NEW RELEASE: "The Anvil" and "A Splinter of Hope" Novellas

[Colt Ward]

Cynthy was a kid back then, she's a teenager now. She being a different character is completely understandable.

Its about 4 and a half years from the end of Bonfire until we see her in Anvil.  I am eagerly looking forward to Shattered Fortress because there are a few things that might change it, but when last seen in Bonfire Cynthi had taken Alek's place in Malvina's heart- if Malvina had her way Cynthi would be the sole survivor of the human race and inherit the whole of human space in her internal monologue.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Got done reading The Anvil yesterday.

Malvina was not subtle with the new Falcon uniforms, was she?

[Reldn]

Malvina was not subtle with the new Falcon uniforms, was she?

I'm currently reading through "The Anvil" as well and was thinking the exact same thing.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Cynthy was a kid back then, she's a teenager now. She being a different character is completely understandable.

She's also being raised by an unstable, violent psychopath who makes Romano Liao look calm and rational by comparison.  Even if Malvina was treating her nicely before, it would be pretty unlikely that Cynthy's never felt her wrath in the intervening four years.

[trboturtle]

Got done reading The Anvil yesterday.

Malvina was not subtle with the new Falcon uniforms, was she?

Pretty sure Malvina and subtle have never been on speaking terms.......

Craig

[bpardoe870]

Length of the book wouldn't have helped make Malvina more understandable.  If you want this, go to Vic's books that cover her rise to power.  She is who she is.  Her choice of uniform fits here.  She's the kind of person that would choose that, regardless of the implications.  For her, it is a way to see those who really follow her and her doctrine. 
There's some reality with Malvina.  The Clans tend to follow winners and Malvina is winning, meaning they can overlook HOW she wins. 
I can't go on without revealing "stuff." 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

[Colt Ward]

The really funny thing with Malvina?

Just how good is the Sea Fox Watch?  How good is their personality/predictive analysis?

[SteveRestless]

I can't go on without revealing "stuff." 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

No, go on. We like when Stuff is revealed.

[bpardoe870]

I do always crack up when people say I get paint schemes wrong or the variant of the 'Mech isn't right.  First off, paint schemes change over time in 'Mech units.  Second, sometimes your main ride gets blown up and you replace it with something close to it.  A lot of stuff happens "off camera" that is not worth referencing in something short like a novella. 

I didn't feel married to the paint scheme from the Click-Mechs for Jasek...it really is that simple.  I rather like how it came out. 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Of course, plenty of us don't have the slightest clue what Jasek's Clicky-Tech paint scheme was anyway.

What surprised me in the mech department was the traditionalist Falcon piloting a Jade Hawk and the Mongol piloting a Thor.  That was pretty much the opposite of what I expected.

[Colt Ward]

I do always crack up when people say I get paint schemes wrong or the variant of the 'Mech isn't right.  First off, paint schemes change over time in 'Mech units.  Second, sometimes your main ride gets blown up and you replace it with something close to it.  A lot of stuff happens "off camera" that is not worth referencing in something short like a novella. 

I didn't feel married to the paint scheme from the Click-Mechs for Jasek...it really is that simple.  I rather like how it came out. 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

Actually your description of the colors did match Jasek's Stormhammer paint scheme, but what I was pointing to was the cover art which did not.  The scheme was also in several CGL products, so its not just Clicky.  As for the Templar I vs III, part of that same discussion was that it would give him more firepower than his III had at the expense of endurance and while a rare mech for the Lyrans his rank would likely have it passed his way.

Roderick's eyes & the Rifleman were more of a discrepancy- his color was 'weird' for a Steiner, and Shattered Fortress clearly says he had a RLF IIC 3 (cannot remember if it was customized) which is in line with the Bonfire and the customization easy to guess at from the description.

Anyway, I think its a detail thing and was not trying to slam your work- your work is what got me into BT, the good old MW2 Guide.

[bpardoe870]

I didn't take it as a slam.  It made me smile. 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

[russtarvin]

I know this is a stickler kind of thing, but is the Main Battletech website (Latest Releases page) going to be updated with the newly released novels and the like?  I used to use that as a backup just in case I missed something in the forums, but if that is out of date and the store is not very helpful to find new products it adds difficulty to finding new Battletech items that I have been jonesing/itching (like an addict) for.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Everybody's probably still recovering from GenCon.

[russtarvin]

Ahh, that makes sense, Thanks!  I am very happy to have new stuff to get lost in.

[Shin_Fenris]

I read "The Anvil" first since Pardoe is my favorite BTech author (a position further cemented by what happened with Jasek) and then felt bad because I figured "A Splinter of Hope" couldn't possibly compare, but I was decidedly wrong. Having enjoyed both greatly, then blazing through "Shattered Fortress," I'm really excited for the next few years of products.

Well done, gentlemen.

[Cubby]

I know this is a stickler kind of thing, but is the Main Battletech website (Latest Releases page) going to be updated with the newly released novels and the like?  I used to use that as a backup just in case I missed something in the forums, but if that is out of date and the store is not very helpful to find new products it adds difficulty to finding new Battletech items that I have been jonesing/itching (like an addict) for.

It was mentioned to me last week (I'm not ignoring you, Moonsword, I swear!) and it's on my list to do.

[bpardoe870]

Malvina left subtle in the rearview mirror about 100 kilometers ago...

And, for the record, there was a reason for the uniform thingy.  Everything in The Anvil is there for a reason.  One of the cool parts of BattleTech is when you finally make those connections and say, "Damn, I have to go back and re-read that part from book X now!" 

Sinister chortle mode on...

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

How long is it going to be before she changes her title to Fuehrer?

[Bedwyr]

Just so you guys know the spoiler button is operational again. You don't have to write out the spoiler tag.

[CungrVanck]

Question regarding The Anvil and A Splinter of Hope, while they are available on Kindle, are they expected to make it to drivethrurpg or the Catalyst store as an ebook purchase sometime in the future?  I like to keep all my items in one or two places :)  Thanks!

[Geont]

Question regarding The Anvil and A Splinter of Hope, while they are available on Kindle, are they expected to make it to drivethrurpg or the Catalyst store as an ebook purchase sometime in the future?  I like to keep all my items in one or two places :)  Thanks!

They are already on DriveThruFiction.

[sadlerbw]

They are already on DriveThruFiction.

Dang it! When did they move the e-books over there? I was still looking on the RPG site where they had put up all the Legends stuff and didn't see them. I ended up having to fight my way through the B&N Nook ecosystem to get them!

[CungrVanck]

Dang it! When did they move the e-books over there? I was still looking on the RPG site where they had put up all the Legends stuff and didn't see them.

Same here!  Now I will know to look there in the future.  They are now added to the archive.

[Trajan Helmer]

Can we all agree that, "Chistu's Knife," is now the BattleTech analogue to, "Checkov's Gun?"

[Scotty]

No.  The defining requirement of Chekov's Gun is that it's introduced early in the story, plays no part in most of the story after that, and is recalled to serve a purpose vital to the climax.

In order for it to qualify it has to actually matter, not just be hinted at.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And typically it doesn't serve as a focus of the scene it's introduced in.

[sadlerbw]

At this point, it appears likely to be a plot device...but as to how it will be used, that is not at all clear. Well, it's probably going to stab someone, but who, when, where, and why are still up for debate. I know which aorta I would prefer it gets plunged into, but don't assume that I'm necessarily going to get what I expect. If this were real life, I'd yell 'Occams Razor!' and say we know where it's probably going, but we are talking about writers here; I trust that group of plot-twist-loving mongrels about as far as I can throw them when it comes to foreshadowing!

[Trajan Helmer]

No.  The defining requirement of Chekov's Gun is that it's introduced early in the story, plays no part in most of the story after that, and is recalled to serve a purpose vital to the climax.

In order for it to qualify it has to actually matter, not just be hinted at.

Fair enough. I'm rather deficient in memory for tropes, apparently.

At this point, it appears likely to be a plot device...but as to how it will be used, that is not at all clear. Well, it's probably going to stab someone, but who, when, where, and why are still up for debate.... I trust that group of plot-twist-loving mongrels about as far as I can throw them when it comes to foreshadowing!

This is more like what I was thinking.

[bpardoe870]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. 

Then again, I am getting more diabolical in my old age.  So is the knife could be a metaphor or something else. 

You'll just have to wait until next summer to find out.  Same Bat-time - same Bat-channel. 

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe