The Krytos Trap (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 3)

Fun but not challenging. The ending is awesome but a lot of 'meh' between that and the beginning. Crediting the reader with more intelligence and going into more depth with the trial of Tycho would have made it worthy of a fourth star from me. The ending has successfully piqued my interest in the next of the series.

Good showcase about something we don't usually get to see in the Star Wars universe: a trial.

A great prelude to The Bacta War.

The Krytos Trap is the third volume in the fan favorite Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron series. In this series author Michael Stackpole manages to sustain interest in a bunch of Star Wars characters NOT named Luke, Han or Leia (OK, Luke makes a cameo appearance here). The series is ostensibly about ace pilot Wedge Antilles and his team of intrepid X-Wing pilots, but Stackpole's new character...more

The Krytos Trap is the third volume in the fan favorite Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron series. In this series author Michael Stackpole manages to sustain interest in a bunch of Star Wars characters NOT named Luke, Han or Leia (OK, Luke makes a cameo appearance here). The series is ostensibly about ace pilot Wedge Antilles and his team of intrepid X-Wing pilots, but Stackpole's new character Corran Horn quickly becomes the main character. The Krytos Trap takes place in the aftermath of Rogue Squadron's infiltration (and the Rebellion's subsequent conquest) of Coruscant. The Imperial-created Krytos virus is causing massive death and disruption, ace pilot Corran Horn is believed to be dead, and fellow Rogue Tycho Celchu is on trial for his murder. If that weren't enough, Imperial agents are loose on Coruscant, charged with causing chaos and destruction to the Rebellion's fledgling government. Meanwhile, Corran Horn is actually alive and imprisoned at the dreaded Imperial prison Lusankya. Yeah, there's no shortage of action in this book, though it primarily occurs in espionage and prison break settings, not the starfighter battles of the first X-Wing Rogue Squadron novel. There's also a good degree of political intrigue and courtroom drama, plus a surprise development regarding Lusankya (and I'm not saying what it is) that I thought was extremely clever. The Krytos Trap is another solid and enjoyable book in this series, but it has some problems. The dialogue is over the top, and if anything has become more melodramatic as the series progresses. There's also Stackpole's insistence on ending every chapter with a dramatic phrase. This is by far the series' least endearing trait. I also think Corran's escape from Lusankya went off way too easily, and the conclusion of Tycho's trial was just not believable. It's not perfect, but The Krytos Trap is a worthy entry in the X-Wing Rogue Squadron series, and one that should appeal to most Star Wars fans. If nothing else, it sets the stage for the main event - a showdown with Iceheart in The Bacta War (Star Wars: X-Wing Series, Book 4).   hide

Great series