Solo Command

I admit to being a little disappointed in Solo Command - but merely in the sense of it not truly resolving anything. This is meant to be the finale to the Wraiths vs Zsinj saga. To that end, it builds up beautifully - with the same intrigue and adventure that we've come to expect in this series. The final showdown at the novel's climax is a great read, but the ending just leaves you wanting more closure. The fact that the true ending was already scripted by the events in The Courtship of Princess Leia necessitates this abbreviated ending so you can't blame Allston. He does his best with the corner into which he was painted.

Overall, though, the book was a fun read but not quite as enjoyable as the two previous Wraith entries in this series. I found myself feeling a bit betrayed in that, still, Solo is relegated to a minor supporting role in a novel bearing his name. The cover would have you believe that our favorite Corellian is going to strap in and fly the Falcon alongside the heroes of Wraith Squadron to bring down this self-proclaimed warlord. Instead we get a battered stand-in YT-1300 (the "Millennium Falsehood") that they use as bait for Zsinj - the actual Falcon never making an appearance. Worse yet, Han really never leaves his flag officer role to get his hands dirty in true Solo fashion. I suppose that it can be said that this lack of action helped convince him that he wasn't military material - accelerating his eventual resignation from service to the New Republic armed forces. But that doesn't do the reader of this novel any favors.

In short, it was a good book in the series and continues to tell the tale of "Face" Loran and his band of misfit pilots - Wedge Antilles is slowly fading out of day-to-day combat operations as he moves toward his eventual promotion to general. Face is a worth successor to the role of protagonist and is easy to identify with.

I hardly got into it before it was over

Great series great book