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Read Solo Command (1999)

Solo Command (1999)

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Rating
3.98 of 5 Votes: 1
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ISBN
0553579002 (ISBN13: 9780553579000)
Language
English
Publisher
spectra

Solo Command (1999) - Plot & Excerpts

With all apologies to the late Mr. Allston, these books are the Expanded Universe equivalent of a root canal. I haven’t hated a writer this much since James Luceno, and with his every word choice grating at me, I’ve exhausted my capacity to be polite and neutral about his work. In fact, the only way for me to get through this review is to do something completely unorthodox. It’s taken me months to force myself to pick this up and read it. And I hadn’t even finished the first chapter before I thought, “Gee, there’s a lot of section breaks going on.” And then a character revealed that a period of several days had passed between page 1 and page 12 (chapter 1 is 23 pages long). And immediately, curiosity demanded satisfaction: I flipped to the end of he book and counted just how many section breaks there were. The result was 225. In an 18-chaper book of 341 pages, a total of 225 section (or scene) breaks occur. I cannot possibly be the only one who thinks this is excessive. I know some people think I’m stupid picky about the quality of what I read, but I cannot be alone in thinking breaking the scene an average of 12 times per chapter is disruptive and makes it hard to focus. The book starts with an assassination attempt on Admiral Ackbar. So far, so good, although it surely didn’t need 12 pages to explain that. The Wraiths are given orders to join up with Han Solo’s task force against Warlord Zsinj, but they have to go in undercover and insignia-free — surely no shock for a covert ops squad. So they go to some planet do to some stuff. Look, I’m sorry, it’s just impossible to care about: these might as well be paper dolls ticking off points on a checklist: “X-wing firefight, check; male character hits on woman who kisses then rejects him, check.”Of course all the Aaron Allston tropes are here: heavy-handed humor and ham-fisted exposition. Lots of irrelevant filler posing as comedic interludes, plenty of tell-don’t-show, and all the senseless over-description of ships, characters, and locale that ever puffed up 150 pages of plot into a 350-page feature-length novel. Not to mention distressing racial stereotypes (especially in his treatment of Voort and Chewbacca) and absurd characterizations of females.What I’ve learned is that people who enjoy the later era of the EU — the Del Ray period, the NJO and later stuff, the stuff pumped out by James Luceno — they adore Aaron Allston and can’t get enough. So by all means, if you like that, you’ll like this. As for me, this swims to the very lowest level of realcanon and remains there, never to be reread or recommended by me to anyone.This review via The RebeLibrarian

Solo Command is another great entry in the X-Wing series. Once again we follow Wraith Squadron as they run amok around the galaxy, solving problems with crazy ideas and inducing me to laugh out loud regularly.The characters are the star of the show again, this time Myn Donos and Lara Notsil as the mains. Both work well, each having distinct personalities from the rest of the previous main characters. Wedge has some fantastic, hilarious, and touching moments as well, dealing with Donos's issues, helping Han Solo relax, and finally participating in some of the Wraiths' practical jokes.The downside to this book is the plot. It... well, it doesn't wrap up the main plot of the Wraith trilogy, instead leading into another book, The Courtship of Princess Leia. As a result, things feel somewhat unresolved, and like not much was accomplished. At least not much in terms of the plot itself. The characters get some nice resolution.So I'll have to pick up Courtship, but in the meantime, this is still a book worth reading. It's hilarious, fun, and even manages poignant a few times. The feel is perfect for Star Wars, and I recommend it... though you'll have to read the rest of the series first!

What do You think about Solo Command (1999)?

X-Wing - Solo Command: This is not the finale you're looking forI admit to being a little disappointed in Solo Command - but merely in the sense of it not truly resolving anything. This is meant to be the finale to the Wraiths vs Zsinj saga. To that end, it builds up beautifully - with the same intrigue and adventure that we've come to expect in this series. The final showdown at the novel's climax is a great read, but the ending just leaves you wanting more closure. The fact that the true ending was already scripted by the events in The Courtship of Princess Leia necessitates this abbreviated ending so you can't blame Allston. He does his best with the corner into which he was painted.Overall, though, the book was a fun read but not quite as enjoyable as the two previous Wraith entries in this series. I found myself feeling a bit betrayed in that, still, Solo is relegated to a minor supporting role in a novel bearing his name. The cover would have you believe that our favorite Corellian is going to strap in and fly the Falcon alongside the heroes of Wraith Squadron to bring down this self-proclaimed warlord. Instead we get a battered stand-in YT-1300 (the "Millennium Falsehood") that they use as bait for Zsinj - the actual Falcon never making an appearance. Worse yet, Han really never leaves his flag officer role to get his hands dirty in true Solo fashion. I suppose that it can be said that this lack of action helped convince him that he wasn't military material - accelerating his eventual resignation from service to the New Republic armed forces. But that doesn't do the reader of this novel any favors.In short, it was a good book in the series and continues to tell the tale of "Face" Loran and his band of misfit pilots - Wedge Antilles is slowly fading out of day-to-day combat operations as he moves toward his eventual promotion to general. Face is a worth successor to the role of protagonist and is easy to identify with.
—Tom Ferratt

For the past few months, I have been reading all of the X-wing novels, plus I Jedi since it's spiritually in the same series. I recall enjoying Solo Command when I first read it many moons ago, but I must admit that it did not hold up to a re-reading that well. Most of my qualms with Solo Command are the same as with Aaron Allston's other X-wing novels: the characters and their situations are melodramatic to the point of farce, and I don't really feel strongly about any of them. I also think that Allston couldn't figure out from which character to tell the story; he starts off Wraith Squadron focusing on Kell Tainer, but progresses to using Wedge Antilles and Garik "Face" Loran as the primary narrators. Contrast this to Stackpole's novels, which are almost entirely told from the point of view of Corran Horn. As a result, I don't think any of Allston's characters became as likable as Stackpole's Horn. Moreover, he ramps up the melodrama of the character's personal lives almost as a substitute for any real drama or action in his main plot. The relationship between Myn Donos and Lara Nostil was just so completely over the top that I couldn't take it seriously in Iron First or in Solo Command. The whole book feels loosely thrown together; there are some good moments of humor in the novel (unlike most of Stackpole's work), but that's its only redeeming quality. Otherwise, I feel like Solo Command was barely worth my time. I've moved on to the next book in the series, Isard's Revenge, and it's a breath of fresh air; Stackpole's writing is so much more mature and cohesive.
—Michael

So much is going on in this book. The characters are evolving to a point where they could almost each their own books devoted to them. Although this book had much more Han Solo in it than most the others, I really wanted more of our newest characters. However, I guess that is what has to happen. Now that the Wraiths are a solid group and proven squadron, it's time to focus on Zsinj. We actually get to see more from General Han Solo and get into his battle with Zsinj. And what a battle it is. The Mon Remonda and Iron Fist pound at each other in this book. We still have the fighter battles going on, but now get to see how capital ships battle as well. Nail biting excitement and disbelief around every corner. Great book. Rated four stars only because it ended too soon and on a cliffhanger.
—Arlene Kellas

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