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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!