Customer Reviews

End Run (Wing Commander)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stasheff sets them up, while Forstchen knock's em down. This book is a one-two punch for any fan of the PC video game, but also simply as a tale of science-fiction. It is broken up into two parts, a short story which acts as a 'prologue' (Milk Run, written by Stasheff) that will just rip your heart out with deep characterization and plot; the title 'novel' portion, written by Forstchen, follows up the result of the short story with continuation of the character Jason 'Bear' Bonderevsky aboard a slapped-together escort carrier _Tarawa_. Where Stasheff rips your heart out, Forstchen stomps on it with character interaction and the tragedy that is war. The last scene in this book always brings me to tears. I highly recommend this novel, and urge you to hit up one of the auctioneers or go to a used book store. This book is sadly out of print!

I finally found this book on my own at a local used book store and, needless to say, I was excited. This book was great. Well, the first part, "Milk Run", was a little stale, but the bulk of the story, "End Run", was masterful. There was a lot of great action and interesting characters. I liked how Kevin Tolwyn transformed from a spoiled rich brat into a mature soldier of the Confederation. Though not as good as Fleet Action, End Run was a superb novel set in the Wing Commander Universe and I, for one, am glad I found it.

The best Wing Commander novel - Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky is the new wing commander on the junk heap "Tarawa", a transport haphazardly converted into a carrier in order to battle increasing losses at the hands of the Kilrathi. Captained by a spineless desk jockey Captain O'Brien, the disposable carrier and it's mostly rookie crew finds itself thrust into the heart of the war effort... A great read, with action from beginning to end.

When I started playing Wing Commander back on the PC (remember when WC2 required 20MB and that was HUGE?) I had no notion that it was tied to the American campaign in the Pacific in WWII. Being older and wiser (not much) I read this recently on a recommendation from a friend and was quite pleased with it. Some a big cliche, but it's a Wing Commander book, so you should be ready for it. A good story and I enjoyed the author including the Kilrathi perspective throughout the story. Overall though, it was well done, the writing didn't stand out as good nor bad, and was entertaining to read. Worth the <$2 if you want something to read on a plane or when you can and remember the hours of your youth parked in front of the computer or the fact that you actually shot Maniac down.

This was the first Wing Commander book I read and I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. It tells the story of mission conducted by a new light carrier, Tarawa, and its pilots and marines as they conduct a suicidal mission on the enemy homeworld. The main body of the story, dealing with the light carrier Tarawa, was exciting, fast-paced and a great ride. A brief prologue wasn't necessary but still set the story up well, and I enjoyed reading it.

Even though some aspects of the story, whether dialogue or relationships, seemed a little cliche, they were written with enough heart and emotion to feel genuine. Main character Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky had enough depth and introspection to avoid becoming a fighter jock sterotype. He often questions the barbarism he sees in war, especially compared to the Marines that bunk aboard Tarawa who do things like collect Kilrathi ears as trophies. The book does a good job of showing that the Marines see the dirtier and more personal impact of war compared to the pilots, without being too heavy handed in its stance on war in general.

This book is great pulp science fiction with some heavy issues discussed in an way appropriate the tone of the story. You'll be cheering on the Tarawa as it tries to survive its mission.

I have read all the Wing Commander novels even the horrible ones written for the movie, which in and of itself was a horror, and I believe this is the best book of the series. Yet, I wonder of all the books why this won hasn't been reprinted? None of the other books in the series are as complening and captivating as this book.Without giving to much away, the plot seems to be a combination of the World War Two Dolittle Raid, and the Battle of Midway and like the US Naval the Confed fleet is outnumbered, out gunned, and the Kilrathi like the Japanese are winning the war, but out numbered and stretched to the limit the humans in the ConFederation have to take an all or nothing through of the dice on a plan that has almost no chance of success. Read the Book and Find out if the Confederation hits the heart of the Kilrathi, their homeworld, or we lose? Find the book, the answers will surprise you, the cost will be high, and don't stop reading to the end.

I know this probably won't help those who are looking for this book, but all I can say is that it's worth it in the end. It's one of the best Wing Commander novels that I have ever read, and I really hope that you find the book. So don't give up. You'll find it. I did...

This is one of the finest books of it's genre I have ever read. The story is such that, not even can you you not guess what will happen on the next page, but you can't even hazard a guess as to what the outcome of the whole story will be. Stasheff and Forstchen are geniuses in that they keep the plot constantly moving in unforseen directions.

It would make a fine film.

This book has all you could ever want from the Wing Commander Universe, it's great. I really wrote this because I wanted to make sure that William Forstchen's name was also in here since it was nowhere to be found and he did the majority of writing. Thanks.

End Run steps outside the arena of "meaningful" science fiction, that is, it has no hidden lessons, no deep moral philosophy to expound, nor any "misunderstood", dysfunctional characters. It is a return to pure action-oriented space opera that keeps the reader completely engrossed until the final page. The good guys are good (well, most of them), and the bad guys are REALLY bad. Mankind is threatened with extinction at the hands (paws?) of the Kilrathi unless a small group of valiant warriors, in a vessel too small for the job, can overcome impossible odds through sheer grit, determination, and skill. The book makes no apologies, and is the type of fast-paced action-adventure novel most notable by the absence of the type from today's bookshelves. A most refreshing and exhilirating tale skillfully woven by expert authors. Frank D. Carey