I finished the first four books of the X-Wing series. The series switches authors in book five with Aaron Allston replacing Michael Stackpole. I am about two thirds of the way through the fifth book, and since the book has a different feel with Allston I thought this would be a good point to write a little review. I was inspired to read this series after several bloggers pointed out fond memories. The only bloggers I can remember off the top of my head are Slow and Smuggler Jedi, so I'll give them all the credit for getting me into these books!

The first book follows the reformed Rogue Squadron lead by Wedge Antilles against Ysanne Isard and the Empire. The book takes place after the death of the Emperor, the remaining Imperial leaders have broken away and many proclaim themselves warlords. Ysanne Isard replaced the Emperor and controls the greatest concentration of Imperial forces. The first book focuses primarily on Corran Horn and the new Rogues. Horn remains the central character throughout the first four books, but Stackpole spends a fair amount of time with other characters. One of the series strengths are the detailed accounts of space combat between the empire and the rogues. Stackpole follows the X-Wings through numerous loops and snaprolls as they close in and take out enemy TIE's. Its both a strength and a weakness in my opinion. On the one hand its great to have all the detail, on the other it can get confusing.

Now if Horn put his X-Wing up on the starboard S-foil and looped to port, then kicked in the repulsors to slow down and make a tighter turn as the squint (TIE Interceptor) turned to starboard, are they running head on or is Corran behind him??!!

It can be the literary version of shaky cam, fortunately anyone who has read Ender's Game can probably relate to this situation. (side note that is an awesome book!) The good thing is that you won't miss out on much if you do not follow each and every turn, and not every battle challenges one's spacial imagination. If you choose to read the series straight through, it can become tedious at times, a break in between books is not a bad idea so you can keep the repetition of fight sequences from becoming boring.

I would like to get into more of what I liked about the series but the action plays such a big part in the series I think I would be spoiling it for you, but that really does not help inspire anyone to read the books. What I can say is the first book makes a pretty good case for the series. If you liked the first book, keep on going! If you did not like it, or found the action was not to your liking, tread carefully. If you are really into Corran Horn - keep reading. I also liked reading about Bigg's cousin Gavin in particular. You get to see Gavin take on some interesting topics, and I like seeing how his character grows over the first four books.

There is another reason I like this series - I like lower tier characters. It comes from reading comic books, mostly. I love Batman, Spiderman and Daredevil. I also like the little guys - Antman, Blue Beetle, and Green Arrow. For some reason characters living in the shadows of others have an appeal. I could never get into the god-like powers of Superman. Wedge may just be the guy that had to ditch the trench run, Porkins may have come off like a confused pilot who made a mistake, but learning more about them and their struggles is a lot of fun. I am not going to be a hero, I am not going to change the world - I am just another guy getting by. I have always loved the idea that there are no heroes, that the best thing you can do is prepare yourself and let the moment make you a hero. That idea speaks to me, that idea keeps me going and helps me stay positive, so naturally I identify with these characters.

Some people like the finality of ROTJ. Luke reaches Anakin and redeems him, the Emperor dies, and all is right with the GFFA. However, this series shows the turmoil that takes place following ROTJ, that Luke and Anakin righted the force and opened the door to peace for the galaxy. This situation is more real to me, the idea that individuals can bring about change but only with the strength of others behind the individual will the future become a better place.