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5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 This book was awful!Jun 11, 2000
By Scott Siatkowski
I could go on and on about how awful this book was. I don't even see how it was really necessary to the Twilight series. It was more like a soap opera than anything else. The ending was the most laughable part... "It's not over yet Horse! ," the drunken Clan bloodnamed warrior Howell screamed while flailing his arms in the air. Sad, just sad... I wish I could destroy a Summoner and a Warhammer with two LAMs. Just skip this book and go on to Twilight V.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Fair, but unneccesaryApr 16, 1999
The book had it's uses to give some detail for the Clan's viewpoints, as well as laying some groundwork for the next Thuston Twilight novel, but I thought it was way overdone and rather tedious. The relevant parts could have been placed piecemeal in other books and saved us the time. I guess for me it was just too unbelievable that Rossue Howell would end up like he did after learning about him in Exodus Road. Also, considering the way Smoke Jaguar feels about freebirths, what was he trying to accomplish with all that junk about making Horse a member of SJ clan? Since he was freeborn, I couldn't see Howell caring much about him, no matter how big a JF name he was (especially considering the natural animosity between most clans). I would rather imagine he would simply delegate him to the labor cast a forget about him, except for the occasional verbal barb to JF about him. The one combat scene strikes me as written in on the spur of the moment to have one in there. It does not read very well, and almost seems out of place. Maybe it was put in there to help explain why the Clans don't use LAM's. Anyway, this book need not have been written, and definately not placed in the Twilight series, as it does virtually nothing to advance the plot.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Wished I could give '0' starsApr 09, 2002
By Jan-Thorsten Reszat
I really liked Thurston's Jade Phoenix trilogy which gives us the major and most detailed description of Clan society in the btech universe.
But 'Freebirth' is an absolute pain. It's chaotic, it makes no sense, it is full of logical mistakes, it's simply embarassing.
You want facts? How's this:
2 LAM's destroying 2 front class clan omnis pilotted by elite clan MW's...go dreamin'.
A proven clan officer who goes whack, acting like Jim Carey, and flopping around like Lieutenant Harris in Police Academy?
A solahma mechwarrior who's all of sudden competing like Natasha Kerensky herself (SCom Buhallin).
Oh, dear...you gotta wonder who's been the freeborn editor of this novel. So if you wanna do yourself a favor: Don't read this book, even if you're a die-hard btech reader. And its story doesnt even play any role in the subsequent novels of the Twilight of the Clans series. Go figure.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Isn't it possible to give 'zero' stars?Jul 04, 1999
I loved the Jade Falcon trilogy. I've read them over and over again. Thurston painted a colorful picture of Clan society, its traditions, its heroes and its darker sides. Where Stackpole described Clan policy in his plot-leading novels, Thurston gave life to the Clanners themselves. Alas, Thurston didn't stop there. Freebirth is the failed attempt to show the reader new aspects of Clan society. GalComs with torn personalities, Solahma warriors that beat the crap out of bloodnamed elite pilots, ridiculous fighting scenes with absolute insane outcomes...and worst of all main characters who behave totally out of the picture while giving only fragments of hints for their motivation. The character of Russou Howell for example is a total desaster. Thurston is unable to give a motivation for that proven warrior's un-clannish behaviour. Yet, all of sudden, in the last chapter, Howell appears to be healed and at peace with himself after he just had suffered a surely humiliating defeat. Sorry, this novel is stacked with illogical conclusions and you could write a scientific thesis about the logical mistakes of this book. Okay, Sentania Buhallin gives this novel a positive touch, but if she really was that skilled, why isn't she CJF Khan or at least a GalCom in a completely combat-oriented society? (Just another one of Thurston's errors). Anyway, I'm just glad I finally got thru that attempt of a novel...:-(
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
thurston's worstApr 10, 1999
I'm sorry to say that this is THurston's worst book yet. Gone are the great Jade Phoenix stories. Marthe Pryde is slipping away from teh things that made her interesting, and my fleeting appreciation for Horse lasted all of three chapters this time.
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