Book review:-Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad
My Dear Steemians,
Today I review Inferno Squad by Christie Golden. The novel ties in with the story mode of the upcoming Battlefront II by introducing us to the members of Inferno Squad, who will be the main cast of the story. While the game will show us what they did after the destruction of the second Death Star, the book tells us about their very first missions after the destruction of the first Death Star.
Book information
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| Publisher | Del Rey (July 25, 2017) |
| Author | Christie Golden |
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 336 pages |
| Price | 9.96$/890tk |
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The book is all about the four members of the squad, Captain Iden Versio, Gideon Hask, Del Meeko, and Seyn Marana. For this book to work, the characters have to be a compelling team, and they absolutely are. Watching them bond, become friends, and succeed on missions put a big ole smile on my face. It honestly reminded me of reading the early X-Wing books, seeing the new Rogue Squadron come together. Each soldier has a distinct personality and I already can’t wait to see them all come to life on screen. What’s most impressive about their likability is that they are Imperials. And not even really noble Imperials. They’re not like Thrawn or Wulff Yularen. They are die-hard, let’s kill rebel scum, and do whatever we need to do to succeed Imperials. I’ve always been a Rebel fanboy, so for me to say Inferno Squad are a fun crew, that really means something. The bulk of the story is about how they took down what remained of Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. Pitting them against the most bloodthirsty Rebel cell was a smart move, because it’s not like we see the Empire running around committing war crimes. They’re stopping war crimes. That said, the Partisans aren’t all bad either. I’m not going to dive into the exterminators here, but some familiar characters will come back, and I am very much a fan of how that all went down. Whenever storytellers work within Star Wars, There is always the risk of going too far with the easter eggs or relying too much on familiar faces. The biggest connection this book has to other media does not stray into that area. Not only does it make perfect sense, but Christie Golden was brilliantly subtle with her hints. Everything becomes clear by the end of the book, but if you took the time to read other Star Wars books, specifically Rebel Rising, you will be able to piece some things together. That’s the right way to do a multimedia universe. Reward the people that invest in all aspects of the universe. But don’t go so far as to alienate the people that don’t or can’t. Golden found that balance and nailed it.
I have 2 complaints about the book.
First, a pretty major plot development can be easily guessed if you have been following the marketing for the game. That’s hardly Christie Golden’s fault, I would just recommend not over analyzing the Battlefront II trailers like I did.
Second, I wish it was longer, which is about the most complimentary complaint to have. I liked the characters, and I don’t want to have to wait until November to spend more time with them.I think it’s interesting that both of Golden’s canon Star Wars books have to do with how Many people will be able to achieve their goals while undercover.
Dark Disciple was about Quinlan Vos. Inferno Squad is about Iden and her team. I really enjoy these cat and mouse type stories. One of my favorites through Imperial Eyes episodes of Star Wars Rebels. And Golden really knows how to write dangerous and upsetting moral crises for her characters. If you like morally gray stories about soldiers, If you think that the empire did nothing bad, or if you’re just excited to get to know Inferno Squad before the game, I can very comfortably recommend this book to you. And by the way, Mitch Dyer, the writer of Battlefront II’s story, has confirmed that the game will include some fun references to this book. One last thing I want to talk doesn’t have to do with the book so much, but I think it’s definitely worth mentioning. The book is dedicated to the actors that make up Inferno Squad in the game, but especially Janina Gavankar, who plays Iden. Golden says Janina reached out to her with such enthusiasm to learn more about the book, and so she would know the complete backstory of her character, so she could use it to inform her performance. That’s awesome. I love that dedication. Again, that doesn’t really fit within a review of the book itself, but it definitely involves Inferno Squad, and I wanted to point it out.
Cc:-
Thanks
@omeresa