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Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing #5)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 4,547 ratings · 60 reviews

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 uni...more

ebook, 416 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Spectra (first published February 1998)

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Sep 11, 2009 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, star-wars

Much better. A solid 4.

Better characterization, better conflict, better connection between reader and story than the original X-Wing books.

Given the constraints of fan fiction, Wraith Squadron would be a decent stand-alone space opera. Oh, there are the obligatory cameos by SW heavies and all the constraints of the SW universe, but that's why these books were written, not to please the greater universe of SF readers.

Good job.

(The low-tech nature of the SW universe bothers me. That an Imperial st...more

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Jun 18, 2012 L. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first four books of the X-wing series were definitely good, and I enjoyed reading them, but there was undeniably something missing from the characters; which seemed just a bit to clichiey and wooden, and the action sequences; there was simply too many of them! This book made it all worthwhile! Rather than chapter upon chapter of nothing but fight scenes, the author balances the action with the characters perfectly. At first I thought it would be impossible to adjust to a whole new cast of ch...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Smitha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's always tough when you're introducing a totally new cast of original characters, and the leading/governing characters in this book only had very minor roles in the original films (with very brief cameos by the Big Three). Still, it just didn't have the same human-oriented feel as Michael Stackpole's Rogue Squadron books. I could be biased, though, because I think Stackpole wrote THE most human book in the entire Star Wars Expanded Universe: "I, Jedi," set in the first-person, which is also a...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Linfer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, expanded-universes

After I read this book I had to go back and change my rating of Stackpole's books. Because this new arc showed me exactly what I hadn't liked about the Rogue Squadron characterwise but had in a way dismissed, because the story was so good.
Granted, it was much more difficult to really get into X Wing #1, because the team already existed, but I was always at least slightly annoyed, because there wasn't much team so to speak of.
Interestingly this team spirit was very well captured in the comics don...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was wondering where the series was headed after the last book. "The Bacta War" was a satisfying end to the Rogue Squadron's saga and so when the next novel started, under the direction of new writer Aaron Allston, what stories could be mined from Wedge Antilles and his X-wing fighters? It turns out that Allston knew that continuing with the members of Rogue Squadron as the principle protagonists wasn't going to cut it if he was going to make his own mark on the series and instead opted to crea...more I was wondering where the series was headed after the last book. "The Bacta War" was a satisfying end to the Rogue Squadron's saga and so when the next novel started, under the direction of new writer Aaron Allston, what stories could be mined from Wedge Antilles and his X-wing fighters? It turns out that Allston knew that continuing with the members of Rogue Squadron as the principle protagonists wasn't going to cut it if he was going to make his own mark on the series and instead opted to create a new group of rag-tags to exploit. This new group, code-named Wraith Squadron, is essentially the Dirty Dozen or the Inglourious Basterds of the Rebel Alliance. Cultivated from the washouts and lost causes of other units, Wedge Antilles puts together a team of commandos to fly X-Wings, turning Rogue Squadron's initiative of pilots who do commando work on its ear.

The action picks up not long after the last book ended, with the primary focus of the New Republic fleet being the destruction of Warlord Zsinj, a portly renegade admiral who has slowly been consolidating his power away from the control of the now defeated Ysanne Isard. The novel moves at a brisk pace beginning with the formation of the squadron and along its missions where they end up in control of an Imperial ship and pose as its crew to get close to their enemy. The novel is thoroughly entertaining in its progression because of the sort of pilots who make up the group. The most interesting characters are the ones that are flawed and here everyone is vying for the title of most dysfunctional with only Wedge and his second in command Wes Janson truly having their game together, which makes for some interesting scenarios when the group has to work together to accomplish their goals.

I have to admit that while it was a really good novel, it took a while to get acclimated to the new cast of characters, because the flaws that are designed to make them interesting at times makes them come off as unlikeable. Kell Tainor, for example, is stepping up to take the place of Corran Horn who was the lead protagonist in the previous four novels. Much like Corran he has some issues with his father's death, but Corran didn't come off as emotionally crippled as Kell does. Corran had a tangible ability for revenge for what happened to his father whereas Tainor refuses to understand the circumstances that led to his father's death and it takes a while to take him seriously as a character and not an archetype.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read that does well to get it's major flaws resolved by the end of the book so that they don't take up any time in the following installments. Or at least I hope that's the case.(less)

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Jan 25, 2011 Taylor rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wraith squadron is one of the worst Star Wars books in the series. Allston is one of the least original authors currently writing books. It is a shame he is still writing star wars books.

A good author tries to continue a series, adding to the overall narrative. Allston tries to rework the series to be his own.

A lot of his characters and stories are flimsy reworkings of characters from tv shows or movies. A particularly obvious example that I like is his latest books and the almost scenario to...more

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Nov 01, 2010 R.S. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think Aaron Allston's books in the X-wing series are more fun than Stackpole's. Stackpole introduces us to Corran Horn, but Horn really lacks personality. With "Wraith Squadron," Allston introduces us to a whole new cast of characters with more personality than some of the major characters in the films.

The misfit Wraiths are an experimental fighter squadron put together by Wedge Antilles where they will be commandos first and fighter pilots second. All of them have marks on their record, and a...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wraith Squadron was always one of my least favorite novels in the X-wing series. I wanted badly to like it, since the concept is cool: Wraith Squadron is basically the Dirty Dozen of the Star Wars universe. But the novel always felt bland, unrealistic, and rushed, a feeling that persists in my most recent rereading.

Allston's major problem is with characterization: he doesn't develop enough of an attachment to any of his characters. This is mostly evident in the fact that it's difficult to keep t...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Paul Lunger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 5th book in the X-Wing series, Aaron Allston's "Wraith Squadron" is actually a nice change of pace from what has been a rather dull run of stories lately. This time around we have Wedge Antilles assembling a group of X-Wing pilots from various groups that aren't attached to anyone anymore. However, an attack on their base sends gives this new group a new purpose in the Rebellion itself. Allston's story is refreshing with new characters & a new outlook on this series that had grown stale....more

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Jun 07, 2012 David(LA,CA) rated it 4 of 5 stars

If Rogue Squadron is the group that does the impossible, Wraith Squadron is the group that does the ludicrously insane. Which makes for a rather entertaining read.

In the first series of the X-Wing books, we had a group of the best pilots in the New Republic spend two of their four books outside of their spacecraft. Learning from this, the author has Wedge organize a group of pilots are just as good in some area outside of a cockpit as they are inside of one. And some of the things they pull off...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars

The squadron of misfit pilots
Wedge Antilles has a new idea: take all the pilots that are a hair's breadth away from being kicked out of the Alliance and regroup the best and most talented into a commando-type squadron. Thus is born Wraith Squadron, with newcomers Kell, Tyria, and "Piggy".
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

I Liked:
It would be all too easy to stick in a rut, keep having Rogue Squadron do the same 'ol. But Aaron Allston (understandably) wants to branch out, explore something new. S...more The squadron of misfit pilots
Wedge Antilles has a new idea: take all the pilots that are a hair's breadth away from being kicked out of the Alliance and regroup the best and most talented into a commando-type squadron. Thus is born Wraith Squadron, with newcomers Kell, Tyria, and "Piggy".
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

I Liked:
It would be all too easy to stick in a rut, keep having Rogue Squadron do the same 'ol. But Aaron Allston (understandably) wants to branch out, explore something new. So he has Wedge and Wes Jansen (another SW minor character alumni) start up what will be Wraith Squadron. The concept is interesting, and the characters are pretty different from the pilots in Rogue Squadron.
Probably my favorite character is "Face" Lorn. He is amusing, I love how he was a child star, and yet at the same time, conflicted. Donos is also another interesting character, a man who was the only survivor of his squadron. His breakdown felt very realistic.
While Rogue got to tear down Coruscant and Isard, Wraith gets to attack Zsinj. It's a fairly interesting story. My favorite part, though, was when the Wraiths went undercover to penetrate the planet. That was amusing!
Speaking of amusing, I think there is far more humor in Allston's X-Wing books than in Stackpole's (and far less "hammy" writing).

I Didn't Like:
Some of the characters never really connected to me. Kell felt like a weak Luke/Corran/fill*in*the*blank pilot. Tyria is yet another Force-Sensitive pilot. When one character (who didn't make the cut) was said to be from Tatooine, I groaned. For being such an out-of-the-way world, it sure does have a lot of people to send Core-ward.
Another thing that plagued the book was the fact it was another "first" novel. We have to be introduced to all the characters, all the scenarios, all the training we've already done before.
Lastly, I found myself struggling to figure out where the story was going. I don't know if that's because I listened on audiobook, but I kept hearing all these battles and wondering where the story was going, what was the whole point.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Da** & he** creep in.
A few of the pilots couple up.
Space battles, of course, dogfights, and the like. Typical Star Wars affair.

Overall:
Allston does a decent job pulling off a new Squadron and continuing the series. And since it's a first book, setting up the characters, I expect subsequent books to be stronger. Ultimately, it was enjoyable, the characters were, for the most part, different, and the missions were unique. A worthwhile read.(less)

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May 29, 2013 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aaron Allston joins as the second writer of the X-Wing series... a very welcome addition.

Wraith Squadron almost feels like a reboot (yes, in the middle of the series). It's as if Allston was like, "Okay, that was cool, Mr. Stackpole, but this is where X-Wing should've gone."

And he's right.

Every single thing about this book is improved from the first four books in the series. The biggest, most welcome difference is in the characters. Everyone feels much more real and fleshed out. In fact, near th...more Aaron Allston joins as the second writer of the X-Wing series... a very welcome addition.

Wraith Squadron almost feels like a reboot (yes, in the middle of the series). It's as if Allston was like, "Okay, that was cool, Mr. Stackpole, but this is where X-Wing should've gone."

And he's right.

Every single thing about this book is improved from the first four books in the series. The biggest, most welcome difference is in the characters. Everyone feels much more real and fleshed out. In fact, near the beginning, there's a passage that blatantly points out the major problem with the first four books: what makes for a good story--relatable heroes with flaws, and their growth as people.

Kell makes for a great main character. He's unsure about himself, a little angsty (but not too much), and deals with pressure in a very realistic manner (not very well). On the other hand, he's very relatable and likeable. There's a bit of romance once again, but this one feels so much more developed than (view spoiler) in the earlier books. It's not perfect, but we're talking major improvement.

Also joining us are the hilarious Wes Janson (and Hobbie too, briefly), Wedge with an actual personality, the multi-minded alien Hohass Ekwash, the smart-yet-unsure Tyria, and so forth. Furthermore, there are pranks, jokes, and all-around camaraderie, something that greatly benefits a squadron of fighter pilots.

I could go on... the dialog finally works (I laughed out loud many times), this feels perfectly like Star Wars, fun space battles, etc.

There are a few issues. Mainly, often I wasn't clear what goals of missions were. Allston constantly mentions the types of smiles people are giving (not terrible, and lots of authors have their "style tics", but still). The plot isn't anything new, though that doesn't hurt it too much since the events are still fun.

Basically, this book is an absolute blast. It's hilarious, and has great characters. You should read the X-Wing series for this book. I definitely recommend it.(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tv-film-tie-in-or-extended-universe, 2011-reading-challenge

How best to describe 'X-Wing: Wraith Squadron', the fifth book in the Star Wars series of books (loosely) based on the old video-games? I think the following exchange from the early part of the novel sums it up best (with Wedge speaking):

' " .. I'd originally thought that Rogue Squadron would be used opportunistically: a strike mission would reveal a ground-based weakness, and we'd have the training and supplies ot go down and perform the necessary ground mission. The way it turned out, we keep...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Alan Chen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fun

A refreshingly good book, where all the characters are clearly defined and well-introduced. This format benefits from the squadron starting out formed, rather than already being formed and having us jumping into the middle of the party, as happened in the Rogue Squadron books. I can actually give 1-2 lines about each character now, just from seeing the name.
Furthermore, because this happens, there is emotional impact from when character's die. Captain Hrakness from Agamar (the yokel planet),...more A refreshingly good book, where all the characters are clearly defined and well-introduced. This format benefits from the squadron starting out formed, rather than already being formed and having us jumping into the middle of the party, as happened in the Rogue Squadron books. I can actually give 1-2 lines about each character now, just from seeing the name.
Furthermore, because this happens, there is emotional impact from when character's die. Captain Hrakness from Agamar (the yokel planet), Grinder the hacker who also creates pranks and has one turned on himself rather memorably, Falynn the self-doubting woman with an inferiority complex...these are all characters. Not like Rouge Squadron 1, where Peesk dies and I go "Pessk"? I checked, he's mentioned about 1 time before his death. Once. No emotional impact for us, which is why, when Corran is suddenly weepy, I experience a large emotional disconnect.
In addition, it is no longer the Wedge, Tycho, and Corran adventures. The main characters in Wraith Squadron may be Wedge and Kell, but there is so much time spent in the other character's shoes, not merely seeing the other characters through the other people's eyes. For example, the first chapter does nothing but introduce us to Myn Donos, a character who isn't even one of the 5 most important characters in the book! Instead, he is used to bring the other squadron mates together. That's character development.
Finally, though Kell gets the girl, he fails at first, miserably, when he says he loves her, and she refutes that claim. A unique turn.
Two detriments (view spoiler)The author learned, the publisher didn't.
(less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Ricky Ganci rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surprisingly easy to read and cool—a totally different take on the X-Wing book as I came to be familiar with. I like how they mix it up by introducing new characters to the series, and bringing in some faces from the films (Janson, Hobbie). Solo’s cameo, I hope, is a promise of what is to come in the seventh story, and I like how the buildup to catch Zsinj is so smooth. The ending left plenty of questions to keep me interested in reading the sixth and seventh X-Wing novels.

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Sep 18, 2012 Matt Horowitz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What Michael Stackpole started with this series Aaron Allston takes so much farther. For one thing he decided to focus on a team of X-Wing pilots that can also function as a commando unit. He has Wedge search out wash-outs and losers that he can whip into shape. He succeeds, but not without lots of personal demons and resistance. But it's the dark humor that really makes the team shine. It is the humor that makes the subtle emotional touches ring especially true.

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Jul 05, 2011 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-was-young-and-dumb-okay, science-fiction, star-wars

Wraith Squadron is the Dirty Dozen of the X-Wing saga. Familiar faces like Wedge and Jansen (good shot!) anchor a cast of misfits. The thing I remember the most years later is that Allston's books are a heck of a lot more funny than the Stackpole ones. That's not a criticism of Stackpole, just not what he was aiming for. On the other hand, in Wraith Squadron we get Jansen giving us the Ewok, Kettch. Yub yub, Commander.

Yub yub, indeed.

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Mar 18, 2012 John Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Definitely the grittiest of the x-wing books, with some dark characters and even darker events. This is the longest (i think) of the series, and definitely benefits from it. Garik "Face" Loran and his buddy Ton Phanan are probably the most memorable characters, along with star wars stalwart Wes Janson. Allston is very much worthy of carrying on the X-Wing name...

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Aug 22, 2012 Yves rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, star-wars

La série de l'escadron spectre est une tentative de refaire le succès de l'escadron Rogue avec un autre auteur. La tentative n'est pas tout à fait réussie avec souvent des blagues qui ne m'ont pas fait rire et une histoire qui ne m'a pas beaucoup enlevé. Je crois que dans l'univers de Star Wars, Aaron Allston est un des auteurs les plus sur-estimés.

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Jun 18, 2012 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Characters had great lines, very funny and well executed dialogue with lots of humor. Some of the plot events were fun with good action and had me wondering where they would end up next. I felt like this was a buddy movie or war movie that was always on the edge of disaster and anxious to see how the squadron got out of tough situations.

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Nov 06, 2012 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars-eu, science-fiction

It's sort of like Rogue Squadron, but a bit dirtier. Most of the characters have something bad in their pasts, but now Wedge Antilles is giving them a second chance. It's a whole lot of fun, really.

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Apr 09, 2010 Richard Houchin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, star-wars, science-fiction

I read a lot of Star Wars novels in Jr. High. It took a few dozen books before I realized many of them just weren't all that stellar. The X-Wing series of books were a little better than most, in sheer entertainment. But they are all air and no substance, as I recall. Fun, but not much more.

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Oct 11, 2012 Breeanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is incredibly derivitive of Rogue Squadron. Allson is clearly hanging on to Stackpole's coattails with this book but I DON'T EVEN CARE. It was funny, it was gripping, it was so much fun. The most fun I've had reading a book in a long time. Despite the unnecessarily complex backstories of some of the characters, I connected to them pretty quickly. LOVED this book.

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Feb 09, 2012 Morty4 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-100-books

I love the entire X-Wing series, but the books by Aaron Allston are my favorite, of which Wraith Squadron is the first. I like how he writes humor into the books. If you like Star Wars, but have never read any of the books, this series is a good one to get you into them.

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Nov 10, 2008 Sean/Storm/Llan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Star Wars fans, really.

"Wedge, he hates me. He makes bombs."

This was the first Star Wars novel I ran across. It was a startling idea, the theory that people had extended the universe past the films.

After the events of the first four X-Wing books, Commander Wedge Antilles had what seemed- at the time- like a stunning idea. Building a squadron of fighter pilots with intrusion, sabotage and commando experience. Using pilots who had guessed wrong once too often, hard-luck cases, or those afflicted by chronic backtalk, had...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Andrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, star-wars, fun-reads

A fun ride.
Showed the roots of the Wraiths who become to vital later on in the YV war and other stories.
Allston is always a pleasure to read. Not a life changer, but most certainly several hours of enjoyment. A good read for a SW fan.
Humorous, well writ, not "fluffy".
Like said, an enjoyable flight.

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Jun 06, 2010 Ben rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars

A nice continuation of the X-Wing series. It expands on the previous books, but starts fresh with a new squardon. The same amount of technical information about the EU, if not more, than the Rogue Squadron books.

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Jun 12, 2007 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: star wars geeks

Shelves: fiction

Yup, I read this series, too. I pick this one to review because I think Aaron Allston's part of the series was clearly the best part. Allston is a /funny/ writer. I mean, in a giggly juvenile kind of way, but who doesn't love that? It's done quite cleverly. He manages to introduce some good slapstick comedy into the books and spoof on things a little. I mean, it's still a serious storyline (sort of) for the most part, but he has so much fun with it. Plus it's an interesting plotline that's being...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Matt added it · review of another edition

Shelves: star, wars, science, fiction

This is my favorite novel from the X-wing series. As opposed to Rogue Squadren, Wraith Squadren is made up of a band of misfit pilots that are far more comical than their counterparts.

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Jan 28, 2012 Del rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am not infallible. While I rage against the Twilight and Harry Potter lovers, I love me some good god damn pew-pew space lasers, and Aaron Allston is better than most at it.

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“I don't have to blow up everything I see... I just like to.” — 26 people liked it

“I marked their location in case Kell wanted to blow them up or something.”
“I don’t have to blow up everything I see. I just like to.” — 7 people liked it

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