Starfighters of Adumar (Star Wars: X-Wing #9) Review

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(More customer reviews)Mr. Alston has done it again with his newest addition to the x-wing series. He has made me laugh. Stackpole, who really is the master of the x-wing books (but let's not get into that) hasn't really made me laugh. Alston has. At first, I hated this book. I actually bought it four or five months ago, but just now got around to reading it again, and deciding I liked it. This book grows on you. At first, I was disapointed that most of the Rogues/Wraiths weren't mentioned, because the story centers on Wedge, Tycho, Wes and Hobbie, but then I realized that we don't get enough of these characters. Wedge has depth in this book, a personality. Hobbie actually has lines. Heck, Hobbie has *sentances* in this book! A major improvement from other books. Tycho and Wes are their loyal and loveable selves accordingly.
Wedge, who had just broken up with Qwi, finds he needs a vacation, but before he can go off, Gen. Cracken sends him and the other three off to the newly-discovered planet of Adumar, where pilots are almost worshiped, and fighting is the law of the land. They are sent to try and get Adumar to join the NR, for reason of which Adumar has large proton torpedo producing facilities. (Or they may have large missle facilities, it isn't really important.) While on planet, Wedge and friends get a body guard, Cheris, and a two headed lady. (Long story, read the book) Wedge also meets up with an old friend, and a lot of loose ends are tied up. Also the gang of fighter pilots cross-dresses, and Hobbie shrieks like a woman. (Just read it.) ~Nishana

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Book 9 in the exciting series!The X-wing fighter pilots have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force by overwhelming enemies with their rapid-fire assaults. But now they are about to embark on a diplomatic mission that will prove to be even more hazardous than all-out combat....The neutral world of Adumar has decided to pick a side in the war to control the galaxy. Delegates from both the New Republic and the Empire have been invited to Adumar, and each camp will be given a chance to plead its government's case. But there is one small catch: since the Adumari prize military skill above all else, they insist that both delegations be composed exclusively of fighter pilots. For pilot Wedge Antilles and his company, it's an unfamiliar exercise in diplomacy--and one that's filled with unexpected peril. For once they arrive, the X-wing pilots are challenged by Adumar's fierce warriors and attacked by Imperial assassins bent on eliminating all competition. But these challenges pale in comparison to the threat posed by a rogue Republic agent...one who is determined to win Adumar's allegiance once and for all--even if it costs the X-wing pilots their lives.

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Isard's Revenge (Star Wars, X-Wing #8) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although I was pleased to see the return of the Rouges in this book, I thought that the last Rouge Squadron based novel did a good job of tying up all the loose ends with the characters, which lead to this book running low on character development. The return of Isard was a big disappointment at the start, because the first four books were dedicated to her downfall and her "death". I felt as if Stackpole ran out of ideas for villains and was just using an old one to create a new book, but then as the plot progressed I ended up liking the book, as Stackpole used his fleshed out characters like Corran and Gavin, and highly descriptive battle sequences to move the mediocre plot along. Overall a fun read but lacking depth.

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Rogue Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Rogue Squadron" is the first book (of 9) in the X-Wing series set in the Star Wars universe. The Rogue Squadron is legendary. Responsible for the destruction of both Death Stars, as well as being one of the primary defense forces on Hoth, the Rogue Squadron is given the toughest missions and has the highest death rate in the entire Rebel Alliance. Commander Wedge Antilles has been given a new mission for his Rogue Squadron, straight from Admiral Ackbar and the leadership of the Alliance: assemble the best of the best pilots and reform Rogue Squadron to tackle the highest profile, most difficult missions and try and end this war against the Empire.
Emperor Palpatine might be two years dead by the start of "Rogue Squadron", but the Empire is vast and top Empire officials have taken hold of the Empire (even as it splinters apart). Some planets may not even know of his death, yet. It was a major victory, but the war still rages on. Ysanne Isard, the head of Imperial Intelligence runs the Empire in everything but name. Nicknamed "Iceheart", she is exactly that. Isard is cold, ruthless, and subtle in her actions: a true intelligence officer. She continues to hunt the Alliance, and in particular, the symbol that is Rogue Squadron.
The primary protagonist of "Rogue Squadron" is the Correllian Corran Horn, a former member of the Correllian Security (CorSec). He is one of the best in Rogue Squadron, which makes him one of the elite pilots in the galaxy. Corran Horn, while a great pilot and an asset to the Alliance, is also a hunted man. Kirtan Loor, an underling of Isard and a man with a grudge against Horn, is put in charge of the mission to destroy Rogue Squadron and protect the Empire.
Being a novel about an X-Wing fighter squadron, "Rogue Squadron" is filled with space battles and dog fights and is action packed. This is a fast paced Star Wars novel and is one of the better ones that I have read. Being set after "Return of the Jedi" means that we don't know how the story is going to play out or what the future is for the Alliance (every prequel novel has to fit itself into the known events of the movies). This frees the story up a bit, and with a novel built around characters who were not even in the films (except for minor characters like Wedge), there is a sense of freedom here. It helps that Michael Stackpole is able to tell an entertaining story that also serves to build the overreaching plotline of the X-Wing series. For a reader looking to discover what happens after "Return of the Jedi", "Rogue Squadron" is the perfect place to begin.
-Joe Sherry

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Wedge's Gamble (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)If the first book in the X-Wing series was great, then Wedge's Gamble, the second in the acclaimed X-Wing series was phenominal. It took everything great about the first book and turned up the heat. Wedge's Gamble, has WEdge Antilles and his Rogue Squadron on an impossible mission: disable the shields of Curuscant, the seat of Imperial Power. They have to deal with rogue agents, unpleasant surprises, deadly enemies and a traitor or two in their midst. Stackpole takes his characters and crafts a remarkable story. As a stand alone book its very good as part of the X-Wing series its awesome. Once again Stackpole focuses on Corran Horn a character who is not omnipotent, who does make mistakes, sometimes crucial ones. He is a very strict former cop who has the ego of an elite pilot just to make things interesting. It's not just Horn who is well drawn but the other characters as well. As the main villain Isard is chilling, but it's the hidden agenda of Fliry Vorru that hinges the story. Full of laserfights, space battles and one really big storm, Wedge's Gamble is a superb addition to the X-Wing series and the expanded universe.

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The Krytos Trap (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 3) Review

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(More customer reviews)The third installment in Michael Stackpole's "X-Wing" seriesdetails the aftermath of the taking of Coruscant by therebels. Anyone who's been following this series will want to pick this one up - it's consistent in tone with the earlier novels, and the plot is both fast-moving and believable.
Unlike other authors of new Star Wars material, Stackpole has drawn directly from contemporary issues. Readers will recognize the similarity of physical symptoms of the Krytos virus to Ebola, and takes the opportunity to draw a parallel between human/non-human relations in the Star Wars universe to racial tensions in our own world.

Despite this, the tone of the novel is anything but grim. The primary focus here is entertainment, and in this Stackpole succeeds - my lunch hour extended to two hours from reading this book! It's a real page-turner, something that is necessary for anything bearing the Star Wars name, but which few Star Wars novels have managed to achieve.

The interesting thing is that the character I found myself most interested in is Kirtan Loor, Corran Horn's nemesis. Loor's struggle to extricate himself from Iceheart's clutches, and only managing to ensnare himself further, makes for some of the most compelling reading in the book. In fact, the fate reserved for him is a little disappointing; I was not left with a sense of closure in Loor's case.

The trial of Tycho Celchu is clearly the trial of the century in the Star Wars universe, and provides Stackpole with the opportunity to level a criticism or two at the media. The effect of the trial on the fledgling New Republic government is one influence that is clearly felt throughout the book.

One criticism I do have - I just wasn't as interested in Corran in this book as I was in previous books. It seemed pretty evident from the outset that he would survive with his sanity intact. After reading such novels as C.J. Cherryh's stunning "Cyteen," I may have an unusually high standard for stories dealing with this topic, but these sections of the novel weren't as effective as I felt they could be. It's true what they say - a reader won't believe it if the character has good luck, but we'll believe in bad luck readily enough - and the more of it the better! Corran just doesn't seem touched as deeply as he should be by his experience; this is one aspect of the novel that I really felt could have been better done.

Overall, though, the X-Wing series still outshines most of the other Star Wars books that have been recently released. It's fun, as the original films were fun, and while no novel can come close to matching the films, the same tone and cinematic breadth are absolutely necessary. Stackpole is one of the few who has managed this.

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The Rebels have taken the Imperial headquarters world of Coruscant, but their problems are far from over. A killer virus called Krytos is spreading among the population, and fomenting a counter-revolution, at the same time as the treason trial of Rebel hero Tycho Celchu. And X-wing pilot Corran Horn, given up for dead in "Iceheart"'s inescapable prison, discovers an extraordinary power in himself--the power of the Force!

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