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Star Wars: X-Wing #6
Iron Fist: Star Wars Legends
The Rebel Alliance’s elite strike force must double-cross an infamous warlord in the second book of the Wraith Squadron series, the companion to the hit Rogue Squadron series.
Against all odds, the controversial Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But now they are called upon to cheat death twice. This time, Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. If Zsinj joins the Empire, it could turn the tide of war against the Rebels.
The Wraith Squadron’s mission: infiltrate the warlord’s fleet and uncover his carefully guarded plans. To do so, they must pose as ruthless pirates seeking to join Zsinj’s forces. And that means first becoming pirates in space lanes teeming with Imperial navy patrols. If that isn’t enough to get them killed, they’ll have to pass one last test—a suicide mission for Zsinj.
Can they survive the test and turn the tables on Zsinj?
Or is this the end for Wraith Squadron?
Against all odds, the controversial Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But now they are called upon to cheat death twice. This time, Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. If Zsinj joins the Empire, it could turn the tide of war against the Rebels.
The Wraith Squadron’s mission: infiltrate the warlord’s fleet and uncover his carefully guarded plans. To do so, they must pose as ruthless pirates seeking to join Zsinj’s forces. And that means first becoming pirates in space lanes teeming with Imperial navy patrols. If that isn’t enough to get them killed, they’ll have to pass one last test—a suicide mission for Zsinj.
Can they survive the test and turn the tables on Zsinj?
Or is this the end for Wraith Squadron?
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 6, 1998
126 people are currently reading
3378 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Allston
174 books374 followersAaron Dale Allston was an American game designer and author of many science fiction books, notably Star Wars novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for role-playing games, several of which served to establish the basis for products and subsequent development of TSR's Dungeons & Dragons game setting Mystara. His later works as a novelist include those of the X-Wing series: Wraith Squadron, Iron Fist, Solo Command, Starfighters of Adumar, and Mercy Kill. He wrote two entries in the New Jedi Order series: Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream and Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand. Allston wrote three of the nine Legacy of the Force novels: Betrayal, Exile, and Fury, and three of the nine Fate of the Jedi novels: Outcast, Backlash, and Conviction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
April 30, 2021
It's easy to see why the X-Wing series is among the best-loved in the Expanded Universe.
EDIT: While this book did have its moments, I found it confusing and hard to follow at times. It was still good, but probably the worst of the series so far.
EDIT: While this book did have its moments, I found it confusing and hard to follow at times. It was still good, but probably the worst of the series so far.
November 9, 2020
For 2020, I decided to reread (in publication order) all the Bantam-era Star Wars books that were released between 1991 and 1999; that shakes out to 38 adult novels and 5 anthologies of short stories & novellas.
This week’s focus: the second of Aaron Allston’s X-Wing books, Iron Fist.
SOME HISTORY:
Aaron Allston’s original plan for the Wraith Squadron books wouldn’t have involved the Wraiths at all! Instead, he wanted to set them concurrently with Stackpole’s Rogue Squadron books, and follow Wes Janson and Hobbie Klivian as they worked with various training squadrons. But Lucasfilm wanted the focus to remain on Wedge Antilles, so Allston shifted the action to the search for Warlord Zsinj, after The Bacta War. While Wraith Squadron made the New York Times paperback bestseller list, I couldn’t find any data that book 2, Iron Fist did for any of the weeks after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered the entirety of the Face & Ton Phanan subplot, but I had conflated a lot of Lara Notsil’s plotline from Solo Command. Her dramatic arc is just getting started in Iron Fist...
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Against all odds, Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But this time Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. Wraith Squadron's mission: infiltrate the warlord's fleet by posing as ruthless pirates and uncover his carefully guarded plans.
THE CHARACTERS:
What I like about Allston’s X-Wing books is how he shifts focus to new characters in each book. Wraith Squadron focused a lot on Kell Tainer, but Iron Fist deals with both old and new Wraiths.
Wedge’s main issue during Iron Fist is family-related. At the end of Wraith Squadron, we heard the voice of Baron Fel--the Imperial pilot turned Rebel pilot turned ???, and also Wedge’s brother-in-law. Wedge has so many questions: why has Fel sided with Zsinj? What happened to him? Where is Wedge’s sister Syal? He doesn’t get any answers in this book, other than the revelation that Fel is now very dismissive of Antilles. Wedge also has to be the boss with a group of unruly almost-teenagers, who have to be reprimanded and (in the case of Castin Donn), don’t take well to the word NO.
Allston had said that the main theme for the Wraith Squadron books was forgiveness. In Wraith Squadron, Wedge and especially Kell have to forgive themselves in the matter of Jesmin Ackbar’s death, and Kell has to forgive and forget both his father’s legacy and how that has impacted him. In Iron Fist, the forgiveness theme plays out in the subplots of Face Loran and Ton Phanan, and Dia Passik.
Face was a child actor in Imperial propaganda films, and years later joined the Rebel forces. But his past hangs around his neck like a millstone, and he continually self-flagettes himself over what he did. He has to learn to forgive himself (as Ton Phanan points out, he was a child!), and move beyond his past.
Dia was enslaved as a child, and doesn’t want to look inward at all. She doesn’t want to ever be that helpless again, so she moves to the opposite extreme and tries to become completely heartless. It takes a super traumatic event until she’s able to reconcile her child-self with the adult that she’s grown into.
With Lara Notsil, I was initially worried that her plotline would follow the same course as Erisi Dlarit in the Rogue Squadron books; that was fortunately not the case. She joins Wraith Squadron as a stopgap measure, and intends to return to Warlord Zsinj and the Imperials. But the Wraiths care about what happens to her and care what she has to say, and she finds herself surrounded by friends. She’s given up on the Empire, but unlike Face and Dia, she’s not willing to tackle the consequences of her past actions yet--that will come in Solo Command.
And like in Wraith Squadron, not all our characters make it to the end. Allston had said that since these books are set in wartime, he didn’t believe everyone would survive all the battles. But he also wanted to make sure that the deaths were meaningful, both to the other characters and to the reader. So in Iron Fist, we say goodbye to Ton Phanan and Castin Donn.
Ton’s arc mirrors Face’s; young Dr. Phanan was a Rebel doctor during the Battle of Endor, who thought he was doing good. But Ton has an allergy to bacta, so every time he’s injured he loses more of himself, and it leads to him feeling that he can’t connect with others. If Face has to learn how to put the past behind him and move on, Ton can’t. He’s given up even before his actual death. Allston originally planned to kill Ton Phanan off in the first book, but felt that he still had a role to play. It hurts to see him die (and I’m not the only one! That’s why we have fix-it fics so that Face and Ton can continue their bromance forever and ever).
Castin Donn’s death feels realistic and shocking, because his storyline feels incomplete. He has a real problem with aliens, and he directly disobeys Wedge’s orders. He’s reckless, and it leads to his death. While his death doesn’t have the emotional resonance of Ton’s, it has a huge impact on the other characters, especially on Dia.
And then we have our baddies. If Zsinj was more of an offscreen puppetmaster in Wraith Squadron, in Iron Fist we get to see him in the flesh. Zsinj is definitely a large ham, and he needs attention and validation from others. He’s also very calculating, and you can see how Allston is taking the character from The Courtship of Princess Leia and slowly turning him into a believable archvillain.
We are also reintroduced to General Melvar, also from The Courtship of Princess Leia. He’s scary, and not just because of his razor sharp fingernails. He always appears to be playing a role, and the inner Melvar is just...blank.
ISSUES:
While Wraith Squadron contained a lot of setup for the other books, Iron Fist suffers from a different issue: middle book syndrome. For instance, the last battle was not as exciting/climactic as the battle in the previous book. We know that they won’t beat Zsinj, because there’s one more book to go; but we also know that they won’t beat Zsinj because he appears in The Courtship of Princess Leia. It made the stakes feel a little low this time around.
Two minor quibbles: Castin Donn’s name is way too similar to Myn Donos, and while that won’t affect the next book, it was occasionally confusing this time. (That’s the risk you run when you have two characters with similar names!)
Second, we lost three pilots in Wraith Squadron--two women and one man; two aliens and one human--and they’re replaced in Iron Fist with four pilots--three women and one man; one alien and three humans. While I loved getting more female characters (I was previously counting the women in the male-heavy Star Wars universe until I stopped out of frustration and disappointment), I wish that the ratio of humans to non-humans was a little better. There are so many different aliens in SW, and I would have loved more of that diversity.
IN CONCLUSION:
Iron Fist features great humor, intriguing characters arcs, and some shocking yet emotionally meaningful character deaths. But it also suffers a little from middle book syndrome, in that nothing big and climactic happens here. (I still recommend it, though!)
Next up: the conclusion to the Hand of Thrawn duology, Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/0uHmgoPvcd8
Aaron Allston SW FAQs: https://web.archive.org/web/200710131...
Vintage Allston interview from 2000: https://www.fanthatracks.com/intervie...
This week’s focus: the second of Aaron Allston’s X-Wing books, Iron Fist.
SOME HISTORY:
Aaron Allston’s original plan for the Wraith Squadron books wouldn’t have involved the Wraiths at all! Instead, he wanted to set them concurrently with Stackpole’s Rogue Squadron books, and follow Wes Janson and Hobbie Klivian as they worked with various training squadrons. But Lucasfilm wanted the focus to remain on Wedge Antilles, so Allston shifted the action to the search for Warlord Zsinj, after The Bacta War. While Wraith Squadron made the New York Times paperback bestseller list, I couldn’t find any data that book 2, Iron Fist did for any of the weeks after its release.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I remembered the entirety of the Face & Ton Phanan subplot, but I had conflated a lot of Lara Notsil’s plotline from Solo Command. Her dramatic arc is just getting started in Iron Fist...
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Against all odds, Wraith Squadron has survived its first covert mission. But this time Wedge Antilles sends them in to stop the warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer, Iron Fist. Wraith Squadron's mission: infiltrate the warlord's fleet by posing as ruthless pirates and uncover his carefully guarded plans.
THE CHARACTERS:
What I like about Allston’s X-Wing books is how he shifts focus to new characters in each book. Wraith Squadron focused a lot on Kell Tainer, but Iron Fist deals with both old and new Wraiths.
Wedge’s main issue during Iron Fist is family-related. At the end of Wraith Squadron, we heard the voice of Baron Fel--the Imperial pilot turned Rebel pilot turned ???, and also Wedge’s brother-in-law. Wedge has so many questions: why has Fel sided with Zsinj? What happened to him? Where is Wedge’s sister Syal? He doesn’t get any answers in this book, other than the revelation that Fel is now very dismissive of Antilles. Wedge also has to be the boss with a group of unruly almost-teenagers, who have to be reprimanded and (in the case of Castin Donn), don’t take well to the word NO.
Allston had said that the main theme for the Wraith Squadron books was forgiveness. In Wraith Squadron, Wedge and especially Kell have to forgive themselves in the matter of Jesmin Ackbar’s death, and Kell has to forgive and forget both his father’s legacy and how that has impacted him. In Iron Fist, the forgiveness theme plays out in the subplots of Face Loran and Ton Phanan, and Dia Passik.
Face was a child actor in Imperial propaganda films, and years later joined the Rebel forces. But his past hangs around his neck like a millstone, and he continually self-flagettes himself over what he did. He has to learn to forgive himself (as Ton Phanan points out, he was a child!), and move beyond his past.
Dia was enslaved as a child, and doesn’t want to look inward at all. She doesn’t want to ever be that helpless again, so she moves to the opposite extreme and tries to become completely heartless. It takes a super traumatic event until she’s able to reconcile her child-self with the adult that she’s grown into.
With Lara Notsil, I was initially worried that her plotline would follow the same course as Erisi Dlarit in the Rogue Squadron books; that was fortunately not the case. She joins Wraith Squadron as a stopgap measure, and intends to return to Warlord Zsinj and the Imperials. But the Wraiths care about what happens to her and care what she has to say, and she finds herself surrounded by friends. She’s given up on the Empire, but unlike Face and Dia, she’s not willing to tackle the consequences of her past actions yet--that will come in Solo Command.
And like in Wraith Squadron, not all our characters make it to the end. Allston had said that since these books are set in wartime, he didn’t believe everyone would survive all the battles. But he also wanted to make sure that the deaths were meaningful, both to the other characters and to the reader. So in Iron Fist, we say goodbye to Ton Phanan and Castin Donn.
Ton’s arc mirrors Face’s; young Dr. Phanan was a Rebel doctor during the Battle of Endor, who thought he was doing good. But Ton has an allergy to bacta, so every time he’s injured he loses more of himself, and it leads to him feeling that he can’t connect with others. If Face has to learn how to put the past behind him and move on, Ton can’t. He’s given up even before his actual death. Allston originally planned to kill Ton Phanan off in the first book, but felt that he still had a role to play. It hurts to see him die (and I’m not the only one! That’s why we have fix-it fics so that Face and Ton can continue their bromance forever and ever).
Castin Donn’s death feels realistic and shocking, because his storyline feels incomplete. He has a real problem with aliens, and he directly disobeys Wedge’s orders. He’s reckless, and it leads to his death. While his death doesn’t have the emotional resonance of Ton’s, it has a huge impact on the other characters, especially on Dia.
And then we have our baddies. If Zsinj was more of an offscreen puppetmaster in Wraith Squadron, in Iron Fist we get to see him in the flesh. Zsinj is definitely a large ham, and he needs attention and validation from others. He’s also very calculating, and you can see how Allston is taking the character from The Courtship of Princess Leia and slowly turning him into a believable archvillain.
We are also reintroduced to General Melvar, also from The Courtship of Princess Leia. He’s scary, and not just because of his razor sharp fingernails. He always appears to be playing a role, and the inner Melvar is just...blank.
ISSUES:
While Wraith Squadron contained a lot of setup for the other books, Iron Fist suffers from a different issue: middle book syndrome. For instance, the last battle was not as exciting/climactic as the battle in the previous book. We know that they won’t beat Zsinj, because there’s one more book to go; but we also know that they won’t beat Zsinj because he appears in The Courtship of Princess Leia. It made the stakes feel a little low this time around.
Two minor quibbles: Castin Donn’s name is way too similar to Myn Donos, and while that won’t affect the next book, it was occasionally confusing this time. (That’s the risk you run when you have two characters with similar names!)
Second, we lost three pilots in Wraith Squadron--two women and one man; two aliens and one human--and they’re replaced in Iron Fist with four pilots--three women and one man; one alien and three humans. While I loved getting more female characters (I was previously counting the women in the male-heavy Star Wars universe until I stopped out of frustration and disappointment), I wish that the ratio of humans to non-humans was a little better. There are so many different aliens in SW, and I would have loved more of that diversity.
IN CONCLUSION:
Iron Fist features great humor, intriguing characters arcs, and some shocking yet emotionally meaningful character deaths. But it also suffers a little from middle book syndrome, in that nothing big and climactic happens here. (I still recommend it, though!)
Next up: the conclusion to the Hand of Thrawn duology, Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn.
My YouTube review: https://youtu.be/0uHmgoPvcd8
Aaron Allston SW FAQs: https://web.archive.org/web/200710131...
Vintage Allston interview from 2000: https://www.fanthatracks.com/intervie...
March 4, 2022
This is another excellent installment to the X-wing series. Wraith Squadron, now official and fully operational, sets off on the next step of their campaign against Warlord Zsinj. The Wraiths pose as pirates and conduct secret missions to seemingly align themselves with the Warlord, but then to ultimately try to take him down in conjunction with Han Solo's Mon Remonda task force.
This installment, like the previous one, featured fine character development as well as exciting missions. I have to be honest; two scenes in this book turned out to be slight tear-jerkers for me. Many other scenes caused me to laugh out loud.
Finally, author Aaron Allston puts in his two cents on the "hyperspace ram" controversy (the book was published, of course, way before Episode VII). Quoting from page 262 of my epub (context: Solo on the Mon Remonda MC80b is trying to cut off Zsinj's Iron Fist's (Super Star Destroyer) escape vector),
"He [Solo] continues correcting his position to be more and more precisely in our path," said Melvar. "We can't be sure of his intent until we're past the point of no return. Then, either he moves out of our path and we can get through and go to hyperspace . . . or we hit Mon Remonda and both vessels probably perish".
This installment, like the previous one, featured fine character development as well as exciting missions. I have to be honest; two scenes in this book turned out to be slight tear-jerkers for me. Many other scenes caused me to laugh out loud.
Finally, author Aaron Allston puts in his two cents on the "hyperspace ram" controversy (the book was published, of course, way before Episode VII). Quoting from page 262 of my epub (context: Solo on the Mon Remonda MC80b is trying to cut off Zsinj's Iron Fist's (Super Star Destroyer) escape vector),
"He [Solo] continues correcting his position to be more and more precisely in our path," said Melvar. "We can't be sure of his intent until we're past the point of no return. Then, either he moves out of our path and we can get through and go to hyperspace . . . or we hit Mon Remonda and both vessels probably perish".
August 26, 2010
Bringing down Warlord Zsinj
Wedge Antilles and the Wraiths continue their charade as pirates to get closer to Warlord Zsinj and take him down.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I Liked:
Last book had a lot of point of views and/or character moments from Kell Tainer and Tyria. This time, we get pov’s from a new set of the Wraiths (such as Face and Lara Notsil). I liked this because we get to learn more about the “lesser” members, we don’t get bored with the same characters, and we get to grow attached to all the Wraiths.
One thing Allston is brilliant at is humor. The Ewok joke makes a return; the antics of the Wraiths can be hilarious. I like a light-hearted approach to something that could be so heavy.
Under Allston, Warlord Zsinj isn’t your stereotypical power-hungry, maniacal, wild Imperial junkie. I mean, he still somewhat resides in the Imperial stereotype, but I could actually believe that he was a menace.
I Didn’t Like:
I am beginning to come to the conclusion that the audiobooks of the X-Wing series are badly done. Half the time, I have no clue what is going on; it seems they cut and read random scenes from the book (for instance, what is the point of Runt’s dancing hall scene?). Keeping track of the characters is nearly impossible and the story gets lost behind the dogfights.
But by far the most groan worthy moment was “Lara Notsil”’s character arc. Here we have yet another supposedly “highly trained”, 15-year veteran Imperial Intelligence agent that spends a day with the Wraiths and suddenly leaves the Empire because of the “addictive” sense of “belonging” to the Wraiths. Oh, please! The tacked on “parent’s mysterious treason” (she hadn’t thought of that fifteen years ago?), the lack of build-up to her leaving (she changes her mind literally in one scene with no hints earlier), and the hokey one time “Oh, Warlord Zsinj had these men die dishonorably” line (geez, haven’t YOU done some dishonorable deeds?) made me totally disinterested in the whole character and even the whole book.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars or minor da** & he**.
Tyria and Kell are a couple. There are a few others too.
Dogfights, betrayals, subterfuge, and one of the Wraiths dies.
Overall:
If you’ve been keeping up with the X-Wing series, I would definitely recommend you continue. I had issues with this book, more than the others in the series, but I had to wonder: was it me? Was it the audiobook? Or was it actually the book? So, while instinct wants me to hit it with a three, I will assign a 3.5 rounded to 4, partly to allow for the audiobook’s faults and partly in memory of the good predecessors.
Wedge Antilles and the Wraiths continue their charade as pirates to get closer to Warlord Zsinj and take him down.
NOTE: Based on audiobook and novel.
I Liked:
Last book had a lot of point of views and/or character moments from Kell Tainer and Tyria. This time, we get pov’s from a new set of the Wraiths (such as Face and Lara Notsil). I liked this because we get to learn more about the “lesser” members, we don’t get bored with the same characters, and we get to grow attached to all the Wraiths.
One thing Allston is brilliant at is humor. The Ewok joke makes a return; the antics of the Wraiths can be hilarious. I like a light-hearted approach to something that could be so heavy.
Under Allston, Warlord Zsinj isn’t your stereotypical power-hungry, maniacal, wild Imperial junkie. I mean, he still somewhat resides in the Imperial stereotype, but I could actually believe that he was a menace.
I Didn’t Like:
I am beginning to come to the conclusion that the audiobooks of the X-Wing series are badly done. Half the time, I have no clue what is going on; it seems they cut and read random scenes from the book (for instance, what is the point of Runt’s dancing hall scene?). Keeping track of the characters is nearly impossible and the story gets lost behind the dogfights.
But by far the most groan worthy moment was “Lara Notsil”’s character arc. Here we have yet another supposedly “highly trained”, 15-year veteran Imperial Intelligence agent that spends a day with the Wraiths and suddenly leaves the Empire because of the “addictive” sense of “belonging” to the Wraiths. Oh, please! The tacked on “parent’s mysterious treason” (she hadn’t thought of that fifteen years ago?), the lack of build-up to her leaving (she changes her mind literally in one scene with no hints earlier), and the hokey one time “Oh, Warlord Zsinj had these men die dishonorably” line (geez, haven’t YOU done some dishonorable deeds?) made me totally disinterested in the whole character and even the whole book.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Star Wars or minor da** & he**.
Tyria and Kell are a couple. There are a few others too.
Dogfights, betrayals, subterfuge, and one of the Wraiths dies.
Overall:
If you’ve been keeping up with the X-Wing series, I would definitely recommend you continue. I had issues with this book, more than the others in the series, but I had to wonder: was it me? Was it the audiobook? Or was it actually the book? So, while instinct wants me to hit it with a three, I will assign a 3.5 rounded to 4, partly to allow for the audiobook’s faults and partly in memory of the good predecessors.
November 30, 2024
Iron Fist is a great addition to the Rogue Squadron/Wraith Squadron canon. While I enjoyed Wraith Squadron, it was hard to get into at first with the drastic amount of new characters. Iron Fist was a lot more enjoyable with established characters, and those returning from the Rogues. Allston really hit a home run with Iron Fist.
There was equal parts action, suspense, and humor to keep you hooked the whole way through. I actually think of this as one of my top two or three X-Wing novels so far in the series.
One thing that I didn’t care as much for was the shift in focus from Kell to Face in terms of primary POV characters. I think it was nice giving Face more depth, especially in terms of his relationship with Ton, but not at the detriment of Kell. Lara was a great addition of character that I am intrigued to see how her role as a double/triple/quad agent plays out in future books.
There was equal parts action, suspense, and humor to keep you hooked the whole way through. I actually think of this as one of my top two or three X-Wing novels so far in the series.
One thing that I didn’t care as much for was the shift in focus from Kell to Face in terms of primary POV characters. I think it was nice giving Face more depth, especially in terms of his relationship with Ton, but not at the detriment of Kell. Lara was a great addition of character that I am intrigued to see how her role as a double/triple/quad agent plays out in future books.
September 8, 2025
I really enjoyed the Rogue Squadron books and I heard that the Wraith Squadron books were just as good, if not even better. But after having read two of the Wraith Squadron books now, neither one has grabbed my attention. I only have one more Wraith Squadron book but I don't know when I'll get to it. After that I have two more X-Wing books but I'm just not feeling it at all.
January 16, 2024
Nie spodziewałam się. Naprawdę się nie spodziewałam, że przez połowę tej książki będę miała łzy w oczach. Zazwyczaj ze śmiechu. Ale nie zawsze.
Uważam, że bohaterowie są świetnie rozpisani, czuć ich emocje, ich ból po stracie bliskich. Ich wątpliwości, ich pogodzenie się z własną śmiercią. Ich radość i spokój w tych krótkich chwilach pomiędzy misjami.
Uwielbiam to połączenie czarnego i sarkastycznsgo humoru w wykonaniu Buźki i Phanana 😂
Porucznik Ketch jest po prostu super 😍. Byłby moim ulubionym bohaterem, gdyby nie fakt, iż jest tylko kukłą.
Więc moim ulubionym bohaterem jest oczywiście Wedge. Moim zdaniem wymiata. Uwielbiam, kiedy dogryzają sobie z Jansonem i Hanem. I czekam na kolejny pojedynek umiejętności pilotażu z baronem Felem.
Muszę tez przyznać, że przez poprzednie tomy, w których pierwsze skrzypce grała Eskadra Łotrów przyzwyczaiłam się do nieśmiertelności pilotów. Dlatego ostatnie dwa tomy z Eskadrą Widm w roli głównej były dla mnie szokiem.
Jak na razie była to chyba moja ulubiona część serii. Zobaczymy co dalej. Zyg zyg
Uważam, że bohaterowie są świetnie rozpisani, czuć ich emocje, ich ból po stracie bliskich. Ich wątpliwości, ich pogodzenie się z własną śmiercią. Ich radość i spokój w tych krótkich chwilach pomiędzy misjami.
Uwielbiam to połączenie czarnego i sarkastycznsgo humoru w wykonaniu Buźki i Phanana 😂
Porucznik Ketch jest po prostu super 😍. Byłby moim ulubionym bohaterem, gdyby nie fakt, iż jest tylko kukłą.
Więc moim ulubionym bohaterem jest oczywiście Wedge. Moim zdaniem wymiata. Uwielbiam, kiedy dogryzają sobie z Jansonem i Hanem. I czekam na kolejny pojedynek umiejętności pilotażu z baronem Felem.
Muszę tez przyznać, że przez poprzednie tomy, w których pierwsze skrzypce grała Eskadra Łotrów przyzwyczaiłam się do nieśmiertelności pilotów. Dlatego ostatnie dwa tomy z Eskadrą Widm w roli głównej były dla mnie szokiem.
Jak na razie była to chyba moja ulubiona część serii. Zobaczymy co dalej. Zyg zyg
March 8, 2024
Allston knocks another one out of the park. His humor and wit make his books so easy to read, the clever plot and character development only helps. I do wish the first 50 or so pages were better, I'm not sure why Lara was so awful in the beginning, she became one of my favorites toward the end. Also shocked at the lack of focus on kell and tyria.
August 3, 2023
Star Wars: Iron Fist, book six in the X-Wing Series, was written by Bestselling Author, Aaron Allston. This Expanded Universe tale takes place during the New Republic Era, seven ABY (7 years after the battle of Yavin).
SUMMARY
Warlord Admiral Zsinj is on the prowl, his hit and run tactics are brutal against the New Republic. He sits comfortably in his Star Destroyer - Iron Fist. While he seems unpredictable, New Republic Wraith Squadron narrows down his tactics through collected intel and risky groundwork.
Wraith Squadron works hard to prevent Zsinj from accomplishing one of his biggest moves yet, acquiring a super star destroyer to expand his fleet. The missions that take place to maneuver Wraith into having chance to face off against Zsinj comes with a heavy price tag; the cost... life.
In this tale, Wraith Squadron gains new members, replacing the few that were recently lost. One new member, isn't quite who she claims to be. Lies are told, secrets are kept, and blood is shed.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Alright, this is the best one yet in the X-Wing series. This book had so many tense moments that kept me glued to the pages! I really enjoy not knowing what the outcome will be when it comes to the characters; which is the best part about "side' characters of Star Wars. We all know the established characters will be around.
Allston does a wonderful job writing the characters of Wraith Squadron. The misfit group of pilots work well together, mostly. The plot of this book was simple, the missions were highly entertaining, and the villain really gets under the skin. The story was unpredictable, the author wasn't afraid to kill off anyone.
Gara Petothel, has to be my favorite character in this story. One of my complaints for the previous book, Wraith Squadron, was that we didn't get that much commando action. This book fulfills what that book lacked. The fighting on the ground was just as exciting as the fighting in the air/space. Allston does a fine job setting the scene and building up tension.
We get a peak at what happened right after that Return of the Jedi special edition scene where the people on Coruscant are pulling down the statue of Emperor Palpatine. I loved that little moment that gave us a direct tie-in visual to the film.
Do I recommend this book in the X-Wing Series? Absolutely. This book has great humor sprinkled lightly throughout, it's not overly done. The characters are fantastically written.
RATING
I give Star Wars: X-Wing: Iron Fist, an A! Making this book the best in the series so far.
June 30, 2012
Star Wars books sometimes suffer from life- and galaxy-shattering plots, to the point the they are often depressing, unbelievable, and sometimes just stupid. The Wraith Trilogy (Rogue Squadron: Wraith Squadron/Iron Fist/Solo Command) is almost the antithesis, injected with humor and life, even though the characters are self-professed screw-ups about to be washed out of piloting. Instead of being a lot about piloting and aerial dogfights, this unit is made up of commandos who are also great pilots. The characters are mainly new and untried, and desperate to impress their commander, Wedge Antilles, hero of the New Republic, who creates this unit to meet a real need. The Wraiths learn to trust each other, cheer together when they succeed and cry real tears when missions don't go according to their plan, and they lose friends and comrades. Though these stories were obviously conceived to dove-tail into "The Courtship of Princess Leia," they are great stories, with many funny lines and situations. Its not all comedy -- the unit helps one member through manic depression and career-ending insanity, another is a spy who ends up wanting to be just an honest pilot, another is a former slave who is forced to murder a squadron mate, yet another realizes that he is the killer of the father of one of his pilots, another seeks to contact a traitor to learn about his sister, etc. Heady and heavy stuff! Since none of these are main or film characters, there is no fear of contradicting continuity for the characters of this series.
April 17, 2011
I'm of two minds when it comes to this book. I think that some of the hurdles presented in the previous installments have been corrected and as such the story is able to move forward without those nagging hindrances. That having been said it felt a bit boring in contrast with it's predecessors and even though it's the shortest of the series thus far it never really seemed to pop the way the others did.
It's hard to write a review for a book that is neither great nor terrible. It's harder still for me to specifically pinpoint what makes the book feel like it fell short. It's better written overall than Allston's first installment and the story is compelling, with the subterfuge of a previously staunch Imperial agent having to navigate her new life as a pilot for the Republic. Those story beats alone make the book worth reading.
Perhaps it just felt a little bit too much like filler. I can't say for sure. I wasn't truly disappointed in the book, it simply didn't connect with me the way that I was expecting. I think it fits well in the overall scheme but does little else. And maybe that's okay.
It's hard to write a review for a book that is neither great nor terrible. It's harder still for me to specifically pinpoint what makes the book feel like it fell short. It's better written overall than Allston's first installment and the story is compelling, with the subterfuge of a previously staunch Imperial agent having to navigate her new life as a pilot for the Republic. Those story beats alone make the book worth reading.
Perhaps it just felt a little bit too much like filler. I can't say for sure. I wasn't truly disappointed in the book, it simply didn't connect with me the way that I was expecting. I think it fits well in the overall scheme but does little else. And maybe that's okay.
June 12, 2025
X Wing Wraith Squadron no. 6 Iron Fist:
Excellent entry! Book six of the whole series and book two of the Wraith Squadron sub-series. Allston is a far better writer than Stackpole, but I think I liked the Rogue Squadron heroes slightly more and the villain significantly more. I also like the plots about the same.
However, Allston’s writing is what does it for me. He makes you more attached to the characters. There’s a pretty significant death in this one, and it hits you right in the feels. I actually was struggling through this up until a certain point, and all of a sudden the plot and writing took off and I ended up giving it five stars.
I can’t wait to read the next one and continue the series.
Excellent entry! Book six of the whole series and book two of the Wraith Squadron sub-series. Allston is a far better writer than Stackpole, but I think I liked the Rogue Squadron heroes slightly more and the villain significantly more. I also like the plots about the same.
However, Allston’s writing is what does it for me. He makes you more attached to the characters. There’s a pretty significant death in this one, and it hits you right in the feels. I actually was struggling through this up until a certain point, and all of a sudden the plot and writing took off and I ended up giving it five stars.
I can’t wait to read the next one and continue the series.
April 13, 2022
Definitely need to finish the Wraith Squadron trilogy for this re-read. Onward to Solo Command!
October 14, 2020
I said in my review of Wraith Squadron that it was probably the lowest end of the quality spectrum of a SW book I'd still genuinely enjoy. That didn't leave much buffer room for Allston to do any worse, and Iron Fist is a little worse. Allston's writing is just soooooo threadbare in every trait that makes a novel worth reading. It's still not bad, exactly, not offensive in the way so many of the SW writing I really loathe is. It just feels like someone took a real book and abridged out all the good bits. There are a couple of pitifully weak attempts at character arcs here, just really pitiful stuff--the way Lana joins Wraith Squadron as an infiltrator but instantly loses her entire prior motivations and it never comes up again, or Face's deal (not too dissimilar from Donos' deal last time but now the character going through grief and guilt mostly offscreen is nominally a protagonist). The part that really sinks it is that none of these things have anything to do with the actual story of the book. They're literally sideplots. The climactic action scene is given through the POV of Shalla, Piggy, and Wedge, and has nothing to do with them. It makes the whole thing feel extremely detached and low-stakes, despite being a battle nearly the scale of Endor.
That we're thrust into the middle of a conflict between the NR and Zsinj could be written off as immersive last time but the fact that Zsinj has done literally nothing in two books now except be a mildly competent foe in a cat and mouse game is starting to sap the energy from things. We get closer to him than ever here but there are no sparks from that interaction at all. He's not pulling his weight, but neither is anyone else. The ongoing plot line about making dumb aliens smart, which is bad, gets a few breadcrumbs here but no actual development (eg through Piggy's POV). Han is here but Allston has nothing for him to do and isn't good at writing dialogue for him. Wedge talks to Soontir Fel, just breadcrumbing another overarching plot that adds nothing here. Nothing that happens ever feels interesting or engaging, even if it should be on paper, because Allston doesn't seem to be trying to make it feel engaging. It's not Stackpole-tier bloviating hackery or insipid sawdust like so much of the new canon stuff, but it's so lacking in virtues that it certainly doesn't deserve the positive reputation it has.
That we're thrust into the middle of a conflict between the NR and Zsinj could be written off as immersive last time but the fact that Zsinj has done literally nothing in two books now except be a mildly competent foe in a cat and mouse game is starting to sap the energy from things. We get closer to him than ever here but there are no sparks from that interaction at all. He's not pulling his weight, but neither is anyone else. The ongoing plot line about making dumb aliens smart, which is bad, gets a few breadcrumbs here but no actual development (eg through Piggy's POV). Han is here but Allston has nothing for him to do and isn't good at writing dialogue for him. Wedge talks to Soontir Fel, just breadcrumbing another overarching plot that adds nothing here. Nothing that happens ever feels interesting or engaging, even if it should be on paper, because Allston doesn't seem to be trying to make it feel engaging. It's not Stackpole-tier bloviating hackery or insipid sawdust like so much of the new canon stuff, but it's so lacking in virtues that it certainly doesn't deserve the positive reputation it has.
October 11, 2021
I really enjoyed this one. Not as much as Wraith Squadron, but it’s still an Aaron Allston X-Wing book, so of course it was great. My biggest complaint is the slowish start. Nothing really starts to get going for the first hundred pages or so, but after that it really moves. There’s also another random and poorly contextualized commando mission that we’re just sort of dropped into, but I think Allston just likes doing that.
One of my favorite parts of the book is Lara Nostil’s defection arc. Normally we see defection from the Empire happen all at once, as one single event that a character experiences, but here we see her slowly warming up to the New Republic and having to face what the Empire taught her. It’s very well done.
I liked that this one focused on Face way more. I was expecting these books to have one main character like the Rogue Squadron arc did with Corran, but each book seems to be focusing on one character, which I like.
I did enjoy the pirate plot. It was fun and creative, but not quite as crazy as the last book got. I would have liked things to get a little wackier, but I did enjoy what we got. The final battle was exciting, one of the best in the series so far. Overall an enjoyable read, and I’m very excited for the last book in this arc.
One of my favorite parts of the book is Lara Nostil’s defection arc. Normally we see defection from the Empire happen all at once, as one single event that a character experiences, but here we see her slowly warming up to the New Republic and having to face what the Empire taught her. It’s very well done.
I liked that this one focused on Face way more. I was expecting these books to have one main character like the Rogue Squadron arc did with Corran, but each book seems to be focusing on one character, which I like.
I did enjoy the pirate plot. It was fun and creative, but not quite as crazy as the last book got. I would have liked things to get a little wackier, but I did enjoy what we got. The final battle was exciting, one of the best in the series so far. Overall an enjoyable read, and I’m very excited for the last book in this arc.
November 10, 2022
I hung in for as long as I could...but this series has finally defeated me and my patience. I perked up a bit for Han Solo, but is it enough to get to finish it off once and for all? I just don't know if Rogue & Wraith Squadrons are interesting enough for me to hang in there...
November 16, 2019
These books would be so much better if them didn't cram them so full of unnecessary drama and repeated long descriptions of every space battle.
August 6, 2025
Pinnacle of the Wraith Squadron Trilogy. The humor, cast of characters and action are all on point. Balances emotional moments with goofy moments and never feels jarring.
September 9, 2025
Yub Yub commander!
My favourite book in the series so far.
My favourite book in the series so far.
October 20, 2025
Easily one of the best Star Wars books, I’d say. Certainly some of the most compelling and emotional character writing in the franchise, and even a great big battle at the end despite my hatred of starfighter combat! Got me tearing up and shedding tears frequently. Amazing!
October 29, 2025
I can understand why this book is held in such high regard amongst the EU community!
June 8, 2025
I won’t linger on it but I liked this one a lot, better than the second in fact. It doesn’t crack the top tier of Star Wars books for me (just because starfighter combat isn’t the arm of the franchise I like the most), but I find it to be a worthy successor to the Rogue Squadron books, and I especially liked the Ewok pilot jokes in this one. Very funny.
September 18, 2021
This one honestly was the toughest time I've had getting through a star wars book. I'm usually pretty open minded but this book felt purely like filler and kind of lacked heart compared to most star wars books. Some of the background threads were good but a large majority of this book just feels like Allston's going through the motions. I didn't think I'd dislike this one as much as I did. There are star wars books that are technically worse, but I think that this one might be the flattest one I've read. Even reading of waru and callista offered a more interesting experience despite children of the jedi and crystal star being laughably bad
January 1, 2025
Star Wars Legends Project #329
Background: Iron Fist was written by Aaron Allston and published in July 1998. It is the sixth of the X-Wing series of novels, and the second after Allston took the series over from Michael Stackpole. He would write a total of 5 X-Wing novels, along with several others.
Iron Fist takes place three years after the Battle of Endor (7 years after the battle of Yavin), and begins very shortly after Wraith Squadron (my review). The main characters are Wedge, Wes Janson, and the pilots of the newly-formed Wraith Squadron, including Kell Tainer, Garik Loran, Myn Donos, and Voort saBinring. There are major appearances by Han Solo and Warlord Zsinj. The story takes place at various locations, most notably Coruscant and Kuat.
Summary: After their spectacular success in destroying a significant portion of Warlord Zsinj's forces, Wraith Squadron has returned to Coruscant to enjoy some downtime. Unfortunately, it seems Zsinj knows who they are, and holds a grudge. That will make their next mission even more complicated, as they'll be posing as pirates-for-hire, seeking to join Zsinj's forces as mercenaries. And their mission is even more dangerous than they know, as one of the new Wraiths, Lara Notsil, is actually Gara Petothel of Imperial Intelligence . . . a double-agent poised to expose the squadron to Zsinj at the worst possible moment!
Review: My reassessment of Wraith Squadron continues, with Iron Fist also exceeding my recollections of many years ago upon a reread . . . though I didn't care for it as much as the previous book. It's weirdly short . . . the shortest of the series so far, where the last book was the longest, and it feels a bit rushed and overstuffed as a result. I wonder, too, if I liked it less when I was younger because the characters' problems are so much more adult than the problems in the Rogue Squadron books.
Allston's characters are wrestling with all kinds of major trauma, and the solutions to their problems aren't simple or straightforward . . . they can't just be vaped into plasma in the heat of space combat. In some cases, they may not be solvable at all. These characters also have significant and very human flaws, which means they aren't always likable, but they always feel fully-realized, which I appreciate more now than I probably did 25 years ago. The heroes of Rogue Squadron are characters that it's fun to imagine being, but Wraith Squadron is populated by actual people.
Allston's humor is as evident as ever here, and this book had me laughing out loud at various points. But he also gets serious, and major characters can still die. Once again, none of his original characters feels sacred, and you never know when someone might suddenly die in combat, whether it be going out in a heroic blaze of glory, or just very suddenly in a way that doesn't make any difference at all. The stakes are always high . . . Though some clear protagonists have definitely emerged. It's not quite to the degree of the one-man show that is Corran Horn, but Garik Loran is clearly as much of the Main Character as Wraith Squadron is going to have.
In any case, this continues to be a really solid series-within-a-series, and I'm very much looking forward to its conclusion in the next book!
B
Background: Iron Fist was written by Aaron Allston and published in July 1998. It is the sixth of the X-Wing series of novels, and the second after Allston took the series over from Michael Stackpole. He would write a total of 5 X-Wing novels, along with several others.
Iron Fist takes place three years after the Battle of Endor (7 years after the battle of Yavin), and begins very shortly after Wraith Squadron (my review). The main characters are Wedge, Wes Janson, and the pilots of the newly-formed Wraith Squadron, including Kell Tainer, Garik Loran, Myn Donos, and Voort saBinring. There are major appearances by Han Solo and Warlord Zsinj. The story takes place at various locations, most notably Coruscant and Kuat.
Summary: After their spectacular success in destroying a significant portion of Warlord Zsinj's forces, Wraith Squadron has returned to Coruscant to enjoy some downtime. Unfortunately, it seems Zsinj knows who they are, and holds a grudge. That will make their next mission even more complicated, as they'll be posing as pirates-for-hire, seeking to join Zsinj's forces as mercenaries. And their mission is even more dangerous than they know, as one of the new Wraiths, Lara Notsil, is actually Gara Petothel of Imperial Intelligence . . . a double-agent poised to expose the squadron to Zsinj at the worst possible moment!
Review: My reassessment of Wraith Squadron continues, with Iron Fist also exceeding my recollections of many years ago upon a reread . . . though I didn't care for it as much as the previous book. It's weirdly short . . . the shortest of the series so far, where the last book was the longest, and it feels a bit rushed and overstuffed as a result. I wonder, too, if I liked it less when I was younger because the characters' problems are so much more adult than the problems in the Rogue Squadron books.
Allston's characters are wrestling with all kinds of major trauma, and the solutions to their problems aren't simple or straightforward . . . they can't just be vaped into plasma in the heat of space combat. In some cases, they may not be solvable at all. These characters also have significant and very human flaws, which means they aren't always likable, but they always feel fully-realized, which I appreciate more now than I probably did 25 years ago. The heroes of Rogue Squadron are characters that it's fun to imagine being, but Wraith Squadron is populated by actual people.
Allston's humor is as evident as ever here, and this book had me laughing out loud at various points. But he also gets serious, and major characters can still die. Once again, none of his original characters feels sacred, and you never know when someone might suddenly die in combat, whether it be going out in a heroic blaze of glory, or just very suddenly in a way that doesn't make any difference at all. The stakes are always high . . . Though some clear protagonists have definitely emerged. It's not quite to the degree of the one-man show that is Corran Horn, but Garik Loran is clearly as much of the Main Character as Wraith Squadron is going to have.
In any case, this continues to be a really solid series-within-a-series, and I'm very much looking forward to its conclusion in the next book!
B
September 29, 2011
I feel incredibly geeky for admitting that this book made me cry. But it's true - when reading a letter one character leaves for his best friend to read once he's dead.
It's also rather amusing, though. The last line of the letter is him demanding that his friend take care of his pet glass prowlers (insects), because they are cute, and cuteness should be preserved.
I prefer this one to Wraith Squadron. It properly introduces Gara/Lara/Kirney (she goes by many names), and the romance between her and Myn Donos, which is... awkward, to say the least. Then there's Castin, who's rather interesting story arc is cut off very, very abruptly. Then there's Dia, who becomes Face's girlfriend (they're an awesome couple).
The only way I'd like it better would be if Castin had been around for longer.
It's also rather amusing, though. The last line of the letter is him demanding that his friend take care of his pet glass prowlers (insects), because they are cute, and cuteness should be preserved.
I prefer this one to Wraith Squadron. It properly introduces Gara/Lara/Kirney (she goes by many names), and the romance between her and Myn Donos, which is... awkward, to say the least. Then there's Castin, who's rather interesting story arc is cut off very, very abruptly. Then there's Dia, who becomes Face's girlfriend (they're an awesome couple).
The only way I'd like it better would be if Castin had been around for longer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2025
Definitely a 'middle chapter' book. There are developments to the story, but not much is accomplished in the grand scheme of things. It's fine. There's nothing wrong with it. A very standard 'one of these.' It just doesn't do a whole lot.
Honestly, I want to rant about a couple of dumb plot threads.
One thing that's less of a rant and more confusion:
Ok, ranting over. There's a couple of other things, like Castin Donn being a relatively pointless character, or how flying a starfighter at full speed through a forest without hitting any trees would be impossible. But nothing I need to go into detail about.
This book did have the positive aspect of switching the characters it focused on. Face and Lara were the two main focal characters this time. Kell, who was the previous novel's focus, was hardly in this one at all. (He was present, but in the background more or less.) It's nice to switch it up and get more detail for the ensemble cast.
Honestly, I want to rant about a couple of dumb plot threads.
One thing that's less of a rant and more confusion:
Ok, ranting over. There's a couple of other things, like Castin Donn being a relatively pointless character, or how flying a starfighter at full speed through a forest without hitting any trees would be impossible. But nothing I need to go into detail about.
This book did have the positive aspect of switching the characters it focused on. Face and Lara were the two main focal characters this time. Kell, who was the previous novel's focus, was hardly in this one at all. (He was present, but in the background more or less.) It's nice to switch it up and get more detail for the ensemble cast.
September 9, 2021
This is, in my opinion the point in the trilogy wherein the story really picks up. With the beginning of the Myn Donos and 'Lara Nostil' plotline, as well as the climactic death of Tor Phanan and the long lasting effect this has on Face, this book hit me in the feels, right before the next one wraps everything up. The sudden and almost tragic death of Castin Donns, was well executed and realistic. While I never found myself attached to his character through most of the book, I grew one, if moments before his violent death. I credit this book, and this trilogy at large, for the best portrayal of Death I'd yet seen in Star Wars literature. 5/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2023
Reading this series back to back for the first time ever, I'm impressed at the deftness with which Allston has developed these characters. When legacy characters from previous books or the movies show up, they're portrayed in a unique and interesting light. The battles feel new and fresh every time, and the tactics are surprising. But I'm most impressed at the voice and goals that have filled up each character anew. It's excellently done.
May 7, 2009
Keeping a fantastic sense of humor in the takes-itself-incredibly-seriously Star Wars universe is a huge accomplishment. I loooove the Allston X-Wing books. Stackpole's are good too, but he gets bogged down in a whole lot of sci-fi techno babble that I don't care about, and he isn't funny, so these are better. Wedge Antilles is my hero.
September 12, 2009
3.5 actually. Good story.
The opening scene pushes credibility. If warlord Zsinj got that close to Wraith Squadron, he'd vaporize them, not work some hokey kidnap by fake MPs. In fact, he'd probably blow away a good chunk of Coruscant, just to be sure he got them.
Nice cover art; actually relates to the story.
The opening scene pushes credibility. If warlord Zsinj got that close to Wraith Squadron, he'd vaporize them, not work some hokey kidnap by fake MPs. In fact, he'd probably blow away a good chunk of Coruscant, just to be sure he got them.
Nice cover art; actually relates to the story.
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