Customer Reviews

BATTLETECH: EXODUS ROAD -Twilight of the Clans I

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read a couple of Battle Tech books, but this has to be the best one yet. It's basically about this warrior named Trent who is a great mechwarrior, but his failure at Tukkayid cursed him for the rest of his life. He is now considered too old to fight and he lost his chance at a bloodname. He claims a bondsman named Judith, and she tries to help Trent regain his honor back by helping leave the Jags and join Comstar. The battles were well detailed and exciting, but most imporatantly of all I actually felt like I could relate to Trent despite him being apart of the clans. Something I can't say for other clan characters in other books, like Falcon Rising. The story and characters combine to form the best Battletech book ever written. Great Job!

For all you Smoke Jaguar fans, that feel you havent gotten enough from FASA, or that they simply forget them, this book is for you. This book is 100% Smoke Jaguar Authentic:)

Blaine Lee Pardoe will always have my respect for this book. In a series of novels dominated by Inner Sphere biased authors, only one other author has dedicated his work to the Clans, Robert Thurston. We need more authors like Thurston who bring us the Clans, for he cant do it alone. Now, Blaine Pardoe has for at least this one book, brought us that.

To Jaguar fans, the circumstances of the book might not be so well with you, though I hate the circumstances, it is my absolute favorite book. We start with Star Captain Trent of the 267th Battle Cluster, a Smoke Jaguar veteran of the bloodbath of Tukayyid. Deeply scarred and humiliated, he defeats a ComGuard named Judith, and claims her as his Bondsman, making her a Smoke Jaguar. Trent loves his honor, and values honor and the Way of The Clans more than anything else.

One day, he ends up transfered to the 3rd Jaguar Cavaliers, of Star Colonel Paul Moon, a bitter and skilled Elemental infantryman. Moon hates Trent unlike anything else, and will do anything he can to get rid of Trent.

Trent's honor and his obedience to the Clan Way is suddenly interrupted by political maneuvering and corruption all the way to the Khan of the Clan, making Trent wonder where his Clan is going. Meanwhile, Trent's new friend and tech, Judith, though now loyal to the Smoke Jaguars, offers Trent a new way, also benefitting her own goals. Trent now has to chose between two extremes: Loyalty to a Clan that hates him and who he feels has betrayed the Clan Way, OR seeking his own honor and still adhering to the Clan Way, just not in his own Clan....

This could possibly be my favorite book. Along with action, Exodus Road contains one warrior's struggle and eventual defection to the enemy's side. Trent, a dedicated warrior of Clan Smoke Jaguar, fought in the Battle of Tukayyid, which was the deciding factor in either a relatively easy victory for the Clans or a horrendous 15 year truce. The Clans had been preparing for this moment for generations, and they failed. Trent was physically and mentally scarred for life. He loses hope for his future when he loses his chance to fight for a bloodname. Clan warriors are very dedicated to honor, war, and the Clan way. But Trent repeatedly suffers from injustice generated from his clan and begins to doubt. Eventually he defects with assistance from Judith, his bondswoman, and gives the Inner Sphere the key to victory, the Exodus Road, hence the title. You have to understand the background to get this. I liked this book because of how Trent struggles and the things done to him.

This book, turned me off so bad, I did not read any other books in the series.

This author took such a stretch it was near unbelievable. The path the the Clan home world is the most closely guarded secret the clans have. The clans have seen some True Blood Clan Warriors turn into traitors for the Inner Sphere, yet they allow a disgraced soldier to return to the home world, with a female prisoner of war, and then return the the front. How convenient.

With the recent release of MechCommander, I am tempted to read the latest book in this series, so that I might understand the game's back ground more thoroughly. However the memory of this book, makes spending money on the next book, a very hard pill to swallow.

This book got me addicted to the Battletech series of books! Pardoe does an excellent job of describing the battles and main events, I got very vivid images of the mechs battling about whilst reading this book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves big mechs and powerful guns!! Totally awesome!

I haven't read all of them, but this is definitely the best I've read so far. I own about 15 of the BattleTech/Mechwarrior books available. This is the first time I've gone online to research one of the authors. Pardoe brings the story to life and I found myself wanting to get back to the book each day after work.

It's a 4/5 in terms of all books, fantasy & sci-fi, that I've read. It's a 5/5 in terms of BattleTech books I've read. Pick this one up if you are a BattleTech/Mechwarrior fan.

I would recommend reading the "Blood of Kerensky" trilogy before starting this series though. Book 2, "Grave Covenant" refers to a lot of happenings from "Blood of Kerensky."

Enjoy!

I liked this book, both as a fan of the Battletech series and as a science fiction fan, but I do have to say Pardoe should have tried a little character development. Truly you could see a turning point in which Trent has the final straw broken about Jag morality during his fight to prevent the razing of Chinn. However, in the next scene he agrees to betray his clan in a conversation of less than a page, but without any seeming internal transformation.

Also, the love story came out of nowhere, on one page near the end Judith and Trent reveal their love, then they kiss on the last page, with no internal development from either of them.

Otherwise the book is excellent as per most Battletech fiction. With political wheelings and dealings both in the rigid Clans and the chaotic Inner Sphere, plenty of mech showdowns, and a couple good old fashioned fistfights for good measure.

You must buy this book it is worth it!-It's got action in every chapter and the chapters go by quick because there, at the most, 7 pages long!-So you must but this book!-Blaine Lee Pardoe is an awesome writer!-I'm reading TWOTC II (Twighlight of The Clans 2), Grave Covenent, and it is and it is pretty boring so far because, well im not going to spoil it for yea, but im into the like 7th chapter and NO ACTION HAS HAPPENED...NONE!....So im hoping there will be a chance of redempion and some action occurs-But otherwise get EXODUS ROAD!.....

I liked the book a lot! It was fast paced and had good characters in it. I especially like the battles which were very descriptive, and also liked the talking scenes which dont normally like . A great read i couldnt put it down. But the next book Grave Covenant wasn't that great (one of the 1st Micheal A. Stackpole books i didnt like).

This is diffently one of the few novels that kept me coming back for more. The story was exquisite and most moving and concrete. Overall, a must buy for anyone's collection.