Editing Main Event

{{InfoBoxProduct
| image               = Main Event.jpg
| name                = 
| type                = Novel
| author              = [[James D. Long]]
| development         = 
| primarywriting      = 
| pages               = 352
| cover               = [[Boris Vallejo]]
| interiorart         = 
| illustrations       = 
| publisher           = [[Roc Books]]
| productioncode      = 
| year                = 01 May 1993
| ISBN10              = 0451452453
| ISBN13              = 978-0451452450
| MSRP                = 
| content             = 
| era                 = [[Clan Invasion era]]
| timeline            = [[3054]] &ndash; [[3055]]
| series              = 
| precededby          = 
| followedby          = [[D.R.T.]]
}}
'''''Main Event''''', by [[James D. Long|Jim Long]], is the first story of the [[Black Thorns]] mercenary unit.

{{BCNovel|on 05 February 2010}}
== From the back cover ==
{{quote|''[[Dispossessed]] in the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]], former [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] soldier [[Jeremiah Rose]] wants nothing more than to strike back at the [[Clans]] who destroyed his 'Mech and his career. Dreams of swift vengeance turn to nightmares when every effort he makes to rejoin the fight to protect the citizens of the [[Inner Sphere]] is rejected.''

''Forced to win a new [[BattleMech]] by fighting on the game world of [[Solaris VII]], Rose recruits other soldiers from the arenas to create a new mercenary unit and take his grudge back to the invaders.''

''Unfortunately, Rose is long on battle experience and desperately short on business skills. Turning a band of mismatched [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]s into an elite [[Black Thorns|fighting unit]] becomes harder than he imagined when Rose is forced to fight his fellow MechWarriors in order to fight the Clans.''}}

==Plot Summary==
Jeremiah Rose fought on Tukayyid, left ComStar, went back to Northwind to petition for formation of a new 'Mech merc group under NWH, was rejected. Goes to [[Solaris VII]] to get a 'Mech. Pilots a ''Shadow Hawk'' for [[Carstairs Stables]]. Description on p. 115. Upgrades to a ''Charger'', recruits Sol 7 team members to go to [[Outreach]]. They win a practice match against [[Wolf's Dragoons]] by forfeit. 

The Black Thorns accept a garrison contract from the [[Borghese Ruling Council|planetary council]] of [[Borghese]] to protect against and [[Clan Jade Falcon]] raids that may cross the [[Tukayyid Line]].  The Thorns are double-crossed by a [[Preservationists|faction]] that wants to peacefully turn the planet over to Jade Falcons believing that doing so will save lives. Thorns defeat the underbid Clan forces as they fight their way into a ComStar HPG; get a message off to F-C and drive off CJF.

== Featured Characters ==
* [[Jeremiah Rose]]
* [[Rianna Rose]]
* [[Salander Morgain]]
* [[Desmond Warwick]]

== Featured places ==
* [[Borghese]]
* [[Northwind]]
* [[Outreach]]
* [[Solaris VII]]
* [[Tukayyid]]

==Featured BattleTech==
===BattleMechs===
* ''[[Annihilator]]''
* ''[[Archer]]''
* ''[[Awesome]]''
* ''[[Banshee (BattleMech)|Banshee BNC-5S]]''
* ''[[BattleMaster]]''
* ''[[Centurion]]''
* ''[[Charger|Charger CGR-3K]]''
* ''[[Crab]]''
* ''[[Crusader]]''
* ''[[Fire Moth (Dasher)]]''
* ''[[Gargoyle (Man O' War)]]''
* ''[[Hunchback]]''
* ''[[Ice Ferret (Fenris)]]''
* ''[[Javelin]]''
* ''[[Marauder]]''
* ''[[Marauder II]]''
* ''[[Nova (Black Hawk)]]''
* ''[[Orion]]''
* ''[[Phoenix Hawk]]''
* ''[[Raven]]''
* ''[[Rifleman]]''
* ''[[Shadow Hawk]]''
* ''[[Shootist]]''
* ''[[Stalker]]''
* ''[[Stinger]]''
* ''[[Summoner (Thor)]]''
* ''[[Thunderbolt]]''
* ''[[Thug]]''
* ''[[Timber Wolf (Mad Cat)]]''
* ''[[Valkyrie]]''
* ''[[Victor]]''
* ''[[Warhammer]]''
* ''[[Warhawk (Masakari)]]''
* ''[[Wolverine]]''
* ''[[Zeus]]''

===Aircraft===
* ''[[MechBuster]]''

===SpaceCraft===
* ''[[Union|Union-class DropShip]]'' ''[[Bristol (Individual Union-class DropShip)|Bristol]]''
* ''[[Iron Hand]]''

== Notes == 
* The short story in the [[1991 Update Flyer]] ''[[By Any Other Name]]...'' by the same author is largely an abbreviated and altered version of Chapters 10 through 12 of this novel - Rose's disabling of O'Shea, his meeting with Carstairs and Esmeralda, and the duel itself. The fact it predates the release of ''Main Event'' indicates it actually be the prototype or that the story was expanded to become the novel.

==Foreign-Language Editions==
===German=== 
A German edition, translated by [[Reinhold H. Mai]], was published by [[Heyne]] in 1994 as ''Stahlgladiatoren'' (ISBN 9783453072817).<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/942022629 first printing of ''Stahlgladiatoren'']</ref>  The book had several printings, including a third printing in 1995 under the same ISBN.<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/945866984 third printing of ''Stahlgladiatoren'']</ref>  This was also republished as an EPUB by [[Ulisses Medien & Spiel Distribution GmbH|Ulisses Spiele]] in 2017 as ''BattleTech Legenden 19 : Stahlgladiatoren'' (ISBN 9783957526700).<ref>Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Catalog entry for [https://d-nb.info/1137467762 ''BattleTech Legenden 19 : Stahlgladiatoren'']</ref>

===Russian===
A Russian edition, translated by  N. Kugerovskaya and E. Zvyagin, was published by [[Армада]] (Armada) in 1996 as ''Основное событие'' (ISBN 576320123X). <ref> Science Fiction Lab Book description for [http://fantlab.ru/edition39292 Основное событие]</ref><ref> National Library of Russia description for [https://webservices.nlr.ru/util/?method=recordFormat&vid=07NLR_VU1&sysid=005375616&format=037&base=NLR01 Основное событие]</ref>  A reprint was published in 2002 as ''Точка отсчета'' (ISBN 5309003770) by [[Армада-пресс]] (Armada-Press) as part of a different series produced in collaboration with [[Дрофа]] (Drofa).  <ref> Science Fiction Lab Book description for [http://fantlab.ru/edition39291 Точка отсчета]</ref><ref> National Library of Russia description for [https://webservices.nlr.ru/util/?method=recordFormat&vid=07NLR_VU1&sysid=000539674&format=037&base=NLR01 Точка отсчета]</ref>

==Covers==
<gallery>
Image:Main Event.jpg|Original 1993 cover. Art by Boris Vallejo. 
Image:Stahlgladiatoren.jpg|1994 German edition. Art by Boris Vallejo.
Image:BattleTech Legenden 19 - Stahlgladiatoren.jpg|2017 German edition (reprint).
Image:Основное событие.jpg|1996 Russian edition.
Image:Точка отсчета.jpg|2002 Russian edition.
</gallery>

=References=
<references/>


[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Classic BattleTech novels]]
[[Category:BattleCorps publications]]
[[Category:Works by James D. Long]]
[[Category:German Editions]]
[[Category:Russian Editions]]