG net is destroyed by terrorists and many planets in the Republic find themselves cut off from the rest of the galaxy with communications taking weeks or even months. Unrest leads to several factions on several planets trying to overthrow the local governments and seize power for themselves.
In this one tensions on Terra between the newly elected Exarch Jonah Levin and the senators from the many worlds of the Republic are heating up. Many of the senators are calling for Levin's censure and removal from office. A few of the senators are even planning a coup and the forming of a new government for the Republic, with the Noble Senators in charge. Jonah is left with no choice but to call for a temporary disbandment of the Senate. This while the Republic is being attacked by several sources form outside the Republic. This book is full of intrigue and has much Mech Warrior action. Another great addition to this series.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read if a little disjointed. The Dark Age series is immensely enjoyable and this is no different. While the novel jumps to perhaps a few too many viewpoints, the action is good and it is great to see a Davion coming up through the ranks and another as a counterpoint. I'm looking forward to reading more of that particular story as well as where the Tara Campbell story arc goes.

[Joby Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although we get some good higher level political action and characters from outside the Republic, the book fails because the narrative is split far too many ways. The result is a disjointed story with a carnival of characters, new and old. Not horrible, but not compelling.

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

A great many mistakes. Like many of the Dark Age series, it's a slow burn to the last couple chapters when all the action happens which isn't really much of a treat either. The majority of the book is grievous sin of writing. The interesting parts happen "off scene" between chapters and then we're treated to the boring long interludes of political inaction for a full chapter till the next interesting thing happens BETWEEN THE CHAPTERS AGAIN AND AGAIN. Either the editor was ignored in suggesting major re-writes, they were okay with this disaster, or there wasn't one. One could lean more heavily into the latter theory by the spelling and grammatical errors that kept creeping up over and over. How Mr. Coleman could have slipped from Double Blind (a fantastic read) to this trash boggles the mind. If I weren't trying to read each book in the Dark Age I'd have skipped this book half a year ago instead of slowly slogging through this amateur hogwash.

If you want to know the key points and skip the suffering:
-Republic Senators rebel in open warfare against Exarch because a senator commits suicide.
-Victor's funeral is a big deal and has all the heads of state from all over there.
-Prince Caleb hits on Capellan Princess unawares.
-Caleb has a best friend who know one can see or hear.
-Davion sides with Republic and sends a unit of Guard to help defeat the Senators.
-Tara still not a paladin and still doesn't want to be.
-Caleb kills his daddy because he is in unstable and doesn't take the news of being passed over as heir too well.

Skip the book

[Josh Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

"So You've Decided to Read Battletech: Dark Age" - Review 15

An acceptable followup to Scorpion Jar and a summing up of all of the DA novels to this point.

DA Callbacks

Tara, Jasek (who is irresistible to women?), Eric and Aaron Sandoval, the Paladins (most prominently, Gareth), Exarch Jonah, Raul Ortega (briefly), Daoshen Lao, and other minor references

Review:

This book tries to draw all the threads together and set a course for the series. It introduces a number of characters that seem like they will play major roles in future plot developments and plants the seeds for some major shakeups. It shifts through a wide variety of perspectives which keeps things fresh but also feels a bit disjointed at times. Overall, it's fine. Parts of it were great and parts of it dragged.

Assessment:

I couldn't decide between 2 or 3 stars and when I'm undecided, I always round down. So here we are. On the tier list, I rank it above many books that received 3 stars. I think this is due to my over saturation in the series. I'm starting to notice in myself a certain amount of, "Been there, read that." If I were to go back and re-read those previous books, a lot more of them would be 2-stars.

Lasting Impressions
In this section, I return long after reading to give my remembered impressions. Did this book stand the test of time?

Not really. I mostly remember this as the book between Scorpion Jar and Fortress Republic. I recall the murder of Prince Davion by Crazy Caleb, but that's really it.

DarkAge Tier List
from favorite to least favorite

Scorpion Jar
Service For the Dead
A Silence in the Heavens
Flight of the Falcon
Sword of Sedition
Target of Opportunity
Blood of the Isle
Fortress of Lies
By Temptations and By War
A Call to Arms
Truth and Shadows
Ghost War
The Ruins of Power

In a special list all its own for being the absolute worst:
Hunters of the Deep

[Skip]

I picked this (probably) in the middle of who-knows-where. So far lots of setup but also intrigue. Thanks to those how great the BattleTech Universe really is...