That pretty well sums up my review of Mecha Corps
by Brett Patton. I read a Gundam series awhile back, and the Robotech novels, and Starship Troopers, and Armor. Other science fiction I've read has had powered armor in one form or another. They've all been good, but Mecha Corps just freakin' kills it! This book, apparently the start of series called the Armor Wars, is what all mecha fiction should be like.It starts out much like other military fiction: Matt Lowell is on his way to boot camp to start his life as a mech pilot. One of the other cadets is a jerk, and I was surprised by his fate. I figured he'd either last longer, or come back as a ghost in the machine. Neither happened. Matt also meets a girl and falls for her, but he's more interested in piloting mech than building a relationship.
At Mecha Training Camp, Matt learns of a new type of Mecha much more powerful than anything that has existed before. He also learns of the impending war with the leader of a group of genetically engineered humans thought eradicated in a previous war. Matt's past comes back to haunt him as his training is accelerated and his experience with the mecha grows - all leading to an exciting final battle with the new mecha in action.
One thing that I found different about the mecha here, is what I assume is the use of nanotechnology. It's never blatantly said that the mech armor is based on nanotech - it's called biotechnology, but the abilities of the powered armor to do very unique things seems to stem from a use of nanotechnology.
Every hero needs a love interest, and every love story seems to need some angst to keep it interesting. While the human relationships within this story take a backseat to the awesome war machines, those relationships still drive the story. Matt's growing relationships with his teammates informs his decisions and his own growth, even though he puts himself and his piloting skills above those relationships.
This is a series I'm thrilled to find and can't wait for the next one!
Mecha Corps, by Brett Patton, was provided to me by the publisher for review.
I wish they would've had the budget to include the suits (and the Skinnies, for that matter) in the film version of "Troopers" but then again, it was a fine send-up the way it was. Plus, the more of Casper Van Dien's ruggedly handsome face, the better.
ReplyDeleteCasper's face weird me out for some reason. Not sure why. Maybe it's because right after seeing StarShip Troopers I saw him in a Christian movie called Megiddo or something like that.
ReplyDeleteStarship Troopers could have been such a better movie.