Alphabet Squadron — Spoiler Free Book Review

The Battle of Endor was not the end.

Weeks after the destruction of the Death Star II and the death of Emperor Palpatine, the galaxy is in chaos. While the newly formed New Republic tries to gain control over the galaxy, the surviving Imperial forces run free, attacking New Republic convoys and bombing innocent worlds as a part of Operation Cinder. One of the most dangerous of these remnants is the 204th Imperial Fighter Wing, or Shadow Wing, a black ops unit of TIE pilots.

Caern Adan, a New Republic Intelligence Officer, recognizes the threat posed by Shadow Wing. He puts together a group of ragtag pilots in an attempt to neutralize the Imperial fighter wing and stop their reign of destruction.

At its core, Alphabet Squadron may be a story about starfighter pilots — each of the five main characters flies an A-Wing, B-Wing, U-Wing, X-Wing, and Y-Wing. However, I think the greatest strength of Alphabet Squadron lies in its character development. No other Star Wars book that I have read has offered this much of a look into the minds of its characters. While Alphabet Squadron is dense, it’s not as dense with exposition about where the characters are and what they’re doing, it’s dense with information about what the characters are thinking and feeling. You feel as if you’re right alongside these pilots on their missions. You understand their demons, you cheer with them on their successes, and you want to see them pick themselves back up after their failures.

Leading the cast is Yrica Quell, an Imperial defector from Shadow Wing with an incredibly checkered past that is revealed through the course of the novel. Quell is one of the more relatable characters of the story in my eyes. She’s awkward around her squadron, is not a perfect leader by any means, and has to learn to fight like a rebel, rather than be as rigid as an Imperial. But above all, Quell genuinely desires to become a better leader and repent for her mistakes, and I found her character very compelling in that regard.

Rounding out the cast is Wyl Lark, a farmboy from an Outer Rim world who desperately wants to return to his home and stop fighting in the war. He’s sensitive, sympathetic, and is the emotional core of the squadron. Nath Tensent is an Imperial defector-turned pirate-turned New Republic officer, and his journey about his shifting loyalties in a changing galaxy takes some very unexpected turns throughout the novel. Kairos is a mysterious woman — nobody knows her past, her homeworld, or even her species. And finally, my favorite of the bunch — Chass na Chadic. She may blast music as she flies her B-Wing into battle and give a snippy attitude to anyone of authority, but inside, she’s a broken rebel who’s seen the death of too many of her squadron mates and desperately wants to do something meaningful with her life.

Aside from its excellent character development and engaging writing style, the book also offers some great worldbuilding about the state of the galaxy post-Endor. We see the New Republic learning to fight like Imperials and the Imperials learning to fight like the Rebel Alliance. We get the perspective of the commander of Shadow Wing, Colonel Nurress, and learn about her efforts to keep together her squadron in the Empire’s darkest days. Characters such as Hera Syndulla, the Emperor’s Messenger, and Jyn Erso are all either mentioned or play a part in the story.

Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite books in the new canon. The central plotline of the book may be based around neutralizing Shadow Wing, but ultimately, it’s the smaller moments that make this book such an excellent read. The worldbuilding about star clusters and nebulae in the Unknown Regions, a scene where the pilots confess their demons to each other, a scene where we see the main cast’s perspectives on the Force and the Jedi, these are the moments that make a book about starfighter pilots into a strong character-driven story. That’s not to say the central plotline about Shadow Wing is bad — it culminates in a spectacular third-act battle and twist, and after reading Alphabet Squadron, you’ll be eager to see what happens to the characters in book two, Shadow Fall.

Rating: 5/5