Trial by Chaos: A Battletech Novel

by J. Steven York

Book Overview

The MechWarrior saga continues The Raging Bears have begun their occupation of the planet Vega with the hope of restoring order to a world beset by violence and civil ruin. But their bold move to stabilize Prefecture I for the Republic of the Sphere may be the chance their enemies have waited for... Though the military takeover of Vega was no great challenge, setting up a new planetary government and restoring the infrastructure of civilization have...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451460723
• ISBN13: 9780451460721
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Roc
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Solid Entry Overall

This was a surprisingly solid work of fiction in an extremely unpredictable story arc concerning the quality of its authors. I've always been a fan of the Ghost Bears themselves, and their progressive adaptation in the face of changes across the Inner Sphere was well addressed throughout this novel. Solid characterization, an able grasp of the social aspects of a very liberal element in what's regarded as an already liberal clan...Mr. York definitely did his homework. My only (albeit minor) issue with the work itself is one that's been a common theme for most of the Dark Age authors; the Mech combat. This aspect has ranged from 'completely-missed-the-mark/watched-episodes-of-Go-Bots-for-research' to 'just-a-little-funky'. There was nothing major in this novel, but there were a number of odd quirks that indicated to me that the author likely could've paid a little more attention to this aspect of his work. There were also a couple of minor pacing issues, but all and the same, these weren't heavy enough to me to detract from a full five star rating. All in all, Mr. York has created a seriously compelling element within the Dark Age universe, which after some completely inadequate entries, could use all of said element it can get. I truly hope that this individual is retained for further work in the Battletech universe as a whole.

The Raging Bears need J. Steven York!

I just finished this book and I must say that the action and the political struggles were in the best proportions possible. The idea of a "Final Hope Codex" is fantastic. Hopefully Roc and Wizkids will see that Mr.York should be piloting the next novel about "The Ragin Bears" and the struggle to become citizens of Vega. I would dare to suggest that Mr. York be the man to write further stories about The Ghost Bears, as this is one of the least known Warden Clans within the Dark Age univesrse.

Slow start, Fantastic Finish

The only thing keeping this book from 5 stars for me is the slow start. It is very well written and Steven York does a good job in building your interest in the characters. Understanding that a bit of back history is needed to understand why the Ghost Bears Galaxy named Raging Bears are on Vegan; the beginning is slow but informative. Midway through the book the story really picks up, and it never slows down. With a very strong finish you are left wanting to know what will happen next to this world. If you are a fan of the Mechwarrior/Battletech novels this is worth picking up.

A well-written story...

There is so much that I would like to say here, but I will be brief and to the point. I have read fifty books in the Battletech series, all of the books in the previous Mechwarrior series, and all of the Mechwarrior Dark Age books. This book is one of the best that I have read in any Battletech series. I look forward to the next one this author writes in this series.