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thomasawaugh's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
hstapp's review
3.0
Another fun and Adventuresome book in the X-Wing series. Ysanne Isard is back, and is double the trouble. This book focuses on the rogues. The New Republic has decided to go after an imperial named Krennel, and the rogues are once again at the lead.
This book doesn't really have a character focus, like many of the others do. We kind of focus on Corran I guess, but we see a lot of other perspectives as well. Despite the interesting elements of this book, I feel like there are a lot of slow spots where nothing much is happening. I think some of them are supposed to be building tension, but weren't really working for me. Still, it was a decent book and I did enjoy it.
This book doesn't really have a character focus, like many of the others do. We kind of focus on Corran I guess, but we see a lot of other perspectives as well. Despite the interesting elements of this book, I feel like there are a lot of slow spots where nothing much is happening. I think some of them are supposed to be building tension, but weren't really working for me. Still, it was a decent book and I did enjoy it.
luckypluto's review against another edition
2.0
About a year ago, I embarked on a quest to re-read all of the X-wing novels, start to finish (as well as Stackpole’s I, Jedi, since it re-uses many of the characters and situations). I loved these books back when I was in middle school, and I wanted to see if they stood the test of time.
Spoiler alert: They don’t.
Or rather, the first four novels in the series are still great reads, and Allston's Wraith Squadron series is passable, but by the time Isard’s Revenge has come around, the formulaic plots and characters have become a bit stale. Stackpole lost some of the charm and excitement of the first four novels in Isard’s Revenge. I actually started reading this back in March, but took a six-month hiatus from it—partly because I was busy, but partly because this novel just didn’t capture my attention. The plot is utterly predictable, and borrows heavily from other tried-and-true-and-now-stale Star Wars elements.I mean, seriously: a clone? Really? That was already done in the comic books and in Zahn's Thrawn trilogy—which takes place around the same time as this novel! And Horn gets captured again?
You know exactly what to expect from this novel: Corran Horn is going to be a total bad ass but remain utterly unchanged by the events of the novel, Wes Jansen is going to make a few jokes, and Wedge Antilles is going to occasionally provide some sage advice. It feels like Stackpole really just phoned this one in.
In fact, while I have fond memories of reading the first seven novels in my boyhood, I don’t remember reading this novel at all. I know I read it because I know I’ve read all the X-wing novels, but I simply don’t have any recollection of this book. That’s how mundane it really is.
I’d recommend passing on this one, but if you’re trying to read all of the X-wing novels, you really can’t. Just try to read this one as fast as possible.
Spoiler alert: They don’t.
Or rather, the first four novels in the series are still great reads, and Allston's Wraith Squadron series is passable, but by the time Isard’s Revenge has come around, the formulaic plots and characters have become a bit stale. Stackpole lost some of the charm and excitement of the first four novels in Isard’s Revenge. I actually started reading this back in March, but took a six-month hiatus from it—partly because I was busy, but partly because this novel just didn’t capture my attention. The plot is utterly predictable, and borrows heavily from other tried-and-true-and-now-stale Star Wars elements.
You know exactly what to expect from this novel: Corran Horn is going to be a total bad ass but remain utterly unchanged by the events of the novel, Wes Jansen is going to make a few jokes, and Wedge Antilles is going to occasionally provide some sage advice. It feels like Stackpole really just phoned this one in.
In fact, while I have fond memories of reading the first seven novels in my boyhood, I don’t remember reading this novel at all. I know I read it because I know I’ve read all the X-wing novels, but I simply don’t have any recollection of this book. That’s how mundane it really is.
I’d recommend passing on this one, but if you’re trying to read all of the X-wing novels, you really can’t. Just try to read this one as fast as possible.
jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rhganci's review against another edition
1.0
It was my least favorite of the X-Wing novels, and of the least enjoyable of the Star Wars novels as a whole, simply because I felt like I was reading a story that I’d read before, and that’s the main reason I’m crediting myself with an entire read even though I skipped about 100+ pages in the middle somewhere. It was basically the plot of all of the first four X-Wing books all mish-mashed into one. Corran goes missing, then comes back to life. Iella Wessiri shoots Isard to avenge her dead husband. And Asyr fakes her death so she doesn’t have to break Gavin’s heart. It wasn’t very good, though that may be because I just finished The Thrawn Trilogy and that was, by a large margin, the best EU serial story in the Star Wars universe. It’s about time for some Jedi stories.
colinmcev's review against another edition
2.0
Star Wars novels have always been my "guilty pleasure" reading, but I've had a real love-hate relationship with the X-Wing series, particularly Stackpole's works. I don't think they're the strongest books in the Expanded Universe and I especially have issues with Stackpole's writing, but in the past I've been able to look past that because I still found the stories and characters interesting enough, if not flawed. (And I've always enjoyed Aaron Allston's entries a bit more, as I like his sense of humor and think he has by far the more interesting characters.)
Unfortunately, though, I found Isard's Revenge to be my least favorite novel in the X-Wing series, particularly because the story just didn't hold up for me this time around. The half-baked plot feels like an convoluted attempt to squeeze yet one more story out of Ysanne Isard. I've enjoyed that character in the past, but feel Stackpole probably would have better suited to just let her stay dead, let alone going the direction he did with the whole cloning aspect of the story. It just felt very arbitrary and ultimately didn't hold my interest.
The fact that the story was lacking also meant, for me, that the usual issues I have with Stackpole's writing were that much more prominently on display. His dialogue, in particular, has never wrung true for me. It always sounds more like a bunch of people delivering exposition or over-explaining various plot points rather than actually having a conversation. Stackpole also sometimes spends a bit too much time dwelling on the technical elements of the spacecrafts, which to me bogs down the battle scenes too much. He clearly understands all the intricacies of these fictional spaceships, which is great, but I don't need a two-page explanation of every little thing that happens when a shuttle gets shot down.
So, despite how cool the idea of Wedge Antilles and Corran Horn flying around in TIE Defenders might be, Isard's Revenge did not live up to the previous installments for me.
Unfortunately, though, I found Isard's Revenge to be my least favorite novel in the X-Wing series, particularly because the story just didn't hold up for me this time around. The half-baked plot feels like an convoluted attempt to squeeze yet one more story out of Ysanne Isard. I've enjoyed that character in the past, but feel Stackpole probably would have better suited to just let her stay dead, let alone going the direction he did with the whole cloning aspect of the story. It just felt very arbitrary and ultimately didn't hold my interest.
The fact that the story was lacking also meant, for me, that the usual issues I have with Stackpole's writing were that much more prominently on display. His dialogue, in particular, has never wrung true for me. It always sounds more like a bunch of people delivering exposition or over-explaining various plot points rather than actually having a conversation. Stackpole also sometimes spends a bit too much time dwelling on the technical elements of the spacecrafts, which to me bogs down the battle scenes too much. He clearly understands all the intricacies of these fictional spaceships, which is great, but I don't need a two-page explanation of every little thing that happens when a shuttle gets shot down.
So, despite how cool the idea of Wedge Antilles and Corran Horn flying around in TIE Defenders might be, Isard's Revenge did not live up to the previous installments for me.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
4.0
I've enjoyed all the X-Wing books so far and this, the eighth one, didn't disappoint. The myriad descriptions of the particulars of TIE fighters blowing up has always amused me.
Often when characters get married or otherwise pair off, it can get a little stale, not so in this story.
There was a good exploration of the controversial relationship between Gavin and Asyr as well as opposing poles Mirax and Corran who still keep secrets from each other.
Excepting for the newly promoted Wedge Antilles and Iella Wessiri who did get plenty of 'screen time', most of the other pilots didn't really get much focus. When then inevitable deaths occurred, they were red shirts and nothing more. The two more significant deaths were a blow.
I greatly enjoyed Whistler and Cage's break-out and adventure, and found that it was over far too quickly. I felt more time could have been spent with them.
If you haven't read any of the previous X-Wing books, I would strongly urge you to read them before this one. There are many references and plot points that follow those books. If this were an episode on a TV series, there would have been a substantial 'Previously on Rogue Squadron' segment. I think even some of the graphic novels were referenced.
Often when characters get married or otherwise pair off, it can get a little stale, not so in this story.
There was a good exploration of the controversial relationship between Gavin and Asyr as well as opposing poles Mirax and Corran who still keep secrets from each other.
Excepting for the newly promoted Wedge Antilles and Iella Wessiri who did get plenty of 'screen time', most of the other pilots didn't really get much focus. When then inevitable deaths occurred, they were red shirts and nothing more. The two more significant deaths were a blow.
I greatly enjoyed Whistler and Cage's break-out and adventure, and found that it was over far too quickly. I felt more time could have been spent with them.
If you haven't read any of the previous X-Wing books, I would strongly urge you to read them before this one. There are many references and plot points that follow those books. If this were an episode on a TV series, there would have been a substantial 'Previously on Rogue Squadron' segment. I think even some of the graphic novels were referenced.
sonofthunder's review against another edition
4.0
Still in the X-Wing series, I heartily enjoyed this one! It's probably my favourite of Stackpole's novels in this series. A little less over-serious than his previous and really just a good space opera adventure story. Lots of twists and turns (even if they were pretty obvious) and I enjoyed following Corran's story more than I had in any of the previous novels. Corran still makes me roll my eyes at times, but ah well.
alphaalexis's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
wynwicket's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series to pieces, but this one really got bogged down in an unnecessarily complicated villainous plot in which half of the characters thought the other half were dead but there was no real sense of danger. Still, fantastic characters.