Battletech 50: Flashpoint [Paperback]

Loren Coleman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Battletech | Publication Date: April 10, 2001

The Federated Commonwealth balances on the brink of civil war as opposing forces wrestle for control of the WarShip fleet stationed near the planet of Kathil. Now, one man vows that he won't fail the people of his homeworld, even if that means leading untested MechWarriors against overwhelming firepower-and dredging up memories of a war he'd rather forget...

• #50 in the popular series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Roc; First Thus edition (April 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451458249
• ISBN-13: 978-0451458247
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Battletech Novel, Despite Some Minor Problems, December 6, 2001

By 

Paul (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battletech 50: Flashpoint (Paperback)

Veteran "Battletech" author Loren L. Coleman doesn't dissapoint Battletech fans with the this tale of the developing civil war within the Federated Commonwealth. There is plenty of action in this tale of the universe 1,000 years in the future. However, the book misses out on a 5 star rating because of the underdevelopment of minor romantic subplots, and the breaking of the credulity meter due to the actions of one of the characters.

"Flashpoint" tells the story David McCarthy, a hero of the Inner Sphere invasion of Clan space. At that time, David had held the equivalent rank of major and was a battalion commander in the Kathil Uhlans, an elite Federated Comonwealth regiment based on David's homeworld of Kathil.

Upon his return to the Inner Sphere, David learns that the Federated Commonwealth has been taken over by Katherine (Katrina) Steiner-Davion, the sister of it's rightful ruler, Victor Steiner-Davion, who had lead the expedition which had rescued the remnants of David's unit, and had won the victory against the Clans which had ended the Clans' invasion of the Inner Sphere.

Although the rest of his unit had decided to join the new Star League Defense Force, following Prince Victor into exile, David wanted to return home to his native Kathil. Reduced in rank to a captain, David arrives on Kathil to find tensions building between the supporters of Katherine, and the supporters of Victor. The Militia unit David reports to is loyal to Victor; but on planet is another unit, whose loyalty is to Katherine. Trouble is brewing.

But David has troubles of his own. Named a hero of the Inner Sphere invasion of the Clan worlds, he is scarred by the memories of a hopeless battle that wrecked his last command. Can he re-train his new Militia command to understand the reality of war, and put his own demons to rest?

There's more, of course. Political intrigue, lots of action, on the ground and in space, and even a li'l bit of romance. The romance angle falls flat, as that subplot is poorly developed. You can see it coming, even though the author gives little reason as to why it is coming.

But this book's worst flaw comes from the actions of the main villian of this tale, an unscrupulous and ambitious officer who is a battalion commander in the unit loyal to Katherine. This guy's a lot of fun, but a certain decision on this character's part is totally unbelievable.

Still, Battletech fans probably won't mind to much. This is a good book, McCarthy a likeable character, and unlike the prior book in the series, "Path of Glory", the author is given enough space to tell his story.

"Flashpoint" is one of the better recent books in this series. Battletech fans will approve.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Long Overdue War, July 2, 2001

By 

Glen (Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battletech 50: Flashpoint (Paperback)

I've been following the Battletech saga for nearly 4 years now and I have to admit, this civil war is LONG OVERDUE. I'm sure glad that the Clan Wars are over so the storylines could more or less focus on the Federated Commonwealth question: Who gets to be Archon-Prince/cess for good?

Flashpoint definitely lives up to its name as it jumpstarts the war on the FedSuns side. (I believe Illusions of Victory and Measure of a Hero are on the Lyran front). Now its hard to believe that a lot of FedSuns units are actually loyal to Katherine like several FedCom RCTs considering that she is so identified as Steiner intrigues me. I would have expected that the majority of these units would still side with Victor and that Katherine would be forced to send in Lyran units to pacify Davion planets.

Anyway, the book is a good read as it highlights the sheer chaos of the civil war pitting the local authorities, line units, planetary militias, heads of states and general populace of each FedCom world. Makes you wonder if the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation would attempt opportunistic incursions on both Lyran and FedSuns territory as the war progresses.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spectacular addition to the battletech series, April 5, 2001

By 

Dan J. Trindade (Medway, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battletech 50: Flashpoint (Paperback)

Flashpoint by Loren L. Coleman has just about everything a Battletech reader could ask for. From the advancement of the steiner-davion civil war to the introduction of the Avalon class warship to the series. Any and all readers intrested in the world of Battletech should read this book. If not to advance their knowledge of the series, than for simple personal enjoyment. In my opinion, this book ranks among the best of the series.