Reading the Blood of Kerensky trilogy

[Neufeld]

I remember Idea War and Main Event being okay, but it's been a long time.

Thanks. Those two (and D.R.T.) seems to be one that came be safely read without missing out stuff in the middle. (I could get the two first Gray Death books instead, but I am not that interested in that part of the storyline right now.)

Weird that Natural Selection is unavailable while Assumption and Bred are...., maybe it has something to do with the sporadic art in the book? I don't recall any Stackpole books having art before or after that one.  ??? I'd caution against reading Assumption and Bred before Natural, it would ruin it.

Yes. It is especially annoying since it takes up such an important part of the storyline.

There was as Jade Phoenix Trilogy Omnibus put out under the "Classic" Battletech brand name right in the middle of the MW Dark Age books, picking that up may be cheaper than tracking down older individual copies, not sure if Wizkids or Fanpro made it, probably Wizkids.

Does not seems to be available as e-book.

The Capellan books are pretty damn good from what I remember, when it comes to MW I remember the few that came out during the BT run being hit or miss, some were OK some were not. They all seemed to be one offs, having really nothing to do with the timeline. If you'r referring to the Wizkids MW series I'm afraid I cannot offer any input, I never made it past The Ruins Of Power.

Yes, I meant the classic MW ones. At least Roar of Honor and By Blood Betrayed are out and has caught my interest.

IF you're going to read up to Malicious Intent don't forget I Am Jade Falcon, it's like the other side of the coin of that story if I remember correctly.

Yes, I should I have implied stronger that I did consider I am Jade Falcon part of the storyline. The refusal war gets argued about so much on the forums that I want a first-hand impression. How strongly would you recommend that I read the Jade Phoenix Trilogy before reading I Am Jade Falcon?


It would be nice if someone created a tree diagram of recommended reading order for the books.

[Sid]

Yes, I should I have implied stronger that I did consider I am Jade Falcon part of the storyline. The refusal war gets argued about so much on the forums that I want a first-hand impression. How strongly would you recommend that I read the Jade Phoenix Trilogy before reading I Am Jade Falcon?


It would be nice if someone created a tree diagram of recommended reading order for the books.

If you're going to read I Am Jade Falcon, definitely read the trilogy first.

There are, essentially, a 'Falcon' and a 'Wolf' side to the novels when it comes to the Invasion and the Refusal War.

The 'Falcon' trilogy follows Aidan (pretty much exclusively) before the invasion all the way up to Tukayyid,  It's all Falcon characters and while it deal with some politics... it's all centered on Aidan and his supporting characters (the themes focus on warrior status, Clan attitude on freeborns, what it means to be a warrior etc.)

I Am Jade Falcon continues- as does the subsequent novels (Falcon Rising etc.)- on those themes and follows the same cast of characters.  The Refusal War is really a background...as the Invasion was for the Jade Phoenix trilogy.

The 'Wolf' trilogy (and I use that term loosely) deals with the bigger picture as you no doubt saw.  The book focused on Kai and Victor just as much as Phelan, if not more so.  I haven't read Natural Selection, but I have a general understanding of the contents.  It deals primarily with the "Red Corsair" affair, which isn't all that significant for the Refusal War.  The end of the book sees the beginning of the Refusal War- again, it's a 'big picture' book.

Both novels conclude (as I recall) with the battle between on Twycross.  One leaves the fate of Natasha up in the air, while the other details her fate.

Malicious Intent is really the 'Refusal War' book.  It picks up from where the other two end and follows Vlad and Phelan mostly.  It concludes the Refusal War, the creation of the Jade Wolves, as well as the Rebirth of Clan Wolf. 

I don't believe either Natural Selection or I Am Jade Falcon are really critical for Malicious Intent.  I'd read the Phoenix Trilogy...and if you like Joanna, pick up I Am Jade Falcon.  If there's one thing about Thurston's novels... it's plenty of Joanna.

[StoneGiant]

I've read everything  except The Sword and the Dagger, and Heir to the Dragon (which I'm a quarter completed with and loving) and the last quarter of the MW series if you want to split hairs, and I can really only counsel against the following.

Mercenaries Star: ****** boring. Not sure why because Decision and Price are great!

The Warrior Trilogy: CHEESY with a few good scenes.

Far Country: Not a bad story by any means, but it just feels too weird and off the charts as a BT story.

Star Lord: Like someone else around here said it reads like a poor fanfic adaptation of a custom built scenario.

Highlander Gambit: I don't remember much other than this being a chore, might be time for a reread...

Double Blind: I just remember this being a chore, despite the author's other books being pretty damn good, maybe I should read this again.

Speaking of the Gray Death I seem to remember those books having tech that NO other books EVER mentioned, like sonic showers.  WTF is up with that?  ???

Really didn't care Blood Of Heroes and Operation Excalibur, but Tactics of Duty was pretty rad.

I hated HATED The Dying Time, just NOT engaging whatsoever, I could not care enough to care so to speak.

The rest are varying levels of OK to great IMO, but I never really got past The Scorpion Jar in the MW series, although I hear it gets way better from there on out.

The few MW novels in the midst of the BT series are hit and miss, some are OK to pretty good (Ghost Of Winter and Initiation To War and Imminent Crisis ) some are tedious to BORING (parts of Roar Of Honor, the entirety of The Dying Time)...

But then again all of this is just my opinion, you mileage may severely vary.  :o