Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Michael A. Stackpole

Follow

Battletech 16: Bred for War Paperback – January 1, 1995

by Michael A. Stackpole (Author)

4.6 79 ratings

See all formats and editions

Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. Try again.

After ascending the throne of the Federated Commonwealth, Prince Victor Steiner-Davion struggles to cope with the continuing threat of the Clans to the peace of the inner sphere and with the machinations of his own ambitious and treacherous sister. Original.

Print length

378 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ace
Publication date

January 1, 1995
Dimensions

4 x 1 x 6.75 inches
ISBN-10

0451453794
ISBN-13

978-0451453792
See all details

Michael A. Stackpole
15
Mass Market Paperback
15 offers from $2.47
Robert Thurston
99
Paperback
7 offers from $8.99
Michael A. Stackpole
18
Paperback
8 offers from $7.45
Blaine Lee Pardoe
28
Mass Market Paperback
9 offers from $6.95
Victor Milan
58
Paperback
12 offers from $7.82
Michael A. Stackpole
642
Paperback
3 offers from $15.94

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of many titles in the Star Wars universe, including many of the Star Wars X-Wing novels and the New Jedi Order: Dark Tide novels Onslaught and Ruin. When not chained to a desk madly fighting deadlines, he plays indoor soccer, rides a mountain bike, and reads, but not all at the same time. Stackpole lives in Arizona with Liz Danforth and a small pack of Cardigan Welsh corgis.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ace; First Edition (January 1, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451453794
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451453792
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4 x 1 x 6.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,342,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #113,612 in Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 79 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Michael A. Stackpole

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Michael A. Stackpole is the New York Times bestselling author of over 55 novels, including I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron. He's won awards in the realms of podcasting, game designer, computer game design, screenwriting, editing, graphic novel writing and novel writing. He lives in Arizona and frequently travels the United States attending conventions and teaching writing workshops. His website is www.stormwolf.com and his Patreon page is patreon.com/michaelastackpole

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

79 global ratings

2 star

0%

1 star

0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Harvey M Waggoner

Book

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

Book was in great condition! Thank you!

Helpful

carr beavers

Outstanding story. I have played the games and read the books many times and I still enjoy them.

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

5 stars are not enough. This story line could be associated with real time world events if you use your imagination. Great book love it

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Not the best Battle Tech by far

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have read and enjoyed a lot of the Battle Tech novels especially the ones by Michael Stackpole. This one being the exception. The mech action was sparse and not very interesting when it did occur. Lots of plots going on but I just couldn't get into the story. Some things to note about the Kindle version is the maps from the paperbacks were not included and there was a large number of typos through out the book. As much as love the series wishing I would have skipped this one.

Helpful

Jay Hamann

Great novel. one of my favorites

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2015

Great novel. one of my favorites. not a lot of action, but a ton of politics and intrigue that adds to the depth of this series

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Another hard hitting book from Stackpole.

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2000

This is the fourth book that I own. You need to get this book.A plan of deception goes bad, a clan raid,a sister bent on over throwing her brother,a nasty war, just seems to explode in this book.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jameson T. Wildwood

Bred for war is the best of the series

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 1998

Going through the Clan civil war, this is probably the best of the battletech series. If you've played Mechwarrior 2 this is a book that is a "must read." Good hunting

Helpful

Denis Setwyn

I liked battletech as a kid

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

I liked battletech as a kid, but I am beginning to think the subject sucks. Another book in a long line of, "the large lasers hit me in the front center torso."

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Zachary Zelmar

Great story and intrigue. Classic Battletech.

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2005

I give Bred For War three stars for being a top-tier novel of the occasionally entertaining Battletech series.

Stackpole squeezes an incredible amount of content into 378 pages. He advances stories and characters at an amazing pace. I could select several other Battletech books that, combined, contribute less to the Battletech story arc than Bred For War does alone. Even casual conversations between civilians cover interstellar war news and detailed theories about Melissa Steiner's death. When characters discuss a leader, they will include his childhood history and the history of his ancestors two generations back. Nearly every major political group has an active role in this book.

Stackpole has a very clear, straightforward writing style. He communicates quickly and efficiently; he does not use flowery language. On a style spectrum with deadpan Tom Clancy on one end and poetic Shakespeare on the other, Stackpole lies close to Clancy. You will find no descriptions of the clouds, or the flowers in bloom, or unbridled love between lonely souls. Feelings are not explicitly stated, but rather inferred through actions.

Stackpole includes a huge number of characters, tied together through a web of feudal oaths, treaties, and ancient hatreds. Through covert operations, frame-ups, betrayals, and lies, human civilization is pulled into an all-out war. Stackpole handles the story threads well considering the breadth of the story. However, many scenes last barely two pages before shifting attention across the galaxy. I think Stackpole found himself rushed to wrap things up.

Victor Davion has inherited a realm that his father Hanse recently enlarged. Victor is Stackpole's major hero, largely due to Victor's focus on uniting with the other Successor Houses and combating their common enemy, the Clans. Unfortunately, the other House Lords are more focused on chipping away at Victor's realm. His sister Katrina seceded with half of his territory. Victor provides medical treatment for Joshua Marik, the heir of the Free Worlds League throne, in exchange for League war material that Victor needs against the Clans. Joshua is dying, and Victor takes a major risk in order to maintain the status quo with the League.

I took more interest in the secondary plot, featuring the conflict between the Wolves and the Jade Falcons. Stackpole obviously enjoys writing for the Wolves. They have a deeply noble character; they risk their lives for high ideals. The Wolf Clan leads the Warden clans and strives to calm the Crusader Clans' zeal. A minority of Crusaders amongst the Wolf Clan challenge the Wolf ilKhan's authority. This setup provides the classic literary theme of an honorable high leader, ilKhan Kerensky, combating dissension in his realm. He earned the Bloodname of the founders of the Clans, and remains true to their principles. I liked how the Wolf leaders remained stubborn and defiant despite overwhelming odds. There's a certain charisma in principled military commanders, and it really comes through with ilKhan Ulric Kherensky, Khan Phelan, and Khan Natasha Kerensky. The Wolves are also apparently the greatest warriors in the galaxy, and their spirit, skill, and pride radiate.

I found the battle scenes exciting and vivid. I wanted to see more; unfortunately they constitute a small portion of the book. This book is all about war, but concentrates mostly on moving the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has detailed conflict between major star empires with extreme ideologies. Apparently Stackpole was later dropped from the Battletech franchise; this reflects bad judgment on the part of the management. He played an instrumental role in defining the Battletech universe. I recommend Bred For War to all Battletech fans.

-Zach Zelmar

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Juan Pablo Cuerdo

It's 3057 and the cold war went hot

Reviewed in Spain on August 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

This follows the action in the year 3057 of Battletech fiction. The star of the show is the famous Refusal War that carves a new future for the Wolf Clan. This was also covered in the Mechwarrior 2 PC videogame from the mid-90s.

New destinies for Ulric and Natasha Kerensky, Phelan Kell and Vlad Ward.

In the meantime some other changes occur in the Inner Sphere, majorly across the Federated Commonwealth, as Victor's reign proves to be less iron-fisted than Hanse Davion's.

A great read to follow the Blood of Kerensky trilogy.

See more reviews

Follow the author

Battletech 16: Bred for War Paperback – January 1, 1995

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Michael A. Stackpole

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries