MechWarrior 5: Origins
Sarna News
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| MechWarrior 5: Origins | |
|---|---|
| Product information | |
| Type | Anthology Novel |
| Author | Randall N. Bills |
| Pages | 528 |
| Cover Artwork | David Kerber |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | MechaPub Inc |
| First published | 12 December 2019 |
| MSRP | Free |
| Content | |
| Era | Succession Wars era |
| Timeline | 5 December 2991 - 21 October 3013 |
A self-described anthology, MechWarrior 5: Origins–otherwise referred to as the MechWarrior 5 Origins Series–is a collection of eight original BattleTech short stories (called novellas by the publisher) penned by Randall N. Bills. These stories were first offered individually just prior to the launch of the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries computer game as free tie-in fiction in electronic format, and then also in an electronic omnibus collection on 12 December 2019, two days after the game's launch.
The individual stories narrate the backgrounds of important characters from the game and the genesis of the Nik's Cavaliers mercenary unit. As they are interconnected, they can arguably be regarded as individual chapters of a single story, and the anthology can thus arguably be described as a novel. (The stories' combined wordcount in the anthology significantly exceeds 40,000 words.)
The stories of MechWarrior 5: Origins would be reissued in a new Catalyst Game Labs produced anthology The Mercenary Life in digital format and Print on Demand on 13 April 2021. This enhanced release features a new introduction and postscripts for the eight stories of Origins from the author as well as a new ninth story - The Sun Will Rise - exclusive to that anthology.
Individual short stories
- The Calm of the Void
- Vision's Hunger
- Endless War
- Contested Dreams
- Dissimulate Wanderer
- Knives in the Dark
- A Skein of Schemes
- Obligation's Forge
Notes
- Released as promotional material for the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries game, it was believed at the time that MechWarrior 5: Origins was also derived from Piranha Games' license to BattleTech video games instead of the (distinct) "mainline" BattleTech license held by Catalyst Game Labs, rendering the stories Apocryphal on Sarna. This may not have been the case, while the covers to each stories used MW5 assets, the interior artwork at the rear of each story used CGL assets, including new 'Mech art developed as part of the 2019 Clan Invasion crowdfunding campaign, muddying the waters. This and the later CGL release of The Mercenary Life anthology with the stories of Origins effectively re-released unchanged indicates the stories may have always been canon, though this does not automatically extend to the events that occur exclusively in MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.
External Links
- Download link on MW5 website