Author Topic: Novels (Read 15157 times)

Frank · « **on:** 26 January 2011, 02:48:35 »

What is the status of the various CBT Novels, Dark Age Novels. Etc.?

Will Bonfire of Worlds finally go into print?

Thank You for any Answers. :) :)

Wolf Lancer 4 · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 January 2011, 03:04:15 »

I think the last status on them that I heard was "they will come out eventually."

Mindwiper · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:16:45 »

After "Bonfire of Worlds" as Ebook "Shadows of Faith" would be really nice. Don't understand the delay in selling it as epub! I thought most of the storie has already been written some years ago and already been published as the most famous "Shadows of Faith" Battlecorps series.

Mindi needs new fiction (not the short story snippets).

GBL · « **Reply #3 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:18:59 »

I think the only thing that the Jihad Era is missing is print novels. The sourcebooks are great, but there is nothing i enjoy more when getting in the mindset for a particular BT Era than reading the associated novels.

DarkISI · « **Reply #4 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:37:05 »

If you want any official answer to this question, you should ask it here.

Mindwiper · « **Reply #5 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:40:09 »

;) and we all know the standardanswer to this kind of productrelated question. :)

DarkISI · « **Reply #6 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:43:30 »

Yes, we do. ;)
But you have a better chance of getting an answer at all, than you have here. None of the users actually knows what's going on there, only the lead designers know.
Of course you can discuss it here, but you won't get any official response. ;)

joechummer · « **Reply #7 on:** 26 January 2011, 05:58:17 »

Quote from: Mindwiper on 26 January 2011, 05:40:09

;) and we all know the standardanswer to this kind of productrelated question. :)

BT novels were handled differently back in the FASA era since FASA didn't actually publish the novels. ROC did. Thus, they weren't considered "FASA products."

However, since CGL is publishing them through their Catalyst Press subsidiary, then I'm guessing the "standard product-related answer" applies here :'(

PeripheryPirate · « **Reply #8 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:19:58 »

The lack of print novels hurts.

Actually, the lack of new PDF novels hurts, too. Can you even buy A Bonfire of Worlds yet as an e-novel?

Last I heard it was diced up and smeared all over BattleCorps.

DarkISI · « **Reply #9 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:24:20 »

Bonfire of Worlds has been out as an E-Pub novel for a long time now, along with many other BT novels

http://www.battlecorps.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=27_221

PeripheryPirate · « **Reply #10 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:28:27 »

Well... shows how much attention I've been paying. :D

Might have to pick that up, then.

DarkISI · « **Reply #11 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:30:16 »

Happens. That's what the forums are for :)

Mindwiper · « **Reply #12 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:41:25 »

Uh, Clanfounder 3 would be nice too!

"A Bonfire of Worlds" is the newest epub, quiaff?...not counting reprint of the old fiction and BC Anthology II

DarkISI · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:42:50 »

Quote from: Mindwiper on 26 January 2011, 06:41:25

Uh, Clanfounder 3 would be nice too!

"A Bonfire of Worlds" is the newest epub, quiaff?...not counting reprint of the old fiction and BC Anthology II

If you don't count BCA II and old fiction reprints, then yes.

joechummer · « **Reply #14 on:** 26 January 2011, 06:44:58 »

Quote from: Mindwiper on 26 January 2011, 06:41:25

Uh, Clanfounder 3 would be nice too!

Was Betrayal of Ideals considered Clanfounder/Clangrunder 2?

When does Clanfounder 3 take place?

Mindwiper · « **Reply #15 on:** 26 January 2011, 07:04:11 »

Aff! I think it was supposed to take place after Clanfounder 2 and this ended with the founding of the Clans and the preparations for returning into the Pentagonworlds. Considering the timejumps of Clanfounder 1 and 2 it would have possibly ended with the end of Operation Klondike. In my opinion Andery's death would have been an important part. Not that I liked that whiny character!

Lorcan Nagle · « **Reply #16 on:** 26 January 2011, 07:48:32 »

Yeah, Founding of the Clans/ClanGrunder 2 has yet to be released in English. and Godsdamnit, Lorcan want!

joechummer · « **Reply #17 on:** 26 January 2011, 09:01:32 »

Doh. I keep forgetting that Betrayal of Ideals was a Blaine Lee Pardoe book and not a Clangrunder book... Nevermind.

roosterboy · « **Reply #18 on:** 26 January 2011, 10:25:58 »

Quote from: Mindwiper on 26 January 2011, 05:16:45

After "Bonfire of Worlds" as Ebook "Shadows of Faith" would be really nice. Don't understand the delay in selling it as epub! I thought most of the storie has already been written some years ago and already been published as the most famous "Shadows of Faith" Battlecorps series.

Nope, only the first "book" (i.e., the prologue and chapters 1-8) of SoF has been published on BattleCorps.

Quote from: joechummer on 26 January 2011, 06:44:58

When does Clanfounder 3 take place?

Randall posted this either here or on BattleCorps several years ago when asked about the trilogy.

Fall From Glory
Beginning: November 5, 2784 (New Samarkand Exodus)
Ending: February 2802 (Eden Exodus)
Years Elapsed: 18 years

Visions of Rebirth
Beginning: June 8, 2802 (Exodus landfall on Strana Mechty
Ending: June 9, 2815 (Nicholas declaires himself ilKhan)
Years Elapsed: 13 years

Forging of Blood
Beginning: End of 2815
Ending: 26 May 2822 (Andery dies; end of Operation Klondike)
Years Elapsed: 7 years

Azeroth · « **Reply #19 on:** 26 January 2011, 10:41:17 »

Has anyone heard any plans to have novels produced that would take place after Endgame? Or at least before dark age (outside of the Mechwarrior novels) that would use the characters that were in the original run of books?

Mindwiper · « **Reply #20 on:** 26 January 2011, 11:14:33 »

Quote

Has anyone heard any plans to have novels produced that would take place after Endgame? Or at least before dark age (outside of the Mechwarrior novels) that would use the characters that were in the original run of books?

The first one was/is supposed to be "Shadows of Faith" :o

SteveRestless · « **Reply #21 on:** 26 January 2011, 11:33:01 »

Now here's a question. is Battlecorps currently, or in the future (planning to) releasing Battlecorps material in ebook format rather than pdf? as a kindle owner, being able to read it on my kindle (first gen, no pdf) rather than my PC, would be a big plus.

DarkISI · « **Reply #22 on:** 26 January 2011, 11:35:28 »

Quote from: SteveRestless on 26 January 2011, 11:33:01

Now here's a question. is Battlecorps currently, or in the future (planning to) releasing Battlecorps material in ebook format rather than pdf? as a kindle owner, being able to read it on my kindle (first gen, no pdf) rather than my PC, would be a big plus.

They recently released Battlecorps Anthology II in E-Pub format

J_Schmetzer · « **Reply #23 on:** 26 January 2011, 12:40:37 »

Quote from: SteveRestless on 26 January 2011, 11:33:01

Now here's a question. is Battlecorps currently, or in the future (planning to) releasing Battlecorps material in ebook format rather than pdf? as a kindle owner, being able to read it on my kindle (first gen, no pdf) rather than my PC, would be a big plus.

It is being considered, yes. As to whether or not it will be implemented, I cannot give an answer one way or another, or any idea of if or when. The idea is still in the feasibility stage.

JPArbiter · « **Reply #24 on:** 26 January 2011, 13:06:21 »

Quote from: Mindwiper on 26 January 2011, 06:41:25

Uh, Clanfounder 3 would be nice too!

"A Bonfire of Worlds" is the newest epub, quiaff?...not counting reprint of the old fiction and BC Anthology II

get Randall to not be busy any more and he might get around to writing it! :o

avon1985 · « **Reply #25 on:** 26 January 2011, 19:04:09 »

Are the German novels considered canon? What ones haven't been translated yet and what were they about?

roosterboy · « **Reply #26 on:** 26 January 2011, 19:13:14 »

Quote from: avon1985 on 26 January 2011, 19:04:09

Are the German novels considered canon?

In Ungnade and the two ClangrÃ¼nder novels (sort of) are. The former was serialized at BattleCorps with some corrections as "Fall From Grace". The first of the ClangrÃ¼nder books was serialized at BC as "Fall From Glory" though I can't recall if there were any corrections incorporated or not. It's the corrections bit that makes me put that "sort of" in.

avon1985 · « **Reply #27 on:** 26 January 2011, 19:20:24 »

In Ungnade and the two ClangrÃ¼nder novels (sort of) are. The former was serialized at BattleCorps with some corrections as "Fall From Grace". The first of the ClangrÃ¼nder books was serialized at BC as "Fall From Glory" though I can't recall if there were any corrections incorporated or not. It's the corrections bit that makes me put that "sort of" in.
[/quote]

Cool. I read that one, really enjoyed it. Wish the others would get translated.

ColBosch · « **Reply #28 on:** 26 January 2011, 19:25:12 »

They don't need to be translated; they were originally written in English. However, from what I understand, there's just too many pots on the stove right now to go through the remaining novel(s) and make the needed corrections. I'd say they're a "very probable" but with no time frame.

Nightwinder · « **Reply #29 on:** 27 January 2011, 16:55:55 »

Quote from: SteveRestless on 26 January 2011, 11:33:01

Now here's a question. is Battlecorps currently, or in the future (planning to) releasing Battlecorps material in ebook format rather than pdf? as a kindle owner, being able to read it on my kindle (first gen, no pdf) rather than my PC, would be a big plus.

Lifehacker has an article HERE on how to convert pdf to epub, you can probably dig up a few more with a quicker google search (And work's kinda weird about what it sites you can access, so I can't check how easy this one is to do)

And regarding Bonfire of Worlds, it's cheaper to buy the Epub from the Battleshop than the component chapters from the Battlecorps backlog for anyone considering both options.

J_Schmetzer · « **Reply #30 on:** 27 January 2011, 20:50:35 »

Quote from: Nightwinder on 27 January 2011, 16:55:55

Lifehacker has an article HERE on how to convert pdf to epub, you can probably dig up a few more with a quicker google search (And work's kinda weird about what it sites you can access, so I can't check how easy this one is to do)

Having tested Calibre (admittedly only for a short while) while it does render a functional epub, it's quite disorganized.

Traecer Revenant · « **Reply #31 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:27:54 »

Quote from: J_Schmetzer on 27 January 2011, 20:50:35

Having tested Calibre (admittedly only for a short while) while it does render a functional epub, it's quite disorganized.

Calibre's (or indeed, any app's) conversion ability with PDFs is largely dependent on the PDF file you're trying to convert. PDFs are not nearly as limited structurally as formats like EPUB, and they are harder to parse as a result. PDFs that contain mostly plain text with no special layout or PDFs that have been tagged for reflow capability should be able to be converted to other formats with good results. Untagged PDFs, graphic-intensive PDFs, and PDFs with complicated layout structure (read: gaming PDFs!) tend to turn into a mess when converted. Thus, the results of any PDF conversion can vary depending on the how the PDF was made.

cavingjan · « **Reply #32 on:** 27 January 2011, 21:34:16 »

Personally I convert with mobipocket creator to get html\mobi. I have a routine to run to clean it up and it fixes the majority of the issues.

Interestingly enough, I think I can note when an editor changes things. Portions of the book just convert differently.

Darth Nichos · « **Reply #33 on:** 27 January 2011, 22:40:38 »

By the way, what is Shadows of Faith about? Is it the start of the Jihad and when will we get novels dealing with that event?

Face · « **Reply #34 on:** 27 January 2011, 23:28:46 »

Quote from: cavingjan on 27 January 2011, 21:34:16

Personally I convert with mobipocket creator to get html\mobi. I have a routine to run to clean it up and it fixes the majority of the issues.

Interestingly enough, I think I can note when an editor changes things. Portions of the book just convert differently.

Would you mind outlining that process over in this thread? I am trying to get info on eReaders collected and a good workflow would be nice to add.

Traecer Revenant · « **Reply #35 on:** 27 January 2011, 23:37:35 »

Quote from: cavingjan on 27 January 2011, 21:34:16

Personally I convert with mobipocket creator to get html\mobi. I have a routine to run to clean it up and it fixes the majority of the issues.

Interestingly enough, I think I can note when an editor changes things. Portions of the book just convert differently.

Entirely probable. There will probably be extra formatting codes or other odd layout things where editing is done. The same type of problem crops up when trying to convert a heavily edited Microsoft Word document to HTML format.

Lorcan Nagle · « **Reply #36 on:** 28 January 2011, 02:29:31 »

Quote from: Darth Nichos on 27 January 2011, 22:40:38

By the way, what is Shadows of Faith about? Is it the start of the Jihad and when will we get novels dealing with that event?

Yeah, the chunk of it released on BattleCorps is the lead-up to the final Whitting Conference

GBL · « **Reply #37 on:** 28 January 2011, 03:00:52 »

IIRC epub is essentially basic HTML or XML in a zip file or similar wrapper, if you wanted to you could hand edit any parts of it that you dont want, like images or formatting, in notepad.

cavingjan · « **Reply #38 on:** 28 January 2011, 08:55:31 »

Quote from: Face on 27 January 2011, 23:28:46

Would you mind outlining that process over in this thread? I am trying to get info on eReaders collected and a good workflow would be nice to add.

I'm swamped right now but when I convert the next book, I'll document what I do and then post it. (unless I'm asked to not do that)

Traecer Revenant · « **Reply #39 on:** 28 January 2011, 09:40:30 »

Quote from: Darth Nichos on 27 January 2011, 22:40:38

By the way, what is Shadows of Faith about? Is it the start of the Jihad and when will we get novels dealing with that event?

Further question: what part of Shadows of Faith is not published in the Dawn of the Jihad/Blake Ascending? I thought most of SoF was in the opening pages of DotJ, in the section titled (appropriately enough) "Shadows of Faith."

RAE · « **Reply #40 on:** 28 January 2011, 09:53:46 »

Quote from: Traecer Revenant on 28 January 2011, 09:40:30

Further question: what part of Shadows of Faith is not published in the Dawn of the Jihad/Blake Ascending? I thought most of SoF was in the opening pages of DotJ, in the section titled (appropriately enough) "Shadows of Faith."

Aside from the Blakist and Dragoon scenes in the DotJ, there are several more chapters with the Dragoons and devastation on Outreach, Thomas Marik and William Blane talking about the Master and his plans, and Victor Steiner-Davion & Co. during a ball on Arc-Royal.

Thoth · « **Reply #41 on:** 28 January 2011, 10:26:01 »

I must admit that I miss the novels a lot.

I am sure that there will be one or two released someday. We can hope!

Realistically though, it makes more fiscal sense to just publish them online.

Lorcan Nagle · « **Reply #42 on:** 28 January 2011, 17:05:47 »

I picked up First Strike today, and I have to say there's something right about having hardcopy BattleTech fiction.