Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The third installment in Michael Stackpole's "X-Wing" series details the aftermath of the taking of Coruscant by the rebels. Anyone who's been following this series will want to pick this one up - it's consistent in tone with the earlier novels, and the plot is both fast-moving and believable.

Unlike other authors of new Star Wars material, Stackpole has drawn directly from contemporary issues. Readers will recognize the similarity of physical symptoms of the Krytos virus to Ebola, and takes the opportunity to draw a parallel between human/non-human relations in the Star Wars universe to racial tensions in our own world.

Despite this, the tone of the novel is anything but grim. The primary focus here is entertainment, and in this Stackpole succeeds - my lunch hour extended to two hours from reading this book! It's a real page-turner, something that is necessary for anything bearing the Star Wars name, but which few Star Wars novels have managed to achieve.

The interesting thing is that the character I found myself most interested in is Kirtan Loor, Corran Horn's nemesis. Loor's struggle to extricate himself from Iceheart's clutches, and only managing to ensnare himself further, makes for some of the most compelling reading in the book. In fact, the fate reserved for him is a little disappointing; I was not left with a sense of closure in Loor's case.

The trial of Tycho Celchu is clearly the trial of the century in the Star Wars universe, and provides Stackpole with the opportunity to level a criticism or two at the media. The effect of the trial on the fledgling New Republic government is one influence that is clearly felt throughout the book.

One criticism I do have - I just wasn't as interested in Corran in this book as I was in previous books. It seemed pretty evident from the outset that he would survive with his sanity intact. After reading such novels as C.J. Cherryh's stunning "Cyteen," I may have an unusually high standard for stories dealing with this topic, but these sections of the novel weren't as effective as I felt they could be. It's true what they say - a reader won't believe it if the character has good luck, but we'll believe in bad luck readily enough - and the more of it the better! Corran just doesn't seem touched as deeply as he should be by his experience; this is one aspect of the novel that I really felt could have been better done.

Overall, though, the X-Wing series still outshines most of the other Star Wars books that have been recently released. It's fun, as the original films were fun, and while no novel can come close to matching the films, the same tone and cinematic breadth are absolutely necessary. Stackpole is one of the few who has managed this.

When I first heard of the X-wing series of Star Wars books, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. It was mostly about the pilots from Rogues Squadron, with some cameo appearances by Han, Leia, and Luke. I thought the books might be dull do to the lack of my favorite heroes. Boy, was I ever wrong!! These books are fast-paced and exciting from cover to cover!
In this excitng installment, Corran Horn is believed dead and Tycho Celchu has been arrested for his murder. Celchu faces a treason and murder trial, with all the evidence working against him, despite all of the heroic work he's done for the Republic. The Alliance is struggling to become the New Republic. The dreams of setting up the main government at Coruscant are beginning to collapse as the deadly Krytos virus begins to attack non-human members. Bacta, the only known cure, is scarce and the prices are climbing. To make matters worse, a terrorist group on the planet of Coruscant is threatening to tear the government apart before it even begins. As Rogue Squadron deals with the loss of its top fighters, Corran struggles to stay alive in the horrific Lusankya prison, run by the evil Ysanne Isard.
The best of the series so far, this book is packed with action and suspense. And the dogfights - WHOA! This book has something for every type of Star Wars fan: action, intrigue, suspense, mystery, you name it!

The X-Wing novels are some of my favorite Star Wars books ever written. All 9 of them have excellent action bits, great character development, and all sorts of humor. I like them all, but I'd have to pick THIS as my first fave. Absolutely compelling, almost groundbreaking! I can't say enough how much I like this novel!

*Ahem* That's enough of that. Let's get on with the review....

The Plot:

Picking up right after book 2, "Wedge's Gamble", Coruscant has been taken by the rebels. The Empire is no longer in control, but that doesn't mean a huge crisis has ended. Ysanne Isard is now preparing to release her Krytos virus onto the planet. It's a nasty virus that damages the internal organs, thins out their blood. Yuck. But it only harms aliens. In other subplots, Tycho Celchu is accused of murdering fellow pilot Corran Horn, and being that HE was once an imperial Lusankya agent, he's being labeled guilty. But Wedge knows he didn't do it, and is determined to put him on a FAIR trial. While this is going on, Wedge and company are trying to find a cure for this nasty virus, and Corran isn't really dead. (which I kinda figured.) He's on Lusankya undergoing torture from Isard, and is looking for ways to escape. He discovers an interesting revelation about his father...

Now, onto the Pros, and the cons.

Pros:

Though there isn't much action for the first half, it makes up by playing the tension trap game. It's a real thinking man's book that keeps you guessing.
Wedge and the gang are all very well-characterized.
Tycho's trial, well-written.
When there IS action, be prepared for a thrill ride! As always, Stackpole delivers with his action scenes. One of the best action sequences in any book occurs towards the end. without saying much, hopefully you'll like Super Star Destroyers in action!
The humor is also good, such as old, fearless Wedge nervous about speaking to a woman when he's been in so many intense battles. Haha, classic!

Cons:
Nothing much to add here! Only that the written effects of the Krytos virus are kinda disturbing (but not so bad).

Overall:

I'd recommend this book, and all other X-Wing books, to anyone who likes Star Wars, action, or if your just looking for a good read!

Michael Stackpole's "X_Wing" series follows the adventures of Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron in the years following Return of the Jedi. "The Krytos Trap" is the third in the 4-book series that essentially tells one long story.

Stackpole successfully blends a military feel, a stereotypical elite (and unconventional) military unit, and the Star Wars universe to create an interesting and worthy addition to the Star Wars universe. Although occasionally some of the "big names" from Star Wars make an appearance or are mentioned, this series focuses on the pilots in Rogue Squadron.

"The Krytos Trap" picks up immediately where "Wedge's Gamble" leaves off. However, because Rogue Squadron is back in its X-Wings and no longer operating unrealistically as commandos on Coruscant, this book is much truer to the first book. The book is filled with galactic intrigue and politics, a court-martial that ends a bit too dramatically, an evil plan to foil the former Rebels, and exciting outer space combat.

Stackpole's third book in the X-Wing series is an improvement over the second book. It returns the story back to outer space and leads to the exciting conclusion in the fourth book.

The Krytos Trap (by Michael Stackpole) continues the saga of Rogue Squadron. In this case, Rogue Squadron is trying to stabilize Curuscant (the former Imperial capital that was captured in Wedges Gamble) that is being racked by the Krytos disease that Iceheart had planted before turning the capital over to the Rebels. In the backdrop, Tycho Celchu is being tried for killing Corran Horn. Like the previous Rogue Squadron books, this one moves fairly quickly. Mr. Stackpole has proven very adept with this series and entertaining. Our favorite characters are back and there's some good twists in the plot (fairly predictable, but then this is Star Wars). My biggest disappointment is the lack of space combat. Rogue Squadron flies X-Wings and should be combating Imperial forces. Doing diplomatic missions and functioning as attorneys is a little out of what I expected. Despite these weaknesses, this a good and fun book. A solid 4 star performance by Mr. Stackpole and I'm looking forward to continuing the saga of Rogue Squadron!

Set after X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble. The virus is loose on Coruscant. Isard (IceHeart) has captured Corran Horn. Tycho Celchu is on trial for spying. It's a mess, but exciting. This is one of the best books ever! All *stuff* breaks loose and it is very riveting. If you want to read a good book, this is it. (assuming you've read the previous two, they might help you grasp some of the basic concepts at hand)

Wow...

I just finished reading "The Krytos Trap" about five minutes ago, and I have to say that I am amazed. After reading "Wedge's Gamble" and "Rogue Squadron" (yes, I read them out of order), I found the next development in the X-Wing saga perfectly molded to follow the example set by those two books. With a huge number of deceptions, high-pitched action scenes, an intriguing court case and a number of personal relationships, this book is absolutely awesome! Even for those who know some of what will happen (I had read Stackpole's "I, Jedi" before reading the X-Wing series), this book is still full of surprises and twists. Just knowing what happened in the aftermath was not enough. HOW things turned out the way they did ends up being just as important as WHAT they turned out to be, leaving the reader baffled at Michael A. Stackpole's sheer genius in writing this novel. Realizations and predictions on behalf of the reader prove true only occasionally, creating a lack of predictability and an appreciation for Stackpole's mystery aspect. Corran Horn is a great character to use as a focal point, and we see how he becomes less and less suspicious, trusting in others and allowing them to trust in him. Stackpole definitely ranks up there with Timothy Zahn, Steve Perry and even the great Kevin J. Anderson. All in all, "The Krytos Trap" is an excellent piece of Star Wars literature and a great story in the history of Rogue Squadron. Great job, Michael A. Stackpole!

Although there are few battle scenes, the book is good. Since the trial of Tycho Celchu is one of the biggest things in the book, it is important to understand that if you don't like that part, there are others that are great too, like the scenes with Corran Horn in Lusankya.

This series just gets better the more you read! This was one of the best, as the battle sequences are few and most of the story focus is on the characters. Since the plots kind of melt into one another, this series is kind of like one huge book.

Stackpole writes his characters very well, and the more you read the more comfortable you get with the absence of Luke, Han and Leia.

While the other books have had believable situations, I found the Lusankya prison to be a little far-fetched, even for sci-fi, much like the ysalamiri in the Thrawn Trilogy. While it does provide a thrilling situation for Corran's escape, when it was finally revealed what and where it was I was a bit disappointed. I felt that Stackpole went too far overboard and ruined the whole Lusankya line.

This book has lots of plot twists, all of which I found entertaining, and believable. With all the wild cards thrown into the mix, I was left guessing throughout the enire book. It's got quite a bit of action, however, I found the trial to be a bit drawn out and boring at times.

I recommend this to all fans of action and Star Wars, but a word of caution: be sure to read the other two books in this series before moving on to this one. They provide the needed background necessary to understand the plot.

Highly recommended.

This being the third book in the x wings series you may think it will begin to lose some steam but, let me tell you with great joy, it does not. The plot gets deeper into the goings on of the most elite squadron in the galaxy and the action hardly wavers. Stackpole really knows how to give the reader that star wars atmosphere and this book is no exception. You get to know the already familiar characters even better while even meeting a few new ones. I can not say enough for how well these characters are portrayed. Good guys and bad alike are very interesting, a reason this series has gained so much popularity. Overall, if you enjoyed the first two in the series this one is even better and it looks like the books to follow will be equally entertaining.