7 ABY

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In the fourth volume of the X-Wing series, ex-Rogues, led by Wedge Antilles, make war for revenge and justice on Isard who established herself on Thyferra, only source of Bacta in the whole Galaxy. Without (official) backup of the New Republic military they really have to get inventive at material acquisition, strategies and tactics. Isards fleet, sporting two Star Destroyers and one Super Star Destroyer, is impossible to beat in an upfront battle with only the fighters Antilles has, so he resorts to piratery, guerilla tactics and covert operations. The team also has to trade with smugglers for spare parts dearly needed. Isard, on the other hand, struggles to retain control over rebellious elements on Thyferra and hunt down Antilles and his comrades at the same time. Traitors Vorru and Erisi try to survive no matter what between their more and more ruthless enemy and their unforgiving mistress.

The Bacta War is less political than the books before but sports more action, making it an entertaining read. Due to the diversity of tasks the main characters have to work on Stackpole is able to use every character in a position where they fit the best. This makes for a number of funny dialogs, especially with and around Booster Terrik. My critique regarding Stackpole’s style stands; furthermore, I did not like the ending. Although the happy end was well-earned and well-designed, I missed some kind of sacrifice trading for the superior win Antilles forces get. But this might be a general problem in the Star Wars universe: it just barely works out with minimal losses, always. I wonder how the series will progress since this book seems to conclude most arcs; given that the next books are written by Aaron Allston I might be in for some changes.

7 ABY

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After the taking of Coruscant in Wedge’s Gamble , book three of the X-Wing series depicts the problems the newly founded New Republic has. While Corran Horn is being held, questioned and tortured by Isard in her secret facility, her plans for Coruscant bear fruit. The Provisional Council, on its way to establish a proper government, has to cope both with the hideous Krytos virus that kills of huge amount of non-humans, the Bacta shortage it induces and the trial of Tycho Celchu who has been accused of both treason and murder. Rogue Squadron itself is neglected but for some missions that are supposed to procure Bacta. All the time, Loor and his PCF lead a guerilla war agains the new order to cause further disorientation. There are some surprising turns of events but in the end, of course, everything works out somehow.

The Krytos Trap is as good as its predecessors. It has a nice, self-contained story that is well told if not strikingly so. The problems I have with Stackpole’s writing are pretty much the same as before. In addition, I realized some issues that I could not pinpoint before. First, there are almost no secrets Stackpole keeps from his readers. True, there are some big ones like who the spy in Rogue Squadron is and wether Tycho is guilty, but there are no little ones that could lead to a more thrilling experience. Second, every thought and motivation any major character has is laid out in detail. This fact alone is sometimes disturbing because it leaves no room to wonder, but since Stackpole chooses to transport those things through dialog, all characters appear to be overthinkers. Only for Loors final move this is different: Stackpole does not tell from Loors perspective what he was up to. Although this style could have improved the book(s) a lot, it feels weird as an isolated phenomenon.

All in all, the book has entertained me well. I think that by dropping or rearranging some chapters, Stackpole could have improved it but it works this way, too. Especially the true location of Lusankya and its exit were very well done. Some developments in the end promise real changes for book four, so I expect it to be fairly exciting!

6.5 ABY

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So I was finally able to finish the second volume of the X-Wing series, Wedge’s Gamble. I have not been able to figure out why it is thus titled; maybe because Wedge has to take care which people to trust. The focus of this book is preparation for and execution of Coruscant’s invasion. The Rebels consider this move the key to destroying the Empire, and so does Isard. But, as it turns out, she intends to let her enemies have Coruscant and cripple the previously free-to-move Rebellion with the shackles of a booby-trapped city planet. In the course of this book, both sides play really nasty. In particular, Rogue Squadron is set to infiltrate Coruscant’s lower levels in order to determine the enemy’s defense capabilities, cooperate with local criminals and sabotage whenever possible. Due to some (in)convenient setup, Isard and Loor know precisely what the Rogues are up to which leads to quite a few tight situations. On the other hand, Isard has her people fabricate a virus designed to kill as many non-humans as possible.

I liked this book with respect to its content. Bold as it is by Stackpole to barely let Rogue Squadron fly for the greater part of the book, it works out. Especially the idea to have several groups act independently — because they do not know of the others — has merit. We also read very well done action scenes; Stackpole appears to be strongest at those.

With respect to execution, though, I am dissatisfied. The great idea of independent groups could have been exploited more; what if they counteracted each other unwittingly? As it is, the split had no consequence. Instead, this part is used rather for character development than for story telling for which Stackpole regroups his heroes. Another major point that disturbs me is that all characters seem to talk with the same voice; I would like to feel differences in view points. Horn as main narrative character remains to be both distant from his fellow characters but also from us readers. I am not the overly romantic guy, but his talking about feeling sounds like him explaining his date how to cook noodles with Bacta sauce.

All in all I consider this book a setup book. How will the Rebellion handle Coruscant and all it entails? What will happen to Corran Horn? How will the Celchu issue turn out? These and more questions really make me want to read the next volume, so I think Stackpole wrote a solid if not excellent book.