Solo Command: Star Wars Legends (Wraith Squadron, #3) in The Expanded Universe

Apr 06, 2008 Keith rated it liked it

Shelves: star-wars

Stars: 2.5
Re-read? Leaning yes
Recommend to: People who liked the X-Wing series once it transferred over to Wraith Squadron in book 5. The characters/plot may be important to future books, so this book is potentially important to those. I'll try to remember to come back and update this. If only reading the X-wing series, I would stop after the Bacta War.

I'm really not a fan of the choices Allston made since he took over the X-Wing series. The plot he comes up with is generally very solid if you Stars: 2.5
Re-read? Leaning yes
Recommend to: People who liked the X-Wing series once it transferred over to Wraith Squadron in book 5. The characters/plot may be important to future books, so this book is potentially important to those. I'll try to remember to come back and update this. If only reading the X-wing series, I would stop after the Bacta War.

I'm really not a fan of the choices Allston made since he took over the X-Wing series. The plot he comes up with is generally very solid if you look at it from a macro level, but things always fall apart when he gets specific about anything. He often damages characters with throw-away lines that have no consequence to the plot. (view spoiler) By far though, the major problem with Allston's writing is that he makes everything silly. He'll have a good idea for the plot, but then he'll come up with an absurd method of getting there. (view spoiler) It is much the same when it comes to character building. His character writing is the like episode of a detective series where the serious detective has to go undercover as a clown to catch the killer. Everyone is quippy and snarky, which would be even more unbelievable if they all didn't have insane plot armor.

There are two major problems with this book, and both could have easily been positives if implemented more competently.
- Problem #1 The Plot:
(view spoiler)

- Problem #2 The Main Character:
I kind of like how Allston switches up who the primary focus of the story is on. (view spoiler)

Another ridiculously silly character is (view spoiler). This is a character that could have worked, but it was botched.

Other things:
- (view spoiler)
- I understand that the New Republic is going through financial issues, but it seems unlikely that the second most successful squadron in the military would have trouble getting parts for x-wings to the point they can't utilize a full squadron.
- In this book, (view spoiler).
- There is a scene where (view spoiler). I'm not sure what to even say to all of that.
- The plot armor is insane. (view spoiler)
- A new pilot is a Devaronian. He wears a TIE helmet in a scene. How does a species with horns where a helmet made for a human?
- Allston specifies that there is no higher classification in the military than "secret". (view spoiler)
- More silliness from Allston. (view spoiler)
- This silliness (not a spoiler) is probably a good barometer of whether or not you'll like Allston's writing. "The turbolift doors opened and they entered the shallow car, turning to face the hall. Wedge held his hand against the side of the entryway, preventing the doors from closing. 'Roof,' Wedges said.
Janson looked confused. 'Roof? Not the personal vehicles hangar?'
'Roof.' Then Wedge took a deep breath and bellowed, 'About face! Forward march!'
By reflex, the two pilots spun. Wedge stepped back out into the hall and heard Janson and Hobbie thud into the wall at the rea of the turbolift. Then the turbolift doors closed and the car carried his pilots up and far away."
If you read that and think, "Classic Allston. That is hilarious!", then you'll probably love this book. If you are like me, and you think it is absurd that yelling about face and march would cause these pilots to turn around and involuntarily walk into a wall, then you'll probably find the writing tedious.
- (view spoiler)
- There is quite a bit of absurdity towards the end of the book. (view spoiler)
- An editor should have caught how many times Allston describes a space battle and metions how the pilot felt the G-forces despite the inertial compensator. I'm guessing he says it 8-10 times in this book.
- (view spoiler)
- (view spoiler)
- (view spoiler)
- (view spoiler)

First Reads: 2001/2007 5 Stars ...more

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