Shadow Fall Part 4

[colls]

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

This month’s book is Shadow Fall (Alphabet Squadron #2) by Alexander Freed
Chapters 18-22

Shadow Fall

1. How did Quell's tactic of "moving forward" help her pass through the tower to the ship within? What (or who) was the tower and the ship left for?

2. What do make of the tension that exists between Wyl and Nath now? Do you have any wishes on how it'll be handled in the next book?

3. The cult leader seemed to know that Chass would depart, changing out her music for a series of lectures. Chass seems on the cusp of a fundamental change. Is the leader right and will Chass find her way back?

4. Mysterious Karios is still mysterious. Any thoughts on her return and what might be in store for her? How do you think she'll react to the loss of Adan and the ITO droid?

5. Other thoughts?



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. :)

Comments

[colls]

1. I'm still a bit confused about the Sith Tower and hidden ship thing. I get that I don't really need to know exact details - and maybe it'll be fleshed out more in the last book of the trilogy - but it seems such a wild thing to toss into a largely non-Force focused book like this. Then again, the Red Messenger thing seems to be haunting Soran and has activated, so maybe it's related.
I find myself disappointed by Quell's general past choices, but also sort of rooting for some sort of redemption arc for her. Star Wars does like it's redemption arcs and it'd be nice to have one that made sense for a character that we see to feel remorse.

2. I hope they resolve it rather than push the two further apart. But I'm predictable in my tastes in that way - I prefer narrative conflict to be external, not internal to the ensemble/team.

3. I'm going to say Chass definintely returns - or plans to return - to the cult. And I'm beginning to think it's less of a cult than Chass initially thought. Maybe I'm drinking the kool-aid, IDK.

4. I'm glad Karios returned and I absolutely want to know more about her now. If we don't learn more in the last book, I'm gonna riot.

5. I failed to ask anything about Soran and Admiral Sloane. That nugget was dropped there at the end, so I don't have much to say about it other than I noticed it and it's a good setup for a grand final showdown for sure.

Overall, I struggled a bit with the 1st half of the book, but once I dug in, I really enjoyed it. I'm adding book 3 to the 'Upcoming Reads' list so it can be randomized in.

[brokenmnemonic]

I think if you're drinking the Kool-aid, it's important to determine what flavour it is ;)

Is Admiral Sloane a known quantity from other books? I've just got to the point in the Dark Horse comics where ROTJ has happened, and it looks like the head of the Imperial intelligence services is looking to take over on Coruscant.

[colls]

Yes, Sloane has an extensive story in several books. Some I've read, some I haven't.
Wookiepedia has a good recap. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rae_Sloane
For the purposes of this series, I think Freed tells us what we need to know - she's basically looking to take control of the Empire.

[brokenmnemonic]

1. I'm genuinely bemused by the whole tower thing. I know it was suggested that it was a Sith thing by the text, but I didn't follow what it was looking for. If it was trying to get Quell to move past the memories of the things she's done, then it almost feels more... Jedi-like? It seems like such a strange thing to be on a planetoid orbiting a black hole.

2. I think we're heading for some kind of confrontation between Wyl and Nath over Wyl feeling that Nath pushed him into a place where he's responsible for people (and their deaths) while Nath has continued to take money like a mercenary for flying with the squadron.

3. I think the cult leader spotted that Chass is someone who's unraveling as a result of personal or professional crises (or both) but I'm conflicted over whether the cult leader thinks that this makes Chass vulnerable and ripe for manipulation, or if she genuinely wants to help. Not that the two aren't mutually exclusive, of course - she wouldn't be the first cult leader to believe that she's saving people.

4. I'm very curious about Karios. Am I meant to recognise her race from other Star Wars sources? It felt odd for her to play so little part in this book, which makes me wonder if she's going to play a big part in the next novel.

5. It was nice seeing Twilight Company again, but I'm starting to feel like they're a really hard-luck infantry unit. I'm also very curious as to whether Quell is attempting to infiltrate her former unit on behalf of the Alliance, or if she genuinely feels she has nowhere else to go. I'd also really like to know whether someone in Shadow Company is genuinely trying to help Wyl, or if they were trying to set Alphabet Squadron up, or even if Wyl's hearing voices and becoming delusional...

[colls]

1. Right? Although, maybe the Jedi way would've been the confronting it whereas the Sith way was just ignoring it? IDK. It's odd and I hope the author expands upon it a little in the next book.

2. I think you're right - I think they're going to come to blows, either literally or figuratively.

4. Am I meant to recognise her race from other Star Wars sources?
I don't recognize her species and wookiepediea only says "humanoid species", so I think the answer is 'no'.

[brokenmnemonic]

I'm a bit *waves hands* "make it make sense!" with the tower, which makes me think that I definitely missed something.

[barbiejedi]

If it makes you feel better I also felt that way about the tower.