luckypluto's review
4.0
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 in the series; I remember how my fifth grade best friend-turned mortal enemy stole my copy of The Bacta War, and I had to beg my mom for a new one.
Rogue Squadron introduced Corran Horn to the Star Wars universe, and he quickly became my favorite character in the universe. (It wasn’t until I was a mature reader in college that I recognized Corran for what he is: a true Mary Sue, but I still liked him, anyway.) I loved the Rogue Squadron series because it brought to life new characters in the Star Wars saga, or enlivened minor characters like Wedge Antilles (who went on to be a star in many more Star Wars novels). And, as a kid obsessed with airplanes, I loved that it focused on pilots.
That said, like most Star Wars novels, it’s not without its problems. In re-reading it, I found that it can get a bit repetitive; the X-wing dogfights are not nearly as exciting as they were when I was 10. And, as previously mentioned, Corran Horn is a stereotypical Mary Sue (although I do think he developed well over the course of the series).
Still, Rogue Squadron as a novel, and the series as a whole, reads much like a soap opera—you become heavily invested in the lives of the characters, and look forward to seeing what happens to them. And Corran’s internal monologue adds more depth to the novel than is typically seen in Star Wars novels (and segues well into I, Jedi).
Together, Stackpole and Timothy Zahn represent, in my opinion, the two best Star Wars writers, and Rogue Squadron is a must-read for any Star Wars fan. Just don’t take it too seriously.
Rogue Squadron introduced Corran Horn to the Star Wars universe, and he quickly became my favorite character in the universe. (It wasn’t until I was a mature reader in college that I recognized Corran for what he is: a true Mary Sue, but I still liked him, anyway.) I loved the Rogue Squadron series because it brought to life new characters in the Star Wars saga, or enlivened minor characters like Wedge Antilles (who went on to be a star in many more Star Wars novels). And, as a kid obsessed with airplanes, I loved that it focused on pilots.
That said, like most Star Wars novels, it’s not without its problems. In re-reading it, I found that it can get a bit repetitive; the X-wing dogfights are not nearly as exciting as they were when I was 10. And, as previously mentioned, Corran Horn is a stereotypical Mary Sue (although I do think he developed well over the course of the series).
Still, Rogue Squadron as a novel, and the series as a whole, reads much like a soap opera—you become heavily invested in the lives of the characters, and look forward to seeing what happens to them. And Corran’s internal monologue adds more depth to the novel than is typically seen in Star Wars novels (and segues well into I, Jedi).
Together, Stackpole and Timothy Zahn represent, in my opinion, the two best Star Wars writers, and Rogue Squadron is a must-read for any Star Wars fan. Just don’t take it too seriously.
tobiaswuerfel's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
fantasticmrethan's review
2.0
It’s okay.
Some of the connections to the orig trig will elicit an eye roll here and there and it gets surprisingly bogged down by politics, conspiracies and rules so it doesn’t have as much fun with itself as you want it to but for the most part it’s written well enough; the dog fights get a little complicated and it’s female character descriptions seemed never ending but otherwise an easy read.
There’s an impress audiobook of it though if you can find it.
Some of the connections to the orig trig will elicit an eye roll here and there and it gets surprisingly bogged down by politics, conspiracies and rules so it doesn’t have as much fun with itself as you want it to but for the most part it’s written well enough; the dog fights get a little complicated and it’s female character descriptions seemed never ending but otherwise an easy read.
There’s an impress audiobook of it though if you can find it.
mookymc's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nightshade_novels's review against another edition
3.0
Not being the biggest fan of Star Wars this is not the sort of book that I would usually read, but it was recommended to me.
I struggled to get into the start of this book. The descriptions of the X-Wings fights were all but impossible to follow, which left me feeling very lost. I have no idea what an "Incom phi-inverted lateral stabilizer" is, but apparently it's a problem if you lose one of them. However as the book progresses, there seems to be less of the intricate detail of X-Wing flight maneuvers and much more of the characters and how they interact. For me this made it easier to follow the story and about halfway through the book I did begin to feel like I was actually invested in some of the characters and what was going to happen to them. The scenes where they were just hanging out and joking with each other were actually some of my favourite in the book.
At the beginning of the book Corran annoyed me, but I soon grew to like his character and, along with Wedge, he became one of my favourites. Bror really irritated me at the start, but his competition with Corran became fun to follow along with. Erisi really annoyed me with her constant pursuit of Corran, and the way in which she treats Mirax. Mirax did amuse me though. Ooryl was possibly the only character that didn't at some point annoy me, he was a lot of fun.
The perspective of this book jumps around a bit, while it mostly follows Corran, you occasionally see things from Wedge's POV. There are also chapters that jump over to the Imperial Forces and follow Kirtan. I don't like Kirtan, which means he is probably a well written "bad guy" character. But it meant that I did not really enjoy his chapters and was just keen to get back to the Rogue Squadron.
This book is kind of rounded off nicely and could probably be read as a stand alone, but there are a few hints right at the end as to where this story is going to go next.
I am surprised to find that at the end of this book I am actually interested in finding out what happens next to these characters and will hopefully read the next book in the series at some point.
I struggled to get into the start of this book. The descriptions of the X-Wings fights were all but impossible to follow, which left me feeling very lost. I have no idea what an "Incom phi-inverted lateral stabilizer" is, but apparently it's a problem if you lose one of them. However as the book progresses, there seems to be less of the intricate detail of X-Wing flight maneuvers and much more of the characters and how they interact. For me this made it easier to follow the story and about halfway through the book I did begin to feel like I was actually invested in some of the characters and what was going to happen to them. The scenes where they were just hanging out and joking with each other were actually some of my favourite in the book.
At the beginning of the book Corran annoyed me, but I soon grew to like his character and, along with Wedge, he became one of my favourites. Bror really irritated me at the start, but his competition with Corran became fun to follow along with. Erisi really annoyed me with her constant pursuit of Corran, and the way in which she treats Mirax. Mirax did amuse me though.
Spoiler
Especially when she tries to lure Corran into sleeping with her just so she can hate him in the morning, but despite repeatedly asking him if he is warm enough in his own bed, it doesn't work and she asks him for his spare blanket instead.Spoiler
I hope we see more of him in the rest of the series, with some awesome prosthetic arm!The perspective of this book jumps around a bit, while it mostly follows Corran, you occasionally see things from Wedge's POV. There are also chapters that jump over to the Imperial Forces and follow Kirtan. I don't like Kirtan, which means he is probably a well written "bad guy" character. But it meant that I did not really enjoy his chapters and was just keen to get back to the Rogue Squadron.
This book is kind of rounded off nicely and could probably be read as a stand alone, but there are a few hints right at the end as to where this story is going to go next.
Spoiler
It is indicated that there is a traitor in the Rogue Squadron, which it was possible to guess, but is explicitly stated in the final chapter. It had better not be Emtrey or Tycho, as that would be too obvious!I am surprised to find that at the end of this book I am actually interested in finding out what happens next to these characters and will hopefully read the next book in the series at some point.
cold_nova's review
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anonblueberry's review against another edition
4.0
I've lost track of how many times I've re-read this series, but with the new film out, I felt the need for another re-read.
rhganci's review
3.0
Couldn’t be more surprised. Excellent story – cool characters (Corran Horn: future Jedi Knight), cool story, awesome villain, cool aeronautical stuff. I really enjoyed reading it – kind of a treat to read a book with big words and huge margins after polishing off a Jordan. I hope the following books are as good to read as this one was.
tinkeringcheck's review
3.0
It's fun for a Star Wars fan - especially those of us who are more interested in flyboys than Jedi - and it gives us great characters like Tycho and a more fleshed-out Wedge (my under-appreciated fave). But the writing can be very... technical and unemotional, which makes battle scenes easy to follow and character scenes a bit dry to read.
Also, reading how EVERY female character's described as being 'conventionally attractive' and fawning over Corran (while he like. clinically ranks them in his head) made it hard to see why the friend who recced me this series loves him. Definitely showed this book's age and the inspiration it took from old-school, hero-gets-the-girl military action lit. Thankfully, I've found the next books in the series are a little bit better in this regard as love interests get narrowed down and the characters get more fleshed out!
Also, reading how EVERY female character's described as being 'conventionally attractive' and fawning over Corran (while he like. clinically ranks them in his head) made it hard to see why the friend who recced me this series loves him. Definitely showed this book's age and the inspiration it took from old-school, hero-gets-the-girl military action lit. Thankfully, I've found the next books in the series are a little bit better in this regard as love interests get narrowed down and the characters get more fleshed out!
rogue_leader's review
5.0
This is at least the 4th time I've read this book, but this read was special. They recently have been re-releasing a lot of Legends books, and this one came with an all new unabridged audiobook read by my favorite Star Wars narrator, Marc Thompson. It was like reading it for the first time again! Can't wait for book 2!