BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat
BattleTech Game Systems => General BattleTech Discussion => Topic started by: Cubby on 14 February 2018, 09:53:40
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Author Victor Milan passed away Feb. 13 in Albuquerque, N.M. following a short battle with cancer, his friends and fellow writers confirmed. He was 63.
Milan is best remembered by BattleTech fans as the author of three novels featuring the Camacho’s Caballeros mercenary unit, “Close Quarters,” “Hearts of Chaos,” and “Black Dragon” as well as the short stories “Callie’s Call” and "Ozymandias." He also penned a pair of Mechwarrior: Dark Age novels, “Flight of the Falcon” and “A Rending of Falcons.”
"News of Vic's passing really made my head spin this morning," BattleTech Line Developer Brent Evans said. "Victor was BattleTech family, and I always felt his contributions to the universe were huge. He had a way of bringing characters and conflicts to life that really resonated with the reader. I loved the variety of the Caballeros, the savagery of the Falcon books, and the voices he crafted for all those wonderfully flawed characters. In a universe of titans, he was one of the greats."
BattleTech Fiction Director John Helfers likewise praised Milan’s contributions to BattleTech, adding that plans are developing to release Milan’s partially-completed final BattleTech novel, the previously announced (http://bg.battletech.com/books/upcoming-releases/) “Case White.”
“When we relaunched the BattleTech fiction line, there were only a few names on my list for previous authors I wanted to bring back into the fold,” Helfers said. "Victor’s was near the very top. Although I knew him primarily through other IPs, the palpable fan reaction to the announcement of his return to BT fiction made me realize that we were doing something very special with him, and his excitement at revisiting the BT universe was just as great.
“Sadly, Victor passed away before he could finish his take on ‘Case White,’ which I’m sure would have been incredible. We have a partial manuscript in hand, however, and after a re-evaluation of the situation, I plan to take steps to have it completed by another author so we can bring Victor’s last BattleTech story to the fans. I just wish I could have helped him shepherd the rest of the novel to completion. And unfortunately, we will also have no more BattleTech stories from one of the true masters of the BT universe. R.I.P. Victor."
A prolific author with approximately 100 novels and numerous short stories to his name, he won the Prometheus Award in 1986 for “Cybernetic Samurai,” and was a central contributor to the long-running “Wild Cards” shared universe. More recently, he gained recognition for his series “The Dinosaur Lords.”
A Twitter post (https://mobile.twitter.com/jamessacorey/status/963621562153873408?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Eios%7Ctwgr%5Eother%7Ctwcon%5E7100%7Ctwterm%5E0) by James S.A. Corey, the pen name of "The Expanse" authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, attributed Milan’s death to a “short but tough fight with cancer.”
In a blog post (https://grrm.livejournal.com/562773.html), George R.R. Martin remembered Milan’s “warmth, his wit, and his talent,” and credited him with being a key force in the creation of “Wild Cards.”
“In a sense he was the father of Wild Cards,” Martin wrote. “It was Vic who gave me the Superworld game as a birthday present back in 1983, and it was those long long nights of playing Superworld that eventually inspired me to start Wild Cards. Vic was an integral part of the series right from the very start, and the characters he created were among our most popular.”
Catalyst Game Labs joins BattleTech fans worldwide in sending condolences to Victor’s family, friends, and loved ones.
Link: http://bg.battletech.com/news/passing-of-victor-milan/
(https://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/74250_126262914098950_3697860_n.jpg)
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Seyla
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So very sad. RIP!
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Just saw it earlier. RIP. :'(
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DAMN IT.
He is my favourite Btech author bar none.
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Coincidentally, one of my best friends passed away yesterday, from cancer as well. Not a good day.
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RIP :(
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And if, like me, you are a big fan of the Wild Cards series, he has a short story published today at Tor.com:
Evernight by Victor Milán (https://www.tor.com/2018/02/14/wild-cards-evernight-victor-milan/)
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Very cool of the folks at Tor. RIP, Mr. Milan. Cassie Suthorn forever lives in my heart as my favorite character of your creation.
RIP
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Tragic news, I love this guy's work! think i still have black dragon, guess i'm rereading that in a bit.
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And if, like me, you are a big fan of the Wild Cards series, he has a short story published today at Tor.com:
Evernight by Victor Milán (https://www.tor.com/2018/02/14/wild-cards-evernight-victor-milan/)
Thanks. I reached as far as Fort Freak. Didn't know Milan's character was Capt Trips.
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May eternal rest be granted to him, and may perpetual light shine upon him. :(
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Ah man, another of the brotherhood of BattleTech has fallen. I always felt that Vic Milan was a creative titan, and his contributions to the universe were truly exceptional. I loved the unusual place in the IP that the Caballeros held, the savagery of the Falcon books, and Vic's voice for all those wonderfully flawed characters resounded with me. He was one of the greats in my book.
Rest well, Vic.
Brent
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He was one of the best. He will be missed.
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The original post has been updated with comments from Brent Evans and John Helfers.
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Very sad news. Milan was one of my favourite BT authors.
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I feel like Milan was frankly just the inarguable best of the BT fiction authors, and hearing he's passed is a damn shame. Rest in peace, good sir. You made the world better to live in.
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Very sad to hear this, was one of the best writers to grace the BT universe
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Thank you for your service.
Selya.
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Sad news indeed.
Reading the Camacho's Caballeros series for the first time was absolutely refreshing for me.
RIP
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Those looking for more of Milan's BattleTech work can find it in the "25 Years of Art and Fiction" collection, for which he wrote "Ozymandias."
He will be missed.
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Those looking for more of Milan's BattleTech work can find it in the "25 Years of Art and Fiction" collection, for which he wrote "Ozymandias."
Ah! When I was writing this obit, I knew there was another story of his out there, but I couldn't for the life of me recall what it was. Thanks for including it here!
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"We meet 'neath the sounding rafter..."
I enjoyed his work long before I read *Close Quarters,* and then he became my favorite BattleTech author. I will read his books again, I will change my signature, and I will raise a glass of really good rye whiskey to him tonight.
He did good work, and there are few better epithets than that. But I will miss knowing he is in the world.
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Aw, man that's too bad. I could always count on his stuff to show me something new in the BTU
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Very sad news. He wrote BattleTech with such a cinematic flair. I really enjoyed his work. He will be missed.
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:(
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With every author, musician, filmmaker, or other figure who passes, we lose another strand of our link to the time when creatives were truly creative, before our current era of sequels and reboots.
Thank you victor, may your words echo for many years after your voice fades.
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Seyla
Seyla and may he rest in peace.
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Utterly sad. He was one who wrote his books made them lively, not too dark. His books with Camacho's Caballeros were fun. It sad to seem leave us too soon.
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One of the best authors of Battletech fiction. He created some of the most interesting characters. I really feel for his family. He died way too young.
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LoreMaster, add these lines to The Rememberance:
For he created characters fair and foul,
Long may his creations howl,
He saw us all on a pylon,
remember now Victor Milan!
Seyla