BattleTech Legends: Decision at Thunder Rift

The Gray Death Legion Saga, Book 1

De: William H. Keith Jr.

Narrado por: Tren Sparks

The epic first novel of the legendary science-fiction series.

Thirty meters tall, 70 tons of quick-striding death and destruction, the armored war machines called BattleMechs are the frontline forces of the crumbling star empire locked in the horror of the endless Succession Wars. Their pilots are MechWarriors, 31st-century knights riding armored machines powerful enough to take a city apart.

Grayson Death Carlyle had been training to be a MechWarrior since he was 10 years old, but his graduation came sooner than expected. With his friends and family dead and his father's regiment destroyed, young Grayson finds himself stranded on a world turned hostile. Now he must learn the hardest lesson of all: It takes more than a BattleMech to make a MechWarrior....

But to claim that title, all Grayson has to do is go out and capture one of those giant killing machines...if it doesn't kill him first.

About BattleTech:

Decision at Thunder Rift is one of the first of more than 90 novels set in the BattleTech universe, a 31st-century setting of constant war between planets, nations, and peoples. A ‘Mech is a 12-meter-tall, 100-ton walking war machine. Only another ‘Mech can face one. Mercenary armies battle for pay, for honor, and for causes innumerable.

©1986 Topps, Inc. (P)2020 Topps, Inc.

Great production of a Classics Battletech book

wonderful performance by the narrator, and it was fantastic to finally get a classic Battletech novel unabridged in audio format. looking forward to more!

I've been waiting so long

I read all the battletech "legends" growing up and have been constantly hoping (and emailing authors) about getting the audio out in an unabridged version. I hope they continue to add all the battletech novels to audible in an unabridged state, and I'll happily buy each and every one. Now that I finished book 1, time to go buy more credits to get books 2 and 3!

As good as I remember.

This book is a phenomenal introduction to the BattleTech universe. Though many of the assumptions of the book would change as the universe advanced, it is a great jumping off point.
Trent’s voice is perfect for the BT universe, gruff and deep, it conveys that harsh reality a universe at war.

Good Battletech Audiobook

The story focuses tightly on the actions and relationships of individual characters. There are less details about the greater Battletech universe scattered between, only enough to frame the action. Action scenes contain a lot of details about the robots and combat equipment, which seems to be a standard for books in this universe. The narration was a very good performance and good quality.

The sound mixing and voice acting was fantastic. The use of filters for radio chatter was a great addition.

Some of the dialogue is pretty dated or cheesy, but otherwise a solid book with some memorable characters.

Outstanding origin story for the Grey Death Legion

Long time fan of Battletech, this storyline is one of my favorite. The world of Battletech is huge and one can get lost in some of its stories with just the sheer amount of politics, but the balance of this story is what does is for me. Mech battles are not a mess and are very easy to play out, the politics pool is small but with some depth, the plot twists are a 50/50 for me with some obvious and some not so. The end was a bit rushed but again…. I’m not a fan of heavy politics.

A Battletech Faerie Tale

I really enjoyed this book. It’s my second battletech novel and the dune inspirations, Lawrence of Arabia vibe, and Grayson’s “Luke Skywalker” energy made this a great listen. The voice over is excellent! Really diverse with characters!

A Perfect Treatment of a Should-be Classic

Battletech books have been sadly mistreated in the past, many of them being nearly impossible to find in paperback. Catalyst's push to get these beauties circulating again is admirable and much needed. The official ebooks have better editing than their less legitimate forebears, and they're priced pretty appropriately for their length. I have read this book several times, and it never gets old.

But this... oh, boy.

I haven't even finished listening yet, but in the first two chapters you can tell that these audiobooks have been given the love they deserve. The narrator is clear and confident, and his performance is great. Each character has a unique voice and inflection, making sections of dialogue easily interpreted.

As stories go, Decision at Thunder Rift is both simple and elegant. Carlysle's Commandos, a mercenary unit in the employ of House Steiner, is wrapping up their duty as the garrison of a world named Trell I. When the incoming replacement unit unexpectedly opens fire on them, and their base is sabotaged, the unit is devastated. Its remnants scramble offworld, unknowingly leaving behind Grayson Carlysle, son of their commander.

Now stranded on a backwater world with a mostly hostile population, Grayson must find an escape, while also seeking to learn how his unit had been betrayed.

Many of the later books in the Battletech series tended to focus on combat between battlemechs. Part of what separates the Gray Death Trilogy is much of its focus on asymmetric warfare, the difficulties and dangers of taking on these hulking war machines with what many would consider an inferior force. The action is fast, gritty, and ferocious. The political intrigue is succinct and well-written. It's not A Song of Ice and Fire, but it doesn't have to be.

Get this book. You will not regret it.

old favorite

well done rendering of the book that started my love for battletech literature. hope this sets the standard for the quality and care of audio books for the other battletech novels. looking forward to listening to more. enjoy

Great fiction- not only for fans!

The Battletech universe is a rich one, full of deep lore, but this book avoids losing the reader in that depth, focusing on the immediate characters and conflict. The result is an accessible and highly entertaining ride that I couldn’t stop listening to.

Tren does a great job narrating as usual, and I can’t wait to listen to this again.