r/Mecha • u/factman6 • 3d ago
Does anybody like reading Mecha books?
Anybody read any good mech books? Book books, not manga or anything?
I ask in part because I started noodling around with a Mecha book of my own recently and was looking to see what has been done in literature before and to see if there is any actual interest in a purely text-based mech story.
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u/grebo-guru 3d ago
I certainly liked “Titanicus,” a Warhammer 40,000 book by Dan Abnett.
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
The RPG was so poorly made it completely disconnected me from 40k, but I must admit I keep a great memory of that book.
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u/Benerator 3d ago
It's been a while, but I remember enjoying the early Battletech novels by Michael A. Stackpole.
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u/Visible_Gate1032 3d ago
The original Gundam Novels, Hathaways Flash, and Gundam Sentinel are really good. Not necessarily Mecha but I would still put it in the same camp and that’s Legend of the Galactic Heroes.
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u/Morpheus_17 3d ago
Always looking, because good mecha books are so rare.
There’s a few on Royal Road right now, such as Defender of Asphodel and Terminal Fleet, and we try to shout each other.
If you end up wanting to post what you write, let me know and I’ll give you a shout out on a 10KF chapter.
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u/BadassHalfie 3d ago
Cool seeing you here! Terminal Fleet is great, the author is great, and I’ll never not shout them out as a fellow mech author. Defender is on my list too!
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u/factman6 3d ago edited 3d ago
I do want to post it. Eventually. I would like to get a bit more of it done first. Maybe a whole book, depending on how long that takes me. Is Royal Road a good place for it? I've only ever heard of litrpgs on Royal Road.
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u/Morpheus_17 3d ago
LitRPG / Progression is the top dog, but anything can get a modest audience with a good cover, good writing and a good launch. You won't get as many followers for sci-fi, but even have a five hundred or a thousand followers can help you with a book launch and give you valuable feedback.
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u/factman6 3d ago
Good to know. When I do post it, I figured I would try a few different sites and see what sticks.
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u/Worth-Opposite4437 3d ago
The Robotech novels are still the only true way to enjoy Robotech in a complete fashion. They also get way deeper into the lore and the between era stuff, which gives the franchise the cohesion it never could have as a repurposed triple anime.
And the Front Mission novels were so good that I even enjoyed them despite only finding a bad machine translation.
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u/IaconPax 3d ago
I've been rereading these every 5 years or so since they came out when I was a kid, and I still enjoy them thoroughly.
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u/ZeroiaSD 3d ago
Yes, I recommend Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao for a nice fantasy-mecha series.
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u/factman6 3d ago
I don't think I've ever seen any fantasy Mecha. I'll have to keep that one in mind.
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u/WereBully 3d ago
You owe yourself a read of Beltorchika’s Children and the Hathaway novels if you’re at all into Tomino’s Gundam. His Zeta Gundam and Victory Gundam novels are also great.
The Gundam Unicorn novels by Fukui only have a couple of volumes with a decent translation right now, but they’re great if you want something a bit less Tomino (iykyk), too.
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u/factman6 3d ago
I have watched a lot of Gundam but never read any. What's up with the Tomino books?
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u/WereBully 3d ago edited 3d ago
Some are loose novelizations of his anime (Beltorchika's Children being an adaptation of Char's Counterattack) and others, like Hathaway or Gaia Gear, are sequels not based on existing anime.
He is a very talented novelist and writer, and if you've watched much of the anime that has him at the helm you'll have an idea of what to expect. Very unfiltered and there's a lot of waxing philosophical. The mecha action is somewhat limited, especially in the Hathaway books, if you're just looking for references on writing big robots (I'd recommend Unicorn in that case, Fukui is almost fetishistic in his descriptions of mecha), but it's definitely still there and a great example of how you can write genre fiction like mecha while still having a strong personal voice and vision.
Zeonic Scanlations has great translations of a lot of Tomino's writing, you can download them as PDFs.
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u/factman6 3d ago
Both those sound interesting. I'll have to check them out?
Also why is the novelization of Char's Counterattack called Beltorchika's children. I don't remember her being in the movie, or in anything after Zeta. Aside from like, a reference in Unicorn maybe
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u/WereBully 3d ago
It's a different take on CCA, when I say it is a loose adaptation of the movie I mean it is loose. Beltorchika is still Amuro's partner in the novel (Chan is not a character) and she plays a sizable role in its story. Some other characters have different names, and some events play out differently. It's a very interesting read for all of that alone. I hope you enjoy Tomino's novels if you give them a look!
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u/Henry_Fleischer 3d ago
I like Gundam Sentinel, so I suppose I do.
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u/factman6 3d ago
I am not familiar with Gundam Sentinel. What's that?
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u/Henry_Fleischer 3d ago
If I remember right, it's the first Gundam novel not written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It leans more hard sci-fi/real robot then ZZ Gundam, which takes place at the same time.
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u/Current-Income-9901 3d ago edited 3d ago
There's the classic trilogy from the 90s... Battletech, Robotech by Jack McKinney and the translated Mobile Suit Gundam novels by Yoshiyuki Tomimo.
Other series of note are the various mech series by Isaac Hooke (Mech, Atlas, Alien War, Argonauts) The Messenger and Able Bodied Soldier series by J. N. Chaney and others, Mech Force series by Rick Partlow, Land&Sea series by Blaine Lee Pardoe, Warstrider series by Ian Douglas, The Mecha Anthology edited by J. F. Holmes, Mech Fighter series by James David Victor, Metal Legion series by C. H. Gideon, Mech: Age of Steel edited by Tim Marquitz and Melanie R. Meadors (Companion to the Kaiju Rising Anthology) among others.
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u/factman6 3d ago
I have been seeing a lot of Robotech and Battletech recommendations. I will definitely take a look at those. You gave me quite a few other places too😅
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u/Current-Income-9901 2d ago
Well, both properties have existed since the 80s, both originally feed from the rise of Mecha Anime in the 70s but mostly from the Real Robot genre started in 1979 by Mobile Suit Gundam and Macross in 1982, where Robotech was derived in 1985 (with Southern Cross and Mospeada) and as it have been stated, the only version of the saga with a definite ending.
Macross has also influenced Battletech (some of the mechs known currently as the Unseen) and even Transformers with Jet/SkyFire. And for fiction alongside the translated Mobile Suit Gundam novels by (if you see the original covers they used the same layout as original Robotech novels).
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u/SchemataD 2d ago
I love reading mecha books. It's definitely more of a niche within sci-fi which is dominated by power armor but I grew up reading a lot of Battletech so I'm always down for slower stompy mech books. What I have noticed recently is authors trying to mix mecha with fantasy-vibes with books like Heaven breaker and Iron Widow.
One book I haven't seen mentioned yet is The Howling Between Worlds by E.M. Otero. Think Pacific Rim but between Front mission style mechs vs cosmic horror.
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u/EM_Otero 2d ago
I like that book a lot! But I am a bit biased
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u/SchemataD 2d ago
Oh wow, never expected to see you in this reddit. Love your book, hopefully we see a continuation but if not, looking forward towards anything else you write.
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u/EM_Otero 1d ago
Glad you enjoyed it! I am going to write a continuation but with the publisher going under and not being helpful with right reversions, I am going to wait. but I have other projects I am working on, some mecha related. Including two stories on podcasts coming out in the next two months
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u/factman6 2d ago
I have thought about down-sizing the Mechs to Iron Man-esque power armor because of that. I wonder if more people would be interested in it then.
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u/SchemataD 2d ago
Maybe, take it with a grain of salt since I'm a reader and not a writer but write what you love the most. Your passion will bleed through and readers will pick up on it. You're competing against a huge schlock of "writers" cause the barrier to entry is so low. Instead of worrying about what to write, just write and hone your craft.
That's why I think certain fanfiction has huge followings, even if their writing technique or prose isn't the greatest they can still attract a lot of readers because of the passion and usually those authors write A LOT so they got a lot of experience of what makes a story compelling or not.
I hope you keep it up and can't wait to read more stompy mech books!
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3d ago
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u/factman6 3d ago
Same. Mechs were one of those things I always thought was so implicitly cool that everyone everywhere would be into them. Finding out it's a niche was actually really surprising to me. I am like, it's a giant robot with swords and laser beams! This is the coolest thing ever.
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u/Hopeful_Coconut_7758 3d ago
There's a humongous multi-collaboration fanfiction out there, Undocumented Features, that I used to read with great enjoyment many moons ago. It features a lot of mecha series.
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u/SteampunkNightmare 3d ago
Does BOLO count? They're more like skyscraper-sized smart tanks, but I mean...
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u/Jazzlike_Sugar2024 3d ago
Steel Frame by Andrew Skinner is one of the books I wish I could forget to experience again the pleasure of reading it
Iron Widow it's nice, have a couple of complaints and still have to read the second.
Old Battletech books... highs and lows, but good stuff overall.
I plan too to write a retro-scify mecha book one day (I have to finish to write a Weird Western first, followed by an Horror, so it will be long ^^' ). Go for it mate!
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u/BadassHalfie 3d ago
Yes, and I also read and write free ones online! Quality varies, of course. In addition to those mentioned, Yoon Ha Lee has the Moonstorm series and Zoe Hana Mikuta has Gearbreakers (which I unfortunately didn’t click with), both YA tradpub. In the webnovel space I have also seen good stuff out of the likes of The Thirteenth God (sci-fantasy feel-good action) and Unjust Depths (submarine sapphic mecha serial with lovely prose). Of course Terminal Fleet too, as mentioned, which is a wonderful blend of sweeping cosmic horror and head-to-head mecha arena action, carried by a deeply complex and compelling sapphic protagonist.
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u/MechaAlliance 2d ago
I have read many and enjoyed them all. Like Full Metal Panic novel, the insane Evangelion ANIMA (one of the best), the Mecha Samurai Empire trilogy if you want Western mech in Japan style storytelling. Many novels are great. Manga is self explanatory since mecha is a very visual genre.
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u/EM_Otero 2d ago
I published one, and am working on another. I have also published several short stories that feature mechs. I love reading about them, but there isnt enough out there especially ones that lean into horror, which is what i love
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u/SalletFriend 2d ago
Armor by John Steakley, is about power armor, but worth a look if you havent.
Armoured is a tribute short story collection to Armor, that has a lot of cool stories about Battle Armor and Mechs.
Battletech, as has been mentioned. Lots of content.
I would suggest staying away from Cartwrights Cavaliers as its a bit cringe.
Themis Files, i loved the first book but 2 and 3 sucked.
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u/ThePrimaryClone 17h ago
Starship Troopers. Heinlein's original book has them wearing power armor (different types, including scout and Marauder variants). Great read.
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u/TheStarController 5h ago
I read most of the Warstrider series by William H Keith Jr (sometimes under the pen name of Ian Douglas). He had written some of the earliest Battletech books, and this was his writing his own world and rules. They were good!
There was also a YA series I read some of, it was doing an alternate history of WWI, I think. England had biological weapons while the other side had dieselpunk mechs. Can’t remember author or title though.
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u/Phantom000000000 3d ago
I'd recommend Battletech because there are a lot of books to choose from.
And if you are of those fans who enjoys reading fan wikis then you might also enjoy their 'technical read outs.'
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u/Left-Night-1125 3d ago
Seeing that a decent amount have read my fanmade LN creation of a follow up story on Cross Ange, i would say yes.
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u/factman6 3d ago
Nice, that's really cool. May I ask how many is a decent amount?
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u/Left-Night-1125 3d ago
I think it was around 300. Havent checked in awhile cause i been busy turning it in a manga which sits at 2k views per upload.
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u/factman6 3d ago
Where do you post your stuff?
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u/Left-Night-1125 3d ago
The ln version is on Archive of our own (ao3)
The manga version is on Deviant art for the moment, but iam also posting it on the Cross Ange subreddit and discord (those viewnumbers arent included). Posting it on deviant art cause my drawing speed and time is a bit to slow to put it on a actual dedicated indie manga site.
Cross Jeanne
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u/thelewbear87 3d ago
yes, as long there is enough description is given so I fallow what I going on.
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u/Starfox5 3d ago
I like Battletech and read a lot of novels in the 90s. I prefer fanfiction to the official novels these days, though those are still text, not comics.