Exodus Road

This was really a very interesting read. I am not that much into the lore of the Battletech, so for anyone with more knowledge of the lore story given here might be old news. But if you are casual reader of Battletech novels and RPG materiel this book will definitely be a very interesting read. And if you are into Smoke Jaguar Clan (after Wolverines they are favorite of mine) you are in for a treat.

This is story of what happens when you maltreat loyal and capable people. Trent is warrior of Smoke Jaguar clan. Very capable he really quickly starts to attract hostility from other ambitious fellow warriors and commanders. Reason for this is not just warrior ethos and culture of the Clans in general but generally Smoke Jaguar Clan pretty show more hard view of only the hardest need to survive.

Trent is present at the battlefields of Tukayyid and witnesses first hand the Clan politics that are for all means and purposes running against the (very weird to be honest) Clan warrior rules and values. Trent is someone who values the Clan warrior culture (which he also shows by taking ComStar mech-warrior Judith on the very fields of Tukayyid, after he is more than impressed by her skill while fighting Smoke Jaguar forces), so all of this politicking (especially after Tukayyid disaster, where all big shots want to offload any wrongdoings to operational elements) wounds him very hard. He starts to see Smoke Jaguar Clan as corrupted, and needing change. But considering the rigidness of Clan structure. only way is to work from the outside, and this will mark him as a traitor to the Clan's cause.

Book is full of very vivid mech fights. Mechwarrior actions, from targeting, suffering from the hits received, claustrophobia when temperature starts going up and combat systems start to fail, to brutal hand to hand mech combat - this is presented in such a dynamic, and cinematic way.

I also like how people act in this story. Very realistic, especially when one considers this is SF. When spies and covert forces are involved it is always question who can be trusted. Not to mention the myopia of Clan command structure, mark of the rigid social strata and division, where they cannot even fathom possible dangers from within.

Considering the love of mechs I was pleasantly surprised with mentions of elite infantry (especially ComStar) and of course Clan Elementals. They are always mentioned as part of the greater set pieces but man, these units are far from impotent against mechs (again for those knowledgeable in lore this is not surprise, but for me this was new).

I am a little bit not sure how will Paul Moon (Trent's commander and nemesis here) become a relatively normal guy from Devlin's times. I am looking forward to shedding more light on how this character progresses, because if I remember correctly he will become friends with the Trent before the end.

All in all, excellent start of chain of events leading to Inner Sphere striking back.

Highly recommended to fans of military SF, giant combat mechs and Battletech in general. show less