Still not finished with all of it yet, but some thoughts:
Receiving ends: I dug this story. I dig when young Clanners are full of anger and unchanneled aggression, and when you REALLY get a feel of why they were so damn effective in the early stages of the invasion. but, what makes it for me is the interaction between Skadi and the merc. "killing's one thing, but losing someone's completely different." i don't know if that emotion has EVER been written into a BattleTech story that cleanly before. 100% makes the story, and elevates it from "pretty good" to "WOW."
Battle of Luthein Centennial: I love the fiction, so these "non-fiction" pieces are always 2nd best to me. That SAID, they are CONSISTANTLY good. Also, Shrapnel is the jumping on point for a LOT of new readers, so I'm happy pieces like this exist to flesh out the lore for new readers. Not everything is for everyone, and that's OK. :-) (again, that said, i DID like it and found it good)
All those left behind. DAMN. just... wow. and even through THAT, on a TECHNICAL level, this is a GOOD. STORY. "although a charge in a Stalker was a relative term" is just a BRILLIANT piece of writing, and gives this story a unique "voice" that writing clinics emphasize and editors look for. If you're a new writer, tear this story apart down to its composite sentences and study each one: this is damn fine writing, both in feel and deed.
Hel- for those who haven't written a TRO article, Schmetzer makes it look easy, AGAIN. one day I shall learn his secrets...! ;-)
Forbidden Lore: I'm of two minds on this one. I -like- the fact Doc wove a brand-new story in and among a tale already told, and once I realized who the bad guys were, I was like smacking my head like an old V-8 commercial and saying, "weeeell, DUH!" I mean, it's a little scooby-dooish to wear your capes and whites on a secret mission, but I'll let it slide on the "shrapnel is a jumping on point for new readers" and "he didn't have enough words because some arrogant schmuck dropped in a whole novella and ate up all the buffer space." ;-) seriously, it 100% makes sense in lore, and my biggest gripe is I didn't think of it FIRST. ;) ;D that SAID, I have -never- been a fan of "unreliable narrator" stories, and the whole "he got hit with space magic and is spouting prophesies" just... didn't work for me. Again: that's ok. A lot of it hit right, and adding a little spooooooky into the issue is something I really dig. Holiday stuff next issue, and stories full of smooches next year! 8) ;D
Bullets never stop: I dig it. It feels like an authentic write up of a TV show.
Bad and Worse: WOW. I LOVE this story, and I DON'T LIKE 1ST PERSON IN SCI FI. Seriously, it almost ALWAYS comes off as fake, there's usually some technobbable that yanks you right out of the story but Harvey Roberts NAILS IT. By keeping the camera focused RIGHT on the main character, it's not the sci fi, it's a deeply flawed man who just tries to get by in a universe setting him up for fail.
and remember what I said about "voice?" this story has enough for this one and a few to spare. AGAIN, this issue is practically a writing clinic itself! if you get this issue in PDF, print this story out, and redline all the parts that work, figure out WHY they work, and incorporate those lessons into YOUR writing. Just, simply, one of my favorite stories in a LONG LONG time.
ExoFauna: These game parts KILL IT. Every single issue, they add something fun to the table, and this one is no different. Personally, my fave are the bugs that light your mech up like New York on New Year's, but they are solid across the board. Well done.
Trial: Abstain. Hope everyone likes it. :-) I -am- proud, though, in that I try to find mechs that haven't seen a lot of screen time across the years, and I think a Jackal-1579 certainly fits the bill... ;-)
Kara's Scorchers: Interesting little write up. I do like the fact it's not something we've seen before.
marine Vulpine: One of the things I've noticed about a LOT of the Shrapnel Destiny adventures is how easy they would be to convert to 5e and this one is no different: while I love the adventure AS IS, I'mma gonna knock the sci-fi out, sand off the edges, and hopefully run this as a little 5e one shot in a few months. :) Well done
Undefeated: i mentioned it above, but I'll say it again, I enjoyed this one. Really shows you the rage among the clanners, and they have no outlet for anger and aggression EXCEPT more violence. I swear, like the meme says, Clanners will literally commit mutiny before going to therapy. ;-) ha ha ha good stuff.
24 hours: I LIKE that there's poetry in shrapnel, and I don't care what others think. Poetry, to me, honestly, can be hit or miss, but the fact Shrapnel showcases says a lot of good things both about the magazine, and about its readers and submitters.
Chaos Campaign: what a weird, wild, wacky scenario! can't wait to try it.
Flying Kites: what an interesting story. a family of assassins? and you can tell the kid is desperately trying to get out of the life while is also wholeheartedly devoted to his family. The sister's philosophy about lugging around infernos is one I can get behind, also, FWIW. :-) "Humanity's first technology," as James Bixby put it in the Scorcher's write up! :-)
Sealist ads: fun universe fluff. Good palate cleanser after a story like that.
Ordnance: I will admit this one was -eh- for me because I'm not a fan of "non-fiction." That SAID, I was working one something for a story and something mentioned in THIS story (a company's location) helped me solve an issue I was having, so i appreciate the boost!
Toro: have i mentioned how much I enjoy the mechs in Shrapnel? I've used almost ALL of them on the tabletop (we play every other Saturday) and, by and large, they work out great. can't wait to try the Hel and Toro!
Bull has turned: I like these silly little "we are here to help you, yah jerks" stories in every other issue or so. this one was pretty amusing.
Planet Digest: Pain-I really liked this look at the rim territories. honestly, this may be sacrilege, but I honestly don't care if a lot of the smaller nations get absorbed back into their houses - looking at you, Timbuktu and fivlet- But write ups like this make me take a pause. Are there STORIES to be told there? are they narratively unique? most aren't, so, I don't care what happens to them. In my "live and let die" brain, this article kinda just nudged the Rime Worlds into, "well, maybe there's some stories to be told out that a-way," and got me thinking about what stories -I- would tell out there. For THAT, WELL DONE. I FINALLY care - a TINY TINY BIT - about what happens to them, words I never ever thought i would type. ;-)
Wolf Pelts: somehow, i missed who'd written this story, so i was like, "OH CRAP IT'S THE BLACK MARAUDER!! Y'ALL ARE SOOOO DEAD!" honestly, lance should consider writing under a pen name from here forward when doing BM stuff, just so EVERYONE gets that AHHHH! jump I had. :-)
On a SIDE note, i am really happy that, without working together, we came pretty close on our descriptions of how EI works. I'm super proud of what i did with the Protos, and I'm glad that our work stands side by side, fleshing out EI for readers and making it narratively intresting and not just the "CGI from the cartoon."
Finally, Koa (like I said, I'm not done with the book): I had the pleasure of meeting the author and her husband (who wrote the scorchers write-up, the first Husband-and-wife duo published in shrapnel!) at gencon where, after a INSANELY tough fight at masters and minions, my team managed to take them down. The bixby's are fine people, and I hunted down their podcast after that and listened to them: good stuff! Really liked it!
ANYYYYYWAYS, I don't know, like, ANYTHING about House Arano, but this story had enough backstory in it a newbie like me could jump into the train and roll with it. i LIKE that it has Pacific islander traditions in it, and I like the multiple levels of betrayal going on. This isn't the most emotional or gripping story in the issue, but it's solid work from a journeyman author, and has a very "classic" sci-fi / old-school battletech vibe to it I can't really define, but really dig.
Anywhoo, that's where I am, this double-sized issue is double-packed full of goodness (IMHO) and well done to all the writers!