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 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 won’t 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.
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 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.
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
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 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.
If you’re still on the fence about spending your money, well hey maybe you’d like to
get the audiobook for free!
The Inferno Squad audiobook is out now, it’s 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, you’ll 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 you’ll be supporting the channel when you do!
That’s it for today!
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As always, thanks for watching and may the Force be with you!