Alphabet Squadron (Star Wars)

By: Alexander Freed

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

The first novel in a new trilogy starring veteran New Republic pilots!

On the brink of victory in a brutal war, five New Republic pilots transform from hunted to hunters in this epic Star Wars adventure. Set after Return of the Jedi, Alphabet Squadron follows a unique team, each flying a different class of starfighter as they struggle to end their war once and for all.

The Emperor is dead. His final weapon has been destroyed. The Imperial Army is in disarray. In the aftermath, Yrica Quell is just one of thousands of defectors from her former cause living in a deserters’ shantytown—until she is selected to join Alphabet Squadron.

Cobbled together from an eclectic assortment of pilots and starfighters, the five members of Alphabet are tasked by New Republic general Hera Syndulla herself. Like Yrica, each is a talented pilot struggling to find their place in a changing galaxy. Their mission: to track down and destroy the mysterious Shadow Wing, a lethal force of TIE fighters exacting bloody, reckless vengeance in the twilight of their reign.

The newly formed unit embodies the heart and soul of the Rebellion: ragtag, resourceful, scrappy, and emboldened by their most audacious victory in decades. But going from underdog rebels to celebrated heroes isn’t as easy as it seems, and their inner demons threaten them as much as their enemies among the stars. The wayward warriors of Alphabet Squadron will have to learn to fly together if they want to protect the new era of peace they’ve fought so hard to achieve.

Part of a Marvel and Del Rey crossover event, Alphabet Squadron is the counterpart to Marvel’s TIE Fighter miniseries, which follows the exploits of Shadow Wing as they scheme to thwart the New Republic.

Critic reviews

“The dysfunctional, damaged aces of this new Starfighter Squadron are some of the most compelling new additions to the Star Wars canon in recent years.”—io9

“Every fan who wants a taste of what the future of Star Wars has in store for us should read this novel.”—Star Wars News Net

“Every pilot has a story in the galaxy far, far away, and the pilots of Alphabet Squadron have fascinating ones.”—Syfy Wire

“There’s a lot to love about Alphabet Squadron and you’ll be left wanting more in the best way possible.”—Cinelinx

“Alphabet Squadron is a wondrously constructed, character focused adventure that marries high flying thrills with respect and reverence for its subjects, and I can’t wait until we see the next title announcement soaring across our feeds.”—Youtini

Slow Start

The beginning is very slow and confusing, too many characters and very drawn out. At the climax and the ending of the book it gets much better.

Reasonably good successor to the X-Wing novels

Overall an entertaining tale, Alphabet Squadron tends to get a little lost in its own characters from time to time. A little introspection is a good thing, but a noticeable chunk of the book is devoted to the characters' back stories, which are generally much less interesting than the main storyline. It's nice to see General Syndulla is still fighting the good fight after Rebels and the Battle of Scarif. Narration is top-notch.

Tense Dogfights and Interesting New Characters

While I have a hard time not having my expectations biased by my love of the Rogue Squadron books of the Legends timeline, this new star wars squadron has captured my attention. Cheesy name aside, this new squadron reminds me a lot of the Rogue and Wraith squadrons I came to love. While almost all of the characters are new, aside from a few cameos of cannon favorites, give them a fair shake. You'll come to like them too!

The plot reminds me of other science fiction series I shall not name, but in a good way. Expect tense dogfights and a good deal of character development.

The voice actress is also decent, if less animated than some of the Star Wars staples. Felt like a more traditional reading, but I am okay with that.

4.5/5

I really liked it for the most part

my only complaint is a slight disappointment at the lack of Hera when I pick this up it was an expectation that Hera would have a more prominent role and while this really is a great book I wanted way.more Hera otherwise a great buy I recommended

Fantastic Star Wars Property

I love Star Wars and have been a fan since the very beginning. Over the last 40+ years I’ve enjoyed the movies (all of them), many of the books and through it all I’ve gotten very excited about the new characters and new ideas. This is some of the best I’ve seen to date. The story was compelling and exciting and the new characters from the Alphabet Squadron were relatable and believable. I like characters with faults and imperfections and this book gave us that in spades. I’m exciting to see the adventure continue and was very excited to hear that we can expect more in 2020. What a great time to be a Star Wars and Audible fan.