This is yet another
Star Wars post, though with only one review because I rambled on for 5000+ words, why.
So I read Alexander Freed's
Alphabet Squadron and for the most part really loved it? It may be my favorite
Star Wars novel now (after
A New Dawn, which still wins for on-point Hera characterization, fine). There were a few things I didn't like or that so clearly came off as Editorial Mandate, but overall it tackles a lot of interesting concepts successfully where other writers have fallen, and adds many cool and creative elements to the universe that I haven't seen before.
The book takes place post-
Return of the Jedi and is about a group of pilots who are collected to hunt down Shadow Wing, a particularly dangerous Imperial TIE contingent. True to form (I think) for a Rebel story, this is a ragtag band that is sourced from various places - the squadron's organizers and de facto leaders are Caern Adan, a New Republic intelligence officer who is extremely determined and also totally out of his depth, and the book's protagonist Yrica Quell, a relatively recent Imperial defector who herself used to fly with Shadow Wing. These two recruit Nath Tensent, also a former Imperial defector who's more interested in being a scoundrel but especially hates Shadow Wing and so goes along with it; Kairos, who spends most of her time being a Mysterious Alien but okay I still love her; and Chass na Chadic and Wyl Lark, two long-term Rebellion pilots. Each pilot specializes in a different type of ship, hence "Alphabet." They operate out of the
Lodestar, a New Republic carrier led by our Special Guest Preexisting Character General Syndulla.
A few of my highlights were:
- This is, I think, the first actual fighter pilot story of the new canon. I think some people expected that of
Star Wars Resistance and it was… not. But this book is first and foremost about pilots, and the work of pilots. It also
kiiind of wants to be about spies, or at least intelligence work, and it is the latter to some extent. But a lot of reading it felt like watching the pilot-heavy episodes of
Battlestar Galactica. In a good way! And the "Alphabet Squadron" concept means organically incorporating basically every type of Rebel fighter, which is more fun than All X-Wings All The Time. Freed also very successfully makes space battles
engaging on the page which is no small feat, there are multiple books where I've checked out on action and space battle action in particular because I can't follow what the author is trying to say. Freed works very well at giving the battles both beauty and horror, which makes them more emotionally engaging than a straight up list of maneuvers.
- With one exception, it's miles ahead of anything else I've read when it comes to handling Imperial characters. While the book shifts around POVs, the protagonist is really Quell, a pilot who defected from the Empire after Endor. And while she as an unreliable narrator tries to justify her actions, Freed through the narrative never does. He doesn't rationalize, justify, or defend her behavior in up until very recently supporting and perpetuating Space Fascism. He really doesn't engage in any of this "well sometimes they have a point in being mad at the Rebellion" kind of thing I've seen other writers do when trying to be "complex," nor does he take on the nihilistic attitude of "they're really all the same so it doesn't matter." Freed's narrative here understands that support for fascistic regimes is driven by
emotion rather than
logic, and that understanding makes for a richer story that combines Imperial defectors and Rebel stalwarts.
- Very creative additions to the universe: the interrogation ball droid reprogrammed to be a benevolent(?) psychiatrist like, *chef's kiss* there; Chass' music yes yes very good yes; Wyl Lark's whole background; Imperial numbers stations; Kairos in general; the Rebel pilots' nicknames for individual TIE Fighters; in general I thought Freed did really effective work with the planets, I was always really into it when I was reading about them and there was enough evocative detail to get a feel of the place without the narrative getting distracted.
- I like that there's a nice mix of humans and aliens? Tensent, Quell, and Lark are human, which Tensent and Quell are both ex-Imperials and so kind of have to be. Chass is Theelin, Adan is Balosar, Kairos is This Alien Species Will Not Be Disclosed At This Time. Anyway I was recently reading one of the Fantasy Flight Star Wars rulebooks which decided all Balosars are culturally conmen and grifters because of One Stupid Scene In A Movie and I'm still mad about it. why are ttrpg books so terrible at wordbuilding I'm saying
- For me, Freed managed to handle the darker themes/events of the book without falling into the kind of nihilism that has put me off other SW writers. There are some very dark elements to this story, but it's a full on war story and while I didn't always enjoy them, I did come out feeling like they were there for the purpose of a narrative about war and violence, and not the kind of performative edginess a lot of writers seem to like sinking into. I never felt like Freed was screaming "look how dark this is! This isn't your little kid's Star Wars!" and etc., and Freed also maintains the line of war is hell but also genocidal fascism so...
- Yes, okay, Hera was fine. It's fine. She's fine.
... and that's as much as I think I can say without going into straight up spoilers, so -
( Alphabet Squadron spoilers and me never shutting up here )
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