BATTLETECH novel recommendations
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Considering the 3025 era of the game, there is no better entrypoint than the Saga of the Grey Death Legion (starting with Decision at Thunder Rift) - which is about a small, Periphery mercenary company being formed.
It's on the coreward side of the Sphere, but really captures the scavenger aspect well.
It's on the coreward side of the Sphere, but really captures the scavenger aspect well.
everything until the jihad and new age is good to read - from there on story lines start to get ridiculous...
The grey Death Saga - first 3 books are specific to the game era
The Warrior trilogy (linked above) dealing with the next big war a few years after the game setting.
The Warrior trilogy (linked above) dealing with the next big war a few years after the game setting.
Honestly the ridiculousness started before then, though they took it too a new level.
I think it would be nice, if you buy the deluxe version of BATTLETECH, there comes a novel from the BATTLETECH universe with it. 
For a one book option, this is my suggestion.
For a one trilogy: The Warrior Books OR Grey Death Legion saga.
To be honest I’d say the best I’ve read is not a canon novel but the fan fic Davion and Davion (deceased)
In which Hanse Davion ruler of the fed suns in the game era wakes up as a ghost after his canon death haunting his ancestor John Davion just before the fall of the star league.
In which Hanse Davion ruler of the fed suns in the game era wakes up as a ghost after his canon death haunting his ancestor John Davion just before the fall of the star league.
As others have already said, the early Gray Death Legion books are set in exactly the same era as this game and have a similar type of feel with a fledgling mercenary unit putting itself together from scraps.
The Warrior trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole is basically the story of the Fourth Succession War, the next major conflict after the era the game is set in, and gets most of the long-term political storylines and generational character plots with members of the Inner Sphere "great houses" going.
The follow-on books written by Michael A. Stackpole carried the "main" storyline of the BT universe on through the Clan invasion (the Blood of Kerensky trilogy) and for a while after, until the main plot switched over to some of the "Twilight of the Clans" books (by Stackpole and a couple of other authors). Then Loren L. Coleman wrote the books carrying the main narrative of the Federated Commonwealth civil war up until the end of the series.
If you want a deeper character-driven story that takes place over a longer period of time than "Heir to the Dragon" and "Wolves on the Border" by Robert N. Charette are well-regarded, although the latter is focused on Wolf's Dragoons and their origin is tied in to the later Clan invasion storyline so it may be a little tougher to absorb for a newcomer to the setting.
If you want something with a focus on a small merc unit to feel more like the game, then besides the early Gray Death Legion books you might try Main Event by James D. Long. It's got some Solaris VII (the 'mech gladiator combat planet) action and the main character taking a tiny, newly-formed mercenary unit on a contract to go hold a backwater world against the Clans. It's a little cheeseball even by BT novel standards but I've always had a soft spot for it.
A couple to AVOID:
Far Country is very strange, unlike any other BT book really, in that it it actually has intelligent alien life in it. Most fans strongly dislike it as clashing with what the feel of the BT universe is suppose to be. If you treat it more like a novel or movie "in-universe" (like people in the 31st century went to see this as a cheesy popcorn flick) it's more tolerable.
The Sword and the Dagger is a very early novel which has a lot of technical stuff in it that contradicts canon established later on. It's also the one other BT book with maybe-aliens (although they're pretty incidental as opposed to a major part of the plot like in Far Country). This is partially because it was written by an author who had little knowledge of the setting when the original writer backed out and the contract had to be transferred at the last minute. It's not a bad book per se and its events do have some relevance as motivation for stuff that happens in the Warrior trilogy but it's highly skippable.
The Warrior trilogy by Michael A. Stackpole is basically the story of the Fourth Succession War, the next major conflict after the era the game is set in, and gets most of the long-term political storylines and generational character plots with members of the Inner Sphere "great houses" going.
The follow-on books written by Michael A. Stackpole carried the "main" storyline of the BT universe on through the Clan invasion (the Blood of Kerensky trilogy) and for a while after, until the main plot switched over to some of the "Twilight of the Clans" books (by Stackpole and a couple of other authors). Then Loren L. Coleman wrote the books carrying the main narrative of the Federated Commonwealth civil war up until the end of the series.
If you want a deeper character-driven story that takes place over a longer period of time than "Heir to the Dragon" and "Wolves on the Border" by Robert N. Charette are well-regarded, although the latter is focused on Wolf's Dragoons and their origin is tied in to the later Clan invasion storyline so it may be a little tougher to absorb for a newcomer to the setting.
If you want something with a focus on a small merc unit to feel more like the game, then besides the early Gray Death Legion books you might try Main Event by James D. Long. It's got some Solaris VII (the 'mech gladiator combat planet) action and the main character taking a tiny, newly-formed mercenary unit on a contract to go hold a backwater world against the Clans. It's a little cheeseball even by BT novel standards but I've always had a soft spot for it.
A couple to AVOID:
Far Country is very strange, unlike any other BT book really, in that it it actually has intelligent alien life in it. Most fans strongly dislike it as clashing with what the feel of the BT universe is suppose to be. If you treat it more like a novel or movie "in-universe" (like people in the 31st century went to see this as a cheesy popcorn flick) it's more tolerable.
The Sword and the Dagger is a very early novel which has a lot of technical stuff in it that contradicts canon established later on. It's also the one other BT book with maybe-aliens (although they're pretty incidental as opposed to a major part of the plot like in Far Country). This is partially because it was written by an author who had little knowledge of the setting when the original writer backed out and the contract had to be transferred at the last minute. It's not a bad book per se and its events do have some relevance as motivation for stuff that happens in the Warrior trilogy but it's highly skippable.
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It's unfortunate the the publishers of most of the older books refuse to bring them forward into eBook format. You would think with some of the major releases now, like Battletech and Mechwarrior 5, they would realize there's interesting in those books and convert them but only a few have. Instead you're stuck usually finding some crusty version at a half-priced bookstore.
I just started reading the Grey Death trilogy. The first book was like $1 on Kindle.
Is it just me wo dont like the Grey Death trilogy? I would sugest warrior trilogy but it can be a bit overwhelming at first.
Far Country is notable as far as the game goes, there's an early conversation with Sumire where she's worried about ending up on a planet with a bunch of avian aliens due to a misjump.
Guess what Far Country has and how its plot started?
I personally have never been a huge fan of the Gray Death books because they are a bit too formulaic and unbelievable in them always heroically overcoming insurmountable odds.
But despite this, I do think they're a decent starting point for someone who got into the BT universe through this game, because the era/technology level is the same and the storylines are pretty "small-scale" as opposed to galaxy-spanning plots and major faction wars.
Damn, I must have missed that. I assume it's in the very first dialogue tree with her where she basically gives the JumpShip/star map tutorial?
I do remember she has the whole thing about hating birds because she grew up on a planet that was basically an aviary.
I strongly recommend the Books from Victor Milan.
Hearts of Chaos
Close Quarters
Black Dragon
Hearts of Chaos
Close Quarters
Black Dragon
I'm with you. It was my first Battletech years ago but upon rereading, it doesn't do it for me anymore.
I really like The Warrior Trilogy, Wolves on The Border, and Heir Apparent.
I've also enjoyed all the short stories by Jason Schmetzer.
I believe it is on your first resistance mission when she is shocked you are planning on using a pirate point