Lore.

[The Jedi]

Hi guys,

I love Mechwarrior games. But are there books to enhance my play though of this game?

[swordsman422]

Oh, man. Start with Decision at Thunder Rift by William Keith and don't stop from there. If you absolutely must start with the Clan Invasion, Michael Stackpole's Lethal Heritage.

[Sentient_Toaster]

There's a sourcebook called "BattleTech Universe" that might be interesting. I believe there's also quite a few novels.

If you want videos to watch or listen to, see the "Tex Talks Battletech" series on YT --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bDW5CBnnyo&list=PLR5zhFCFVb9U1miiHC9QQ1v48YAgD0MOu&pp=iAQB

[Bovril Brigadier]

Depends. There's various retcons out there but if looking for Smoke Jaguar related content the the Invading Clans Sourcebook tends to have the more general overview of them giving a history and background.

[Shin]

To enhance your playthrough as you asked, start with the Founding of the Clans trilogy by Randall Bills, it takes place a couple hundred years before the start of this game but it really puts you into the mindset of the Clans, their Founder and the justifications for how and why he did what he did.

Follow that up with Betrayal of Ideals by Blaine Lee Pardoe, it takes place right after the Founding of the Clans trilogy and really galvanises the Clanner mindset. Admittedly I prefer Randall Bills' characterisation of the Kerensky's but it does take place from a different point of view.

There's the Legend of the Jade Phoenix trilogy by Robert Thurston, which is focused on Clan Jade Falcon and their point of view of the invasion.

And finally, the Blood of Kerensky trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole, it's older, very drily written and Stackpole has a tendency to write himself into a corner, but it covers what happens in this game from the point of view of the Inner Sphere and Clan Wolf.

[The Jedi]

thank you :)

[yminale]

Better. There is a website http://www.sarna.net. Start with the timeline and go nuts.

[Ry0K3N]

Great start are the Blood of Kerensky or Jade Phoenix trilogy.

[Alrik]

IMHO the best starting books are:
Michael Stackpole:
Mechwarrior En Guard
Mechwarrior Riposte
Mechwarrior Coupe
It's about the 4th Succession War (3025) and introduces many main characters of the Battletech Universe.
Stackpole uses the same writing technique as George R.R. Martin: each chapter has an other point of view character, and like Game of Thrones it's mostly about politics and battles.

Robert Charette
Heir to the Dragon
The early life story of Theodore Kurita (an other main character), contains also the war of 3040.

Michael Stackpole:
Blood of Kerensky
Lethal Heritage
Blood Legacy
Lost Destiny
All about the Clan Invasion 3050.

The Gray Death Legion novels are the first Battletech books published and are classic military SciFi about a Mercenary Unit fighting on some backwater plantes in the last years of the 3rd Succession War for money from more or less shady employers.
Not a must to read, but a different view with more combat, low tech and small battles.
Decision at Thunder Rift
Mercenary's Star
The Price of Glory

[Imperialus]

Originally posted by Ry0K3N:

Great start are the Blood of Kerensky or Jade Phoenix trilogy.

For MW Clans specifically I'd second Blood of Kerensky in particular. The events of the first book basically follow the events of the game, just from the perspective of the other belligerents notably including Shin Yodama from the Draconis Combine who was the Yakuza member who busted Hohiro out of the prison on Turtle Bay.

[isawaawasi5]

Originally posted by Imperialus:

For MW Clans specifically I'd second Blood of Kerensky in particular. The events of the first book basically follow the events of the game, just from the perspective of the other belligerents notably including Shin Yodama from the Draconis Combine who was the Yakuza member who busted Hohiro out of the prison on Turtle Bay.

One of the fun little things about playing this game was spotting the references to Blood of Kerensky.

[Omnes Interficere]

There's also a novel called Jaguar's Leap by Reed Bishop, and a compilation of short stories called Onslaught: Tales from the Clan Invasion! then there are more short stories and novellas about other clans as well.

If you are interested in what happens to the Jaguars after Tukayyid, there's the novel Impetus of War, THEN of course there's Twilight of the Clans that continues after Tukayyid (books 1 to 3 and 5 to 7) and I am Jade Falcon (books 4 and 8), which happens after Jade Phoenix Trilogy by the same author. After Twilight, there's Forever Faithful, which brings the Jaguars up to the Jihad era.

If you're interested in other clans, the Sourcebooks and era books are a good source of info.

Finally, if you're interested in the Dragoons because of the Warden ending you get Wolves on the Border, Wolf Pack, Refemption Rift, Divided we Fall and Redemption Rites in that order of chronology. There's an upcoming book Den of Wolves that's a prequel to Wolves on the Border that I'm particularly excited about.

Basically for Clan lore you're going to want these stories:

Founding of the Clans (SLiE becomes the Clans)
Betrayal of Ideals (Clan Wolverine)
stuff about the clan homeworlds before the invasion (stories about the Omnimechs and formation of the Dragoons, plus the Dragoons themselves)
the invasion proper (the Invading Clans and the Dragoons)
Stuff that happen before the Jaguars bite the dust (Red Corsair, Refusal War, Coventry, Dragoon Civil War)
Twilight of the Clans
Stuff during the Civil War (arrival of Hell's Horses, Nova Cats, Snow Ravens and Diamond Sharks in the Inner Sphere and the ejection of the Steel Vipers from said Sphere, plus Ghost Bear-Combine war)
Wars of Reaving and WoB Jihad
Dark Age (steel wolves, wolf hunters, jade falcons, sea fox, Rasalhague dominion, wolf empire)
IlClan (the Clans in the inner sphere and again, the Dragoons)

[Fiachra]

Jade Phoenix trilogy for more insight into the Clans before and throughout the invasion.

Blood of Kerensky trilogy for the Inner Sphere's point of view in the lead up and throughout the invasion.

Grey Legion trilogy for an introduction to the Inner Sphere decades before the invasion and before the resurgence in technology.

They will give you a good overview of the IS and Clans from the early 3000s until the end of the invasion in the mid 3050s which are relevant to the game. After that you can find plenty of novels covering everything in between and other people and factions.