BattleTech Founding of the Clans: A Reader’s Guide

I have written BattleTech fiction across every major era, including novels that had to reconcile Clan cultural details with centuries of established canon. The Founding of the Clans trilogy by Randall N. Bills is the definitive fiction account of how that culture came into being, and it is one of the most ambitious historical projects the franchise has attempted.

The Founding of the Clans trilogy by Randall N. Bills tells the origin story of BattleTech‘s most distinctive civilization. The three novels cover General Aleksandr Kerensky’s Exodus from the Inner Sphere, the colonization and collapse of the Pentagon Worlds, Nicholas Kerensky’s creation of the Clan system, and Operation Klondike, the military campaign that reconquered the Pentagon and cemented Clan society’s structure for centuries.

The trilogy consists of Fall From Glory (2021), Visions of Rebirth (2022), and Land of Dreams (2022). Bills began writing these novels when he was the BattleTech Line Developer at FASA, which means the author had access to the franchise’s internal continuity at the deepest level.

What Does the Trilogy Cover?

I am evaluating these three novels on three criteria: how well they ground the reader in Clan origins without requiring prior BattleTech knowledge, whether the character work justifies the historical scope, and how accurately they reflect the canonical timeline established in the sourcebooks. Bills meets all three, though the character criterion is where individual reader mileage varies most.

The Founding of the Clans is set centuries before the Clan Invasion of the Inner Sphere. It covers the period from the fall of the Star League through the creation of Clan society, roughly 2784 to 2822.

Fall From Glory (Book One): Aleksandr Kerensky leads the largest fleet ever assembled on an exodus from the Inner Sphere. One hundred million dead in the Amaris Civil War, the Star League dissolved, and the Great Houses already turning on each other: Kerensky takes the Star League Defense Force beyond the Periphery to prevent it from being consumed by the Succession Wars. The novel covers the Exodus itself and the colonization of the Pentagon Worlds. 4.5 stars from 242 reviews.

Visions of Rebirth (Book Two): Civil war destroys the Pentagon Worlds as the exiles turn on each other. Nicholas Kerensky, Aleksandr’s son, leads a second exodus to Strana Mechty with eight hundred warriors. There he strips away the old social order and forges the Clan system: a genetically engineered warrior caste, Bloodnames, Trials, and the rigid hierarchy that will define Clan society for centuries. His brother Andery watches as Nicholas remakes civilization and struggles to serve as his brother’s conscience. 4.4 stars from 151 reviews.

Land of Dreams (Book Three): Nicholas Kerensky launches Operation Klondike to reconquer the Pentagon Worlds using his new Clans. Andery Kerensky continues to serve as the moral counterweight, questioning whether the Clans Nicholas has built are better than what they replaced. The campaign to retake the Pentagon is the proving ground for the entire Clan system, and the novel covers the military operations and the political consolidation that follows. 4.4 stars from 131 reviews.

Who Founded the Clans?

Nicholas Kerensky founded the Clan system on Strana Mechty after the Pentagon Civil War destroyed the original Exodus settlements. He designed the Clans as a warrior-caste civilization organized around genetic breeding programs, ritual combat, and strict social hierarchy. Twenty Clans were created initially, each named for an animal totem, each with its own genetic legacy.

Aleksandr Kerensky led the Exodus, but Nicholas created the Clans. That distinction matters. The Exodus was a military withdrawal. The Clans were a deliberate social experiment, built by Nicholas to prevent the factional warfare that had consumed both the Inner Sphere and the Pentagon Worlds.

Where Does the Trilogy Fit in the Timeline?

The Founding of the Clans is the earliest Clan-era fiction in the catalog. It is set roughly two centuries before the Legend of the Jade Phoenix trilogy, which follows Aidan Pryde during the Clan Invasion of 3049 to 3052. Everything Thurston depicts in the Jade Phoenix books (sibkos, Bloodname trials, the caste system, the trueborn/freeborn divide) originates in the events Bills covers here.

If you are coming from the Clan Invasion novels, the Founding trilogy answers the “where did they come from” question in full detail. If you have not yet read the Clan Invasion fiction, the trilogy works as a standalone origin story, though reading it first removes some of the mystery that makes Lethal Heritage and The Way of the Clans effective as first-contact narratives.

My recommendation: read the Clan Invasion books first, then come back to the Founding trilogy. The Clans are more compelling when you meet them as invaders before you understand how they were made.

What to Read Before and After

Before: No prerequisites are required. The trilogy is designed to work with no prior BattleTech knowledge. That said, if you have already read the Clan Invasion fiction (the Blood of Kerensky trilogy, the Jade Phoenix trilogy, the Twilight of the Clans), the Founding trilogy will be richer because you already know what the Clans become.

After: The next chronological fiction is Betrayal of Ideals by Blaine Lee Pardoe, which covers the destruction of Clan Wolverine in 2822, immediately after the events of Land of Dreams. At 4.7 stars from 532 reviews, it is one of the most popular BattleTech novels in the modern era and directly continues the political tensions the Founding trilogy establishes.

The best BattleTech Clan Invasion books cover the full era from first contact through the ilClan Trial, and the reading path after the Jade Phoenix trilogy maps the Clan-side fiction from Aidan Pryde forward.

Where to Buy

All three novels are available individually as BattleTech Legends reprints from Catalyst Game Labs in print-on-demand and digital formats. A box set collecting all three is also available.