Novel Review:The Legend of the Jade Phoenix Trilogy 07-08-04

[DeJaVu]

This omnibus edition of the 1991 trilogy (originally published separately as Way of the Clans, Bloodname, and Falcon Guard) is the first Classic BattleTech novel release by Wiz Kids, and hopefully heralds a program of reprinting older, out-of-print novel trilogies and series as well as MechWarrior: Dark Age material
By: Dan "Flake" Grendall
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
This omnibus edition of the 1991 trilogy (originally published separately as Way of the Clans, Bloodname, and Falcon Guard) is the first Classic BattleTech novel release by Wiz Kids, and hopefully heralds a program of reprinting older, out-of-print novel trilogies and series as well as MechWarrior: Dark Age material.
I have to admit that I went into this review with some trepidation. My memories of this trilogy from years ago were not good, and I was not looking forward to rereading it. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to find that the books were nowhere near as bad as I remembered. In fact, they were even entertaining and interesting to a degree, making this review a bit of a pleasure instead of the chore I expected. The characters are interesting and multifaceted and the plot holds some odd twists, though the writing is a bit stilted and doesn't flow well. Upon reflection, I think that my problems with this trilogy lie with the novels not as works of fiction but as BattleTech books specifically.
The focus of the trilogy is the Jade Falcon warrior Aidan and his rise to prominence in the Clan, from his training in a trueborn sibko, his ascendance amid deceit and scorn, and finally his exploits during the battles on Tukayyid. The hidebound Jade Falcon's acceptance of a warrior who failed his first Trial never rang true to me, however, and that has always somewhat spoiled the trilogy for me.
Still, there is quite a bit to enjoy here. The greatest strengths of the books are the hand to hand combat scenes, especially when they involve hiding or hunting of some kind. My favorite such scene occurs during Aidan's Bloodname Trial, after his opponent chooses to fight with only a knife and Aidan chooses to fight in some nearby woods at midnight. The hunt, counter-hunt, and combat that take place are both interesting and entertaining to read.
Unfortunately, BattleMech combat is uninspired and often just plain confusing, with 'Mechs performing impossibly or moving in ways that leave me wondering where exactly they are on the battlefield. Thurston does use BattleMechs in interesting ways off the battlefield, however- most notably in a series of scenes on Tukayyid at Robyn's Crossing where they make a breakwater in a clever reminder that 'Mechs are more than just giant war machines.
The atmosphere Thurston creates within the Jade Falcons just doesn't fit the image I get from any other sources, and so I find myself enjoying the novels as stories but not as BattleTech information. When the books were originally released, the younger me couldn't enjoy them at all- thus the memories of them being bad all around. Now, however, I find I can separate my fandom enough to see their quality as novels in addition to their use as sources of BattleTech information. If you can't do that just yet, you may want to give this trilogy a pass.