Books Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed

finally finished this one this week - kind of savored it as I was enjoying it so much. I really think that Freed is becoming my favorite SW novelist. I've read Twilight Company three times and I can see myself returning to this one as well. I love his complex characters, his world-building, his dark tone that still manages some sublime humor from time to time... This one isn't as fun as the old X-wing series, but it is still so good. (Honestly, I would love to see new canon have their own sort of reboot of the X-wing line and have Freed write this alongside, potentially with some crossover...)

 

I really like his unique take on some characters. Like in Twilight Company the main soldier was largely ignorant of the galaxy at large, technology etc. but was just a real pro at soldiering. It was a refreshing change in a universe where it seems at times that every character is a technological genius and pro pilot.

 

Spoiler

Blood was also taken from the message's intended recipient in Shattered Empire if I'm not mistaken, and it's purpose was for verifying the recipient's identity.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

 

Actually TIE fighters don't have deflector shields

 

I skipped all previous posts so I could post this - I need some encouragement to keep reading this book. I am halfway through, and so far, there are only two things that are keeping me going (Hera’s involvement, and the possibility of learning more about Operation: Cinder), but then I saw Freed interviewed on the Star Wars Show and learned this is going to be a trilogy, which doesn’t excite me at all. Does anything interesting happen in the latter half of the book? I’m getting bored. Do we get more Hera? More insight into Operation: Cinder? I’m struggling to think this could be a trilogy.

 

Without going into details, the book has a fairly exciting third act.

 

I'm surprised more people arnt talking about this book. It's easily my favorite one since Lost Stars.

 

Spoiler

Adan is a Balosar, like the guy that tried selling Obi-Wan death sticks in AOTC.

 

She's appointed as a General just before the attack on Lothal in Rebels Season 4.

 

Does anyone know if the audiobook is any good?

 

While I think the characters, specifically the members of Alphabet Squadron and those connected to them, are some of the best in canon, the plot was fairly weak. I'm looking forward to the sequels, though, as I think the plots could be much more engaging now that the legwork of setting up the characters is done.

 

I liked it.

 

Loved this one, oddly it took me a long time to read because I hadn't been in a particularly readerly mood but whenever I dug into it I always enjoyed myself.

Freed digs into the really chewy aspects of this franchise, the kind of big ideas that inform how people see the world and make them into interesting characters. The book starting on Traitor's Remorse, and having Quell dealing with her own sins is just a great anchoring point for this much more serious story, and her doubts in herself and the Rebellion/NR linger throughout. I loved his take on similar military sci-fi in Star Wars in Twilight Company, and the weightier concepts present in Tyrant's Test as well...he just gets at the spirit of what makes this franchise so appealing. I liked the rest of the squadron, they're all pretty fundamentally broken people but when they come together to accomplish something it's a sight to behold. I'm glad this is a trilogy because this very much feels like an opening act of a deeper more complex story and I wait with bated breath for more installments. Top tier use of the Messenger droids too, Freed is just brilliant at getting at the heart of these concepts.

9/10

 

Like you, I was lacking readerly mood and took my time but the book is absolutely worth it and great. It had a slow beginning but constantly delivered good stuff and once hooked never lets you off. I loved how he not only presented a book about pilots and the war but spiced it up here and there with all kinds of lore. A Jedi temple here, space phenomenons there, ancient myths here, etc. and enriched it and also added to the characters well there. The use of Hera instead of Wedge or Ackbar as senior leaders at first I thought they forced her in but I was wrong there. She fit nicely into the motherly role of a leader and remembered me a lot of Rebels. She knows how to put together a crew and really felt like she had grown since her Rebels role too. NR Intel is as usual important but has its own agenda, remniscient of any intelligence agency ever.

I wonder what the next books in the trilogy will be about. One can guess a little bit from the setups and yet unresolved storylines woven in, but overall he kept the larger narrative mysterious for a reason I guess. Maybe tying into other upcoming material too.

9/10

 

My issues with Freed from Twilight Squadron seem to be extending to this book. I've struggled for a way to verbalise my issues with him and I think it settles as..

He spends A LOT of time in character heads. Which in and of itself is not an issue, but when coupled with the fact that the majority of his characters think in the same way (very ponderous, verbose, grim outlooks on the world), it makes it very hard to differentiate and identify individual characteristics. When this is then coupled with vague descriptions of action scenes (a good example from the opening chapters is a bomb going off and it is treated in a very mild way, as if it's just part of the flow of the scene) at times, makes it very hard to realise what's going on, before all of a sudden you've lost complete grasp on the scene.

Of course feedback to this may be that I need to pay more attention to what I'm reading, and perhaps that's true, but I think there is a bit of an onus on the author to give each character individuality so that this doesn't happen. I think another issue with him is the general lack of identifiable locales or characters - every planet is something I haven't heard of previously (this may change as the book progresses?), the majority of species are new - which doesn't help with the difficulty of following the plot.

If we had, say, an establishing scene on Corellia, or Kashyyyk, or Naboo, or Hosnian Prime, I genuinely think that helps, because suddenly the locale is easier to visualise. Having a bit more dialogue, and less ponderous internal monologue would help push the scene forward. I think this is why I enjoyed his Rogue One book because we could already instantly visualise what was going on, which helped come to grips with his writing style far easier.

I don't mean this to be a bash of Freed, as I think his writing style is actually great, in terms of his prose and use of language, it's just that sometimes less is more, and breaking up his scenes a bit more with dialogue, humour, or distinct characters/locations, would help make the plot easier to follow.

I dunno, am I alone on this?

 

I agree there, this is what took me long to get through the first part of the book, the rest flowed fast and easy then.

 

I do get that sense, that it's the setting the scene that is going to take me the longest to get through.

 

Also, the character names are not as good as Legends ones I think. Character naming is a form of art not all are good at. Legends had some names inspired by real world mythology, or variations of real world names that sounded fictional and new and yet were rooted in old familiarity and meaning. Those usually were the best and most memorizeable. Some authors naming conventions are random or gibberish and do not work as well as those other names. Which is why I have a hard time getting used to some characters if the name does not fit their personality or if the name is just not iconic enough.

Freed's names are not bad, not at all, but they are not top level either. I like some names he has for the characters even but it needed getting used to them and they were no instant hits.

 

That's 100% part of the issue.

 

Yeah, I found the scene-setting a bit of a slog. Once the group are together things pick up.