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Robert N. Charrette
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BattleTech Legends: Wolves on the Border Paperback – September 8, 2021

by Robert N. Charrette (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 555 ratings
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LIFE, DEATH, HONOR, FEALTY....

Bushido is the warrior code that governs all these concepts. As a MechWarrior of the Draconis Combine, Minobu Tetsuhara is bound by it, a code that demands loyal service to the devious Warlord Grieg Samsonov.

When Minobu came upon a strange blue and gold Archer, the field littered with its vanquished opponents, and its weapons empty, bushido dictated that he not destroy an honorable but helpless warrior.

For that, he became Dispossessed, stripped of his BattleMech—and his honor.

Minobu is then assigned as liaison to one of the Combine’s most elite mercenary units, who treat him with the respect due a fellow warrior, and give him a BattleMech to take the field of battle once more. The skill and power of these mercenaries is unparalleled, but when they refuse to renew their contract due to sabotage from within the Combine, Minobu is instructed to use all means to destroy them.

Now, bushido dictates that Minobu oppose his honorable foe, a man whom he has fought alongside in battle, and who deserves far better than betrayal... Jaime Wolf of Wolf's Dragoons.
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  1. Print length
    411 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 8, 2021
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.93 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    163861041X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1638610410
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ InMediaRes Productions (September 8, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 411 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 163861041X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1638610410
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.93 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 555 ratings

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Robert N. Charrette

Robert N. Charrette

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
555 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mitch
5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant voice in the magnificent opera that is Battletech
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019
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So much goes into writing a complex and compelling political narrative. Robert N. Charrette achieves that with Wolves on the Border.

Following DCMS officer Minobu Tetsuhara while he is assigned as a liaison officer to the legendary mercenary unit Wolf's Dragoons, Wolves on the Border takes us into the 31st century world of Battlemech combat and political subterfuge. Contracted to House Kurita, the Dragoons find themselves being forced into a corner, being robbed of the crucial battlefield salvage they require to keep their 'Mechs functional.

With little support from the Draconis Combine, plots begin to fall into place to press the Dragoons into service with the DCMS permanently. This leads to a devastating confrontation between Jaime Wolf's mercenaries and the Kurita units now being commanded by his friend, Tetsuhara.

This book delivers the Battletech goods with every bit of prowess that the previous works by Stackpole, Keith, and Mayhar did before.
2 people found this helpful
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John Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars Giant Robots, Techno-Samurai and Mercs
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2013
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Wolves on the Border explores life in the pre-clan Draconis Combine. The characters are great, from noble Tetsuhara to the devious Hanse Davion. The techno-samurai of Kurita are both as noble and honour-bound as you'd expect. On the other hand, the Wolves are as cunning as ever yet manage to hide their machinations behind their own code of honour. And it's the interaction of these two codes, the similarities and contrasts, that form the heart of this book and are what make's it so interesting. Overall this is one of the better Battletech novels because it focuses on the characters and isn't just battlemech fan service; I'd recommend as required reading to any fan of the setting.
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Greg
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Battletech Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2022
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I know, I know... a "5". Well, it's not LIttle Women, but for a sci-fi/battletech novel.... it's not going to get much better! If you like battletech or are looking for a new fantasy/sci-fi world- this is a great read. It's mature/complex without being heady. Intrigue and and character development are as important as battles and war in this novel. Strongly recommend.
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Rogue
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2022
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Writing another chapter in the history of the Inner Sphere. Reading along, I felt like I was actually present. Check that, I wished I had been present. Happy for the experience!
2 people found this helpful
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D. P.P
5.0 out of 5 stars The Wolf vs The Dragon
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
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Robert Charrette has delivered another great installment for the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary company. With his background and knowledge of Bushido, you would expect good insight into the Draconis Combine, and he doesn't fail in that regard. The characters and situations are always interesting and well thought out.

Perhaps the only complaint, as I mention in other reviews, is the two dimensional feel of the primary antagonist, Warlord Samsonov is so evil as to feel like the villain from a Saturday morning cartoon. I wouldn't be surprised if he were in league with Boris and Natasha while plotting the demise of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Otherwise, the book is really good, and I definitely would recommend reading it.
2 people found this helpful
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ChickenHawk07
4.0 out of 5 stars Begins slow.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2020
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A little too slow for my taste, however, the action and the stakes are raised near the end of the book.
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Brad Bence
5.0 out of 5 stars Best one of the franchise!
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2021
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Any book that can grab my attention to read it twice in less than a year as I have a reading list is pretty good! In my opinion, this is currently the best written Battletech book out there, not to mention one of the first written in general. I wish we had more like it!
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AJ_in_AL
3.0 out of 5 stars The Best of The BattleTech Novels
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020
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This is the best of the BattleTech novels. At times, it comes very close to transcending from mere merchandise to a work of real literature.
Unlike many other books in the series, Charette does not waste space with extravagant, lurid descriptions of violent robot-on-robot combat. Instead "Wolves On The Border" is a character study of a man torn by conflict between opposing values which he holds equally dear.
It is worth noting that Charrette chose a hero of non-japanese ancestry for his samurai drama, and yet "Wolves" does not drip with the seemingly unavoidable cliches about gaijin and struggles for acceptance in a xenophobic culture. Although a product of its era, this novel makes visible effort not to simply fall back on Hollywood orientalism when dealing with the Draconis Combine's neo-feudal Japanese-dominated culture, as the books of Stackpole et al tended to do. Asian characters are not presented as cardboard stereotypes even when Charrette is drawing from game source material that was, frankly, a little racist at the time and has aged poorly.
Where Charrette approaches Japanese culture and language, he does so respectfully and with understanding, and also without Otherizing it; the values and ideas are presented naturally, made clear to the reader, and not as outlandish alien concepts through a western lens.
Minobu Tetsuhara's blackness is little touched-upon in the novel. In many ways, this is a strength, as it highlights the postracial, vibrant universe in which BattleTech takes place and the importance of the character's values and ideas over simple accidents of birth (an ironic touch, since the MechWarriors of the BattleTech world are mainly drawn from undemocratic aristocracies). It shows that BattleTech, at its best, is able to go beyond simple sci-fi schlock even when some of the older source material engages in Fu Manchu-level caricatures.
Because Minobu is entirely a samurai and not a "black samurai", in a modern (2020s) context it feels slightly like a lost opportunity that the character's attitude towards his own heritage can be summed up as his ancestors setting aside blackness to embrace a different identity. Charrette obviously did not intend a depiction of blackness as inferior to Japanese-ness, and the discussion it prompts from a contemporary viewpoint on race is well outside the scope of the novel, yet it does pose the question: Is Minobu Tetsuhara a transracial character, or is that term meaningless in the context of a highly cosmopolitan future such as BattleTech presents?
Those issues aside, the story is a rock-solid sci-fi adventure exploring themes of friendship, duty, and personal honor. Jaime Wolf is a compelling foil to Minobu's stiff-necked samurai obstinacy, and the minor supporting characters are mostly well-written.
Unfortunately, a story is only as strong as its villain, and here "Wolves" slips, as neither Akuma nor Samsonov is presented with enough alacrity for them to rise above the status of paper silhouettes with targets drawn on them. Akuma simply comes across as a jerk, and Samsonov an abusive jerk. While they do serve as useful foils to illustrate Minobu's bushido values, we get far too little insight into their motives, so that their inevitable betrayal seems to happen simply because the plot demands it to happen.
Akuma professes disdain for samurai honor, yet always acts as though he is assuaging his own wounded honor. Why? Had we been shown, he might have made a compelling antagonist.
Minobu's wife, Tomoko, also gets short shrift, which is unfortunate as she is one of few significant female voices in the story and her complicated relationship with Minobu's honor and his dangerous friendship to Wolf are ripe for exploration--but I suppose some space had to be saved for BattleMech duels after all. It wouldn't be BattleTech without the 'Mechs.
Though the battles are mostly backdrop for the more important character drama, Charrette writes them in a compelling way. The reader is not buried in technical details or military minutiae, and the outlines of the conflicts are easy to follow for anyone who has passing familiarity with the genre.
That said, the 'Mechs themselves get little description and it can be tricky to recall who is piloting what when the action gets heavy.
This was my second reading of the novel, the first having been 20 years ago with a paper copy. The Kindle "Legends" edition is lacking compared to the print version: there is bad typesetting on nearly every page and a large number of typos and other errors. For this I have to deduct a star.
Otherwise, "Wolves" is a four-star read and remains my personal recommendation as an entry point to the BattleTech fiction canon. Although it doesn't touch on many of the "big" story events of the 3025 era, it serves as a good place for the reader to become immersed in the setting and enjoy some swashbuckling futuristic action.
12 people found this helpful
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Tourijak
4.0 out of 5 stars Buen libro
Reviewed in Spain on January 8, 2019
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Me encantó tetsuhara!!😭 Ojalá se hubiera ido con los dragoons!! 😭 Akuma el cabron estaba más loco que una cabra joder
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Loekie
5.0 out of 5 stars BattleTech Literature, cant get enough
Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2022
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Another Book in the BattleTech universe. Always an enjoyable read, haven't found a bad one yet...
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N. Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant tale of a mercenary team caught in a political crossfire, as well as a literal one.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2017
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Absolutely riveting book. WotB (and the BT universe in general) is the tale of the continuing human strife in the 31st century, where massive bipedal tanks known as Mechs own the battlefield. More agile than tanks, more flexible than artillery, and more durable than aircraft or hovertanks, they've become the de facto engine of war.

In this book, a group of mercenaries rotate out of one assignment, and decide to take a contract with an empire they've never before worked with. Massively competent, and fiercely independent and loyal, they begin to show that the empire's own troops aren't the Elite they claim to be. Unable to control them, and vexed by his Co-ordinator (emperor) who wishes to emulate the mercs to parallel their capabilities, a local warlord decides that he wants to play a very dangerous game: Take control of the mercs, and perhaps pose a credible threat to the imperial throne.

I own this book in both eBook and physical format, and have read it (many years apart) in both formats.
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Davide
4.0 out of 5 stars Buon libro su Battletech
Reviewed in Italy on May 5, 2016
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Buon libro di fantascienza ambientato nell'universo di Battletech. Se vi interessa l'argomento, visto il prezzo (io l'ho acquistato per 0,99 euro), merita.
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Cody Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, kept me engaged until the very end.
Reviewed in Canada on September 7, 2021
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Excellent story that steaks to the honour of mechwarriors. Overall an excellent read for Battletech fans. This was my first book about Wolfs Dragoon’s, they rock.
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