Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing Series #5) (Book 5)
by Aaron Allston
List Price:
Our Price: $4.38
You Save: $3.61 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Aaron AllstonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-02-02
ISBN: 0553578944
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Bantam Books
Book Reviews of Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing Series #5) (Book 5)
Book Review: Wraith Squadron: Misfit Pilots Make Good
Summary: 5 Stars
For the fifth book of the Star Wars: X-wing series, Wraith Squadron, Aaron Allston takes over writing duties from Michael Stackpole. Happily, the handoff is extremely smooth and Allston brings some new perspectives and strengths to the table. This series continues to be a very solid concept, bringing a welcome change from the many books focused on the main film characters and illuminating a side of the conflict sometimes overlooked in today's focus on Jedi, Sith, and clone troopers.
Allston's first job is to introduce us to the titular group of fighter pilots. Wedge Antilles believes based on his many experiences with Rogue Squadron that a new team with a different focus is needed. Rogue are pilots first and commandos second; this new squadron will be the other way around, with the highest level of competency in ground-based missions supplanted by keen piloting experience. Allston does a superb job of quickly fleshing out over a dozen new characters, employing an entertaining interview sequence followed by training missions and various short scenes of exposition to get the reader comfortable with so many new additions at once. Within a hundred pages, I was easily able to differentiate the pilots and had already started picking my favorites, no mean feat in a book of this nature.
Several pilots are of particular note. Wedge heads up the squadron with the help of his old squad mate Wes Janson, and they provide a necessary connection back to the earlier stories and the Rogue Squadron comics. Myn Donos, fresh from seeing his entire Talon Squadron wiped out around him in a mission gone awry, brings heaps of survivor's guilt and angst to his new job. Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh, who is depicted essentially as an bipedal horse, must grapple with his multiple personalities, making for some very entertaining dialogue. Garik "Face" Loran, a former child star of Imperial propaganda, and Ton Phanan, a cynical cyborg with medical skills, offer some great comical interludes between missions. Finally, Voort "Piggy" saBinring is a genetically altered Gamorrean with superlative mental abilities - my favorite character of the bunch.
The plot of the book can be readily broken into two segments: the setting up of the squadron and the move to Folor Base for training, and then the missions that come after the surprise assault on Folor by Admiral Apwar Trigit. Trigit works for Admiral Zsinj, the warlord that has been lurking in the shadows of the prior few books. With Ysanne Isard out of the way, it's time for Zsinj to assume the spotlight. I had some trouble envisioning Zsinj as depicted to be truly threatening, but his character does make an interesting break from the stereotypical Star Wars villain.
In an early mission, the Wraiths manage to capture a Corellian Corvette employed by Zsinj, the Night Caller. This capture drives the remainder of the plot, as the Wraiths pose as Imperials and take the Night Caller on through her schedule of stops. The hints of a larger plot by Zsinj begin to unfold, although they are not woven together in this particular volume. The Night Caller storyline is a great one, and it allows Allston to tie together a variety of ground and space-based missions that otherwise might feel somewhat disjointed.
Wraith Squadron receives highest marks for its outstanding characterizations and deftly-handled humor. There were more moments that made me chuckle aloud in this book than any other Star Wars book I've read recently. Allston takes the baton from Stackpole with no glitches and introduces enough new twists to keep this book from feeling like a copy of the first four.
Summary of Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing Series #5) (Book 5)
They are the galaxy's most elite fighting force. And as the battle against the Empire rages, the X-wing fighters risk life and machine to protect the Rebel Alliance. Now they must go on a daring undercover mission--as the crew of an Imperial warship.It is Wedge Antilles' boldest creation: a covert-action unit of X-wing fighters, its pilots drawn from the dregs of other units, castoffs and rejects given one last chance. But before the new pilots can complete their training, the squadron's base is attacked by former Imperial admiral Trigit, and Wraith Squadron is forced to swing into action--taking over an Imperial warship and impersonating its crew. The mission: to gain vital intelligence about Trigit's secret weapons, to sabotage the admiral's plans, and to lure him into an Alliance trap. But the high-stakes gamble pits Wraith Squadron's ragtag renegades against the Empire's most brilliant master of guile and deception.
Are they up to the challenge?
If not, the penalty is instant death.
(r), TM & (c) 1998 Lucasfilm Ltd.
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.
Action & Adventure Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Action & Adventure Books
Polar Shiftby Paul Cussler Clive & Kemprecos
Penguin; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.30
The Call of the Wild (Children's Classics)by Jack London
Penguin Audio; Published: 1997-08-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $11.00
Pelican Briefby John Grisham
Trafalgar Square; Published: 1993-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.19
Price in other shops:
Stardustby Neil Gaiman
HarperCollins; Published: 2008-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.61
Price in other shops:
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)by Neal Stephenson
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-09-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.50
Price in other shops:
Sandstormby James Rollins
Harper; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.50
Price in other shops:
No Man's Landby G.M. Ford
William Morrow; Published: 2005-06-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.50
Price in other shops:
Forever Odd - Signed Proofby Dean Koontz
Bantam; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Preyby Michael Crichton
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2003-08-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Sharpe's Waterloo (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #20)by Bernard Cornwell
Harpercollins; Published: 1998-01-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Similar Books and other products
The Last Command (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 3)by Timothy Zahn
Spectra; Published: 1994-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.87
Price in other shops:
I, Jedi (Star Wars)by Michael A. Stackpole
Spectra; Published: 1999-06-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Starfighters of Adumar (Star Wars: X-Wing #9)by Aaron Allston
Bantam Books; Published: 1999-08-03; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.42
Price in other shops:
Isard's Revenge (Star Wars, X-Wing #8)by Michael A. Stackpole
Bantam Books; Published: 1999-04-13; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.92
Price in other shops:
Solo Command (Star Wars, X-Wing #7) (Book 7)by Aaron Allston
Bantam Books; Published: 1999-02-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.16
Price in other shops:
Iron Fist (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 6)by Aaron Allston
Bantam Books; Published: 1998-07-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.87
Price in other shops:
Rogue Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 1)by Michael A. Stackpole
Bantam Books; Published: 1996-01-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.79
Price in other shops:
Wedge's Gamble (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 2)by Michael A. Stackpole
Spectra; Published: 1996-05-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
The Bacta War (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 4)by Michael A. Stackpole
Spectra; Published: 1997-01-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
The Krytos Trap (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 3)by Michael A. Stackpole
Bantam Books; Published: 1996-10-02; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.40
Price in other shops: