Rogue Squadron: 1 of 4

[colls]

Welcome to our first of four check-in and discussion posts for our Book of the Month.

This month’s book is Rogue Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing #1) by Michael A. Stackpole
Chapters 1-10

Rogue Squadron Part 1 of 4

1. The first few chapters introduce several of the pilots and allow us as readers to eavesdrop as they establish their initial relationships. Which characters do you see as possibly filling common roles? (ie. hot shot, joker, arrogant competition, etc.)

2. What do you think of Corran Horn and Agent Loor's history and do you have any predictions on how it'll impact this story?

3. Wedge seems to have to balance politics with piloting in rebuilding Rogue Squadron. How many obstacles do you think he'll face before he's successful?

4. What other thoughts do you have? How are you liking it so far?



FYI - There's no need to answer all (or any) of the questions above - they're just talking points to get us started. Informal chatter is more than welcome! In-person book clubs often veer off topic, it's okay if we do as well. :)
All I ask is that you try to avoid spoilers for things past Part I of the book.

Comments

[colls]

I'm glad there's a list of the dramatis personae in the beginning, because I'm still wrapping my head around the introduction of so many new characters.

While it's an ensemble, the apparent main character is Corran Horn who seems to be the one the author wants us to relate the most to.
His roommate Ooryl doesn't yet have much personality, despite there being a pretty long(-ish) conversation with him. We learned more about his species than him specifically? He is prevalent and I assume we'll learn more.
I keep picturing Nawara as female, but the character is apparently male. Maybe they are a non-binary character after all and it just wasn't spelled out when this was published? I'm a little confused how one goes from being a lawyer to a pilot, but I do like how they're setting up the squad with people who have varied skill sets.
Jace seems like he's going to be the typical insufferable pilot like Ice-Man was in Top Gun. The two female pilots, Rhysati and Erisi, haven't made much of an impression on me yet. In fact, I'm getting them slightly confused with Lujayne but then remember she is the one that is from Kessel and initiated conversation with Corran, convincing him to be sociable. There are a few others mentioned, even Biggs Darklighter's brother, Gavin, but we don't hear much from them yet.
All that and then there's the the XO, the other General with Ackbar, and all the Imperials.

So yes, I definitely needed that character list in the book. LOL!!

I liked that there's a pilot named Aril Nunb, sister to the smuggler from RoTJ who was also mentioned in Twilight Company. The way these stories can all thread together is very appealing to me.

For a bit there, I worried there was going to be a bit too much focus on the ships and simulated battles, but the book didn't spend too much on it and introduced us to characters and threw in some nuggets of where the plot was going. I'm liking it so far.

[brokenmnemonic]

I'm going to be somewhat embarassingly late on this one, I'm afraid. With the prep work for VidUKon I'd forgotten to check what the book for this month was, and having been reminded today, I've discovered that Rogue Squadron is out of print here at the moment. I've tracked down a secondhand copy and ordered it, but the eta is 12-16 June. I should catch up quickly when it arrives though, as I'm taking time off after the con...

I know Michael Stackpole's work from his books in the BattleTech universe, where he's the author who produced two of the most important trilogies in the early history of the franchise. One of the things that I've seen come up a lot in conversations about those Battletech books is comparisons with his Star Wars work, and that his early BattleTech books were really good when they came out, but don't feel particularly nuanced now, 30+ years later, and that his blend of good vs evil and heroes vs villains works much better for Star Wars novels. I'm very keen to be able to do a comparison at last :)