Redemption Rites

[Marveryn]

  Trying to decide if should spoiler tag now or wait till am ready to put spoilers cause i got to say this is one of the better writing book from the current crop of new authors. It was easy to read and one can easily get lose in the narrative.  Such a good read that normally i when i post something in novel with my idea i just don't wish to spoil so just say if i like or not and wait to see if anyone want to add but this time i have to talk about thing in the novel more in depth.  So spoiler



From the beginning we were introduce to a character that was talk about but never giving much book screen time Hack.  I should had known something was up when the summary didn't include Brubaker and the first couple of pages show me why.  Immediately when he mention all officers were going to have a court martial I knew jason plan to abandon the characters establish in the previous leadership that lead to the bad contract with the wolf.   Crew, Brubaker and other were taking off the table and these would be a new set of dragoons. When we look at the dragoon and the lost they suffer 80%.  The question is then how you rebuild while having your revenge and Jason answer that question brilliantly.  Dragoon story could turn to the bitter story of the Waco Ranger but jason didn't go that route instead Hack came out of this  book looking smart and playing the long game while also getting his pound of flesh.  I look forward to more and i am curious what other thoughts other may have

[YingJanshi]

Just picked it up, can't wait to read it.

(Pssst, the spoiler and italics tags don't work if you put a "/" in the first tag.)

[Marveryn]

Just picked it up, can't wait to read it.

(Pssst, the spoiler and italics tags don't work if you put a "/" in the first tag.)

thanks its fix now

[Dr. Banzai]

Two words:

Zeta Battalion

[CJC070]

Two words:

Zeta Battalion

With a Tetsuhara leading them no less.

[kallison]

I just finished reading it again. So many things I wish we could have seen more of. That's not a criticism, it's a compliment.

I want to know what happens when Candra Owens gets home. I want to see Radu again--that opening was so much fun to read. "You've just done this amazing thing for the Clan, but oh btw, game's over." I want to know if Thabo actually becomes a Dragoon.

I really enjoyed the scene toward the end where some of Haya's officers and troops got pulled for cadre in the other units. That felt really real, like "okay good, you got a bit of seasoning, now go spread it around." Hack is rebuilding from more or less nothing, he needs people to balance out all the newbies and the shell-shocks. It really made the Dragoons feel like an organization, not just another monolithic "regiment."

I hope we get more Othar. Poor guy. He tried so hard.

[mikecj]

I thought we'd see more of Marotta Kerensky but I loved the book.

I'm glad we didn't get version 3 of the Black Widow Company.  Zeta was a very cool choice. 

[CJC070]

I hope we get more Othar. Poor guy. He tried so hard.

Agreed he got the short end of the stick and at one point I thought he would be captured.  I could have totally seen him as the next leader of the Black Widows company

[Angrii]

I thought the characterization of Clansmen overall was quite good. A little stubborn traditionalism mixed in with a healthy dose of pragmatism and adaptability. Makes them feel more human - lest we forget, that's what they are!

[BrianDavion]

the clanner who was running the AMI on New Olympia breaking down into literal tears after he loses his recruits and then gets orders to turn them into an actual cluster really hit home for me just how.. soul destroying whats going on in the empire for some of the wolves must be                                                                           

[hf22]

The way the book skipped over the courts-martial at the start was a bit disconcerting. I feel I might have been more interested in the story of those than what actually got screen time. :-\

[Marveryn]

The way the book skipped over the courts-martial at the start was a bit disconcerting. I feel I might have been more interested in the story of those than what actually got screen time. :-\

I don't think skipping the actually court martial is a big deal cause its paperback which tend to limit word count.  The most important thing was the word count, but am sure if you got a good story about the court martial am sure someone would be willing to publish it either in shrapnel or in a novel depending on how it is writing.  Personal for myself i find court story to be boring so i don't mind the skip.

[Elmoth]

Just finished the book. I read it ack to back with redemption Rift. My only criticism here is that I prefer if my BT books have more diverse naming, as sometimes I got confused about what book to pick up xD Too many redemptions. this could be named Wolf vs Wolf, Revenge by Fire or something like that and it would be also good and cheesy (as all BT novel titles should be).

I liked Othar and I would have liked him captured and becoming a Dragoon officer, but I suppose that is not to be.

Now, the novel. Good. Clean slate of characters (well, no; we had seen them in Redemption Rift, but there they were minor in the grand dragoon scheme) and an interessting story. Overall well executed and enjoyable. I have only one criticism here. I hate that the dragoons are ultraefficient but other mercs are depicted as baboons in the descritpion. there is a recently graduated wolf warrior that drove back a whole COMPANY of mercs. This broke my suspension of disbelief somewhat (it is a very low bar when you have walking tanks). We do not see it (we are told that) but it makes everybody but the dragoon look bad. Then the dragoons have no problem massacring star after star of Wolf warriors. The interesting battle I saw was the one with the landed isegrims. That part of the novel felt "right" in how it played out. 2 sides slugging it out to their strengths and weaknesses.

Oh, and everybody rebuild REALLY fast in this book. We have more than an active regiment of dragoons by the end of it. And the Wolves had rised 2 galaxies of mooks during the same book. Wow. I thought evovery times were MUCH longer for shattered forces.


I am nitpicking here. In general it is a good book and I would recommend it, but I liked redemption rift more. I never had the impression of a rebuilding force in this one, more like a growing command.

[IAMCLANWOLF]

Apologies for coming in late, but Rites is one of my favorites in recent years. I loved almost every-single minute of it. I agree with a few of the criticisms above. Things could have and probably should have been grittier, but then-- I feel that way about almost everything that is recent BTU. Even still, for me it was easily a 9.5/10. Everything worked so well, and felt so alive. All of the character motivations seemed genuine. It was a breath of fresh air in many ways.

The only minor criticism I would add; where are all the dark age designs? We got very-very old equipment mostly, with a few very new designs tossed-in. But, I think only the Hellstar was a constant. Oh, and the Tundra Wolf was mentioned once in passing IIRC? No other dark age mechs. And, while a lot of DA stuff is begging to be entirely glossed-over, or forgotten about-- I've come to be a fan of many of the DA mechs. I would have liked to have seen a little more flavor. I will say; Othar's Blood Reaper intro was perfect, though!!

Can't wait for more! Even if we have to be patient a good-long-while. Thank you, Jason!! 

[Arkansas Warrior]

The only minor criticism I would add; where are all the dark age designs? We got very-very old equipment mostly, with a few very new designs tossed-in. But, I think only the Hellstar was a constant. Oh, and the Tundra Wolf was mentioned once in passing IIRC? No other dark age mechs. And, while a lot of DA stuff is begging to be entirely glossed-over, or forgotten about-- I've come to be a fan of many of the DA mechs. I would have liked to have seen a little more flavor. I will say; Othar's Blood Reaper intro was perfect, though!!

The LT that bought it was in a Regent.  Also a Dominator appears at one point, and the ToP early on features a Wulfen.  Tetsuhara's Spartan IIC isn't a DA design, but OOC the design is relatively new; TRO Golden Century only came out in 2020, only about 2 years before Redemptiion Rites.

[IAMCLANWOLF]

The LT that bought it was in a Regent.  Also a Dominator appears at one point, and the ToP early on features a Wulfen.  Tetsuhara's Spartan IIC isn't a DA design, but OOC the design is relatively new; TRO Golden Century only came out in 2020, only about 2 years before Redemptiion Rites.

I guess I should have been more clear and said established dark age mech designs. Kirby Cole's Regent was/is neat-- but feels more ilClan era. Even if technically it entered production right at the tail-end of the Dark Age era. Along with the others you mentioned. A lot of the new art we are getting that is back-dated to have been released in the DA timeline feels very new in ilClan era novels. Still, super minor nitpick. Just-- secretly I'm hoping some of my favorite old (by game standards) DA stuff that has been around since the clicky-tech plastics gets some much needed love when it comes to new reworked art and minis. Tundra Wolf-- I'm lookin' at you!!