Getting Caught up for Without Question!

By Bryan Young
BattleTech Author

Wednesday, May 15th sees the release of my next novel in the BattleTech universe. Set in 3152 during the ilClan era, Without Question tells the continuing story of Jiyi Chistu and the remnants of Clan Jade Falcon left behind in the Falcon Occupation Zone. With Malvina Hazen dead and no word from Terra about surviving Falcons, Jiyi took the mantle of Khan and has toiled endlessly to keep his Clan alive. Many story threads over the last few years of BattleTech storytelling have led us to this point, and I wanted to give you a reading list of books and stories that will help catch you up to speed. Though it’s a direct sequel to A Question of Survival, that’s not to say this book won’t stand alone on its own for fans who want to jump in right here.

But, if you want to peel back some of the layers of the lore, there are some books available you can read right now that have story threads that tie directly into Without Question.

Ready for it?

Here we go:

1. Honor’s Gauntlet by Bryan Young – Yes, this is one of my books, so naturally it will have some tie to my future work. Honor’s Gauntlet is set in the late Dark Age and tells the story of Archer Pryde, an iconoclastic Jade Falcon Warrior who gets the word to begin vacating the Occupation Zone in advance of a major offensive on behalf of the Falcons. Unfortunately, Malvina Hazen has sent one of her favored followers of the Mongol Doctrine, Star Colonel Nikita Malthus, to test Pryde’s loyalty.

2. Hour of the Wolf by Blaine Lee Pardoe – If you’ve already read it, you might not need to read it again, but you will want to know all about what happened to the Jade Falcons on Terra, as it sets the stage for everything happening in the ilClan era.

3. A Question of Survival by Bryan Young – This is the beginning of Jiyi Chistu’s story, as he’s elevated to the rank of Khan and struggles to find enough Warriors to populate his touman. Naturally, when he hears about a cross-training exercise with a number of Ghost Bear sibkos in the Rasalhague Dominion, he launches a desperate Trial of Possession for them.

4. “Ghostbird” by Bryan Young – Shrapnel #11 – This 10k word short story delves into the life of Alexis, a Ghost Bear sibko cadet turned Jade Falcon. We see her in the past becoming a Ghost Bear and in the present taking her Trial of Position.

5. Elements of Treason: Honor by Craig Reed, Jr. – As the Hell’s Horses set their sights on filling the power vacuum of the emptied Jade Falcon Occupation Zone, they see the Falcons as birds with broken wings. When they set their sights on Sudeten, they realize that taking a planet from Khan Jiyi Chistu might be a little more than they bargained for.

6. No Substitute for Victory by Blaine Lee Pardoe – Hasara is a solahma Jade Falcon, left on a world the Lyrans want back. All he has are his survival skills and wits as well as a number of sibko cadets of his own. Together, they hide out in caves and bedevil the days of the Lyrans until they can hear word from the Trial of the ilClan or find a way to be rescued.

All of these books are available digitally at the online Catalyst Labs Store or you can find them in print on Amazon.

Like I said, if you want to simply start with Without Question, it’s all going to make enough sense. There is a primer at the beginning and enough context on everything for it to leave you not feeling lost, but if you want to tie the deeper threads across the breadth of the BattleTech universe, each of these will definitely add something to your enjoyment of Without Question.

Without Question comes out May 15 wherever fine BattleTech books are sold.