Battletech Novels

Hello all, just a little random thoughts for your troubles this day.

Normally I'm not one to read books licensed from games, because they generally go one of two ways they are very good or very bad and there don't seem to be any inbetween, I do read certain writers of said fiction, R.A. Salvatore, Dan Abnett, and William King pretty much being it.

But I had remembered that I had read the Legend of the Jade Phoenix many years ago, I think I was ten or twelve the last time I read it, which was more than half a lifetime ago, and I found a copy of it in the library, which in itself is fairly unusual, the library up my way generally doesn't have the greatest fantasy and sci-fi collection which is sad really, because there is a whole effing section devoted to "Celebrity" biographies, I'm not going to get into the sad state of reading habits right now, that can be kept for a more drunk and wacky mood.

Now why did I enjoy this because I enjoy the stories where the hero, in this Aiden Pryde, go from failure to redemption in the space of the series, this being a trilogy.

 Pryde is his bloodname, being Trueborn of the Sibko, the Clans of the Battletech Universe's genetically created warrior sibling company where those who are created to be warriors grow up, it's a bit fucked I know.

When I first read this I was a player of Battletech but I had never actually learned anything about the Clans, the guys I played with were very much purists of the game, though they were like 20 or more years older than me (I played at the Wargaming club I am still a member of) and never had anything to do with the clans, I think they may have had a Tech readout or two with some clanner stuff in them but just for reference.

So I was intriqued, my only knowledge of the Clans came from the Animated series, which according to the canon of the game was lets say wrong. So, I found every piece of this particular series of books very interesting to read in the first place, adding knowledge that I did not have of battles and such in the series that I had never even heard of up until that point (and pretty much made it my mission to find out more, which I have and far too much information for one human brain to contain it's all in the books).

Anyway Aiden and his Sibko start their warrior training having been whittled down from their ninety members after their birth to a much smaller number when they begin weeior trainign, because only the strong survive, which eventaully through deaths or washouts becomes three, along with Marthe, who would one day become Khan of their Clan (the Jade Falcon, funny I hadn't mentioned that yet), they enter their trail of position which he loses because to Marthe who stabs him in the back when he makes it a free-for-all with veyr unClanlike tactics, which would become a watchword for Aiden himself.

He is demoted to Astech and escapes before his training commander can engineer a second Trail of Postion, only meant to get one, he is brought back by his Sibko's Falconer, or trainging officer, Joanna who would be part of his life up until the end. During this time Aiden fathers a child, Dianna, with his Sibkin, Peri, yes I know it's a bit ick. Ter Roshak has a Freeborn, that would be someone with a momma and a Poppa, training group killed so Aiden can take his place. He does and with the help of Horse, a Freeborn warrior who becomes his constant companion on his journey through the universe of Battletech.

He eventually gets to fight for a Bloodname, with the help of Marthe, Horse and Joanna, wins it, in the book Bloodname, having earned his place in the Grand Mellee, he eventually wins his bloodname and goes on in Falcon Guard to command a disgraced cluster of Clan warriors (Named the Falcon Guards) but eventually because of him and his unClanlike tactics the Guards become a unit of choice for Clan Trueborn, nicknamed Pryde's Pride after him.

I Highly recommend this trilogy to anyone, if you like big robots that kick the shit out of each other, and if you've played any of the previous computer games based in the universe you'll get a kick out of it, don't need to know anything about the games, because it's all explained in the back.
 
 So, now because I'm clambering to find as many of the novels as I can get my hands on, got an eye on the seven books of the Saga of the Grey Death Legion it would be nice if you could get them in an omnibus Catalyst Game Labs should do that.

Night of a Thousand Spells

Good evening to you all, just another little short story from the world of the Magi, this one coming from the day from the main character, Gabriel of Alba's, birth, it was written for a short story anthology I'm going to release sometime in the new year when I get around to finish writing all the short stories I started, got lots of others on the horizon. I will be posting the ones that have been posted elsewhere later, going to post one a week and then continue with the newer ones once they are finished thought there will be two posts next week, one coinciding with the release of Dark Tales from the Scriptorian Vaults on the 31st of this month, dwhich I'm fairly sure you will know if you read my blog often or know me at all, since I can't stop talking about it, I'm fuckin proud so sue me. details of how to purchase it and where to purchase it will be posted here when I find out how and also on my facebook page and also that week probably another short story from the Magiverse and maybe one from the rest of my many fantasy worlds or alternate realities, there are 30 odd so plenty to chose from.

So if you like it let me know if you don't feel free to tell me and if you read it and like it pass it along to some friends,

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Night of a Thousand Spells

He was not your typical baby, even for one of the Magi. His tufty down of hair was dark brown and his eyes already a piercing blue. Gabriel his parents had named him, bloody idiots, he thought to himself, hardly a Magi name, it was the name of the Christian texts, messenger of the gods indeed.

He could already feel the Dark ones gathering, always happened after the birth of a Magi child, when their magic was bound until puberty, not that it was always so, and this time they were in for a bloody great shock.

He growled to himself and wove shields around the other babies and the nurses in the nursery, only fair that they be protected, it was subtle but it meant they would be protected against just about anything that could happen during the coming fight.

He felt the first one come through the door of the nursery, a dark mage on his own, dressed in a ceremonial black robe, he backhanded the nurse who was looking after the babies at that point, she had been cooing over the grimaces and gripes of the children.

That was not a nice thing to do. Gabriel growled to himself, it didn't sound like a growl it was a squeak. A white fireball appeared in his tiny hand and it exploded forward at the dark mage incinerating him instantly.

A little grin appeared on his face. Come to take my power did you, wretched little toe-rags, the baby though. I'll bloody show you why I was feared by the Dark Lords in my previous life.

Another of the Dark Ones entered the room and a lightening bolt shot from the crib and Gabriel's hand, it shot through her and impacted off of the ceiling and the plaster began to fall, bouncing off the shields of the babies below the impact point onto the floor.

Gabriel tried to roll himself but his little muscles just left him flapping, he was trying to do what he did in his previous life with his body. I hate reincarnation bloody already. He grumbled to himself. Not even twenty-four bloody hours old and I'm already being attacked.

A number of Werewolves entered the rooms with a pair of sorcerers. A phantom hand from the baby grabbed one of the Were's smashing it into another and then another which cannoned them through the glass viewing window and off the wall. The remaining Were's looked around to see where the attack had come from, only to be set on fire by the baby. The sorcerers imploded with his asigation spell.

What has the world come to that I can't be left in peace for the day of my birth and leave the chuffing mundane hospital, they start trying to chuffing kill me. He growled away to himself as he launched a pair of whitefire balls at a group of warlocks who appeared in the room before they could get their bearings and they were killed instantly.

The baby magi was struggling to roll himself again but was getting absolutely nowhere and it was starting to annoy him greatly. The next Dark One who appeared, was ripped apart by Gabriel's phantom hands, taking the full brunt of the baby's frustration.

More of the dark ones appeared through the corridors, each shielded and ready for a pack or two of the Magi Hunters protecting him, As there bloody should be. His father was a Pack Master, commander of the Fifth Circle, the most elite hunter packs of the entire cadre. Damn well nearly as powerful as the Huntmaster himself, or the Triumvirate, his son should be protected by the best.

If these bozos are teleporting in here the bloody Hunters or some bloody Guardians shouldn't have any problems with it. The baby's squeaked out loud since he couldn't vocalise his frustration in any other way.

The sorcerers were fighting with each other now to get at him, to tap the power from his tiny little body, a battery they would feed off until he was spent of all that power, Magi children were at their peak of power during the day of their birth, and every five years on that day until their fifteenth birthday, their day of ascension, when they become adults in the minds of the Cadre and they chose their path, and for most the day they are filled with the most power. Many of his kind never reached the day of ascension because of the likes of the men and women trying to take his power from him.

The baby cackled away to himself as he launched white fireball after white fireball into the hallway, making sure that he instigated a full on brawl between the different factions, and keeping his tiny little backside alive.

He was sure some of them weren't there to drain his power, some of them, especially the demon thralls were probably just there to kill him. The children of the deep knowing full well who he was and what he was reborn to do.

His coming was prophesied, by one of his own siblings no less, he really didn't like the fact that he got screwed by his own sister. It was one of the side effects from being who he was, always got screwed by good intentions and bad mistakes.

He could hear the war cries of the Magi as the Hunters finally appeared. The little baby Gabriel giggled to himself in triumph, but it was short lived. A dozen of the Midnight Heart, a Cabal of Dark magic practitioners entered the nursery filled with their power and surrounded by their own powerful shields.

All around them they felt shields around the babies, each of the shields identical in construction and with the same stamp of the Magi who created them.

“The little bastard is here somewhere, just check every one of them for the Mark.” The leader, Anastassia Andolfo ordered her people, she was a most powerful Dark Wizard, apprenticed by they Grand Necromancer himself, Adjustier Namock, Dark Lord of Hell. “Only one with the Mark could weave this many shields at once and hold them. We must find him before the Hunters break free.”

“Did our lord give you any idea how to break his shield?” Jared Dalmuir, murderer of Gabriel's parents first born daughter asked her. “He may be a baby but he's got the power of a Magi Warmaster.”

“Ah, but you can see he left his mark, not too subtle.” She said with a snort.

“Since when have the Magi Warrior Caste done anything subtle, they're brute force incarnate, they don't need to be subtle when they have all the power they do.” Dalmuir said as he felt his robes go on fire. He hurriedly pulled them off and began stamping on the robes to put the fire out, it wouldn't and it started to consume his trouser. His eyes went mad with fear. “Fuck, it's whitefire, the little shit can use whitefire, somebody help me.”

“No, Dalmuir, I think you can be of use for something else.” Anastasia said with a wicked smile as her ceremonial Athame went across his throat and his blood spilled into a ceremonial bowl, she put more and more ingredients in the bowl and began chanting in Sumerian. The Sumerians had been expert practitioners of magic and those that did follow the dark arts were very good. When she was finished she blew the contents of the bowl out into the air. Locator dust, fueled by death energy, not a good combination. Gabriel shot his little arms into the air firing brimstone charges everywhere, sending the Cabal flying away from the babies.

Every baby except from Gabriel was crying by this point, which didn't go unnoticed by the locator dust, which coalesced around his shield. Oh crap on a crap stick.

“Thought you were clever did you.” Anistacia said with an evil grin. “Brimstone charges, very naughty, I thought all you old ones never used such naughty spells.”

“We need to begin.” Heirmandier Wulfen growled to her. “The night is almost up, his power is at it's strongest right now, even with all that he's used to repel us.”

“There's something different about this one Anastasia, I think we should leave him be.” Gillian MacCord told her, the youngest member of the Cabal was actually a Council of Magic plant in Midnight Heart.

“Go watch the door, McCord,” Anastasia growled at her, and she did as she was told. The numbers of their circle was made up to thirteen, and they began their ritual to take down his shield and then his power. The little baby Gabriel, clenched his little fists almost to the beat of their chant, He was trying to think of a spell to rid himself of all of them, but he was being drained with every chant.

Gabriel started to convulse and foam from his little mouth, almost drained of the will to maintain his shield he was suddenly filled with the power of his ancestors, all the Magi of his line who had came before him first son to first son, his eyes glowing the bluey white of whitefire, his baby hands shot out into his shield which exploded with such force it literally shattered every bone in the bodies of those that touched it. And the white fire consumed their bodies leaving not even ash.

Anastassia & Hermandier had split seconds to realise their folly in following their master's orders. They felt for that instant the pain of being burned alive and having their bones shattered. It was in that final second that the Hunters broke through the lines of the Dark ones and into his room.

McCord nodded to the first of the Hunters Saluting him before teleporting away with a wink to the baby.

About fucking time you losers. Gabriel thought as he relaxed the shields.

His father stepped into the room, and imposing man towering over his pack mates, he scooped his son under the arms and raised him like a winning captain held the Scottish Cup.

“Behold my brothers and sisters, my son is who was prophesied in the Pythian Scrolls,” the Warrior Caste leader shouted to them, and they dropped to their left knee, right fist on their hearts and left fist planted in the ground, heads bowed.

All Gabriel could do was ineffectually try to kick out his tiny little legs, and think to himself.

Here we go again.

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 Just as a little addition if you haven't read anything I've written then you probably get lost by the references, it can happen even I get lost in some of my own, but don't be to worried at some point I'll through up a Glossary of terms from the Magi Universe, mostly it's changes from our reality to their reality or references to organisations that while central to the mythos aren't essential to read the stories.

Hello

How do folks

It's been a week or two since me last blog, I've been relitavely busy with the writing, even though my damn hand was useless for three days, I over did the writing and strained my hands muscles. I've been mapping out a Military Sci-fi series, which is based in the same 'verse as my Gabriel of Alba stories.

The short story in the Steampunk Anthology that's coming out on the 31st of this month, more details when it is coming out.

  I actually started with the middle book, which was meant to be the first book in the series, but I started doing back story for the main character and thought. Hmmm, why not start from the beginning of his journey to this point, and through that I added a number of details that made the original work a bit out of scew, and then went onto the second book, because I thought, I'm mapping out why not take it a bit further, keep on going until you've done book nine and then go all the way back to book one and write it but I've already added little bits and pieces that I know I'm not going to write into the books, thing is adding these little bits adds a little to each of the characters in my mind, which makes these characters even better, more real.

But I'm having to restrain myself from moving on to the next one because I've got this idea for it and this idea for it, I'm also having to completely keep my mind off the many ridiculous number of ideas I've got for series, I had a look recently and found 30 ideas for series, and I don't think that includes this one and the Gabriel of Alba. This got me into a scared shiteless position, how the hell am I at not even 30 ever going to finish a series if at this age I've got 30 ideas for series already, and I've only finished the first draft of one book from one series, how am I going to get through this.

So, what I've done to keep me on focus is draw some ships for the series, which as anyone who has ever seen any of my art must no it is very basic, very, very, very, very basic and kind of cack, but also I've kind of mapped out the part of the cosmos that the series is based, with little circles for the planets and importanr planets included, so I know this is how far away from where the main characters home is where they are and far away the bad guys homeworld is, course the distances and things like that are completely out of scope and scale but it's a nice thing to know that's where they are now, this is what part of the cosmos they're fighting in and it's helping but not when the brain shuts down for a couple hours.

But I'm having fun which is the most important thing.

Okay, going off maybe to get some sleep, maybe to do other things.