By Temptations and By War

the main character evan is what made me enjoy this book, he just seems very likable and i hope to see him impact later cappie novels, the battle at the end is a great climax and the author (coleman is my favorite behind the jade pheaonix author thurston) gives a great immersive description

I'm a huge fan of the battletech novels and the mechwarrior games, but I've been relatively disappointed with the new novels in the Dark Age setting. I was particularly displeased with the Proving Grounds trilogy, which seemed to leave out the most important thing in a BT book.....interesting mechs!Fortunately, By Temptations and By War does not suffer from this problem. While it fits in well in the Dark Age setting by not having regiments of Battlemechs stomping around, the author has still managed to put a decent number of mechs in (actual battlemechs, not agromechs). Even better, the author has included a couple of interesting Cappellan mech designs that I hadn't heard of before.The storyline is also well written, and provides a perspective that few of the battletech books in the past have shown since it is told mostly from a Cappellan view point, and the Liaos aren't automatically painted as the (somewhat shallow) bad guys as they were in some earlier novels.By Temptations and By War is definitely the best book that has been written in the Dark Age setting so far, and is one of the better books that Coleman has written. Even if you don't like the Dark Age timeline, I think I can recommend this book as a good read for battletech fans.

As the Liao freedom fighter Evan Kurst bursts into the Mechwarrior storyline, it shows us more (key?) players in the battle for the Inner Sphere. This book shows how cunning Daoshien Liao is, not even the likes of a business-savvy Jacob Bannson can match. What I like most about this book is the epic showdown between Kurst and Michaelson: in their darkest hours, these two people rose to the occassion: Kurst gave it all for the freedom of Liao as Michaelson redeemed himself, for the last time. (it's pretty obvious who this Michaelson is)

The Word of Blake, an Armageddon cult, launched its jihad against the colonized worlds over sixty five years ago, wanting to destroy any trace of life in the galaxy. A leader rose up during this time, Destin Stone, and eventually he destroyed the Word of Blake after millions were savagely murdered. As a reward for his victory, he becomes the leader of the new Republic of the Sphere made up all the planets in a 125 light year radius of Terra.Part of the Cappellan worlds including Liao was forced out of their confederacy and into the republic without being given a voice in their own destiny. Years later the Chancellor of the Cappellan Confederation Daosher Lia wants to bring these worlds back under his government rather than the weakening republic. He sends his emissary Mai Wa to Liao to sow dissent and discord that will start a revolution. With the help of freedom fighter Evan Kurst, Wa's former protégée, they start a civil war that spreads across the galaxy.Military strategists will find BY TEMPTATIONS AND BY WAR an exciting battle oriented work of science fiction. It is not always easy to follow the movements of a particular skirmish but readers will grasp the general battle plan and that knowledge is enough to keep and maintain audience attention. The heroic Evan never stops trying to free his country from the occupying forces.Harriet Klausner