Today marks the release of Battlefront II: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. 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 cant wait to see them all come to life on screen.
Whats most impressive about their likability
is that they are Imperials. And not even really noble Imperials. Theyre not like Thrawn or Wulff Yularen. They are die-hard, lets kill rebel scum,
and do whatever we need to do to succeed Imperials.
Ive 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 Gerreras Partisans. Pitting them against the most bloodthirsty
Rebel cell was a smart move, because its not like we see the Empire running around
committing war crimes. Theyre stopping war crimes.
That said, the Partisans arent all bad
either. I wont get into spoilers here, but some
familiar characters return, and I am very much a fan of how that all went down. Whenever storytellers work within Star Wars,
there is always a danger 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. Thats the right way to do a multimedia
universe. Reward the people that invest in all aspects
of the universe.
But dont go so far as to alienate the people
that dont or cant. Golden found that balance and nailed it. I only have two complaints about the book. First, a pretty major plot development can
be easily guessed if you have been following the marketing for the game.
Thats hardly Christie Goldens 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 dont want
to have to wait until November to spend more time with them. I think its interesting that both of Goldens
canon Star Wars books have to do with how far people will go 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. Through Imperial Eyes is one of my favorite
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 the Empire did nothing wrong, or if youre 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 IIs story, has confirmed that the game will include some fun references
to this book. One last thing I want to talk doesnt have
to do with the book so much, but I think its 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. Thats awesome. I love that dedication.
Again, that doesnt really fit within a
review of the book itself, but it definitely involves Inferno Squad, and I wanted to point
it out. If youre still on the fence about spending
your money, well hey maybe youd like to get the audiobook for free! The Inferno Squad audiobook is out now, its
voiced by Iden Versio herself, Janina Gavankar, and you can get it for free by clicking on
the link in the description or by going to www.Audibletrial.Com/starwarsexplained. If you sign up for a trial, youll get a
credit for one free book, and you can use it on Inferno Squad. Or a number of other Star Wars books.
Or get any book you want! The point is you get a free book, and youll
be supporting the channel when you do! Thats it for today! If you havent already please like this
video, subscribe to the channel to see new Star Wars videos every single day, follow
me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and consider checking out my Patreon page! As always, thanks for watching and may the
Force be with you!.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar