Freebirth: Twilight of the Clans IV

The first book to cover the character Horse, this story is not so much a part of the timeline of the Twilight of the Clans, but a fun interuption from what was a lengthy series of books. While is suppossed to be Taboo to mention LAMs in any Battletech publication, the author does so unabashadly. I found myself rooting for the protangist easily and liek the short glimpse into Clan Life outside the mech.

If you just picked up a b-tech book and began reading there are references some overt some very covert that you would not pick up unless you read the preceding books. That above all is why most wouldn't like this book....I didn't but then i went back and read alot of the preceding books and then alot of it made sense.....GCOM Howell....was Trent's friend who he just belived he had killed and was made to belive was a traitor.....He was a Star Captain at the time then in about 2 years maybe....he's bloodnamed with GCom insignias and shipped back to Huntress to babysit old warriors. Well put your self in a clan warriors mind set and tell me you wouldn't get a lil tipsy now and again and be just a little upset with the circumstances. Come on people.....

thurston is one of the few battletech writers that makes me SMILE (in a good way). the clan warriors seem human and fleshed out, and their sarcasm is so subtle that most of the pre-teen readers of Battletech probably miss it. Maybe its just me but i'd rather read the banter between Horse and Star Commander Joanna, than seeing a repetitive "as molten ferrorus fibre melted from the emerald green large laser blastt". it reminds be sort of how Tarantino and all the 90s ganster movies would show hitmen as they pondered life as well as their inner workings. no other novel explains clan society and infrastructure as well either.

It appears I'm quite alone in thoroughly enjoying this book. This book was hilarious, in a very sarcastic, subtle way, apparently no one has noticed it! I agree that it was virtually no place as far as continuity goes in series, but regardless it provided fun insight on the daily lives of solahma and workings of the Huntress. The whole planet from Jag to Falcon was slightly insane, but what do you expect from a bunch of washups? That whole tears thing with Bren Roshak had me cracking up. The verbal adroitness was imagery was very amusing. It relied more on dialogue than action and maybe thats why everyone seems to hate it. Most Battletech characters seem to be a tad humorless but not this crew.

In this book you get more of Horse's background. I like this book because it links Joanne, Horse and rest from Thurston's other books in the Twilight of the Clans series. A must read for Jade Falcon fans.