I picked up Wraith Squadron recently and just finished it. I enjoyed it very much and feel it's a mostly fine continuation of the X-Wing series. The biggest difference is that it's a lot more lethal than Rogue Squadron. By the end of the book, three pilots buy the farm by the end of the book. That's also my biggest issue with the book, is that the pilots who die, Jesmin, Grinder, and Falynn where all given a lot of characterization. Which makes their deaths feel all the more a waste. I get the whole "war is deadly and horrible and kills indiscriminately" but it didn't work for me, mostly because they were all given just a bit too much characterization for me to think they were on the chopping block. If I had to send someone or two, it would have been Ton Phananan or Myn Donos.
I do intend to pick up the rest of the Wraith series, because I do like the remaining Wraiths and I'm always done for some good starfighter action.
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I finished two newer Battletech novels by Bryan Young, A Question of Survival and Without Question. It was nice to read something newer from the franchise since previously I've read stuff from the FASA era. For me, they were aggressively okay.
Pros: Made me actually like Jade Falcons. I'm an Inner Sphere man through and through but Jiyi Chistu is cool and I like the cadre of Falcons introduced in the two books. Also introducing me to the Lone Wolves merc company. I really like the idea of an umbrella company to make the larger logistical issues easier. Plus it also had some cool and interesting characters and outfits. I wanna learn more about this company and some its characters like Katie Farro and the Fox Patrol or the lance of Battlemasters. This inspired me to create and IlClan era mercenary company. The action and battle scenes were also well written for the most part. These novels were also my introduction the most up to date era for Battletech, with my previous readings being right before or in the years after the Clan Invasion. Reading how Chistu and co. navigated the challenges of rebuilding was intriguing. These novels were also my introduction the most up to date era for Battletech, with my previous readings being right before or in the years after the Clan Invasion. Reading how Chistu and co. navigated the challenges of rebuilding was intriguing.
Cons: The two novels felt like they needed another pass through the editor, primarily for grammar and technical issues. There were a few times where the flow and meaning was off cause of it and I had to re-read a section. Secondly, I'd also say another pass through in terms of story structure and how he was getting that acrossed. Particularly in Without Question. The novel's three act structure made me think that the Lone Wolves were going to interact with the Falcons a lot more but then just disappear from the novel after act 1. Another merc company comes in, and then leaves for act 3. My biggest issue with act 3 of Without Question is the characterization of the military head of a formerly Jade Falcon planet. I felt that the reader was expected to not sympathize with him because he saw the issue of the Falcons returning as a bad thing do to previous history with them under Hazen. Which is stressed was not good and reading up on the Mongol Doctrine, I completely sympathize with his position of "better to die free, then live a slave." even though I'm also hoping a peaceful solution can be found.
My expectations for the novels going in were mixed. I heard previously that Young was a bit polarizing between the new fans and the old guard. So I was expecting something really different, even if most of that was coming from his social media use. After reading them, I'd lean more favorable then not. But I wouldn't say to use them as a first intro to the setting, that's still gonna be the Blood of Kerensky trilogy for me. I don't regret the time reading them and the characters are definite plus for me, mostly. But I feel they could have been better, more polished at least.
Luke Skywalker's old friend may be a side character in the grand scheme of things, but now his story is being told.
new star wars book coming out in october written by the same guy and in the style of the rise and fall of the galactic empire but this time about PILOTS WHO FLEW FOR THE REBELLION. in universe memoir style written from wedge's pov about his fellow pilots and we're going to learn so much about piloting??? SIGN ME UP
#there better be a section about hera or i'm suing
I've been wishing for years that they'd give Hera Syndulla a series like X-wing in the old expanded universe was for Wedge.
(No, I don't really want Wedge in the spotlight that much again. Despite being a film character he blossomed so much in the old expanded universe, and is so tied to a whole big cast of other characters, that I'd rather they just give the stories about starfighter jocks' exploits to somebody else in NuCanon. And Hera absolutely deserves that series).
Skimming the text from the post made me think Stackpole was coming back to Star Wars and I got really hyped really fast. Upon further reading and reading the article, I am interested but slightly less so. I should give the Rise and Fall a try though.
If I remember in Rebels, Hera and Wedge did cross paths a few times.
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In one of the future Avatar movies (the blue people, not the element benders) I'd like to see Jake's parents show up. We've had three movies now with Jake dealing with and being around his in-laws. I'd love it if we get Neytiri having to deal with hers. Purely for comedy reasons as well. Jake's dad is a grillmaster, packed his Weber 40000 grill/smoker, and is trying to entertain grandkids while cooking a meal for a large family, His mom could have worked as a nurse before retiring and then gets worried about the kids running around without coats (or pants or shirts)
I've always felt like I've had a weird relationship with Star Trek. First because Star Wars got its hooks in me first. The Prequel and Original Trilogies informed a lot of my early tastes in sci-fi and fantasy. Dashing fighter pilots, daring gunslingers, and heroic knights and all that.
Then I saw some of The Next Generation on TV and started liking that. So much that I ended up watching all of TNG, TOS, DS9, and a good chunk of Voyager. Star Trek gives me a lot of what I get with Star Wars but from a different angle. Replace pilots with engineers, gunslingers with scientists, and knights with ship captains.
While I was watching these series i was also getting more into military history and when I looked at the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet, they seemed rather toothless given the hostiles they had to contend with. Granted this may seem surface level observation and DS9 shows how aspects of the more militarized branches of Starfleet.
DS9 though also shows where I differ from Star Trek's ideals. (at least I think) I would have loved it if Bajor's plot was about dealing with the aftermath of the Federation rocking up to the planet a couple of fleets al a D-Day and actively helping the Bajoran resistance forcibly remove the Cardassians from the planet. Somehow the rest of the show's plot remains as is. In a lot of ways wish the Federation and Starfleet would "walk softly and carry a big stick" like TR said. I like a lot of the stories of Starfleets explorers having to be soldiers and sailors as well, there's just times where I wish there was a better represented branch of Starfleet that was a more direct copy to a NATO country's Marines, Navy, and Air Force.
The Galaxy-class can still be the flagship of the fleet, but there could be times where they need to bring out the DDs, BBs, CVs, and CCs to send a Klingon fleet packing in style or show the flag along the Neutral Zone. This idea, I think in part at least, comes from me being a Star Wars fan first. The Venator-class cruisers, the CR90 corvettes, and yes the Imperial Star Destroyers are all Peak sci-fi ship design for me. And the unifying aspect is that each class mentioned above are warships. Something Starfleet has very little of, the Defiant-class the most well known I'd wager.
And that's fine. I don't need everything to be the same, even if certain things confuse me, like ship security not being done by a dedicated marine force, complete with a high speed, low drag tactical unit. I still really like Star Trek, the new shows are just on services I don't have but I've followed the recent IDW comic run where Sisko is back and gets a ship captaincy and Scotty is back as engineering. My differences of opinion though are why it'll be playing second fiddle to Star Wars.
As a final note: right now my ideal Star Trek story would follow the format of TNG but within the first episode, the head of ship's security would have to be replaced quick and due to time shenanigans, the best candidate is a US Marine from basically anytime post WWII. My choice usually lands around the 80s and 90s.
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Due to growing up watching WWII movies and playing WWII fps games. The M1911, Colt. 45, "TWO WORLD WARS" is a favorite weapon of mine and I find myself instantly gravitating to characters who use it. Being a sci-fi fan also means that it shows up in odd places at random. Take the Honorverse for example. I just started reading the sixth novel, *Honor among Enemies* and chapter 3 starts with the a description of the pistol in comparison to the setting's lasers, pulse weapons, and other futuristic arms. It then shifts to the main character, Honor Harrington, at the range getting some target practice in alongside others armed with more "modern" arms. That was a fun little bit to read, especially after reading how Honor was already accustomed to old school firearms from previous novels.
Another example is from my favorite grim dark, war torn hellscape, Warhammer 40k. While the Hammer of the Emperor, the Imperial Guard, is mostly armed with lasguns, his Angels of Death and the Sisters of Battle have the bolter, and the Cogboys have about a thousand and one mad science experiments for guns, those on either side of the law (or order vs chaos) can still pack the humble autogun or stub gun. Essentially regular old firearms as we know them today. The generic depiction of the stub gun?
The M1911! Truly John Moses Browning got it so right when it's one of the things humanity carries with it as we leave the homeworld, whether it's into the 4th or 41st millenniums. And while I love Star Wars to death, in part for its using real world guns as the basis for its blasters, see the DLT-44 and the Mauser C-96, there's just something special about seeing the actual gun continue in use into the far future.
I've finished The Bacta War today. Of the X-Wing books I've read so far, I think it's my favorite. I really loved the interactions between Booster and Corran, especially towards the end. It also had the best combination of action, story, and setting. It was also nice to see Iceheart as close to squirming as it can get I think. While I'm happy that the Rogues are able to return to New Republic service, I'm gonna miss the custom paint jobs the squadron put on their X-Wings.
I think my only real complaint is I was underwhelmed with the dogfight between Corran and Erisi. It was nice, but I would have appreciated a bit more banter between them. Seeing the eventual end of the Lusankya and it's capture was really cool, especially seeing two ImpStar IIs come in and start blasting it. That's one thing I wish nu-canon would do more of, is showing the Rebels slowly getting their hands on liberated Imperial ships and kit. I'd love a novel series or show about the crew of starship formally in Imperial Service. I'd like to see more of Sair Yonka and the Freedom, which i think shows up in the later
I do plan on getting into the Wraith Squadron books, but I'm gonna take a break to read some classic Warhammer Fantasy novels. I want a gave with the same spirit of the X-Wing novels now too, either a computer or ttrpg now.
I like the throwback aspect. The X-wing books are about Rebels, but Rebels in a post-Endor context where they're a real government fighting a conventional war, who start off controlling a third of the galaxy and only get better from there. The Rogues going rogue forces them to go back to their roots, as insurgents on their own fighting a guerrilla war and scrambling for allies and resources.
And yes, Booster Terrik is one of Stackpole's best creations.
"Corran, threatening the people at the bar with my father's name worked because they were afraid of my father."
"So what's wrong with this clown?"
"Well, Corran, he is my father."
I died with that exchange! About half the time Booster was on the page was a riot. I really loved the back and forth between him and Karrde. Stackpole's Battletech novels were my first introduction to him, so the likes of Phelan Kell and Victor Steiner-Davion give his Rogues some stiff competition, though Corran and Booster are giving them a good run for their C-Bills.
I did appreciate the Squadron going back to their partisan roots. It helped to show their character better I think. Plus the Ambush at Alderaan was a fun read with the Valiant showing up to lend a hand.
Huh. So, I've never actually played or read anything in the BattleTech universe, but Stackpole having written novels in them seems like a pretty good place to take a stab at it, given how much I enjoyed his Star Wars novels. How different/similar are they from the X-wing books?
So the biggest commonality is mech pilots and fighter pilots Style wise they're close. Battletech's setting is centered around a number of Great Houses vying for galactic dominance and then the descendants of great expedition into the Milky Way's unknown regions returns declaring that they should rule everything. The tone is different from Star Wars in that there's no over arching good guys, but there's good people.
I'd recommend the Blood of Kerensky Trilogy, it details the Clan Invasion and features the two characters I mentioned, Phelan and Victor.
Oh, the Phone Company is now a quasi-religious organization that controls all interstellar comms. Make sure to pay your phone bill.
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I've finished The Bacta War today. Of the X-Wing books I've read so far, I think it's my favorite. I really loved the interactions between Booster and Corran, especially towards the end. It also had the best combination of action, story, and setting. It was also nice to see Iceheart as close to squirming as it can get I think. While I'm happy that the Rogues are able to return to New Republic service, I'm gonna miss the custom paint jobs the squadron put on their X-Wings.
I think my only real complaint is I was underwhelmed with the dogfight between Corran and Erisi. It was nice, but I would have appreciated a bit more banter between them. Seeing the eventual end of the Lusankya and it's capture was really cool, especially seeing two ImpStar IIs come in and start blasting it. That's one thing I wish nu-canon would do more of, is showing the Rebels slowly getting their hands on liberated Imperial ships and kit. I'd love a novel series or show about the crew of starship formally in Imperial Service. I'd like to see more of Sair Yonka and the Freedom, which i think shows up in the later
I do plan on getting into the Wraith Squadron books, but I'm gonna take a break to read some classic Warhammer Fantasy novels. I want a gave with the same spirit of the X-Wing novels now too, either a computer or ttrpg now.
I like the throwback aspect. The X-wing books are about Rebels, but Rebels in a post-Endor context where they're a real government fighting a conventional war, who start off controlling a third of the galaxy and only get better from there. The Rogues going rogue forces them to go back to their roots, as insurgents on their own fighting a guerrilla war and scrambling for allies and resources.
And yes, Booster Terrik is one of Stackpole's best creations.
"Corran, threatening the people at the bar with my father's name worked because they were afraid of my father."
"So what's wrong with this clown?"
"Well, Corran, he is my father."
I died with that exchange! About half the time Booster was on the page was a riot. I really loved the back and forth between him and Karrde. Stackpole's Battletech novels were my first introduction to him, so the likes of Phelan Kell and Victor Steiner-Davion give his Rogues some stiff competition, though Corran and Booster are giving them a good run for their C-Bills.
I did appreciate the Squadron going back to their partisan roots. It helped to show their character better I think. Plus the Ambush at Alderaan was a fun read with the Valiant showing up to lend a hand.
I've finished The Bacta War today. Of the X-Wing books I've read so far, I think it's my favorite. I really loved the interactions between Booster and Corran, especially towards the end. It also had the best combination of action, story, and setting. It was also nice to see Iceheart as close to squirming as it can get I think. While I'm happy that the Rogues are able to return to New Republic service, I'm gonna miss the custom paint jobs the squadron put on their X-Wings.
I think my only real complaint is I was underwhelmed with the dogfight between Corran and Erisi. It was nice, but I would have appreciated a bit more banter between them. Seeing the eventual end of the Lusankya and it's capture was really cool, especially seeing two ImpStar IIs come in and start blasting it. That's one thing I wish nu-canon would do more of, is showing the Rebels slowly getting their hands on liberated Imperial ships and kit. I'd love a novel series or show about the crew of starship formally in Imperial Service. I'd like to see more of Sair Yonka and the Freedom, which i think shows up in the later
I do plan on getting into the Wraith Squadron books, but I'm gonna take a break to read some classic Warhammer Fantasy novels. I want a gave with the same spirit of the X-Wing novels now too, either a computer or ttrpg now.
