Scan barcode
jayspa65's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Set shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi, the Empire is in collapse, fragmenting, but orders have been put in place for 'Operation Cinder' which tells Imperial forces to start destroying planets. Some dedicated units are doing this, and it's one of these 'Shadow Wing', that the New Republic forces have put together a random unit to try to stop.
A strange book but so intriguing. It some ways it is quite cliched. Like you have the former enemy who defected (Quell), the slightly older ruthless rogue that everyone loves (Nath), the idealist who wants to go home (Wyl), the younger rebel who just doesn't care (Chass), the big bulky silent type with secrets (Kairos), and of course their taciturn boss (Adan) and his reformed torture droid (IT-O). And it does start with how the gang all came together, all in their own random X-Wings, Y-Wings etc which gives the book its name.
But what is not cliched is how it continues to explore how damaged and messed up everyone is. There is of course a bond formed between them, but with so many secrets and trauma shared by everyone there is always an edge. There are no real happy endings. The war should be over but it looks to be going on forever. Yes the Emperor and Darth Vader were killed, along with a lot of ships and personnel but there it is a big galaxy and not every planet is opening up its arms for the rebels. There is still a very large Imperial Army out there with orders to raze planets. And it doesn't let up. In fact with one of the revelations towards the end it in some ways gets worse. Took me a few days really to cop how big that particular revelation was.
This is a definitely more a Rogue One book than the usual Star Wars book. It will not be to everyone's taste. There are some cool battles and stuff but it's dark and it's gritty and no-one (apart from Wyl maybe) is even close to being a hero. There are also a few POV's from the Imperial side of things which might have been even better if there had been more of them. As I said, not a typical Star Wars book, but if you want to know what it was really like in the immediate aftermath of the original trilogy from the ordinary rebel POV then this is definitely the book for you. Very curious to where it will go in the next books.
A strange book but so intriguing. It some ways it is quite cliched. Like you have the former enemy who defected (Quell), the slightly older ruthless rogue that everyone loves (Nath), the idealist who wants to go home (Wyl), the younger rebel who just doesn't care (Chass), the big bulky silent type with secrets (Kairos), and of course their taciturn boss (Adan) and his reformed torture droid (IT-O). And it does start with how the gang all came together, all in their own random X-Wings, Y-Wings etc which gives the book its name.
But what is not cliched is how it continues to explore how damaged and messed up everyone is. There is of course a bond formed between them, but with so many secrets and trauma shared by everyone there is always an edge. There are no real happy endings. The war should be over but it looks to be going on forever. Yes the Emperor and Darth Vader were killed, along with a lot of ships and personnel but there it is a big galaxy and not every planet is opening up its arms for the rebels. There is still a very large Imperial Army out there with orders to raze planets. And it doesn't let up. In fact with one of the revelations towards the end it in some ways gets worse. Took me a few days really to cop how big that particular revelation was.
This is a definitely more a Rogue One book than the usual Star Wars book. It will not be to everyone's taste. There are some cool battles and stuff but it's dark and it's gritty and no-one (apart from Wyl maybe) is even close to being a hero. There are also a few POV's from the Imperial side of things which might have been even better if there had been more of them. As I said, not a typical Star Wars book, but if you want to know what it was really like in the immediate aftermath of the original trilogy from the ordinary rebel POV then this is definitely the book for you. Very curious to where it will go in the next books.
moonvest's review against another edition
5.0
Okay, so I'm not the world's expert on Star Wars books, but I've read more than one. And this is far and away the best and coolest. I felt cool reading it. From a distance, putting together THE MOST ragtag group of starfighter pilots in the galaxy may sound pretty trite and obvious, but it actually manages to create such an interesting story with such interesting characters and such a detailed depiction of starfighter flight, it really straps the reader into the cockpit and lets you FEEL THE G'S!!!!
Anyway, this is a rambling review, and I promise I WILL NOT edit or proofread it, but if you like a good Star War, this is going to be worth your time.
Anyway, this is a rambling review, and I promise I WILL NOT edit or proofread it, but if you like a good Star War, this is going to be worth your time.
wynwicket's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I enjoy Star Wars the most when it doesn't rely too much on pre-existing characters but instead explores places in the universe or types of characters that are new or not widely-used. The creation of an entirely new fighter squadron with a diverse group of pilots--including former Imperials, pirate-types, and those who are rebellious even for rebels--was a treat. It took a while to get to know the new cast, and I found it a bit tricky to keep their back stories straight, but I came to really like these guys. A dark read, and a good one. I look forward to continuing the trilogy.
colls's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this and think it's a great start to a new series set in the SW universe.
I think this author does a great job of making the "hero" side of the story more a grey area. I like how conflicted everyone feels about the objective and how at odds some on the same side can be. I normally hate internal conflict and like the threat to be external, but this author makes it really work for me.
I think this author does a great job of making the "hero" side of the story more a grey area. I like how conflicted everyone feels about the objective and how at odds some on the same side can be. I normally hate internal conflict and like the threat to be external, but this author makes it really work for me.
blacksentai's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book. I liked how long and deliberate it was at setting up characters. I'm intrigued about how things will go in the future. There are a number of frustrating bits and some things feel unresolved (not in a "wait for the next book way" but in a "it feels like they forgot to readdress this" way).
But this continues the lines of good star wars books and has me hopeful for what more is coming in the future.
But this continues the lines of good star wars books and has me hopeful for what more is coming in the future.
arrr's review against another edition
Solid adventure space war story. Nothing truly awful happens. Nothing spectacular either. Weird Battlestar Galactica sequence... I didn't click with any of the characters in this one. Maybe they weren't developed enough, or maybe I wasn't paying attention. The story was interesting but disjointed. Didn't understand the one arc until the last chapter. Maybe I'm getting sick of war books. I want a nice one where the characters stop fighting and settle down on a cool alien world with diverse species. I want Wly to go home and chill. Or find out where Kairos is from. I want to read that book. Haha. I'm sure lots of folks will love this book. I'll still read the next one in the series. Maybe there's more character development next time. I will hope.
quigonchuy's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay. I am still going to read the sequel, just to see if it gets better. But overall, I didn't really feel that connected to any of the characters or their ideas, pasts, or motivations. I should know by now, that the starfighter and pilots part of star wars pales in comparison to the jedi and lightsaber parts for me haha
capt_lilja's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Slow read and the characters aren’t really likable or well developed. I didn’t find myself caring much about them. I like the time period and really wanted to like this but struggled to finish.
schlong01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was a fun book even for none star wars fans. It's very character based and you don't have to know much about the universe. There might be some inaccuracies for big star wars fans but overall it's a relatively consistent book.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
It takes a little while to keep all of the characters straight in your head, there are a lot of them, but it was worth sticking with. A story set soon after the events of the movie Return of the Jedi, or "The Battle of Endor" in SW novelspeak :-) it's all about the forming of a new group of pilots for the New Republic, the government that has formed from the victorious Rebel Alliance. The Empire may have fallen, but there are still many Imperial forces still out there, wreaking damage on New Republic planets and ships, trying to keep the Empire alive. We start with an Intelligence officer who recruits Yrica Quell, a former Imperial pilot, who used to be in the "Shadow Wing," a particularly ruthless and effective squadron of TIE Fighter pilots, to help him form a new squadron to go after the Shadow Wing. They end up five pilots with very different backgrounds, all flying five different kinds of ships, which is very unique in fighter squadrons--usually you have all X-Wings or all B-Wings, etc. And they all have lots of personality quirks and issues, and personal baggage, each desiring revenge against Shadow Wing or justice for fallen comrades killed by Shadow Wing. It's really interesting to see how they all eventually coalesce into a working unit and establish rapport with each other, despite their differences. Lots of flying scenes, of course, and battles both with starships and with inner demons. Good book. As always, I wish there was just one Jedi in it somewhere, but that's a different kind of SW book. :-) Sets up nicely for a sequel too, of course, but major plotlines are all brought to a close.