Humans controlling robots to fight battles for them isn't entirely a new thing. Ever since the days of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, this has been the case. This is the magnum opus of mech stories that Hollywood has been teasing fans with movies such as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Robocop, Transformers, Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, Aliens and Avatar for decades.
Battletech: Legend Of The Jade Phoenix Volume 3: Falcon Guard written by Robert Thurston, considered a sci-fi classic continues this trend. A third part in the story that takes place in the 31st Century in a galaxy far, far away...
...is actually a eugenics war set in the future between test tube babies called True Borns and babies of natural childbirth called Freeborns.
This volume is focused on a high ranking mechwarrior named Aiden Pryde who is demoted to a command whose orders are to whip into shape a group of aging mechwarrior pilots on the verge of retirement known as Falcon Guard.
Mechwarriors are so badass that when they retire or have a dispute, they go out in a blaze of glory called a Trial of Grievance which involves combat to the death seen here between Star Commander Summer Mandaka and Mechwarrior Rollan.
This book is an easy going read and it is fairly enjoyable. I've been re-reading a few chapters, and putting it away for months but for you readers out there who like to do it all in one sitting, the option is there. This series was so hot, it eventually made the transition to a computer game. It's been 20 years already, when can we get to see an official MechWarrior movie???
Cinematics by Digital Domain in Mechwarrior 2 published by Activision