Star Wars: The X-Wing Series, Volume 9: Starfighters of Adumar

By: Aaron Allston

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The X-wing fighter pilots have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force by overwhelming enemies with their rapid-fire assaults. But now they are about to embark on a diplomatic mission that will prove to be even more hazardous than all-out combat.

The neutral world of Adumar has decided to pick a side in the war to control the galaxy. Delegates from both the New Republic and the Empire have been invited to Adumar, and each camp will be given a chance to plead its government's case. But there is one small catch: since the Adumari prize military skill above all else, they insist that both delegations be composed exclusively of fighter pilots.

For pilot Wedge Antilles and his company, it's an unfamiliar exercise in diplomacy and one that's filled with unexpected peril. For once they arrive, the X-wing pilots are challenged by Adumar's fierce warriors and attacked by Imperial assassins bent on eliminating all competition. But these challenges pale in comparison to the threat posed by a rogue Republic agent, one who is determined to win Adumar's allegiance once and for all - even if it costs the X-wing pilots their lives.

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Critic reviews

"Anthony Heald is a superb performer for the various Star Wars audiobooks. He slides in and out of distinctive Star Wars characters with such smoothness that the characters are instantly recognizable, as if the original actors were working in ensemble." (AudioFile)

Well...Yes and No

I love it because it's Star Wars, and you probably will too. However, this abridged version is so different from the original as to be almost a completely different story. All the humour that Aaron Allston included has been removed. The narration, though clear and having the correct pacing and tones, does not click with what one wold expect for the characters. Additionally, the sound effects are so repetitive that it gets tiring. If I had paid full-price for it, I don't think I would have been very happy.

If you're a fan of SoA, you'll be disappointed; waiting patiently for your favourite lines and scenes that never come. But you'll also keep listening because it's Wedge, Tych, Wes and Hobbie.

Good book but abridged

Warning: this audio book is abridged just an fyi because I didn’t know when I bought it.

Abridged… Like half the book poof

To be honest it feels like two thirds😬 they omit. I want unabridged to be available. I felt lied to.

Good book meets heavy edits

Full scenes are cut from the recitation and many of the witty one liners are missing. Not really noticeable except for those who memorized the novel. This is my favorite book but a lot is lost with in the audio rendition. It’s a meh.

Heald better in this one...

STORY: Story is great. I'm realizing how much back story is covered in the X-Wing series and other Legends books I passed while racing from the Thrawn trilogy to the duology. I love Wedge and any SW story that gives me both action and a love story.

NARRATOR: Okay, a couple positives first. This wasn't as bad as the others. Heald seems to have stopped trying to compensate for his restricted range with extreme, mental whiplash inducing rate of speech fluctuations. That alone made me return two previous books - my first returns in six years with audible. This was better.

I know many people share my opinion of Heald narrating these earlier Legends books. He's just not right for this. Jane Austen's works or other period pieces would be on his pitch range (dialect abilities questionable based on the Wedge thing mentioned below), but definitely not SW.

The good news is that the demands are not as diverse in this novel. I only lost the ability to suspend disbelief a few times an hour - mainly when I couldn't discern what character was talking due to them all sounding alike. Just when I stop lamenting the absence of Wedge's "real" voice (think of Marc Thompson's Wedge in the Thrawn series) and the sort-of, sometimes Irish sounding Wedge Heald gives us, he stops producing the accent altogether. It's just... odd.

I'd pay big - and I'm certain thousands of SW fans would join me - to have unabridged versions of the Legends books re-recorded by Marc Thompson or a similar talent.

With a number of books yet to listen to with Heald narrating, I'll just have to settle for what they gave us at the time. Yet it will only prolong my curiosity: Why in the galaxy did a casting director select Heald's voice for the sweeping, extremely diverse voicing needs of Star Wars? No boom, no rich tones, no ability to sound like someone other than himself trying to sound like someone else.

Only my love for SW can keep me listening. As it so happens, it's enough.

A fine installment

The beloved x wing series keeps getting better I get a little nervous when stackpole isn’t the author but this was a fine installment

The Grand Battle

The book brings the galaxy to life in a new light. New allies, same old enemies.

The Worst X Wing Novel

Not an awful book but it's the weakest out of the X Wing novels.

overall one of the best stories I've read

there were a few more stakes here and there but the story was excellent and I suspect the mistakes were a publishing or clerical issue. i was very touched by the romantics of this story

abridged = horrible

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

if you didn't cut out the best parts of the book. if it was unabridged.

Has Star Wars: The X-Wing Series, Volume 9: Starfighters of Adumar turned you off from other books in this genre?

I took every abridged book off my wishlist

Would you be willing to try another one of Anthony Heald’s performances?

maybe if it is unabridged

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I love the book hate the audiobook

Any additional comments?

my fault for not knowing what abridged meant or just not paying attention. Why even make an audio book that isn't actually following the book...you should have called it something else