Well, Allston isn't as good of a writer as Stackpole, at all, and I can't say I love his new characters as much, but Wedge/Wes? So cute! And Face/Ton! But I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed a book, somewhere, that I was supposed to have read to know who these people -- Wes, or Hobbie -- were, to get the backstory. And his female characters are irritating. ( )

Plot: The usual Star Wars fare - a main plot with the Imperial bad guys, some character-centric side plots. Well-executed in most cases, with some threads left open for the sequels.

Characters: An almost new set compared to the previous four books in the series. Interesting characters, for the most part, and far from perfect. Heavy on the men, which is surprising. There even is slash potential.

Style: Allston writes great situation humour and one-liners. The book feels a lot less serious than Stackpole's contributions to the series, but still manages to build up plenty of drama and tension. There are less battles and more personal interaction here.

Plus: The book doesn't take itself entirely serious. Good mix of characters, no perfect people around.

Minus: A full set of new characters makes it a bit tricky to get into. Not quite as bad as some Star Wars books have been, but difficult especially in battle scenes.

Summary: This is where the X-Wing series begins to really be fun. It's also a potential entry point to the series, what with an all-new character roll. ( )

This book proves that Aaron Allston is much better at writing "team books" than Stackpole. He does a great job balancing the dozen-plus characters and personalities, and adds plenty of humour, something that's sorely lacking in the Star Wars books. Lots of great ideas, epic space battles and memorable characters and dialogue. ( )

Really enjoyed this book. Having read the first few books of the series this was a nice change of pace from the Rouge Squadron focus of the first four books. ( )

This is my favorite novel from the X-wing series. As opposed to Rogue Squadren, Wraith Squadren is made up of a band of misfit pilots that are far more comical than their counterparts.