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Wedge's Gamble

Wedge's Gamble

  • Downloads：2929
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-22 09:51:49
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael A. Stackpole
  • ISBN：0593497074
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Led by Wedge Antilles， the legendary pilots of Rogue Squadron prepare to risk everything in their battle against the Empire。

Sleek， swift， and deadly， they are the X-wing fighters。 And as the battle against the Empire rages across the vastness of space， the pilots risk both their lives and their machines for the cause of the Rebel Alliance。 Now they must embark on a dangerous espionage mission， braving betrayal and death on the Imperial homeworld to smash the power of a ruthless foe！

It is the evil heart of a battered and reeling Empire: Coruscant， the giant city-world from whose massive towers the Imperial High Command directs the war。 The Rebels will invade this mighty citadel in a daring move to bring the Empire to its knees。 But first Wedge Antilles and his X-wing pilots must infiltrate Coruscant to gain vital intelligence information。 Capture means death， or worse--trapped in the clutches of the vicious leader known as "Iceheart，" Ysanne Isard， now Emperor in all but name。

And one of Rogue Squadron's own is already her slave， a traitor hidden behind a mask of innocence， working to betray both colleagues and the Rebellion itself。

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Reviews

Michael ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 For an X-Wing novel， there wasn’t a whole lot of X-Wings。 Overall this book felt like bad fan fiction。 It was difficult picturing Michael Stackpole’s attempt at describing anything in 3D space。 Whether that was a dogfight or where the Rogues were in relation to a stairwell。 How many times did Corran apply rudder？ There were so many instances where I’d have to read a sentence 4 or 5 times to understand what was trying to be conveyed。 Reading other people’s reviews I’m glad I’m not the only one。 A For an X-Wing novel， there wasn’t a whole lot of X-Wings。 Overall this book felt like bad fan fiction。 It was difficult picturing Michael Stackpole’s attempt at describing anything in 3D space。 Whether that was a dogfight or where the Rogues were in relation to a stairwell。 How many times did Corran apply rudder？ There were so many instances where I’d have to read a sentence 4 or 5 times to understand what was trying to be conveyed。 Reading other people’s reviews I’m glad I’m not the only one。 Also， there were just too many characters， it didn’t help that the plot jumped from one character to the next。 In some instances these events occurred at the same time。 *spoiler* speeder bike sequence *spoiler*To have 300 plus pages of buildup， a few pages of the final battle， and then have the book end on a cliffhanger felt like a slap in the face。 。。。more

The Fizza ，

1。5 STARS - PANDEMIC/LOCKDOWN READ

Chris ，

This was the first Star Wars book I ever owned。 Just a fun fact in lieu of an actual review。 Rogue Squadron for life。

Connor McGonagle ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The second installment in the X-Wing series carries the same charm as the first， and Rogue Squadron’s mission is more detailed and thrilling， but certain elements hold the novel back slightly。 Due to how the first four X-Wing novels tell an overarching story， I can imagine that my opinion on the individual books will change once I have the whole picture。 For now， because this installment is the middle of the story， I feel unsure about critiquing different aspects of the narrative because they mi The second installment in the X-Wing series carries the same charm as the first， and Rogue Squadron’s mission is more detailed and thrilling， but certain elements hold the novel back slightly。 Due to how the first four X-Wing novels tell an overarching story， I can imagine that my opinion on the individual books will change once I have the whole picture。 For now， because this installment is the middle of the story， I feel unsure about critiquing different aspects of the narrative because they might be resolved at a later time。The death of Bror Jace， which took place in-between novels， felt a little strange， especially since he was set up as the best in Rouge Squadron by the end of the last novel。 I understand there is likely a comic that covers this part of the story， but the relationship that Bror had with Corran was significant enough that I think Bror deserved some better treatment in this book。 However， this is one of those elements that might be addressed at a later time since Corran might try to investigate the ambush that caught Bror， or I also wouldn’t be surprised if Bror was actually still alive and simply captured because of how the story placed his death in an awkward spot。The infiltration of Coruscant was incredibly interesting; the division of the squadron members into small teams and the level of secrecy and rigidity regarding the mission information both added to the mission’s sense of urgency and importance。 I think the novel could have taken advantage of these smaller teams to devise more character confrontations and discussions that wouldn’t have taken place otherwise， but the team-ups are still compelling， and the actions the characters take to complete their respective sub-missions are written well。Corran teaming up with Erisi did give another opportunity to explore the romance sub-plot， and I’m still happy with how the romance is being handled。 The way that Corran weighs his interest in Erisi with his interest in Mirax is rather mature。Moving over to the Empire’s side of the narrative， I’m still not terribly impressed with Iceheart as a villain。 She doesn’t carry much of a threatening presence。 Loor’s reactions to meeting with her are the closest we get to understanding the effect she has on other people， but Iceheart still hasn’t done much。 She has only threatened and sent chills down Loor’s spine， but she hasn’t displayed any real punishment for a subordinate’s failure， and as a result， the reader doesn’t know how seriously to take her as a threat。Loor was consistent with his portrayal in the last novel， and he’s definitely the more interesting villain because of his connection with Corran， but he’s still depicted as a valuable asset for the Empire rather than a menace for the Rebellion。The spy subplot with suspicion circling around Tycho Celchu made some slight developments， and I’m invested in discovering more。 Tycho is a likable character， so on one hand， I want him to be innocent， but on the other， evidence is rising against him。 I’m still not really convinced he’s the spy because of how hard the narrative seems to be pushing forward others’ suspicion towards him。 At the very least， if he is the spy， I’m hoping for another layer to be revealed。 For example， he could be unaware that he’s the spy in the same way Emtrey is unaware of his extra programming。 I just can’t imagine anyone from Alderaan willingly helping the Empire。A small appearance from Lieutenant Needa in the climax of the novel also felt out of place。 If they bring back his character in the next two books， I’ll be fine with the introduction here， but otherwise the appearance feels unwarranted。 Aside from the story， I also have a small annoyance with Stackpole’s writing style。 He seems to be trying too hard to make the novel sound like it takes place in the Star Wars universe。 Phrases like “as sure as the Emperor is dead” or “they go together like oxygen and hydrogen，” as well as repeated references to the Thrawn trilogy， specifically the Katana fleet， tend to take me out of the experience rather than reinforce the immersion。Frankly， I’m being overly critical because this is the second novel。 Because it still hasn’t wrapped everything up in a nice bow， it’s difficult to be confident about how I’d rate it。With all my complaining， I still greatly enjoyed the book！ I especially think the climax of this novel was greater than the last， partly because of the greater stakes， but also due to the constant smaller problems that appeared and brought up the tension。 And I can’t go without saying that all of the characters are likable despite the differing levels of development。I’m still looking forward to the next book， and I can’t wait to see where the story goes！ 。。。more

Maegen ，

4。5。 Really fun， exciting adventure with an EEEEK climax :O I also liked seeing the New Republic/Rebellion's take over of Coruscant。 4。5。 Really fun， exciting adventure with an EEEEK climax :O I also liked seeing the New Republic/Rebellion's take over of Coruscant。 。。。more

Stephen Cook ，

I like some of the exploration of Imperial racism but my pirated audiobook quality dropped considerably from the first book to this one making it really hard to follow with how garbled and compressed it sounded。 Will probably not continue the series because the rest of the series seems to sound just as bad。 Cool to see the overthrow of Coruscant （which is also cool just to see several years before it was introduced in the Prequels）

S。J。 Saunders ，

The push to Coruscant continues in creative and potentially compromising ways， and the squad is divided。。。and grows。4。5/5 Great continuation that folds into the EU superbly！

Laurence ，

Better than the first one， but this is as far as I get with this xwing series。 I don't get why it is popular at all。 Better than the first one， but this is as far as I get with this xwing series。 I don't get why it is popular at all。 。。。more

Brayden Raymond ，

It's hard to rate Legends novels anything higher than a visible 3 stars in this day and age。 Especially when （no offense to Michael Stackpole） the content being produced current for books like the High Republic entirely eclipses that of the 90s Legends novels。 It's just better and more cohesive content。 Full stop。 Alphabet Squadron is the direct competitor and the Second Novel of that series was far more thought provoking and moving than this novel。 THAT BEING SAID。 I still enjoyed this a lot an It's hard to rate Legends novels anything higher than a visible 3 stars in this day and age。 Especially when （no offense to Michael Stackpole） the content being produced current for books like the High Republic entirely eclipses that of the 90s Legends novels。 It's just better and more cohesive content。 Full stop。 Alphabet Squadron is the direct competitor and the Second Novel of that series was far more thought provoking and moving than this novel。 THAT BEING SAID。 I still enjoyed this a lot and the climax was a lot of fun， having the Rogues mostly out of their X-Wings kinda sucked but I get it， can't have them doing that all the time I suppose。 I will mark it here as 3 but it is a more of 3。5 star review。 。。。more

Macqueron ，

Sympathique roman d’aventures mais trop simple et avec des personnages peu fouillés。 Pourtant on attend la suite avec impatience

John Gates ，

I loved it when I read it as a kid。

Alexander Gates ，

I took a break from SW EU when Disney bought it; it’s been a tough few years of reconciling the thing I love with where the Mouse took （ruined） the property。 Lately I felt nostalgic and have picked back up where I left off。 This is my 103rd EU novel read， obviously I read those before GR so this is my first review。 It felt great to dive back into that GFFA。 I love this group of characters， both a mix of movie and original pilots and how they’re picking up the pieces after the conclusion of the G I took a break from SW EU when Disney bought it; it’s been a tough few years of reconciling the thing I love with where the Mouse took （ruined） the property。 Lately I felt nostalgic and have picked back up where I left off。 This is my 103rd EU novel read， obviously I read those before GR so this is my first review。 It felt great to dive back into that GFFA。 I love this group of characters， both a mix of movie and original pilots and how they’re picking up the pieces after the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War。 This had a lot of brainwashing， prisons， and dogfights。 Corran Horn is still a favorite character， I look forward to more。 I picked up here because Patty Jenkins said her next movie will be based on themes and hopefully characters from this series。 。。。more

Rachael Kelleher ，

As with the previous book， the technical aspects were very well written。 Corran was slightly less boring。 And I was delighted to see more of a focus on the other members of Rogue Squadron and not just the dull Correlian hotshot。

Daniel Kukwa ，

The first 100 pages were superb。。。and the final 50 pages were exciting。 But what lies in between feels too drawn out， as if it were one large digression from the main thrust of the story: to invade Coruscant。 I didn't find the cast of released reprobates to be as interesting as the Rogues。。。and I definitely wanted even more of so-evil-she's-oily Ysanne Isard。 The cliffhanger ending hopefully implies this wish might come true。。。 The first 100 pages were superb。。。and the final 50 pages were exciting。 But what lies in between feels too drawn out， as if it were one large digression from the main thrust of the story: to invade Coruscant。 I didn't find the cast of released reprobates to be as interesting as the Rogues。。。and I definitely wanted even more of so-evil-she's-oily Ysanne Isard。 The cliffhanger ending hopefully implies this wish might come true。。。 。。。more

Griffin Honeycutt ，

This one was great， even better than Rogue Squadron。 It included less descriptions of starfighter battles， maybe that's why I preferred it。 I just tend to get lost during those parts， I have trouble picturing in my head what's happening。 That issue did come up here during the ground combat chapters， but I was more willing to forgive it because I think it was meant to be confusing and disorienting。 We were made to feel the same way as the characters。 The undercover plotlines are very cool， both i This one was great， even better than Rogue Squadron。 It included less descriptions of starfighter battles， maybe that's why I preferred it。 I just tend to get lost during those parts， I have trouble picturing in my head what's happening。 That issue did come up here during the ground combat chapters， but I was more willing to forgive it because I think it was meant to be confusing and disorienting。 We were made to feel the same way as the characters。 The undercover plotlines are very cool， both in the way they allow for both world-building and more character development， as well as how they eventually converge。 We do seriously get more character development in a chapter or two of this book than the entirety of Rogue Squadron。 There are also some hard-hitting， extremely well-written passages that were as applicable to the real world of the 90s as they are today， stuff that's so well-written that it barely belongs in a Star Wars book。 There's very little involvement from the antagonists in this one， but I liked their chapters even more than in Rogue Squadron and I think what it's setting up will have a great payoff for the next two books。 The ending is fantastic， and makes me very excited for the rest of the Rogue Squadron arc。 。。。more

Simon ，

Had a hard time slogging through this rubbish and I read Atlas Shrugged。 So to help I picked up the audiobook which is equally bad but for other reasons。 Clearly an easy pass。 Don't do it。 Find something better to spend your time reading。 Life is too short。 Had a hard time slogging through this rubbish and I read Atlas Shrugged。 So to help I picked up the audiobook which is equally bad but for other reasons。 Clearly an easy pass。 Don't do it。 Find something better to spend your time reading。 Life is too short。 。。。more

Apryl Sparks ，

Exposition book that's definitely setting up the sequels， but still an interesting read Exposition book that's definitely setting up the sequels， but still an interesting read 。。。more

Kevin Wortman ，

This is the second book in a series。 The first book is all about X-wing dogfights， but this book shakes things up and focuses on an espionage mission on the capital planet of Coruscant。The mission seems to involve quite a lot of fanciful cover stories， costumes， strolling around the city， and flirting among the principals。 I don't quite buy the premise that elite fighter pilots are the best people for this job。 Surely these pilots are needed elsewhere and the rebellion has some proper espionage This is the second book in a series。 The first book is all about X-wing dogfights， but this book shakes things up and focuses on an espionage mission on the capital planet of Coruscant。The mission seems to involve quite a lot of fanciful cover stories， costumes， strolling around the city， and flirting among the principals。 I don't quite buy the premise that elite fighter pilots are the best people for this job。 Surely these pilots are needed elsewhere and the rebellion has some proper espionage agents。 The team doesn't take things as seriously as their opponents， whose plan involves war-crimes-level evil。 I appreciated seeing the heroes outmatched at a few turns。The premise is effective， though， as a pretext for exploring Coruscant and developing the recurring characters。 When the book was published， Episode I had yet to come out and depict Coruscant， so this book was on the vanguard of establishing Coruscant as a plant-wide city。 The book's description tracks with that of the movies， and I wonder whether it was used as inspiration。So: entertaining Star Warsy story; the premise and romantic subplot are goofy at times; but they don't ruin it， and are par for the course in young adult genre fiction。 。。。more

Dan ，

This is my favourite book in this series。 I am not going to go in depth because that would be spoilers， but trust me， there is a LOT of cool stuff in here。 Huge recommendation from me。

Cody Nechamkin ，

Picking up where the previous installment in the series ended， Rogue Squadron is now set with another “impossible” task: claim Coruscant for the Rebellion。 Gripping action sequences （that are much easier to follow than those shown in the first installment） and surprisingly intense political games littered throughout， “Wedge’s Gamble” drives the progression towards the end of the Galactic Civil War naturally。 The characters in this are great。 The rapport （and in some cases distrust） between previ Picking up where the previous installment in the series ended， Rogue Squadron is now set with another “impossible” task: claim Coruscant for the Rebellion。 Gripping action sequences （that are much easier to follow than those shown in the first installment） and surprisingly intense political games littered throughout， “Wedge’s Gamble” drives the progression towards the end of the Galactic Civil War naturally。 The characters in this are great。 The rapport （and in some cases distrust） between previously established Rogue Squadron members is fantastically pushed further。 I of course absolutely loved “reintroduction” of established characters from the accompanying “Rogue Squadron” comic series。 I did have some trouble keeping along whenever the squad split up during a chunk of the book since some characters would go several chapters without being mentioned。 I found myself， a few times， flipping back several chapters just to remember what the characters were doing previously。 Besides that， the only reason I didn’t give this book five stars is the awkwardly sexual nature of the protagonist。 I can respect what the author was going for （90’s edginess which meant sex and violence）， but it ultimately wasn’t for me。 While often the scenes themselves weren’t overtly distasteful， but I was often reminded of the subreddit “r/menwritingwomen” from various descriptions of the female characters。 。。。more

Thomas ，

These stories are mechanically fine， but there's not much in the way of characterization here。 Stackpole's dialogue can be long-winded and overly detailed， not to mention clunky。 He puts a lot of exposition and background in the dialogue， enough so that it doesn't feel genuine。 People don't talk like that， and even if they do talk that much， there's usually someone else asking for more detail， or at least nodding along to show they understand。 Here， it's just info-dumping。I was led to believe th These stories are mechanically fine， but there's not much in the way of characterization here。 Stackpole's dialogue can be long-winded and overly detailed， not to mention clunky。 He puts a lot of exposition and background in the dialogue， enough so that it doesn't feel genuine。 People don't talk like that， and even if they do talk that much， there's usually someone else asking for more detail， or at least nodding along to show they understand。 Here， it's just info-dumping。I was led to believe that the X-Wing series was one of the high points of the Extended Universe， so maybe my expectations were too high， but the stories are just kinda 。。。 there。 I liked this novel a bit more than the first one （probably because Stackpole got away from describing air combat， and shifted back to a spy mission on Coruscant）， but not enough to raise it any higher than three stars。 。。。more

LewisBiss ，

To the Capital！An excellent second entry in this series， this book certainly gets a little bogged down around the middle with the jumps between different groups but non the less is a thrilling tale of sabotage & ends on a very high note！ Onto book 3！

Lewis Darling ，

Second book in the X wing series。 The surviving members of Rogue Squadron return with a new mission。 Corran’s backstory is developed even further than the first book。 Some extremely unlikely events occurred。 On a very large planet， Corran bumped into all of the groups of his squadron despite them being hidden from each other。 I suppose that this could have happened since Corran has hidden abilities in the force， but the author didn’t build on the idea that this had anything to do with it。 The sq Second book in the X wing series。 The surviving members of Rogue Squadron return with a new mission。 Corran’s backstory is developed even further than the first book。 Some extremely unlikely events occurred。 On a very large planet， Corran bumped into all of the groups of his squadron despite them being hidden from each other。 I suppose that this could have happened since Corran has hidden abilities in the force， but the author didn’t build on the idea that this had anything to do with it。 The squadron’s suspicions of having a spy among them are given greater evidence。 The writing left out a few details for the sake of drama。 However， that made it harder to follow in places。 。。。more

Sam ，

Stackpole still seems to take the first third of the book to get the ball rolling， but he's starting to loosen up and have fun with the pieces and characters he's set in motion。 Stackpole still seems to take the first third of the book to get the ball rolling， but he's starting to loosen up and have fun with the pieces and characters he's set in motion。 。。。more

Sarah Vill'Neuve ，

The author did a good job of building the suspense between all different narratives in the story。 The only part I found a little boring is Corran's "love life"。 But other than the few scenes that focus on that， I was hooked by the story。 Be prepared to read the next novel in the series soon after， as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger！ The author did a good job of building the suspense between all different narratives in the story。 The only part I found a little boring is Corran's "love life"。 But other than the few scenes that focus on that， I was hooked by the story。 Be prepared to read the next novel in the series soon after， as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger！ 。。。more

Theresa ，

I’m already behind in the reread！I did not realize when I read these 2 decades ago how poorly the women are portrayed。 I guess it’s nice that there are so many of them。 Maybe it’s a sign of how far we’ve come。 I’ve decided Corran is not someone I’d want to hang out with。 （Bb me liked him but bb me was in love with all Jedi）。Stackpole’s exposition is a bit ooof in places。 He sometimes beats you over the head with a character’s point of view just to tell you how he wants you to feel about a situat I’m already behind in the reread！I did not realize when I read these 2 decades ago how poorly the women are portrayed。 I guess it’s nice that there are so many of them。 Maybe it’s a sign of how far we’ve come。 I’ve decided Corran is not someone I’d want to hang out with。 （Bb me liked him but bb me was in love with all Jedi）。Stackpole’s exposition is a bit ooof in places。 He sometimes beats you over the head with a character’s point of view just to tell you how he wants you to feel about a situation。 Still enjoyable， still wouldn’t give them to a non-fan。 。。。more

Ines ，

This was real fun。 Yes， you need some suspension of disbelief for the plot and I would love for the characters to be a bit more fleshed out， but in the end， this is an action-adventure novel and I was immensely entertained reading it。 And of course， there are the childhood memories， so I can't be totally objective here。 This was real fun。 Yes， you need some suspension of disbelief for the plot and I would love for the characters to be a bit more fleshed out， but in the end， this is an action-adventure novel and I was immensely entertained reading it。 And of course， there are the childhood memories， so I can't be totally objective here。 。。。more

artemis ，

3。5 wedge and tycho are boyfriends you cant change my mind

Ben ，

Clever plot， but I found this one lacking in starfighter stuff。 Very enjoyable read， and adding Gavin as a POV character is a fun addition。

Cameron ，

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous book in the series until the end。 Maybe due to there being less flying。 Still a good and believable story and I will come back to read the next book in the series。 I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous book in the series until the end。 Maybe due to there being less flying。 Still a good and believable story and I will come back to read the next book in the series。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Wedge's Gamble

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Wedge's Gamble&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Wedge's Gamble&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0