hstapp's review
3.0
A decent book, the whole hawk-bats pirate adventures were pretty cool. I read too many books at once and am tired so tha'ts where I'm leaving this review I think.
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
A decent book, the whole hawk-bats pirate adventures were pretty cool. I read too many books at once and am tired so tha'ts where I'm leaving this review I think.
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
A decent book, the whole hawk-bats pirate adventures were pretty cool. I read too many books at once and am tired so tha'ts where I'm leaving this review I think.
awishman's review against another edition
5.0
A next level Star Wars story with legitimate literary merit. This book is so well written. The writing, the character development, the plot: all excellent.
mal8181's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pointlessape's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
annika2304's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
luckypluto's review against another edition
3.0
A few months ago, I decided to revisit the X-Wing series, a series of books I loved as a kid. After reading Iron First, I’m finally starting to second-guess my decision.
Don’t get me wrong: Iron Fist isn’t terrible, and I recall loving it when I first read it as a teenager. But it certainly hasn't stood the test of time. Many of the complaints I had about Wraith Squadron still exist, namely that Iron Fist is simply too melodramatic for my tastes. All of the Wraiths have problems—many severe emotional trauma—but I feel like Allston uses their problems as a substitute for any real drama in the story. Moreover, the Wraiths don‘t seem to approach their problems like adults, particularly hardened soldiers; reading about them feels more like reading about a bunch of teenagers. And this melodrama eclipses any drama in the story itself, to the point that the actual story isn‘t even that enjoyable—if Iron First can be said to have a story. It certainly has episodes that are loosely strung together, but it never feels like there’s much of a plot.
Allston also focuses on entirely too many characters. Wedge and Face Loran are both focal characters. Kell Tainer, arguably the star of Wraith Squadron, is relegated to a background role. We also get perspectives from Lara Notsil, Myn Donos, and others. Stackpole’s novels felt more cohesive because they were mostly centered around Corran Horn; Allston’s feel disorganized because there’s not really a main character to rally behind, almost as though Allston couldn’t pick just one character. These aren’t your kids, Aaron; you’re allowed to have a favorite.
Iron Fist is not a bad novel, and one of the better Star Wars novels. But it is unfocused enough, and few (if any) of the characters are likable enough, that it's really hard to get into it.
Don’t get me wrong: Iron Fist isn’t terrible, and I recall loving it when I first read it as a teenager. But it certainly hasn't stood the test of time. Many of the complaints I had about Wraith Squadron still exist, namely that Iron Fist is simply too melodramatic for my tastes. All of the Wraiths have problems—many severe emotional trauma—but I feel like Allston uses their problems as a substitute for any real drama in the story. Moreover, the Wraiths don‘t seem to approach their problems like adults, particularly hardened soldiers; reading about them feels more like reading about a bunch of teenagers. And this melodrama eclipses any drama in the story itself, to the point that the actual story isn‘t even that enjoyable—if Iron First can be said to have a story. It certainly has episodes that are loosely strung together, but it never feels like there’s much of a plot.
Allston also focuses on entirely too many characters. Wedge and Face Loran are both focal characters. Kell Tainer, arguably the star of Wraith Squadron, is relegated to a background role. We also get perspectives from Lara Notsil, Myn Donos, and others. Stackpole’s novels felt more cohesive because they were mostly centered around Corran Horn; Allston’s feel disorganized because there’s not really a main character to rally behind, almost as though Allston couldn’t pick just one character. These aren’t your kids, Aaron; you’re allowed to have a favorite.
Iron Fist is not a bad novel, and one of the better Star Wars novels. But it is unfocused enough, and few (if any) of the characters are likable enough, that it's really hard to get into it.
rhganci's review against another edition
3.0
The thing that I’m really enjoying about the Wraith Squadron trilogy is the fact that Allston focuses on each of the characters rather than on just one or two. Corran Horn is awesome, and he made the Roque Squadron quartet, but the variant flavor of the follow-up trilogy really is made by how cool the whole troupe is. The few moments of lucid narration on behalf of Wedge or Face really were the best parts of the book, as well as the dance. It looks like Genral Solo is going to get some quality time in Book Seven, which I’ll be starting immediately.
sonofthunder's review against another edition
4.0
The adventures of the Wraiths continue! This book is a blast from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down while reading (and yes, I've read it before). This book has some of the most hilarious moments in the series, it contains some great sequences with the main characters acting as undercover pirates...and also? This book has one of the most tragic sequences in any Star Wars book I've ever read. I won't spoil it, but in general I don't get emotional reading Star Wars books. The tragedy in this book really hit me hard though. Even on reread. This book is surely near the top of Star Wars novels, in my opinion at least.