Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Monday, December 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery Wednesday, December 6. Order within 17 hrs 46 mins

Select delivery location

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$31.38 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

NSA LLC

Sold by

NSA LLC

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2024

Returns

Returnable until Jan 31, 2024

For the 2023 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2023 can be returned until January 31, 2024

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Wednesday, December 13 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or fastest delivery Wednesday, December 6. Order within 17 hrs 46 mins

Select delivery location

Used: Acceptable | Details

Sold by -OnTimeBooks-

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$31.31
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Karatay Store

Added

Not added

$31.31
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Marissa's Books & Gifts

Added

Not added

$31.39
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Atlas Imports

Follow the authors

Alexander Freed

Follow

Alexander Marsh Freed

Follow

Battlefront: Twilight Company (Star Wars) Hardcover – November 3, 2015

by Alexander Freed (Author)

4.4 2,319 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Star Wars: Battlefront

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$31.38

$30.97

$1.64

Paperback

"Please retry"

$9.99

$4.94

$1.30

Kindle
$9.99 Read with our free app
Audiobook
$0.00 Free with your Audible trial
Hardcover
$31.38

28 Used from $1.64 11 New from $30.97 2 Collectible from $24.96
Paperback
$9.99

61 Used from $1.30 24 New from $4.94

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$31.38","priceAmount":31.38,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"31","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"38","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Z9ZLabxc9nGlFnJtdp2yExQpWmO07xs3m5y6TcD164Rmeo%2BeHRkTY3GsqkbbKnEjUcnwYA58Db6IMomOJggB9YI49lXJZb15NqTKFpa48yw6oJJFabY61aH18Xp2AvvGtKFxPrMC7XU9fvhFYbR7%2F27yQs4LNgGOWiBvCZyfxkvmcnFFHaihSTh5LPHgj%2FIj","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.13","priceAmount":9.13,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"13","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Z9ZLabxc9nGlFnJtdp2yExQpWmO07xs3DgLBuVToNDEeuEwwqShznMc24G0EHiPfNxYuEfE%2FNlxXLT25K6RcmKV1EL8n89%2FROqk0HjbmuLSCYCgMLoKEuiX6qqRaQv8REU57U0Te6Abll8CyBCW%2FnPwGldLhxqltYJEPl22z22vUkOyFx6sElItAqnInLH8T","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUZZFEED • A companion novel inspired by Star Wars: Battlefront, this action-packed adventure follows a squad of soldiers caught in the trenches of the ultimate galactic war between good and evil.

The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.

Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless stormtroopers—bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises—are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.

Leading the charge are the soldiers—men and women, human and nonhuman—of the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, better known as Twilight Company. Hard-bitten, war-weary, and ferociously loyal to one another, the members of this renegade outfit doggedly survive where others perish, and defiance is their most powerful weapon against the deadliest odds. When orders come down for the rebels to fall back in the face of superior opposition numbers and firepower, Twilight reluctantly complies. Then an unlikely ally radically changes the strategic equation—and gives the Alliance’s hardest-fighting warriors a crucial chance to turn retreat into resurgence.

Orders or not, alone and outgunned but unbowed, Twilight Company locks, loads, and prepares to make its boldest maneuver—trading down-and-dirty battle in the trenches for a game-changing strike at the ultimate target: the very heart of the Empire’s military machine.

Praise for Battlefront: Twilight Company

“A novel that ties in to a video game based on a sprawling sci-fi franchise shouldn’t be this good. . . . Battlefront: Twilight Company effortlessly thrusts readers onto the frontlines of the Galactic Civil War in a gripping tale.”—New York Daily News

“Compelling . . . an entertaining journey through a galaxy in turmoil . . . Battlefront: Twilight Company explores what happens to the cannon fodder fighting and dying in the background of space opera’s cinematic action sequences. Focusing on the life of a few low-ranking Rebel grunts caught up in a vast interstellar conflict, the novel is an enjoyable tale of interstellar adventure and drama.”—IGN

“Satisfyingly complex, immersive and moving . . . a war story unlike any Star Wars book that’s come before it.”—Roqoo Depot

“A military thriller [with] some pretty impressive actions scenes [and] the lived-in, gritty feel of the original trilogy . . . [Alexander] Freed shows us the military side of the Star Wars universe in a way that we haven’t seen much before, while also giving readers new perspectives on classic characters and moments.”—Tech Times

“Twilight Company is one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever about someone doggedly, cynically coming to understand why acting according to the light side is important.”—Den of Geek

“The strongest canon piece of Star Wars literature thus far . . . sure to be a fan-pleasing favorite . . . Explosive action scenes and dark humor only punctuate this character-driven tale [with] heavy world-building and cameos from other characters throughout the Star Wars pantheon.”—Alternative Nation

Book 1 of 2

Star Wars: Battlefront
Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Del Rey
Publication date

November 3, 2015
Dimensions

6.25 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

0345511212
ISBN-13

978-0345511218
See all details

Frequently bought together

Battlefront: Twilight Company (Star Wars)

$31.38

Get it as soon as Monday, Dec 11

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Sold by NSA LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

+

$33.12

Get it Dec 15 - 18

In stock

Usually ships within 3 to 4 days.

Ships from and sold by BOOKS AND MEDIA UNIVERSE.

+

$35.00

Sold by NSA LLC and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

James Luceno
5,050
Paperback
47 offers from $2.19
Christie Golden
5,597
Paperback
1 offer from $9.99
Claudia Gray
6,190
Paperback
66 offers from $1.67
John Jackson Miller
4,011
Paperback
60 offers from $3.01
E.K. Johnston
12,833
Paperback
56 offers from $2.59
Alexander Freed
2,347
Paperback
43 offers from $1.86

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A novel that ties in to a video game based on a sprawling sci-fi franchise shouldn’t be this good. . . . Battlefront: Twilight Company effortlessly thrusts readers onto the frontlines of the Galactic Civil War in a gripping tale.”—New York Daily News

“Compelling . . . an entertaining journey through a galaxy in turmoil . . . Battlefront: Twilight Company explores what happens to the cannon fodder fighting and dying in the background of space opera’s cinematic action sequences. Focusing on the life of a few low-ranking Rebel grunts caught up in a vast interstellar conflict, the novel is an enjoyable tale of interstellar adventure and drama.”—IGN

“Satisfyingly complex, immersive and moving . . . a war story unlike any Star Wars book that’s come before it.”—Roqoo Depot

“A military thriller [with] some pretty impressive actions scenes [and] the lived-in, gritty feel of the original trilogy . . . [Alexander] Freed shows us the military side of the Star Wars universe in a way that we haven’t seen much before, while also giving readers new perspectives on classic characters and moments.”—Tech Times

“Twilight Company is one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever about someone doggedly, cynically coming to understand why acting according to the light side is important.”—Den of Geek

“The strongest canon piece of Star Wars literature thus far . . . sure to be a fan-pleasing favorite . . . Explosive action scenes and dark humor only punctuate this character-driven tale [with] heavy world-building and cameos from other characters throughout the Star Wars pantheon.”—Alternative Nation

About the Author

Alexander Freed is the author of Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Lost Suns, as well as many short stories, comic books, and videogames. Born near Philadelphia, he endeavors to bring the city’s dour charm with him to his current home of Austin, Texas.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Planet Crucival

Day Forty-Seven of the Malkhani Insurrections

Thirteen Years After the Clone Wars

His name was Donin, and though that wasn’t the name he’d been born with, he had the ink-rubbed brands to prove it. The black whorls and waves, freshly applied by the clan masters in honor of his induction, ran across his dusky shoulder blades under his coarse cloth jacket. They were one of four gifts he’d received upon joining the army of the Warlord Malkhan: a new name, the brands, a serrated knife, and an offworlder’s particle blaster.

The masters had assured him that of the four gifts, the blaster was the most precious. Its grip was wrapped in fraying leather and its barrel was scored and crusted with ash. It had enough power left to fire a dozen searing bolts, and Donin had been warned not to waste a single shot or drop it if it began to burn his palms. Those were the acts of a child—not a full member of the clan.

He knelt among his new brothers and sisters—he’d yet to learn their names—behind a low stone wall that stretched across the hilltop. His slight frame, thin from youth and hunger, allowed him to conceal himself fully behind the barricade; for this reason he had been assigned to the front. Like his brands and weapons, that assignment was a privilege. He reminded himself as much when he began to sweat and tremble.

He glanced sidelong at his companions and looked for signs that they, too, were afraid of the coming battle. They were nearly all larger and older, carrying offworld weapons that appeared as scored and rusted as his own. They cleaned their knives and murmured to one another. Donin told himself he would die for them as they would die for him, in the name of the clan and its warlord. And if they won the day—

If I survive the battle, Donin corrected himself. Victory was inevitable for the Warlord Malkhan. Only Donin’s own fate was in question.

—then they would celebrate. He’d heard stories of feasts, of troughs of clear water and skewers of bantha meat, of salts and sauces from other continents, other planets. He would gorge himself, he thought, and sleep in safety in the warlord’s camp. He’d heard the clan’s celebrations before, while hiding shivering in his father’s home, and those joyful cries were what had finally lured him to the masters.

His father had said the Malkhanis were no different from any other faction on Crucival, but his father was wrong. No one else had such food or took so much joy in victory. No one else was as strong as Malkhan, or had the wisdom to procure such a trove of offworld technology. Donin’s new clan would build a better planet.

Something far away howled in the dusty air, starting soft and rising rapidly. Donin squared his shoulders, half stood from his crouch, and thrust his blaster over the wall in one movement, as he’d been taught. He saw no target. A man’s voice laughed behind him, and a broad palm cupped his dark hair and tilted his head back.

“Battle ain’t started yet, boy. Just a ship headed to the tower. Get us all killed if you shoot.”

His gaze redirected, Donin saw the sphere and crossbars of an offworld flier silhouetted against the clouds. It roared in the direction of the steel spire and faded from view.

Donin lowered himself to his knees again, and the hand on his head disappeared. He’d made a fool of himself. He silently pledged not to do it again. “We didn’t see them much in the Gulches,” he murmured— an explanation, not an excuse.

The man behind him grunted. “You’ll see them a lot here. I’m serious about not shooting. Don’t go within a stone’s throw of the tower, either, no matter what happens. The offworlders in white may not come out much, but you bother them even a little . . .”

“I know,” Donin snapped. He swiveled and looked up at the man, who could have been four times Donin’s age, with milky eyes and pitted skin. Older than the warlord himself. But that didn’t mean he’d been part of the clan any longer than Donin. “I know all about them. Their soldiers are clones. They make them in batches.”

The man grunted again, showing cracked yellow teeth in something that might have been a smile. “You don’t say? Who told you that?”

“My father,” Donin said. “He used to fight them.” He gestured with his head toward the sky, toward the stars hidden behind yellow-gray clouds. “There was a war.”

“Well, you’re not fighting clones,” the man said. “You’re fighting the lowlifes who took the quarry last week and want our territory. That exciting enough for you?”

Donin scowled and stared. “I’m here to serve the clan,” he said, and pivoted back to face the wall. One hand still clasping his blaster, he reached with the other to jerk down the collar of his jacket, displaying his brands to the man behind him.

Donin heard the man laugh, felt a slap on his spine that rocked him forward.

“I guess you are,” the man said. “Just don’t get your hopes up. Take it one fight at a time.”

Donin nodded, shrugged his jacket higher on his back, and gripped his blaster tighter. He wasn’t sure what the man meant. The clan was hope for them all.

It wasn’t long before someone yelled that the enemy was approaching. The front line pressed against the wall and peered over. Donin saw specks against the brittle yellow grass in the valley below the hill, and soon those specks resolved into the shapes of dozens of men and women. Most held spears above their heads like pennants. Only a few carried offworld weapons—but those weapons were the size of tree branches, cradled by their owners in both arms.

The first of those weapons ignited with reverberating screams. Streaks of green fire spewed over the wall. The warlord’s army became a mass of shouts Donin didn’t understand. He steadied his blaster, reminded himself not to waste shots.

“All praise to the warlord!” someone called, and the shouting became a cheer. A rush of warmth filled the boy as he grinned and added his voice to the hurrah.

His name was Donin now. He was defending his new home. These were his brothers and sisters, their path was righteous, and he’d be part of their clan forever.

Chapter 2

Planet Haidoral Prime

Day Eighty-Four of the Mid Rim Retreat

Nine Years Later

The rain on Haidoral Prime dropped in warm sheets from a shining sky. It smelled like vinegar, clung to the molded curves of modular industrial buildings and to litter-strewn streets, and coated skin like a sheen of acrid sweat.

After thirty standard hours, it was losing its novelty for the soldiers of Twilight Company.

Three figures crept along a deserted avenue under a torn and dripping canopy. The lean, compact man in the lead was dressed in faded gray fatigues and a hodgepodge of armor pads crudely stenciled with the starbird symbol of the Rebel Alliance. Matted dark hair dripped beneath his visored helmet, sending crawling trails of rainwater down his bronze face.

His name was Hazram Namir, though he’d gone by others. He silently cursed urban warfare and Haidoral Prime and whichever laws of atmospheric science made it rain. The thought of sleep flashed into his mind and broke against a wall of stubbornness. He gestured with a rifle thicker than his arm toward the nearest intersection, then quickened his pace.

Somewhere in the distance a swift series of blaster shots resounded, followed by shouts and silence.

The figure closest behind Namir—a tall man with graying hair and a face puckered with scar tissue—bounded across the street to take up a position opposite. The third figure, a massive form huddled in a tarp like a hooded cloak, remained behind.

The scarred man flashed a hand signal. Namir turned the corner onto the intersecting street. A dozen meters away, the sodden lumps of human bodies lay in the road. They wore tattered rain gear—sleek, lightweight wraps and sandals—and carried no weapons. Noncombatants.

It’s a shame, Namir thought, but not a bad sign. The Empire didn’t shoot civilians when everything was under control.

“Charmer—take a look?” Namir indicated the bodies. The scarred man strode over as Namir tapped his comlink. “Sector secure,” he said. “What’s on tap next?”

The response came in a hiss of static through Namir’s earpiece—something about mop-up operations. Namir missed having a communications specialist on staff. Twilight Company’s last comm tech had been a drunk and a misanthrope, but she’d been magic with a transmitter and she’d written obscene poetry with Namir on late, dull nights. She and her idiot droid had died in the bombardment on Asyrphus.

“Say again,” Namir tried. “Are we ready to load?”

This time the answer came through clearly. “Support teams are crating up food and equipment,” the voice said. “If you’ve got a lead on medical supplies, we’d love more for the Thunderstrike. Otherwise, get to the rendezvous—we only have a few hours before reinforcements show.”

“Tell support to grab hygiene items this time,” Namir said. “Anyone who says they’re luxuries needs to smell the barracks.”

There was another burst of static, and maybe a laugh. “I’ll let them know. Stay safe.”

Charmer was finishing his study of the bodies, checking each for a heartbeat and identification. He shook his head, silent, as he straightened.

“Atrocity.” The hulking figure wrapped in the tarp had finally approached. His voice was deep and resonant. Two meaty, four-fingered hands kept the tarp clasped at his shoulders, while a second pair of hands loosely carried a massive blaster cannon at waist level. “How can anyone born of flesh do this?”

Charmer bit his lip. Namir shrugged. “Could’ve been combat droids, for all we know.”

“Unlikely,” the hulking figure said. “But if so, responsibility belongs to the governor.” He knelt beside one of the corpses and reached out to lid its eyes. Each of his hands was as large as the dead man’s head.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Del Rey; First Edition (November 3, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345511212
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345511218
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.75 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,057,861 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,145 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction
- #11,718 in Space Operas
- #18,660 in Science Fiction Adventures

Customer Reviews:
4.4 2,319 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

Important information

To report an issue with this product, click here.

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Alexander Freed
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Alexander Freed is the author of Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Lost Suns, as well as many short stories, comic books, and videogames. Born near Philadelphia, he endeavors to bring the city’s dour charm with him to his current home of Austin, Texas.
See more on the author's page
Alexander Marsh Freed
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

2,319 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kr

Missing a Hero.

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

The book is set during the events of ESB, the darkest point of the OT. Justifiably the story is also bleak, it has many hardships without a visible light of hope, for the most part. And when that light shows, it is dim and pallid. My review may be extensive. It may seem like I complain and criticize the book and rate it too low to claim to enjoy it so much. But I do so because despite my issues with these things, I love this book. In spite of them, I routinely come back to the grueling trials of Hazram Namir and Twilight Company, and wish they could have been more victorious.

Light spoilers pertaining to character deaths ahead. That's the only warning.

Firstly, the need of a Hero. A hero is the ace in the hole. He is the leading man who gets things done. He has grit, wit, and "it". He is your Obi-Wan Kenobi, your Anakin Skywalker, your Luke. He is the reason the day is saved and why people are saved.

Twilight Company is a story where the Hero... Isn't there.

I read this book immediately after reading The ROTS novelization. It is superb, and its heroes are done justice. They have presence and ability and things HAPPEN when they are on the page. They move the world, affect it, and they lead the narrative. Obi-Wan and Anakin, everybody. You know them. Heroes of the Republic.

Namir, our lead character, is no hero. He is not an antihero. He is not a villain. He is the background character you might see while the Hero is doing his hero things. But the Hero in this story is not present - there is no Luke, no one to command happenstance. And so the veritable camera turns to Hazram Namir.

Twilight Company is a " boots on the ground, in the trenches" book. It's not about the big players, and the Jedi are forgotten history at this point. There is no space magic to be seen for the most part, no amazing displays beyond human ken. These are the grunts and infantrymen, the faceless and the nameless dead given shape and voice. This is a story about them. The Grunts. Not the Heroes.

Herein lies the WORST problem, and my most scathing criticism. A story NEEDS a hero, in my opinion. Its why I read it. Someone to root for and to hope for, to act so others may hope. A Luke Skywalker. Here, the Grunts are personalized, but they, Namir, are colorless, jaded things. They are background characters even in the foreground. They die as easily and nothing stops it. Fitting for a boots on the ground story, granted. But oh so many parts of the book scream what would happen if a hero was here. He isn't.

Namir is boring. He is no leading man. He is a traumatized Grunt who has the potential for it all, to save the day and be a 'big, damn Hero', but such a moment never comes. Similarly the story never has such a moment either. Its bleak win and grueling loss and sudden death after each other and repeat, to such a degree the impact is lost quickly. Several times I shouted to myself, "Really?! Why?!" Because things happened simply to ramp up the bleak pall that the book seems enraptured with (its ESB era, ofc). The supporting characters introduced get slaughtered throughout, so many that by the end there's a mere three or four left, and the resolution, and deaths leading to the end is cheap, hollow, and wholly frustrating.

I say this because I grew to love these characters. For instance, A moment comes when Namir is at definite odds with his loyalty to his friends and company, and his cynicism. He doesn't care about the rebellion, he cares about his friends. He needs to be there for them. Up to now there has been hardship and loss and a gradual death of the main character's already through-the-floor will to make things happen and rage against the the loss. This is that part, that singular part where a turning point is had! A new leaf, where the bedraggled fighter gets up and overcomes the pummeling blows of his opponents and triumphs!

Instead, Namir's friends are summarily slaughtered soon after. He barely escapes with his life. Twilight Company is in shambles. Grueling, bleak, fitting for ESB. But extremely unsatisfying thematically. I don't read to be disappointed. But that and frustrated is all I was. It could have gone different. Namir could have been the leading man he deserved to be, because he is a good character. A jaded child soldier now grown, finding faith in his friends rather than their cause. Inspired to fight for them and uplift and bolster them when they fall. Instead, he is a broken, downtrodden thing forced to watch them all die , one after another with such suddenness it barely makes sense, and yet still continue on. Because that is what Twilight does.

Its extremely unsatisfying.

Death in this book is cheap. It occurs so often and at such a scope it means little. It is a story where the Hero is off elsewhere that day, missing it all, or rather, does not exist and the events transpire without him. Where the Hero never got his powers to rise above and is merely one of the faceless many, and another colorless pawn to move across the board. No spectacular things happen. Only cheap deaths, grueling perseverance, and by the end of it all... hollow victories. It is a 'happy ending' to be clear, but tainted dim so heavily by the pallid events before it.

I say as such because I like the story. I don't love it. In my view, Namir should have been the Hero the story needed. Not a Kenobi or A Skywalker or Solo, but that quote-unquote, "Hero of Another Story", the other ship that passes in the night. A leading man of a great epic who thwarts the harsh realities that we would expect to come to pass. Not to be a victim of them. If it were a song, it would be one without crescendo, without a trumpeting triumph or pomp. It is instead low and dreary, a near flat ballad from personality to theme which plods along until the end. And its that it could be so much more that is the worst part.

I repeat, I say as much because it is written in a way that makes me love the characters and want more from them. They deserved better, and there is a prevailing haunt that the hero is just... Right around the corner. Out of reach. Perhaps latent force abilities arise and... No. The story ends mundane, and atop A mountain of the bodies of the dead, the nameless, and the Grunts.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Different, but good

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2022

Verified Purchase

Twilight Company is one of the new canon novels in the Star Wars Universe that is based on the Battlefront game. It follows a squad of rebels, led by a sergeant named Namir, that is akin to the elite commando squads of the US military who go in before the "regular" troops get there. The events of the book are mostly set around the time of The Empire Strikes Back. In fact, we see a part of the battle on Hoth, and Namir has an encounter with Darth Vader as he is helping one of the command staff escape. The book details several different battles in several different locations and is basically from the perspective of the "grunts" as opposed to Luke, Leia, and Han.

Overall, the book is good. It definitely has a bunch of ancillary characters who do not play large roles beyond just this book. That may or may not appeal to some people. I do think it is interesting to see the rebellion from the perspective of the "regular" people who are characters that are in the background of the Original Trilogy movies. It is definitely not one of the canon novels that I would classify as a must-read, but it is an interesting read and one that I think is worth the time to read.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Knights Of Ren Disciple

A Gritty Soldier's Tale of Slogging it in the Backworlds

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2016

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Twilight Company alongside playing Star Wars Battlefront on the PS4. It helped actually add a little story to the game (even though they are not correlated) by imagining that every solider you play as has their own unique backstory just like in Twilight Company. This was one of those books that I knew early on that I was going to be sad to put it down. I deliberately paced myself, as I am a fairly quick reader and did not want to go through this in a few days.

I have been a long time fanatic of Star Wars and have always been into the toys, video games, movies, shows, comic books, and novels.Basically EVERYTHING STAR WARS. My recent Star Wars reading experiences prior to this was Republic Commando: Order 66. I have read all of the Republic Commando series growing up and Order 66 was good, but a minor let down as it was just a little too light-hearted for my liking. If I am going to read a book about soldiers fighting wars, I want to read about death, misery, triumph, and destruction. This detail is necessary to make you feel like the firefights are tense and that the characters you care about could actually die. Twilight Company didn't go all the way there, but it got as close as I think any Novel set in the Star Wars universe would go. The book definitely gives some vivid images of stormtroopers and rebels alike getting holes burned in them by blaster rifles, trampled on by AT-ATs, and engulfed in flames by molten lava.

The overarching story here is that it's the rebels vs. the empire. The rag tag underdog rebels fighting tooth and nail to take away backwater planets away from the iron clad grip of the Empire's war machine. There are no magical Jedi superpowers, fantastic feats that are done single-handedly to turn the tide of battle. There are no mystical threads interwoven in the universe determining fate. There is no Light and there is no Dark.(although a major baddie does make a brief appearance) Every inch of ground is taken by beings of flesh and blood and lives are certainly lost. Deep down, this is a story that examines what are the motivations that drive us to fight. Who do we fight for? What do we fight for? Why do we fight for? And these questions are asked of not just the rebels, but also of the Empire. Fear, selfishness, greed, emptiness are all things that are brought up and put in your face to analyze.

All in all, I felt this was a really great book with multiple twists and turns, vivid locales, interesting and diverse characters, and best of all it added a new dimension to the Star Wars Universe.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

DarkChaplain

Boots on the Ground action at its finest!

Reviewed in Germany on January 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Twilight Company was a blast. It was action-packed, boots-on-the-ground Star Wars action the likes of which you rarely see. Instead of focusing on the Jedi vs Sith conflicts, this one hammered home the methods, heroism and failures of the Rebel Alliance's forward troops. This book proves that Star Wars does indeed work without big roles for lightsabers, and more focus on the wars.

To get one thing out of the way: Ignore the Battlefront logo on the cover. The only thing this novel shares with EA's Battlefield reskin is that both take you to various different locations, many of which are shared between both. You'll even see the Battle of Hoth, and more successfully than in the game at that. If the thought of a game tie-in novel turns you off (I know it almost did for me!), scratch all those thoughts and go in fresh.

The novel focuses on the Rebel Alliance's Twilight Company, a vanguard fighting force, now turned into a glorified rearguard during the retreat of other regiments. It presents us with a diverse cast featuring ex-bounty hunters, mercenaries, aliens and even teenagers and defecting imperials.
Our primary protagonist is, without a doubt, Hazram Namir, mercenary-turned-rebel, just not really because he's in it for his comrades in arms, not the lofty goals of the Rebellion's leadership. He has the ability, but not the faith, and, while generally respected, seems like the odd one out.
This leads him to connect more and more with defecting imperial governor Chalis, who joins and supports Twilight Company in her own manipulative way - resulting in an intriguing, ambiguous relationship between the two that lasts throughout almost the entire book and gives a different spin on the evils of the Empire and the righteous actions of the rebels.

As Namir gets more and more involved in the decision-making for Twilight Company's future, and governor Chalis offers the rebel leaders extensive inside information on the Empire's inner workings and infrastructure, things get ever more murky and Twilight Company becomes a priority target for the imperial antagonists. These come in the form of Prelate Verge, an ambitious, Palpatine-worshipping youth, and Tabor Seitaron, a veteran captain returned to duty alongside Verge. The two hunt Twilight Company to eliminate Chalis, but cause quite some chaos for the Rebellion as a whole.
I found Seitaron to be almost sympathetic; he seemed to be dismayed at being pulled back from his almost-retirement and comfortable teaching career at the academy, and still had qualms about extreme measures, whereas Verge was despicable by design. It was a cool pairing for the antagonist slot.

But the stars of it all are Twilight Company's soldiers, and the entire company itself. While Namir is the character we can connect with the easiest, seeing flashes of his way to become a rebel and following his rise through the ranks, his struggles and relationships, the rest of his squad and beyond added so much color and genuine humanity to the book, it was a pleasure to read, if not for the tragedies engulfing the group.
Early in the novel, Namir and co recruit a teenage girl for the rebels, who claims the name 'Roach' for herself, and, while a rookie, earns her keep alongside Namir's veterans. I found Roach to be among my favorite characters in the book, adding some humor and life to the downward spiral of the Rebellion. The Besalisk-alien Gadren, ever the believer and positive sod, balances the more cynical outlooks of Namir and others, and the ex-bounty hunter Brand adds a layer of professionalism and stealth to the group, often offering judgement to Namir.

The cast expands further out from Namir's own squad, of course, up to the higher echelons of the company, and I thought that things worked exceptionally well, all considered. Twilight Company felt like a coherent force with its own bonds, its hounds, and brotherhood despite their differences. They're loyal to one another and to the cause, resulting in plenty of dramatic scenes and tragic events. Alexander Freed really hit a homerun with making this book more about the grounded battles and real people within the war machine than the more esoteric aspects of the setting.

The individual missions of Twilight Company are just as diverse as the cast - taking you to jungle planets, mining colonies, or even boarding actions and, most notably maybe, the Battle of Hoth. The latter was a blast, and offered an entirely different experience than what we've seen before through the movies. We're in for a bunch of cameos and twists, and I felt that, if Freed had chosen to, this could have been easily the climax of the entire book. But instead it kept going for just as long again after this disastrous battle for the Rebel Alliance.
Things take a nosedive here, for all involved. We know that from the movies, of course, but it is something else entirely to actually see the affected troops and get a new perspective on Vader's hunt for the boy Skywalker and the senior staff of the rebellion. There's even glimpses of Snowspeeders ensnaring AT-ATs!

Looking back at it a couple of weeks after having read this, I still have a vivid memory of key scenes from the book, and the characters involved. It really is a top candidate for my favorite Canon novel I've read so far. It brings the familiar Original Trilogy setting to its pages while offering a fresh new spin, with plenty of intriguing characters coming and going. I'd love to read more about Namir and Chalis before long, and loved reading more about events that had an obvious impact on the victories of the Rebel Alliance in the movies while happening off-screen.

Twilight Company demonstrates the spirit of the Rebel Alliance, the inherent hope, the attrition, the desperation, but also the life and tragic martyrdom, to the point where I didn't want to put the book down. The plot is so packed of exciting content, I thought I got more out of it than I paid for.
It was amazing to see some more ambiguity introduced to the Rebel Alliance vs Galactic Empire dynamic, seeing even a regular Stormtrooper's perspective on the rebel terrorists in the process.
Freed manages to get you thinking about the moral grey areas the rebels have to dip into to achieve freedom from the Empire, and does so with expertly written characters.
The novel lives by its characters, and I'm pleased to say that Alexander Freed nailed them. From their actions in the mess halls to their battlefield heroics, or the funeral rites within the company, the cast felt alive and satisfying.

If you're a bit tired of lightsaber fights and want to see something different set during the Original Trilogy, then this is probably the book you're looking for.

Your friendly Star Wars fan

Nice spin off to one of my favourite games

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

I love stories that show a darker side to the rebels, which is why 'Rogue One' and 'Andor' are two of my favourites. This book takes a random Rebel task force and shows us what it's really like to fight on the front lines. It really emphasises how much of a threat the Empire is to the galaxy and that everyone is willing to die in order to make a difference. I like the fact that all the characters are so different from each other and it really demonstrates that the Rebels are just everyday people who decided to fight.
By biggest issue is that a lot of the characters aren't memorable. While it was easy to like them, I can't remember almost any of their names now that I have finished reading which is a shame because they have a lot of potential.
There are also plot points that don't seem to go anywhere, and characters who don't need to be in the book for it to still work.

Battlefont (2015) is my favourite SW game and it was really cool to see a spin off. The book is fairly long but I was invested throughout, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Galactic Civil War era.

Mr. O. Beg

Fantastic additions to the star wars universe

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2023

Verified Purchase

Loved reading this from beginning to end. The story builds up and gets more interesting as you read it, with plenty of twists and turns. Quite a big read too, as it took me 2 weeks to get through, reading only 1 to 1.5 hours a day.

Barry Mulvany

Definitely one of the more interesting tones of a Star Wars book that I've read so far

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is the story of Namir, a sergeant in the Rebellion's Twilight Company. We follow him and the company as the rebellion are getting pushed back after the events of A New Hope. It starts shortly before Empire Strikes Back and moves on past it, though it has little to do with the movies except for a bit at Hoth.

Namir is young, we're not quite sure how young, but he's from a small planet and has been fighting for most of his life. He comes across as a lot older due to his cynicism and battle weariness. The side character's aren't the most fleshed out I've come across but they stand out enough though some of the other soldiers do blend a bit. It's all pretty much from the POV of Namir, though there are a few short chapters from the POV of a Stormtrooper and an Empire aristocrat. Chalis, the defecting governor was very interesting and I would have loved a few chapters from her.

What let it down for me was the nature of the story, or lack of it. It went from one fairly random engagement to another and I found it hard to distinguish between them until the end. I don't think this is the author's fault, though it is his first novel, probably more to the nature of the tie-in to the video game. It was fairly relentless, and though I love a good military fiction book, there wasn't enough down time to balance.

However what I did love was the tone of it. Think more Rogue One than A New Hope. It's pretty dark, pessimistic, and the characters don't change too much from the start to the end, maybe a little more optimism but they're not singing down the yellow brick road. The empire as we know is not a very nice place but life in the rebellion is not much better either, most are basically cannon fodder, and though some are driven by idealism, most are there for revenge or just to escape from where they came from. I can see why the author was drafted in to write the Rogue One novelisation (which I haven't read yet) and I am very much looking forward to trying the author's new trilogy where he won't be as limited with a direct tie-in.

3.5 stars rounded up

One person found this helpful

Greggorio!

A NEW WAR EPIC!!!!!

Reviewed in Australia on August 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

This relatively young member of the brand new Disney Star Wars Canon is yet another strong and hugely entertaining romp through that exciting but dangerous galaxy we all know and love like no other. Full of strong and dominant characters, this war epic sits right up there with the great war novels of science fiction history. In my opinion, the greatest Star Wars book of all time is SHATTERPOINT by Matthew Stover. This one is worthy to be placed on the same shelf, heck, even *right_beside_it* but SHATTERPOINT is a classic and remains the greatest. BATTLEFRONT comes damn close, though.

The book really comes alive in your hands when Vader appears at around the half way mark, when he takes a strong dislike to one of the story's main characters. In fact, that is putting things midly. I thought my kindle was going to *melt* when the great man in black appeared and the writer’s mastery of the Star Wars universe is so good that the excitement levels (and my blood pressure) haven’t dropped since.

The language the book uses, too, is sophisticated, and we take a look at KL923 as an example:

’Tabor stared at the prelate as he parsed the knot of verbiage...

Old favourites from the original trilogy make an appearance, and I am not just talking about sentient characters, here, either. The story re-visits Hoth at one point and of course that means we get to play with those funky ATAT’s. The book contains sub-plots, too, even though they don't really become apparent until you approach the seventy five percent mark. But strike they do, and volumes of emotional depth are suddently added to the reader’s awareness, and of course it all contributes to the enjoyment of the story.

The story starts off brilliantly and doesn’t really let up. Characters that are introduced at the start (obviously) may or may not be who (or what) you assume them to be, but that all enhances the book’s intrigue. There is a plethora of good guys in BATTLEFRONT, but as you would expect in a book focusing strongly on the action and dangers of war, some live and some die but they all fought for the same cause. Towards the book’s finale, the pace slows down a little and the reader has the chance to think. The story telling spotlight shines for a few heartbeats on a 'senior' player with the bad guys but when his true nature and identity is revealed, your heart is bound to break in his favour, just like mine did. Other bad guys around him feel the same way, too, which just goes to show that the all conquering and legendary force contains, controls and distributes the flow of compassion to both sides in this conflict and it might turn out to be a valuable piece of information to store in your memory banks for future reference.

So in summary, BATTLEFRONT is an excellent read and it doubles as an excellent introduction to the story telling abilities of Alexander Freed.

See more reviews