Rogue Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing, #1) by Michael A. Stackpole

Feb 16, 2012 Jess Saxton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: star-wars

The pilots of the elite Rogue Squadron get their own series in these novels by Michael Stackpole. These books were a great part of my adolescence, and as such, I have a lot of praise for them.

In 'Rogue Squadron,' Wedge Antilles, Rebel hero and founding member is tasked with building a brand-new Rogue Squadron to act not only as an elite fighting force, but also as a symbol of the New Republic and their continuing fight against the remnants of the Empire led by Director of Imperial Intelligence,...more The pilots of the elite Rogue Squadron get their own series in these novels by Michael Stackpole. These books were a great part of my adolescence, and as such, I have a lot of praise for them.

In 'Rogue Squadron,' Wedge Antilles, Rebel hero and founding member is tasked with building a brand-new Rogue Squadron to act not only as an elite fighting force, but also as a symbol of the New Republic and their continuing fight against the remnants of the Empire led by Director of Imperial Intelligence, Ysanne Isard.

The story is told from the perspective of hotshot pilot and former member of Corellian Security (CorSec), Corran Horn and his nemesis, Kirtan Loor, who has an unhealthy fixation on Corran.

Loor's above mentioned fixation on Corran soon extends to the rest of the Squadron when Isard tasks him with their destruction as Rogue Squadron begins to make a push for Coruscant, the former seat of the Empire, which will validate them as the legitimate galactic government and encourage worlds that have not already to throw off the yoke of Imperial oppression and join the New Republic.

Wedge is the canon character draw for this series, with Admiral Ackbar and Princess Leia also making appearances, but Wedge takes a back seat to the new pilots, which I think is as it should be.

The story is well-written, fast-paced, and a general quick read with the same kinds of space battles that Star Wars is known for.

Because Corran is the focus of this book, you don't really get to really know the other members of Rogue Squadron very well in this book, which is a bit of a shame. I understand it's hard to focus on twelve characters, and some of them do get their own moments to shine later on.

Anyone familiar with the X-Wing comic book series, also written by Stackpole will recognize Mirax Terrik and enjoy her inclusion in the books.

'Rogue Squadron' serves as a great first book and springboard into the rest of the series, and I certainly recommend it to any Star Wars fan, especially the ones who loved the space battles in the movies.(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Donovan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

There are 9 books in this particular series and is set a couple of years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The series introduces many new and important characters in the series.
The books are:-
Rogue Squadron
Wedge's Gamble
The Krytos Trap
The Bacta War
Wraith Squadron
Iron Fist
Solo Command
Isard's Revenge
Starfighters of Adumar

Plot ***Spoilers***
Rogue Squadron
Main article: Rogue Squadron (novel)
XWRogueSquadron1.jpg

Rogue Squadron
It is set at the beginning of the New Republic era of the Star Wars un...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Mike Hankins rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love fighter planes. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by them, constantly making drawings and building models of fighter planes of all eras, renacting dogfights in my mind. It's a hobby that continues to this day, as one of my favorite TV shows is "Dogfights," which uses CGI to renact and analyze tactics of famous aerial battles. So this book, which takes all of that fighter plane goodness and mixes it with outer space, seems tailor made for me, and I have to say it pretty much del...more I love fighter planes. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by them, constantly making drawings and building models of fighter planes of all eras, renacting dogfights in my mind. It's a hobby that continues to this day, as one of my favorite TV shows is "Dogfights," which uses CGI to renact and analyze tactics of famous aerial battles. So this book, which takes all of that fighter plane goodness and mixes it with outer space, seems tailor made for me, and I have to say it pretty much delivers everything I would want in a book of this type.

I'm trying not to make a habit of reading too many Star Wars books, partially because of burnout on the Star Wars universe. But this book is a bit refreshing, and delivers a solid sci-fi action story full of cool dogfights and fighter pilot camraderie. The story follows Wedge, who you might remember as that guy in the background of the very first Star Wars movie (the original 70's one, not the prequel). Wedge is now the leader of Rogue Squadron, an elite group of fighter pilots who get assigned to the most dangerous and awesome missions. We are quickly introduced to the entire group of pilots, all of whom are there for their own reasons. As they are assigned an escalating series of missions to open up new areas of resistance to the Empire, they are pursued by a sadistic, calculating villain who has ties to our main character's past.

The plot is simple, straightforward, and the characters are serviced and developed well, although they are nothing new or outstanding. The elements are all very standard and basic, but that isn't really an insult because the book never tries to convince you that it's a deep character study or complicated thriller. This book knows that it is a fun, action-packed shoot-em-up about space-dogfights. And that's just fine.

Stackpole is able to give the dogfight scenes extra edge because he's so adept at describing the complicated tactics and manuevers of fighter pilots. He is able to reference techniques used by real life aces, translated into the zero-G environments of space. His description of these scenes is at the same time accurate and detailed, but still fast-paced and exciting, which is a complicated mix to pull off. Stackpole does it well, while also not skimping out on character development, capturing the bravado and egotism that is common among hot-shot pilots. While the treatment of the characters is never deep or overly thoughtful, it provides just enough to make us care without detracting from the story or bogging it down. The only weakness is that Stackpole falls victim to a little bit of the random sexual attraction that is common in these sci-fi novels. The main character is always propsitioned by hot, vulnerable women in these types of stories, and it just feels like nerd-wish-fulfilment. But this problem only presents itself in a few small scenes, and they don't take away from the book as a whole.

I also appreciated what was done with the setting. I've said this before, and I'll continue to say it: The Star Wars novels succeed most when they ignore or contracdict the films upon which they are based. Oftentimes, I would catch myself thinking, "wait, this can't happen because in the movies we learned this or that, which the book is contradicting," but in all cases, the book version seemed better. Not only do the contradictions in the book make the universe more plausible, but also more interesting. This book is yet more evidence of the adage that "George Lucas was the worst thing that happened to Star Wars."

For example, Rogue Squadron takes place after Return of the Jedi, but although the movie would have you believe that the empire is defeated and the rebels win, the war is far from over. The Emporer may be dead, but the Empire itself is still going strong, and still controls most of the galaxy. Imagine, if you will, that at the height of Nazi Germany, when it was at its peak, someone manages to assasinate Hitler. Sure this would be a crisis, but the army is still strong and controls most of Euprope. If a competent commander can replace the leader, everything would still function just as well, if the pieces are in place. This is the scenario that Rogue Squadron presents, and it's an interesting one. While the implications of this unique political situation are fascinating, they are only briefly touched upon, since the story focuses more on the individual battles being fought by Rogue Squadron, which is for the best. The setting here feels richer, deeper, and more thought-out than the universe presented to us in the films.

All in all, Rogue Squadron presents us with a fun escapist collection of creative space-dogfights with just enough character development to make us care about it without bogging down in drama. While there's no deeper meaning and no real thematic development, that's sometimes ok. It's still a fun adventure ride, and if you're at all interested in fight planes and aerial action, this is a great quick read.(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Ethan rated it 1 of 5 stars

I succumbed to boredom and failed to finish this book. I made it all the way to page 95: at that stage in a book, I should be thoroughly engaged. There should be an interesting conflict, some tension (Stackpole manages to immediately defuse almost every tense situation), or interesting characters, or something...anything. But no, the dialogue was bland and uninteresting, the characters mushed together in my mind (except for wunderkind Corran Horn, the unfortunate protagonist, who just plain irri...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone's ever locked their S-foils into attack position

Shelves: starwars

As I’ve chronicled elsewhere, the end of my once-indiscriminate love of everything Star Wars roughly coincided with my graduation from high school and the deepening of my appreciation for more complex, philosophical literature. I did, however, carry a handful of my favorite Expanded Universe books along with me to college, and Michael Stackpole’s (and later Aaron Allston’s) X-wing series was among them. Over the years they’d gotten a few rereads, but lately it had been awhile since I’d spent an...more As I’ve chronicled elsewhere, the end of my once-indiscriminate love of everything Star Wars roughly coincided with my graduation from high school and the deepening of my appreciation for more complex, philosophical literature. I did, however, carry a handful of my favorite Expanded Universe books along with me to college, and Michael Stackpole’s (and later Aaron Allston’s) X-wing series was among them. Over the years they’d gotten a few rereads, but lately it had been awhile since I’d spent any significant time in the galaxy far, far away. This changed recently when my brother decided he wanted to run a play-by-email Star Wars RPG, and though that never really got off the ground, it did inspire me to start another project of my own set in that universe. At one point in said project I needed to check a reference, and rather than cruise over to Wookieepedia, for some reason I pulled this book off the shelf. Flipping through the pages brought back old memories, so, both to indulge these and to capture the ambience for my own work, I decided to read it. As I did, I was reminded of everything that a Star Wars story could be, if only its creators were more concerned with their characters and the richly fertile world they inhabit than with the potential marketing implications.

One of my greatest delights in reading the Expanded Universe material, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this regard, was the care the authors took to respect the creations of those who had gone before. Taking the three films as gospel, they proceeded to dutifully enmesh their own stories in the ever-widening web of characters, planets, and plotlines so that the whole universe maintained an indelible, cohesive feel. You could pick up almost any Star Wars book and be instantly transported to the place you well knew from the screen. Since the advent of the “prequels,” this is no longer the case, but that’s a diatribe for another review. Let me give an example of how Stackpole succeeds: Early on in the book, as Wedge Antilles (the only man with two Death Stars painted on his fighter) sets about reorganizing the famed Rogue Squadron, his new recruits are undergoing simulated exercises, including the Redemption scenario. Stackpole uses this scene as an opportunity to introduce us to several of the main characters, but also to interject some exciting space combat into the novel’s opening stages. Old-school fans will, however, recognize the mission Corran and his squadron mates are flying from the original X-Wing computer game, right down to the formations of the enemy fighters (that one gave me fits as a kid; I never could beat it without cheating). It’s little inclusions like this, when authors geek out about the same things that we do, that make us geek out even more. More than anything else, it’s this loss of cohesion, of the sense of some shared private connection, that so puts me off today’s Star Wars offerings.

Fortunately there are books like this one, where that original thrill can still be found. It is by no means complex, but it neither purports nor needs to be. The characters, though not founts of deep personal wisdom, are fully realized and more than sufficient to secure our active investment. Not that Stackpole is wholly mum on deeper issues; Wedge and especially Corran struggle, through deftly inserted internal monologue, to reconcile their personal convictions with the actions their military service requires them to take. Even the bad guys are believable; their evil actions spring from inherently human vices like pride or insecurity, not completely spurious devices like dreams of the death of a loved one. And on the whole the story succeeds because of its characters. The high-flying action of space combat is fun, certainly, but of its own it does not a good story make. The plot, serving as it does to introduce an entire series, is serviceable and engaging but not particularly compelling of itself. We care because of the characters. We’re drawn to Corran and Wedge and Gavin the same way that all those years ago we were drawn to that towheaded kid who liked to bullseye womp rats in his T-16 in Beggar’s Canyon, and the brash but lovable smuggler with the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs and the walking carpet for a sidekick. And this is Stackpole’s triumph: more than simply taking us back to that place among the stars that we know so well, he has added his own enduring piece to the legacy – one that, no matter where else my interests may lead, will always hold a place in my memory.(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Jon Cole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To put it simply, a modest start to a fan favorite series. X-Wing managed to slip through the cracks of my extensive reading of Star Wars Expanded Universe novels for whatever reason, so it's a treat to delve back into "The New Republic" phase. Beyond getting into fresh traditional novels, I love getting a little more context of the significance of Corran Horn in the fiction, as he (and his children, in particular) later becomes quite a significant character in the "Fate of the Jedi" phase.

I'm h...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is something of a nostalgia read for me. I picked up the entire series (9 paperbacks, woo!) at Half Price a while back, to some laughter from a friend of mine. "You're getting ALL those??" Haha.

It's honestly not the best writing out there (seriously, stop referring to main characters as "The Corellian" or "the tall man" in your dialog tags... "Corran" or "Tycho" works fine), nor the most riveting plot. If I had to pick a word for it... it'd be, 'fun'. I love the whole sci-fi/fantasy pilotin...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars

As I type this review, I’m already about halfway through the second book in the series. I’ve been a bit under the weather as a result of what I estimate to be a catastrophic influx of pollen in the air as well as stress induced from mid-terms this semester. When you start caring about your grades, university work becomes a bit more intimidating. As such, I’m sorry for the manner which these updates have been prepared but such is the way of life.

After the disappointing Shadows of the Empire I was...more As I type this review, I’m already about halfway through the second book in the series. I’ve been a bit under the weather as a result of what I estimate to be a catastrophic influx of pollen in the air as well as stress induced from mid-terms this semester. When you start caring about your grades, university work becomes a bit more intimidating. As such, I’m sorry for the manner which these updates have been prepared but such is the way of life.

After the disappointing Shadows of the Empire I was happy to get back into a book that followed the strategem that works so well for books like the Republic Commando novels; one that focuses on the inner workings of the military in the Star Wars universe. This book takes a look at the squadron of x-wing pilots touted as the best of the best following the destruction of the second Death Star. While the Emperor is dead, the war isn’t over and things are really only heating up in terms of military operations. This particular novel focuses on Wedge Antilles, leader of rogue squadron as well as Corran Horn, a hot-shot pilot and a new addition to the squadron. Horn has a checkered past from his time in the Correllian Security force that had him working alongside Imperial Intelligence and his new stance in the Alliance is one where he has to re-evaluate his positions on certain enterprises, such as the practice of smuggling which he was tasked to halt while in CorSec, and come to terms with his new role in the galaxy. Really this is the first book in the timeline that I’ve read that really deals with the political elements of the galactic civil war in real detail. Horn has some reservations about a pilot from Kessel, a penal colony that he sent some criminals to himself, operating in Rogue Squadron and there are several other instances of internal race relations that make the novel seem more realistic in its depiction of warfare and political strife than it truly has any right to be.

This series is definitely off to a great start and I think that I could come to put this particular saga on the same pedistal as the Republic Commando series if things continue as well as they’ve started.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Donald rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Star Wars

Shelves: sci-fi, star-wars

Unabashed fan-boy here. This is a book I've had since about the fifth grade, one of the first Star Wars books I ever bought. This undoubtedly has effected my views on this book.

This book avoids something that I think actually drags down a lot of Star Wars books. It doesn't focus on the main characters from the movies, and they don't feature unnecessarily in places it would be unusual to find them. If you've read as much Star Wars as I have, you know what I'm talking about. Random character on so...more Unabashed fan-boy here. This is a book I've had since about the fifth grade, one of the first Star Wars books I ever bought. This undoubtedly has effected my views on this book.

This book avoids something that I think actually drags down a lot of Star Wars books. It doesn't focus on the main characters from the movies, and they don't feature unnecessarily in places it would be unusual to find them. If you've read as much Star Wars as I have, you know what I'm talking about. Random character on some random backwater planet, and Han Solo and Chewie show up to lend a hand for a minute, then leave. Why were they there? Just so you would know it's Star Wars, of course.

We focus mostly on Corran Horn, who I'll admit isn't quite as cool as I thought he was when I was a kid, although he does change more than I thought. Wedge Antilles (the only non-main character to feature in all three original movies, if I'm not mistaken) features fairly heavily as well, as he's the commander of the squadron. He feels a bit more fleshed out to me, and I found myself generally liking other characters a bit more this read than I had when I was younger.

The characterization is a bit flat, though. Several of the characters don't get much detail, and a couple of the ones who die don't get more than a line or two each, making it rather obvious after a couple chapters what their fate is.

The descriptions of space combat are entirely passable, but not very exciting. I had a hard time envisioning them when I was younger, I'm not sure if that changed because I'm older and have higher reading comprehension now, or because I've played the games that seem to have heavily influenced them.

The story is fun, and doesn't really seem to bog down at any point. The bits with Imperial Intelligence Agent Kirtan Loor didn't bore me anymore either.

In all, it was a fun return to one of my favorite childhood books, with a bit more depth than I remembered it having, even if the characters seemed a little flatter this time.

If you are not a huge Star Wars fan, and don't have the massive amount of nostalgia for this book that I have, it would probably be worth 3 or so stars, but I really did enjoy it.(less)

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Jun 14, 2009 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

So. Top 5 coolest guys in the universe(not counting yoda, cuz that's not fair. or thrawn cuz this is strictly the good guys list):

1. Han Solo
2. Admiral Ackbar
3. Wedge Antilles
4. Anakin Solo
5. Luke Skywalker

So far, my number one complaint is that these books totally do not have enough Wedge Antilles in them. I was under the impression that I was going to get to read about Wedge exploits. Or even Tycho adventures(he's totally #6). But these are about Corran. Who is a cool guy, don't get me wrong,...more

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Nicholas "they're a lot funnier a lot of the time and a lot more realistic, cuz they don't have this ponderous weight of i need to save the universe on their s...more
Jun 28, 2009 09:41pm

Amanda no,i haven't read pygmy. i really want to though, but it's not at the library yet. i read snuff. it was gross. don't do it. i just read a whole craplo...more
Jun 29, 2009 12:42pm

Oct 08, 2012 M. David Loyal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit, I am a Star Wars affectioniado, so as I geek out to several Star Wars books, bear with me. X-Wing: Rogue fighter follows one of the minor characters from the three Star Wars movies. The book takes place right after the Return of the Jedi, and tells the story of the New Republic (as the Rebel Alliance now calls itself) is putting together a squadron of pilots that can do more than just fly. They are also a propaganda and a special ops unit. We are introduced to many characters wh...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Felicity rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Old-school Star Wars fans

Recommended to Felicity by: Ryan Grove

Shelves: science-speculative-fiction, fiction, novel, borrowed-book

3.5 stars

This is a book that does what it says on the tin, which is more impressive than you might think. My first flirtation with Star Wars tie-in novels was disappointing, despite the fact that I was ten years old and ready to like anything with Princess Leia on the cover. Unlike the novels that were such a mixed bag for my younger self, this series focuses in on new and secondary characters, rather than trying to ventriloquize the main characters. It also focuses on non-mystical adventures, r...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

If you are like me, a fun part of your childhood was playing X-Wing and TIE Fighter on your family's old PC. You may have even had to do something like use a boot disk (3.5") or run it in MS-DOS. It was harder to get much cooler than locking your own S-foils into attack position.

Thus, Rogue Squadron, which feeds the natural SW fan tendency to gravitate towards obscure characters from the movies (Wedge Antilles, who's awesome) and adds in a certain Top Gun feel because you're dealing with hotshot...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

I have a special fondness for Rogue Squadron. This is at least the fifth time I've read it since 1996, but probably the first time in nearly a decade. It's the book that started my love affair with Star Wars novels (and ultimately drove my own interests in writing). I still remember the day my mom gave it to me (on a road trip to Gettysburg, PA); I still remember my brother and I fighting over it as we both tried to read it at the same time. I remember the long waits for the rest of the novels i...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Star Wars (for those who don't know me, I have a Rebel Alliance tattoo on my leg, and a RA sticker on my car affectionately called Blanco 1). However, the books do not do it for me. I just can't get into them, and I thought, going into Rogue Squadron, that I would be persuaded to love them, but alas it is not so. I just can't get into the unknown characters, the unknown setting, etc. I know we all know that stuff took place in between Movies 4,5,& 6, but I think I would rather see it...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Paul Lunger rated it 4 of 5 stars

The initial offering in the Star Wars: X-Wing series, Michael Stackpole's "Rogue Squadron" is an attempt to recreate the Rogue Squadron of fame that took out the Death Star & made many Jedi heroes. In this book, Stackpole recreates a new series of X-Wing fighters in a continuation of the attempt to end the Rebellion. We go through various training cycles & watch the squadron be sent on an initially not so dangerous mission & then one which has a major impact on events. The story is s...more

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May 11, 2009 Harrisondiesl rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is surprisingly good and has a powerful story to it. It is amazingly well written.This is the first book in the series following the adventures of the members of the elite squadron of fighters and their leader Wedge Antilles, the man who blew up the second death star. It begins with the new recruits training to make it onto the squad, but it soon turns into a real mission when the team is called out to duty. following a shocking turn of events, they must capture the heavily guarded fo...more

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Oct 22, 2009 Travis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

Wedge gets his own series when he takes command of a squadron of special trouble shooting X-wing pilots.
Nice to see Wedge get fleshed out, as I always liked the guy and there's a nice mix of characters in the squadron.

My only problem is there are too many sub-plots introduced in this book for me to get excited about getting the rest of the series.
If I'm wrong about how much the sub-plots weigh down the series or get dragged out ( my two big worries) please let me know. I'd love to do some more...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction

I've been wanting to read this series for a long time and I finally got around to starting it. I've finished many storylines that occur far after this one - so I sort of know how some characters turn out. But this is still a joy to read. Michael Stackpole has an excellent feel for the Star Wars space opera feel. The characters are 'real' and believable; the details mixed into the world are tight; and the story is a great adventure! I'm sold, Mr. Stackpole! Looks like I'll be reading the whole se...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Gabriel Hughes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fun Star Wars books. Excellent character development. Good villain. Lots of starfighter batttles (which happen to be my favorite part of Star Wars).

If you like that kind of stuff, you'll like these. But be warned, they have a distinctly different feel than the movies. There are hardly any appearances by our favorite movie heroes, and the main characters are a bit more fallable than Leia, Luke, Han and Chewie. But I like the feel of real people that Stackpole paints, as well as their lack of invi...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Entertaining book. Even though it is Star Wars, don't expect to see too many familiar faces. Wedge and Admiral Ackbar are the only characters from the films who show up. This isn't a bad thing though, as some of the authors of Star Wars books don't necessarily have the best handle on the main characters, and sometimes have a difficult time figuring out a place for them with respect to the story. By using brand new, and minor established characters the author has a clean slate, and can take the s...more

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May 05, 2013 Jordan Lahn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: star_wars, dropbox_library, kobo_library, audible_library, favorites, shelf_library

When I think back about the first time I read this book, I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia. I read this book way back in the late ninties, when I was no more than 11 or 12. As soon as my Dad got the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition VHS set in 96 or 97, I was hooked, and immediately started spending saving up my allowance and spending it on the variety of Star Wars novels which, while clearly written for readers somewhat above the third grade level, captured my imagination. And few of those novels...more When I think back about the first time I read this book, I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia. I read this book way back in the late ninties, when I was no more than 11 or 12. As soon as my Dad got the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition VHS set in 96 or 97, I was hooked, and immediately started spending saving up my allowance and spending it on the variety of Star Wars novels which, while clearly written for readers somewhat above the third grade level, captured my imagination. And few of those novels captured my imagination the way Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston's X-Wing series. Always somewhat of a nerd, I devoured these books every chance I could find. In school I frequently had a book propped open in my desk so I could snatch a sentence or two in between paying close attention to every word that came out of the teacher's mouth. During recess, I would lean against the school building and read until the bell summoned us back inside. When I wasn't busy reading, I would spend recess racing around the school yard, dogfighting imaginary TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers and various other spacecraft gleaned from the pages of the novels or my well read copy of Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels. I was fascinated by the characters and the world of the stories. In the days before wikipedia, I poured over the pages of the novels, taking detailed notes in order to determine the call sign of each Rogue Squadron pilot and their wingman, and to decipher the pilots slang terms: "eyeball," "bright," "squint," etc. All of this may seem unnecessarily obsessive to a rational adult mind, but as an eager pre-adolescent caught up in the wonder of the "galaxy far far away" for the first time, it was a testament to the power of the story Stackpole (and ultimately George Lucas) created. It's books like this one that make me wish I hadn't gotten rid of all of my old Star Wars books. Yeah, they took up a lot of space on my already overcrowded shelves, and it's true I had never gone back to re-read most of them in years, but all these years later it feels like a crime to have sold all those childhood memories for a mere $20 at a garage sale. Of course I have all of the published novels on my Kobo e-reader, but sometimes I wish I could run my fingers through those pages again, smell the paper, and feel the texture of the memories captured between the covers... All of these fond memories have me very excited for the August release of Mercy Kill, the first new X-Wing novel in 13 years. Here's hoping that for some young, impressionable reader out there, this book will continue the tradition started by Rogue Squadron, opening his or her imagination to a galaxy where daring aces do battle with menacing villains, brave heroes make selfless sacrifices, and good always triumps over evil.

UPDATE: Since writing this review, I've started going back and tracking down used copies of as many Star Wars novels as I can, rebuilding my collection so I can go back and revist those memories. I haven't finished catching up in the timeline so I can read Mercy Kill, but I'm looking forward to it more than ever.

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: I recently had the chance to listen to the abridged audio book of Rogue Squadron, and while I really enjoyed listening to the story with all the sound effects and music that make the Star Wars audio books such a great experience, I really missed a lot of the material that was cut out during the abridging process. Also, the sound effects are clearly more than ten years older than the effects you can hear in more recent audio books, and it was a little distracting when the pilots voices were distorted to make it sound like a radio message. Overall I still really enjoyed it, but I would NOT recommend it as an alternative to reading the full books. Maybe when I get to Star Wars: X-Wing: Mercy Kill I'll check out the unabridged audio version of that one.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Vincent Ribaya rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hard-core Star Wars Fans

Shelves: fiction

When one claims Star Wars is a science-fiction fantasy type of franchise, he/she is correct as far as the movies go. Yet, as you read further/deeper into the Star Wars Expanded Universe, you will find many Star Wars stories and epics told through a multi-genre approach.

Rogue Squadron is a rather good example of one of these tales. Told in the fashion of an action-packed military drama rather than that of a science-fiction or science-fantasy epic usual in Star Wars, the novel adds a great narrati...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction, young-adult, teen

Rogue Squadron was an enjoyable book, it is fast-paced and action filled as you would expect from following this elite group of starfighers.

There was plenty of exciting action although it should be said that most of the story is centered on either action or set up for action, there is less character, diplomacy and espionage that occur in other Star Wars novel. That being said there is some character stuff and some evil plots going on. The action sequences are really well written and diverse enou...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Paul Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

by Michael A. Stackpole, published in 1996.

Yes, it’s a Star Wars novel all about Rogue Squadron which, as I’m sure you know, was instrumental in blowing up the Death Star at the end of Star Wars the movie.

But, there is no Han Solo, Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker in ‘X-Wing Rogue Squadron. But how can this be? Well, this series of Star Wars novels (9 in all) is only about Rogue Squadron, lead by Wedge Antilles, and that elite X-Wing fighter group and their further exploits after the fall of the...more by Michael A. Stackpole, published in 1996.

Yes, it’s a Star Wars novel all about Rogue Squadron which, as I’m sure you know, was instrumental in blowing up the Death Star at the end of Star Wars the movie.

But, there is no Han Solo, Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker in ‘X-Wing Rogue Squadron. But how can this be? Well, this series of Star Wars novels (9 in all) is only about Rogue Squadron, lead by Wedge Antilles, and that elite X-Wing fighter group and their further exploits after the fall of the Emperor and Darth Vader.

And I guess technically the X-Wing novels also include Wraith Squadron which comes into play in book 5, but since I’m not there yet I’ll just pretend the above paragraph encapsulates the series. Majority rules and all that.

So what is ‘X-Wing Rogue Squadron’ like? It’s a pretty decent action adventure novel with a few rough edges but otherwise conforms to my view of the Star Wars universe. You see Darth Vader and the Emperor may be no more but Ysanne Isard, the director for Imperial intelligence, is now in control of the Empire from Coruscant and she rules with all the iron fist fun of the old Emperor, less the pesky dark side of the force.

From what I read and can gather about the X-Wing series it is the tale of how the Rebels take over the Imperial seat, Coruscant itself. And this, the first of the series, deals with how Rogue Squadron plays its part in securing a foothold on a system which can then be used to strike at the center of the Empire.

We see that “It’s a trap” admiral Ackbar is in charge of fleet operations and has discussions with Wedge about the Rogues missions and how to best go about them, but Ackbar does not play a star role in this novel. That place belongs to Corran Horn, a hotshot pilot from Corellia. We see most of the novel from his perspective and some from the evil Isard as well. Wedge, though he is the leader of Rogue Squadron seems to be on the periphery most of the time and his character seems a bit two dimensional at times. Still this does not distract from the novel which has some pretty decent fight scenes in it.

But it is a first novel and there are many new names to remember and that’s where the crew roster in the front of the book comes in handy as you can check and see what race and who so and so is if you get lost.

I found the book a pretty fast read without a whole lot of complexity and it does help if you know what the ships of the Star Wars universe look like as well as the different races. Then again if you are reading a Star Wars novel you likely know those things already so this should not be a problem.

I will read the rest of the series to see how things turn out. It is good to have more Star Wars universe to read about after those three latest movies, which I try to forget at every opportunity.

If you like Star Wars, you will likely find this X-Wing book a good read.(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Hilmi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

Pertempuran Roque Squadron yang baru sudah bermula! Tidak berapa lama selepas Maharaja Palpatine atau turut dikenali sebagai Darth Sidious berjaya dikalahkan oleh Luke Skywalker dengan bantuan ayahnya,Darth Vader atau Anakin Skywalker,Imperial Empire masih lagi tidak tumbang dengan sepenuhnya. Masih wujud beberapa penentangan yang kuat dari saki-baki tentera dan pengikut Maharaja Palpatine. Oleh itu,untuk menentang mereka dan sebagai tanda simbolik perjuangan Rebel Alliance,Roque Squadron baru d...more Pertempuran Roque Squadron yang baru sudah bermula! Tidak berapa lama selepas Maharaja Palpatine atau turut dikenali sebagai Darth Sidious berjaya dikalahkan oleh Luke Skywalker dengan bantuan ayahnya,Darth Vader atau Anakin Skywalker,Imperial Empire masih lagi tidak tumbang dengan sepenuhnya. Masih wujud beberapa penentangan yang kuat dari saki-baki tentera dan pengikut Maharaja Palpatine. Oleh itu,untuk menentang mereka dan sebagai tanda simbolik perjuangan Rebel Alliance,Roque Squadron baru ditubuhkan. Di bawah pimpinan Wedge Antilles sebagai komander pasukan tersebut,skuadron ini disertai oleh 11 juruterbang yang lain dari pelbagai latar belakang dan tempat. Umpamanya,Corran Horn yang merupakan bekas juruterbang untuk pasukan keselamatan Planet Corellia atau CorSec (watak ini turut menjadi fokus utama penceritaan buku ini). Dengan menggunakan pesawat X-Wing sebagai senjata utama kendalian mereka,mereka berjuang menentang musuh-musuh New Republic (sebuah pakatan antara 'worlds' yang menentang atau bebas dari cengkaman Imperial Empire). Namun,tugas mereka bukan sesuatu yang mudah. Perjuangan mereka ini memerlukan pengorbanan yang mampu meragut nyawa mereka ketika berperang di angkasa raya!
Buku ini merupakan siri pertama dari siri Star Wars:Roque Squadron. Sebuah buku yang menarik untuk dibaca! Buku ini wajib dimiliki kepada mereka yang 'hardcore' kepada cereka fantasi Star Wars. Memandangkan buku ini adalah dalam bentuk siri,maka,jalan ceritanya yang tergantung akan disambung di dalam buku sambungan yang berikutnya. Dari segi bahasa,tidak begitu kompleks. Namun,kepada mereka yang mungkin tidak begitu biasa dengan istilah-istilah dan jargon-jargon yang terdapat di dalam Star Wars Universe,akan sedikit sukar memahami isi kandungannya. Begitu juga dengan istilah-istilah penerbangan dan pesawat angkasa. Ada antaranya yang memang agak sukar untuk kita fahami tanpa merujuk kepada kamus. Namun,secara keseluruhannya,ia sebuah buku yang ditulis dengan baik. Malahan,plot dan jalan cerita berjaya disampaikan dengan baik. Jalan cerita dan plot yang disampaikan mudah untuk difahami dan tidak begitu kompleks. Amat sesuai sekali dibaca secara santai. Namun begitu,agak ada sedikit kelemahan dari sudut perkembangan watak dan hubungan antara watak-watak yang wujud. Tetapi,seperti yang saya jelaskan di atas,buku ini merupakan siri pertama. Jadi,ada kemungkinan aspek ini akan diberikan lebih perhatian di sambungan buku yang seterusnya.(less)

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Jul 15, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

Gonna take you right into the Danger Zone - Top Gun for Star Wars fanatics
It's two years after the events in Return of the Jedi and Wedge Antilles is recreating the infamous Rogue Squadron. He gathers together the best of the best: Corran Horn, Corellian ex-Cor Sec, Nawarra Ven, Twi'Lek attorney, Ooryl Qorg, a Gand pilot, Bror Jace, an arrogant Thyferran ace and more. And then there is Tycho Celchu, a Rebel pilot who was once a prisoner of the Empire...and may be a spy...
NOTE: Based on audiobo...more Gonna take you right into the Danger Zone - Top Gun for Star Wars fanatics
It's two years after the events in Return of the Jedi and Wedge Antilles is recreating the infamous Rogue Squadron. He gathers together the best of the best: Corran Horn, Corellian ex-Cor Sec, Nawarra Ven, Twi'Lek attorney, Ooryl Qorg, a Gand pilot, Bror Jace, an arrogant Thyferran ace and more. And then there is Tycho Celchu, a Rebel pilot who was once a prisoner of the Empire...and may be a spy...
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.

I Liked:
Stackpole has created an array of interesting new characters--characters who could die at any moment (and only reading later books lets me know if they still live). He brings to life Wedge Antilles, who basically only had cameos in the movies. He creates a fascinating new character, Tycho Celchu, someone who might be either psychotic or a spy (he's one of my favorites). He walks us through the life of Corran, former CorSec with a history (his good luck charm is a Jedi medallion). Through Corran, we get a taste of the culture of Corellia: the ale, the food, how the Jedi were...it's huge fun!
Since the Empire is still pretty strong, we need to have new Imperial villains, so Stackpole provides us with Ysanne "Iceheart" Ishard and Kirtan Loor. This early on, Ishard is mostly in the background, but Loor is an interesting villain, from Imperial Intelligence, bearing remarkable resemblance to Grand Moff Tarkin. Loor strikes a good balance between being cunning, evil, and human (he makes a mistake that Ishard points out to him).
Being the first of a series, this book has a lot of set up: characters, mood, plot. It's all done very well, much better than some series I've read. We are introduced to the characters, their behaviors (Corran initially is quite the arrogant loner), and the villains. The mood is light, with some heavy duty piloting. The plot is far-reaching (I've read some of the later books, so I have an idea what happens) and realistically studies what happens to the Rebellion after, how the Rebellion becomes established on Coruscant and was the Empire really defeated at Endor.
And this is minor, but I still love it: continuity! Stackpole includes references to Zsinj, Bakura, and more! I love an author who does research!

I Didn't Like:
Space battles and dog fights can be very confusing, determining who is going what way doing what when.
Gavin Darklighter is yet another native of that supposedly "far away, backwards" planet, Tatooine.
There are a lot of pilots and some of them are harder to remember or identify than others.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
"Sithspawn".
Sexual tension arises between Corran and Mirax and Corran and the Erisi (Thyferran female pilot).

Overall:
An enjoyable start to a good series, Rogue Squadron keeps things exciting with new characters and a different niche (dogfighting a la Top Gun). This is one of the better Bantam novels out there, perfect for some nice, light reading. (less)

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Mar 11, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: it-s-a-trap, scfi, brian-recommends

I love Wedge Antilles.

Which is mostly why I chose to read this book out of the vast collection of Star Wars books published. It also came highly recommended by one of my friends who is the biggest Star Wars fan I know.

I do appreciate that this book is centered around the Rouge Squadron--a larger than life group of X-Wing pilots. The Rouge Squadron has been reassembled by the Rebel Alliance and put under the command of the best of the best Wedge Antilles. Having the book revolve around a group of...more I love Wedge Antilles.

Which is mostly why I chose to read this book out of the vast collection of Star Wars books published. It also came highly recommended by one of my friends who is the biggest Star Wars fan I know.

I do appreciate that this book is centered around the Rouge Squadron--a larger than life group of X-Wing pilots. The Rouge Squadron has been reassembled by the Rebel Alliance and put under the command of the best of the best Wedge Antilles. Having the book revolve around a group of very skilled, but normal people grounds the story and the action that takes place helping to add a feeling of realism that is often missing when your characters are power Jedi.

We are also introduced to Corran Horn--a hotshot, Corellian pilot. Throughout the book Corran struggles between what he had learned as a CorSec agent (disliking smugglers--even Han Solo, not really trusting anyone and an almost Jedi like sense of when something isn't right) and what he has to learn to be a part of Rouge Squadron (being a team player and putting the mission first). He manages to blend the two with the resolve that he will do what is necessary to protect others, whether it be his fellow pilots or whole planets from the Empire.

The book starts off a little slow, but picks up quickly towards the end. I am not really familiar with the technical layout of the X-Wing or with anything that has to do with flying really, so for me the dogfights we're a little hard to picture since they are mostly written, in what a assume, is a highly accurate but technical style.

There is almost something a little off about the writing style. Maybe it's just a little immature, but I can't really put my finger on it. For example, there does seem to be a lot of references to the familiar and more famous characters from the movies as if to prove that this really is a Star Wars book. (Wedge and Corran have a whole conversation about Han Solo, Luke is brought up quiet a bit, and even Porkins must have been mentioned at least eight times). There are also a lot of drawn out almost philosophical conversations about fighting, the war, the Empire, the Rebels, the past, the present, the future, etc. And plenty of cheesy pep talks and almost clique lines and narration that made me roll my eyes a few times.

Writing style aside, it is a solid start to what I hear is a solid series. I really did enjoy reading more about the Star Wars universe and especially about one of the most underrated characters from the movies, Wedge Antilles. I am looking forward to the next book and will also add a few other Star Wars books on to my list to read.

And I did finally learn that a Bothan is a creature with fur and gold eyes--so score one for learning something really geeky!(less)

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Jun 13, 2009 Pragmatic rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

since i enjoyed the video game that this series spawned, i couldn't wait to start reading it. a series of stories about a crack team of X-wing pilots that fly around and kick the remainder of the Empire's ass sounds awesome, doesn't it? well, it is, but this one suffered the syndrome of being the first one of the series.

it is presupposed that anyone who reads it is familiar with the Star Wars universe, but there was still much to set up here. familiar faces were established in new roles: Wedge A...more

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Apr 12, 2013 J. Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

The first in the X-Wing series, and one of my favorites. Michael A. Stackpole combined fact-paced action, human drama, and humor-on-the-run that made this a fun, quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Wedge was my favorite character in this series, which I went on to read many more installments of back when they first came out. And when I was forced to severely downsize my book collection (sob) when we moved to much smaller housing, these books remained with me--and still do.

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Rogue Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing #1)

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