What happens when you bring together five New Republic pilots who all fly different starfighters and put them under the command of an Intelligence officer and also one of the Rebellions best generals? You get Alphabet Squadron. And then, if you’re really lucky, you get three whole books about them! Thankfully, we are indeed really lucky or at least much luckier than the Alphabet Squadron crew.
Out today, Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed is the follow up to last year’s Alphabet Squadron and the second book in a planned trilogy about these ragtag pilots fighting a war against a dying Empire. Although they’re fresh off their victory at Pandem Nai, they’re still no closer to tracking down and destroying what’s left of the Empire’s Shadow Wing. Even worse (if your name is Yrica Quell), they also don’t know that Major Soran Keize has returned to the Empire and Shadow Wing. The solution? Alphabet Squadron, along with parts of the 61st Mobile Infantry, are going to set a trap in Cerberon. It’s risk but if it works, the job will finally be done. If it doesn’t, things could get far worse than any of them have anticipated.
If you loved Alphabet Squadron, you’ll likely also love Shadow Fall and the reverse is true as well. The thing about the Alphabet Squadron books is that they are not easy reads. This isn’t an insult or a criticism but rather a statement of fact. Freed’s books, more than anyone else’s, have a distinct feel to them as they delve into the trauma of war and something like that should not be an easy read. Shadow Fall, like Alphabet Squadron before it, is not a book readers will likely be able to breeze through in a single sitting. Between its subject matter and its prose, Shadow Fall demands your entire attention and perhaps also quietly encourages you to take breaks here and there for a soothing cup of tea.
Shadow Fall is very much a middle story in a trilogy. Whereas the first book brought the ragtag team of traitors and survivors together, this second book scatters them all back to the winds. It’s a move that feels all the more painful because they weren’t quite yet a tightly bonded group even though Yrica had made an effort, particularly with her squadron tattoo. Some of the individual bonds, such as the one between Wyl and Nath, are certainly there but the all trusting, all encompassing one between all five? Not quite. It is tenuous at best and the events of Shadow Fall test it more than anything ever has.
It’s difficult to really go into the excellent character work that Freed does in this book without dipping in spoiler territory but Wyl Lark definitely stands out this time around to the point where it’s a bit surprising that he’s not on the cover instead of Chass. By the end of the book, he’s no longer the same sweet boy from Polyneus who learned to fly on sur-avkas we first met in the previous book. He’s also forced to step up in this book in ways he hasn’t been made to do before. Leadership is a good skill to have but at what cost? War leaves more scars than physical ones and Wyl isn’t getting out unscathed.
As one might expect, Shadow Fall also ties into the ever-increasing number of stories set in this one year timeframe and to characters Star Wars book fans might already be familiar with. Of particular note is the numerous mentions of Vanguard Squadron, aka the squadron recently revealed in the trailer and gameplay footage for the forthcoming Star Wars Squadrons video game that is due out in October. There are noticeable points in the book’s narrative that seem to have been made with the game in mind so it’ll be fascinating to see how they tie together come fall. There are also a few other familiar faces that might show up but saying precisely who would ruin the surprise.
Shadow Fall is a book that makes you work for it and that also breaks your heart but it’s worth it. This is a side of Star Wars that we don’t always see and it is without a doubt, a story worth telling. Just, perhaps, consider having that aforementioned cup of tea on hand and maybe a stuffed ewok or lothcat nearby to hug in case of emergency.
Thank you to Del Rey for providing an early copy of the book for review purposes.
