X-wing : Wraith Squadron

by Aaron Allston

Book 5 of the X-wing series picks up after Rogue Squadron's R and R ends at the end of Book 4, The Bacta War. Wedge Antilles forms a new squadron, one of misfits and pilots almost at the end of their short careers. He make a bet with Admiral Ackbar that he can to Ackbar's sole estimation has , after three months of going operational, proved its worth, or Wedge accepts a promotion to general. Wedge's idea is to turn a group of commandos into crack pilots and he wants the lowest of the low to do it with. As he is interviewing the people who will become his squadron, his second in command, Wes Janson, says the next pilot is an Ewok. This begins a running joke through the book of "Yub yub, commander."

The squadron consists of 12 pilots with ah, problems, most of which are too numerous to mention here. Their training is cut short when Admiral Tright, a renegade Imperial officer working for Warlord Zsinj attacks and destroys their base. Wedge leads his group into the fight of their lives as he and the Wraiths take control of a Corellian Blockade runner attached to Tright's fleet. They use it to backtrack the ship's course and destroy any Imperial bases and sympathizers along the way. They planned to draw tright into a trap and bring him down once and for all.

As they did this, they were in constant contact with Tright and even were given the task of hunting themselves. Tright was fooled by the reports from Wedge and his people. In the end, they are successful in destoryong Tright and his Imperial Star Destoryer. In the final battle of the book, Ackbar's niece, one of Wraith Squadron's pilots dies. Kell Tainer, another Wraith tries to save her, but can not. He is deeply worried about what Ackbar might say, until he meets the Admiral at the end of the book. Ackbar understands and is happy his niece had such a friend as Kell.

All in all this was a good book, and I look forward to the rest of the series. It was hard not to have any notions about it before I read it beacuse Michael Stackpole wrote the first 4 book in the X-wing series. This turned out to be an excellent follow up to those books. "Yub yub, commander!"