Review Of Freebirth

By Robert Thurston

Part four of the Twilight Of The Clans series of Battletech novels is a good, in some places a slow novel. Mr. Thurston spins a good tail of betrayal. He brings the story back to the Clan side by having the Jade Falcons send Horse to Huntress, homeworld of the Smoke Jaguars.

He is to investigate the secret Falcon research station there and if necessary close it. The Falcon Dropship is shot down and the unit of warriors are captured. The Smoke Jaguar military leader on the planet makes all of the Falcon warriors prisoners, not bondsmen because they are all freebirth warriors. This is something the Smoke Jaguars do not practice. They treat all frebirths as scum and worthless. Horse is made to be the personal valet of Galaxy Commander Russou Howell. Howell is teetering on the brink of insanity and his warriors do not respect him. They do not approve of his decisions, especially when he makes Horse an honorary Smoke Jaguar and then gives him warriors status. Horse kills a Smoke Jaguar warrior in a trial. Horse also discovers that Smoke Jaguar Scientists have been expermenting with Jade Falcon warrior DNA. Horse is then involved with the death of the keeper of the Smoke Jaguar DNA.

During this, the Jade Falcon research station is testing LAMs, land air mechs. These are mech that can change from a standard mech configuration to an aero space fighter. These machines are not liked in the Clans because they do not consider them true Mechs or Fighters. The scientists have been able to install two cockpits, one for a mech warrior and one for a pilot. The Jade Falcons are not too sure about the project because there have been many failures to get the LAMs operitonal.

A Jade Falcon Warrior named Sentania Buhallin met with Horse, after having witnessing the Dropship's crash landing and they formed a plan of escape. Horse was to pretend to go along with the indocotornation plans of the Galaxy Commander and gain his trust. Horse did this, but a great cost to his honor. Horse gains Howell's trust and Sentania brings two of the LAMs out to ambush the Jaguars. The Falcons win at the cost of both LAMs and Horse is freed.

In all it was a good book and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Battletech.

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