More than one hundred full-length BattleTech or MechWarrior science fiction novels have been published by FASA Corporation and later ROC, and have been translated into at least fifteen languages. The novels take place in the fictional BattleTech universe of the 31st and 32nd centuries and can be considered space opera. [1] The first official BattleTech novel was William H. Keith's Decision at Thunder Rift (1986); the last from FASA was Loren L. Coleman's Endgame (2002) which resolved plot lines and character arcs from many previous works. Subsequent publications jump ahead chronologically to the 32-century MechWarrior: Dark Age setting, beginning with Michael A. Stackpole's Ghost War (2002) and ending with Kevin Killiany's To Ride the Chimera (2008). The closure in 2008 of WizKids delayed the release of further novels. D. R. T. May 1994 The Black Thorns, fresh from their victory at Borghese (but lacking funds) take a high-profile contract on the world of Wolcott, a Draconis Combine world deep within the holdings of Clan Nova Cat and Clan Smoke Jaguar. Prompted by their fiscal desperation, they take on a risky contract that will lead them deep into the Clans. Can they make it out alive, or will they be swallowed by a superior Clan force?