The Last Charge: A Battletech Novel

Finally the MWDA books are getting back to there roots. Classic Battletch novels and games are where the MWDA line was born from, and we finally are getting a taste of that classic action. The past few books show excellent combined arms actions, focusing on entire units, but stressing the importance of battlemech action. The storyline moves forward nicely focusing on the Lyran - Marik War that is currently being waged. Along with this you see the battle from the viewpoints of multiple commanders each with their own agendas. Overall a very good book.

One thing that has been missing from many of the earlier Dark Age novels, in comparison to Classic Battle Tech books, was the focus of major campaign battles. The last charge returns to those roots in continuing the story started in Fire at Will: A Battletech Novel (Mechwarrior: Dark Age, No. 28) with the invasion of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth by the Lyran and Wolf Forces. This book does well to show the invasion through the eyes of Anson Marik the leader of the Marik-Stewart Commonwealth who is seeing his nation fall apart around him, but at the same time it is hard to have any sympathy for the man as is personifies the classic school yard bully. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say with the conclusion of this books the door is open to many questions and obvious controversy and struggles for the Lyran Commonwealth. If you are a fan of the Mechwarrior Universe this book is worth picking up.

_The Last Charge_ is the most focussed of the MW:DA novels for a while. readily summed up in two paragraphs or so. This makes the book somewhat difficult to review without spoilers, so I'll leave it to one sentence of background: The Marik-Stewart Commonwealth stands at the brink of destruction, as three overwhelming military forces (two Lyran, one Wolf) continue to press their already-overwhelming invasion into the former Free Worlds League. The players are fairly one-dimensional, perhaps worrisomely so, especially in light of previous novels where they were much more rounded and interesting. Anson Marik is a bully of a leader; Vedet Brewster is an overbearing, incompetent military leader; Alaric Wolf is overwhelmingly militarily competent; and so forth. And the story is one dimensional as well, telling the simple story of the fall of a few planets and some hit- and-run tactics. But they play against each other fairly well; and out of that, there is a story worth reading, at least for the Battletech fan.