Star Wars Legends (X-Wing) (Star Wars

this book is amazing and it features my favorite x wing charecters from the books even wedge returns and this book features my latest favorite charecter from wraith squadron the legend of the flying pig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this book is action packed and very well paced!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love all the charecters featured in this amazing novel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book has been heavily advertised as the return of the popular X-Wing series. However, it isn't quite a glorious return to the glory days of the 1990s. Rather, it's heavily influenced by what the Star Wars Expanded Universe has become in recent years. It's not all bad, but it's also important to realize before picking up this book.

First, this book relies HEAVILY on recent EU novels. If you haven't kept track of the recent books (and I admit I haven't - I stopped reading after New Jedi Order) some of this stuff might be really confusing. Daala as chief of state, the Imperials still alive and well, a purge of Jedi. Alliston does attempt to bring readers up to speed a bit, but it's a very different galaxy and one that I personally find less interesting and less suited than the previous X-Wing novels set against a still powerful Empire. Also, it's important to know the details of the EU to understand the plot because it focuses on a conspiracy attempt that happened during the post-NJO with constant references to post-NJO events as motivations.

The setting also means that this X-Wing novel doesn't feature Wedge Antilles, the backbone of the previous X-Wing novels, much less the other pilots from the Original Trilogy like Janson and Tycho Celchu. In the original X-Wing novels, Wedge served as the connection to the movies. One of the joys was seeing this popular character in action. In Mercy Kill, by and large it's the next generation of hotshot pilots, including Wedge's daughter. Some are sons or daughters of previous Wraith Squadron members, but given that the last novel came out over a decade ago you'd be forgiven for not even remember who they are. If you don't already know these characters, you might find it hard to really care for them (although there are a few I really like).

If these problems don't bother you much, or if you're steeped in EU lore, Aaron Alliston actually wrote a pretty interesting story. Alliston follows one of the veteran Wraith Squadron members, "Piggy" Voort, as he's pulled in for one more mission. Voort is super-intelligent Gamorrean, but don't let that fool you - he's not in there for comedic relief. Voort has been scarred by the Yuuzhan Vong war and the book actually builds quite an interesting character for him as war continues to haunt him.

The other thing I like about the book is the clever espionage escapades. Wraith Squadron is more than just flying X-Wings and Alliston did a great job coming up with complex and surprising scenarios for the team. The fast pacing and limiting Piggy's knowledge to a "need-to-know" basis makes these scenes fun and suspenseful to read - possibly some of the best Star Wars action I've read in a while. At it's best, it's like reading James Bond or Oceans 11 in space.

Overall, my preference for an X-Wing novel would be something set during the time of the Original Trilogy, where we can see Wedge and the other X-Wing legends take on the Empire. I understand Aaron Alliston himself has written a lot in the FotJ era so this period might be dear to him, but the story was just too far removed from the characters we know and love from the original X-Wing. Still, he tells a story with fun twists and surprisingly rich character development. As such, I find it very difficult to rate this novel because I think what you get out of it really depends on how immersed you are in the EU. For me, it was about 3.75 stars - a good read, but not up to the level of the original X-Wing novels.

UPDATE (11/22/12):

So, I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of Tim Zahn's Scoundrels, and for various reasons it forced me to revise my review of Mercy Kill. Mercy Kill was supposed to be the Star Wars espionage thriller of the year. However, after reading Scoundrels, this pales in comparison. I'd originally given the slow pacing and lack of gripping plot twists as part of the espionage genre. However, Scoundrels shows how to do this sort of thing right. By contrast, with Mercy Kill, I think part of the problem is that it's tough to care about the plot. We don't get any major characters from the films and the idea of flushing a general out is just too tangential to anything important. Second, the characters in Wraith Squadron act like a bunch of immature goofballs. Some goofing off is fine, but joking about having to go to pee or calling somebody "Poop Dog" ranks amongst the worst of Jar-Jar Binks' humor. Scoundrels sets a new standard for genre-defying Star Wars and I only wish Mercy Kill had captured some of that intensity.

Is this the ABSOLUTE BEST Allston book?
No.
Is this the best X-Wing novel?
No.

Is this a wonderful way to continue the saga while incorporating the NJO, LOTF, and FOTJ?
YES.
This is a wonderful story of the Wraiths. There is a healthy mix of new and old members, new and old abilities, laughter (and better here than in LOTF and FOTJ, because it felt forced with those characters) and tears.

The Wraiths are at it again, and Allston hits on his tropes. And he points it out. We have the outsider (Yuuzhan Vong, Scut), the Antilles (Myri), the seasoned leader (Bhindi), the mastermind (Face), the Force user (Jesmin Tainer), the actor (Turman), etc.
Piggy no longer goes by that nickname, but Voort. His change occurred when he had to kill Runt during the Yuuzhan Vong war. It's incredibly emotional to read. We see a lot from Voort's past and how it's affected his present.

It's fantastic that we get some closure from the YV war.
I also LOVE reading from Voort's perspective. I love his mathematical mind.
The tension between him and Scut, while reasonable, is annoying until it's resolved (and resolved well). They distrust each other and are snitty with each other. Still, Scut's abilities are awesome (Neoglith masquer sounds very cool), and his unique and blunt perspective is needed.

Face ensures Wraiths are sent to investigate Stavin Thaal. He really wants Thaal taken down. It's 3 years after Daala decommissioned the Wraiths, and the mission is under the radar.

-I like that Myri carried Thaymes out.
- I found it very weird that Thaal thinks that Tonin is in charge, even though the man is dead.

The ugly: The Bacta Triangle Scam.

The only thing I *really* didn't like was the name Kuratooine for yet another '-ooine' planet.

I first started reading the X-Wing series a little over 10 years ago and what drew me to them was the characters and the story. We had a very diverse cast of characters with different strengths and specialties and backgrounds, and on top of that, all of them were top notch pilots.

These amazing characters were sent on impossible missions and succeeded by using their wits, skills, intelligence and a little luck.

And it's been I believe 13 years since the last X-Wing novel was released. I have to say that this book perfectly captured what made the series great to begin with! The last book, "Star Fighters of Adumar," was very lacking if you ask me. With this book, the series returned to its roots and what made the series incredible.

Any fan of the X-Wing novels will love this book. Check it out!

Mercy Kill is for starters only for Expanded Universe readers. There are a lot of references to what has happened in the galaxy since the last X-Wing novel, which was approximately 31 years ago in the Star Wars timeline. This means a lot has happened. For any new reader, I would suggest doing some background reading using The Essential Reader's Companion by Pablo Hidalgo for a quick guide to catch you up/find out which novels sound interesting to actually read, since not all of them are applicable to read, cough, Children of the Jedi, ahem, never read that book. Anyways, for all you EU fans, I liked it. It had classic Allston humor throughout which I find good at times. It also has only one character that anybody actually knows who is a casual fan, Wedge Antilles. I really enjoy this because to be honest I get bored with the same characters over and over and over. By creating new characters, we are given a whole new set of people to look at and judge with our own eyes instead of saying "hey, Han is in this novel so it's going to be awesome!" type of deal. The overall plot is a little weak but the character development is crucial to the novel. The characters are put through stressful situations and have to think on their toes. Also, infighting is always good! Doesn't add much to the EU but it is a fun novel to read for leisure.

I couldn't use a phrase like "refreshingly original" to describe this book but it is a nice change of pace from a long line of Star Wars books that read like glorified fan fiction. It's a shame that books like this always get pigeonholed Mercy Kill will always be just another Star Wars book but if you changed the characters around a little and put them in a historical setting instead of a Science Fiction one the book would still work. When you think about it the only reason this book works as well as it does it because it takes every clique from every spy novel ever written and puts them in a Star Wars context with the primary conflict being between the old guard of pilots that are burned out but still deeply patriotic probably more so then the bureaucrats and the new breed in better shape than the old boys but inexperienced in the way the espionage game actually works.

Overall-If the idea of the cast of Tinker Taylor Solider Spy going to the Star Wars Cantina works for you this book is probably worth a read

As odd as it might sound, my initial impression of Mercy Kill was "this isn't a dumb book." What I mean by that is that there's a lot more to it than just a fun Star Wars action and adventure. There's meaning here. Characters are created with frustrating flaws, but Allston maintains an interest that implores the reader to questions why. There's an underlying compulsion to look deeper and find the truth, be it with the characters or the plot. There's a sense of depth there that's very nice. Sure, on the surface there's some fun action but beneath that is the good stuff.

There's a lot of layers to Mercy Kill. On top is a mission to find evidence of General Thaal's crimes. Enveloping that is some fun, action twisting spy schemes and Wraith humor. There are a lot of good elements that make the book an enjoyable Star Wars story, but Allston doesn't stop there. Below the surface plot and Wraith action is a character drama that adds a lot of emotional weight to the story. This may be an X-Wing novel and a Wraith book, but at it's heart, it's a story about Piggy.

It's not often that we get to see minor Expanded Universe characters explored in such detail. Piggy was a fun and interesting character in the old Wraith books and in the Rebel Lines duology during the NJO. However, I never in my wildest dreams expected him to get his own book. Not only that, but Allston takes that fan character and uses him to explore a plot line entrenched with emotion. This isn't the story of a super funny, talking Gamorrean who can fly. This is a story about a veteran of the Yuuzhan Vong war whose been pulled in for one more mission. He's suffered in war. He has ghosts that haunt him. Allston sheds some light on the soldiers of the EU and the guilt and grief they must deal with. He illustrates the effects these wars have on the people, and he also shows what they must go through to deal with it.

Overall, I loved how the simple idea of a Wraith book became something much more complex, and yet still accomplished both tasks. This is a novel that's fun and is also one that makes you think. Together it's pure entertainment on the page.

As an avid reader of the Star Wars extended universe books, I thought I'd take a stab at Aaron Allston's "Star Wars: X-Wing -- Mercy Kill" since I hadn't read any of the older Wraith Squadron books, and wanted to check out another aspect of the Star Wars EU.

Suffice to say, I wasn't impressed. The story, frankly, was confusing in more than one spot, and how it wrapped up was, well, a bit too convenient, almost as if the author had hit his editor-approved page limit. That said, I did enjoy some of the characters, in particular Bhindi and Voort. I especially thought the "flashback" portions involving Voort (then known as Piggy) were interesting. It was, however, not enough for me to justify giving Allston's newest Star Wars entry anything more than two stars. I've read other novels by Allston, including Star Wars EU ones and non-Star Wars works, so I know he's quite capable when it comes to spinning a good tale. *shrug* He simply misfired this time around.

It's been some years since the Wraiths were decommissioned. Voort "Piggy" saBinring is working as a mathematics professor until Face Loran enlists him to take down a duplicitous general. After briefly protesting, Voort returns and meets the new members of the team: Bhindi, Myri (the daughter of Wedge Antilles), and Scut, a member of the Yuuzhan Vong, a species Voort hates because of the Yuuzhan Vong war.

The hype surrounding this book is absolutely intimidating. From my corner of the universe, Star Wars fans are tired of all the huge series about some galaxy-shattering war (NJO, Legacy, Fate of the Jedi), so Del Rey listened. They figured that the X-Wing series is the most loved series (NOTE: I did not say trilogy) of the Star Wars EU, so they hired Allston to bring back the Wraiths. And the fans celebrated. We were excited to see more adventures with our favorite characters--to see Wedge, Tycho, Kell, Piggy and more.

And I suppose that's part of my problem with this book. When you are riding on that much hype, you are bound to disappoint.

I'm certainly not saying this is a bad book. It's moderately entertaining and enjoyable. We see several returning characters--Piggy and Face are the big ones--and Allston brings in some of his typical humor. But as I was listening to this story, I couldn't help but ask, "THIS was the story that broke the hiatus on the X-Wing franchise?" It's just so...average.

I think the other thing that hurt this book for me was the lack of recognizable characters. Other than Face and Piggy, there are very few returning members. Most of them are new. Not that this is bad--I'm a big proponent of new characters in the rapidly aging Star Wars franchise. But the new characters are so boring and dull and one note (though I did like how Myri didn't realize how much of an @$$ Borsk Fey'lya was and thought of him as the icon that history made him).

The characters that do stand out are Piggy and Scut. Piggy has some interesting development--he has become embittered due to the Yuuzhan Vong war and now viscerally hates the Yuuzhan Vong. Cue problems when he finds out one of his wingmates is Scut, a Yuuzhan Vong. And Scut's story is VERY interesting, as he was originally a Shamed One raised by humans.

And now, it's time for...dum dum! NERD NITPICKS!

1. The number of Wraith members who are related to someone famous from the first round of X-Wing (or Bantam) novels is absurd. Bhindi DRAYSON. Jesmin TAINER. Myri ANTILLES. I know Star Wars is notorious for the children of famous people to become famous themselves (LUKE SKYWALKER? LEIA ORGANA?), but geez, new blood people!

2. Too many kraking humans. Kudos to Allston for letting Piggy show most of this novel to us, but besides him, Scut, and the Clawdite actor, there are virtually no other major aliens. In the Star Wars galaxy.

3. What parents are going to be happy their daughter is a gambler?? Wedge and Iella seem rather blase about Myri's gambling lifestyle. Is it because they are Corellian? Are gamblers in this galaxy more respected than I'm giving them credit?

4. The voice the narrator gives Bhindi is dreadful--it's basically a male Australian accent. And I thought for the longest time that Bhindi was a male given that voice. I almost would have preferred the narrator repeat Myri's silly 12-year-old girl accent for Bhindi, just so I could tell who was female and who wasn't. (Though, the narrator did have some nice accents for Piggy and Scut, and his voice for the non-dialogue portions was fine.)

Thanks for joining us and tune in next time for another NERD NITPICKS!!

Although this review has been somewhat negative, it doesn't mean I hated the book or I don't recommend it or I recommend avoiding it. It's a decent little book that X-Wing fans and many Star Wars fans will enjoy. It's certainly not the worst thing to plague the Star Wars EU. It just didn't reach the potential I had come to know and love from X-Wing novels. At least this book can possibly pave the way for more X-Wing novels. Because that can't be a bad thing.

Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*

Star Wars without Jedi and light sabers is a pretty tough sell, but it's been done before, most recently the marginally superior Star Wars: Scoundrels. Thanks to an overly complicated plot, the first half of this book is pretty bad, but once the real "heist" part of the plot starts rolling, the book salvages its 3-star rating. Still, unless you're a completest (as I am with the SW Audio Books), you'd be better off spending your popcorn reading elsewhere.

I have never listened to a more tedious book. The story was all over the place and just when you thought it was going somewhere it did, somewhere else entirely. The book doesn't come together until the last chapter but getting there is the hard part. This is one I won't be listening to again and I've listened to, and own, all the other Star Wars audiobooks. This book falls to the bottom of the Star Wars list for me!

Really boring. I could not even get past the first ten minutes of it. Om a big fan of the star wars books but this is about as bad as Crucible! Don't waste your money. I got it from the library and if you really want to try it, get it from the library first.

As someone who has only marginally kept up on the EU the last decade or so as it has become more childish and less plausible year by year, this book was a complete disappointment. Perhaps a big EU fan might enjoy it, but an X-Wing series fan? Not even a bit. Just call the book Mercy Kill and leave it at that. It has none of the charm, everyday Alliance soldier appeal, or the humor of either the Rogue or Wraith series. Even worse is that the Wraith series WAS the funnier series, and A.A. just tosses that history in the trash. Cannot believe that I wasted my money on this.