The Bacta War is the fourth installment of the X-wing series, and the conclusion to Michael A. Stackpole's section of it. Although he does write one more book for the series, it takes place a few years after his first quartet, so cannot be considered a conclusion. The Bacta War is meant to be the conclusion and was written as such, wrapping things up nicely without doing it so tightly that he could never write another book with these characters.
I have said in previous reviews that the book in question had a little too much of one thing going for it, or not enough of another. The first books had quite a bit of action and intrigue and not as much drama, whereas The Krytos Trap had little to no dogfighting and more drama. The Bacta War, on the other hand, seems to have a nice balance of both. Action, drama, romance, humor, it pretty much all exists in this book, and in about equal amounts, guaranteed to keep both the dogfighting enthusiast and the character development analyst satisfied. If anything seems to be presented in a lesser quantity than in the previous books, it would be the political intrigue factor. Politics take a backseat in this book.
The members of Rogue Squadron have resigned from the New Republic and have vowed to free the Lusankya prisoners and bring their captor, Ysanne Isard, to justice. But the task is more difficult than it sounds. A coup on the bacta planet of Thyferra installs Isard in as the ruler, she has a few Star Destroyers under her command, including the SSD Lusankya, and she has many Thyferran supporters, not to mention Erisi Dlarit as head of the Thyferran Home Defence Corps (THDC). Sounds virtually impossible for this mission to succeed, but impossible is what the Rogues do best...
One thing I enjoyed with this book was watching Wedge build up the Rogues into a viable force capable of taking on the legitimate ruler of a planet and her formidable army. At the beginning of the book, Wedge starts with twelve capable pilots, one X-wing, and one smuggler and her ship. Not much to take on a training cadre, let alone someone with four Star Destroyers. The Force is definitely with Wedge, though, as he little by little acquires more resources, a base of operations, contacts, and supporters. It helps that he's Booster Terrik's unofficial son.
The introduction of Booster Terrik is probably one of the best things about the entire book. This character has a gift of giving a spark of vitality to any scene he's in that makes it enjoyable to read. It is plain to see how deeply he cares about his daughter and about Wedge Antilles. It is also great fun to watch him interact with Corran. Both characters are allowed to grow throughout the course of the book as they learn to deal with each other as themselves and not in connection with Booster's history with Hal Horn. I just have one word of warning, however. Never read the first meeting between Booster and Corran in a public place, especially when there's a danger of choking on your food or spitting out your drink.
Another character that joins the cast is Elscol Loro, who originated in the X-wing Rogue Squadron comic series. Her role and connection with the squadron is explained well enough that the non-comic reader can easily follow along. Of course, those who did read the comic series get a little extra bonus. But lest anyone think her presence was just a cameo, think again. She and Iella had some great scenes together, especially when it came to discussing their different approaches to neutralizing Erisi's father.
The quest to liberate Thyferra brings me to the Imperials. Losing Coruscant really did hurt them. One thing I've always liked about Isard in the previous books is how methodical she was in her planning. She would try to account for every variable, and she usually exhibited patience, being willing to wait awhile to implement a plan if it was worth it and it would best hurt/inconvenience the enemy. That Isard died on Coruscant. The Isard we see in this book is ruled more so by her emotions than by her intellect. Instead of wanting to topple the NR to resurrect the Empire, she seeks now only to destroy those that drove her off Coruscant and sullied the Lusankya, Rogue Squadron. Her obsession and desire for vengeance consume her more and more in each chapter. This deterioration is not present just in her, however, but also in some of her underlings, mainly Joak Drysso, who snaps and wants to ram Thyferra with the Lusankya.
And, of course, there's the continuing story of Corran Horn. Aside from Booster, Corran has two other monkey wrenches to deal with in his life. The first is finding himself more or less assuming a pirate's role, which does not sit well with the ex-CorSec officer. The second is his Jedi heritage. Coming to terms with both is a struggle for him, with the more obvious one being with his pirate role. Of more interest to me is the more subtle struggle with his heritage. Reading about him whenever his heritage is mentioned reminds me of a man with an aching tooth. He knows it's there, but he'd rather pretend it's not. He'd rather go back to the old days before his tooth caused him pain. But yet it never truly leaves his thoughts, and from time to time he finds his tongue playing around by the tooth, experimenting with it, seeing just how bad it is, what it feels like, if there is hole there. He keeps coming back to it because, at this point in time, the pain and the tooth are both a part of him.
This might not be the best analogy in the world, but it's one that can be applied to Corran. He is mixed about his heritage. There are times it seems he wishes that it weren't true and that he was just a normal person. It irritates him that he is now second-guessing himself and having to reevaluate various aspects of himself based on his new knowledge. He is afraid that being a Jedi will take him away from Mirax and everything else he has used to define his newly chosen life, but yet he carries the lightsaber. He can't deny the basic truth that his biological grandfather was a Jedi and his father was training for that life as well. No matter how much he tries to live life without letting his Jedi heritage come into play, he finds himself always coming back to this. It's a part of him that he has yet to fully acknowledge and that scares him, especially after his first conscious attempt to utilize the Force on Thyferra backfired so drastically.
All of this is a very subtle part of his character development, though, and one of the things that draws me to Corran Horn. It's there if you want to look for it, but it's nothing that will beat the reader over the head if the reader isn't looking for that sort of thing in the story. Of the entire book, though, there is one small thing that happens concerning him that has always annoyed me. Or, should I say, concerning him and Mirax. It is a very small thing, but it is a comment that just seems wrong and even slightly out of character for Mirax.
These two things both stem from their growing relationship. At one point in the story, Corran asks Mirax to marry him. This is supposed to be a romantic moment, and one the two of them should remember the rest of their lives. They are going on about how much they love each other, and he gives her his medallion in lieu of a ring to show his love for her. She then says she plans to give him a ring one day, maybe crafted from the hull of the Lusankya because, "It held you captive the way you hold my heart captive." (The Bacta War, page 279)
I find this comment very strange. I find it even stranger that Corran doesn't seem to have a problem with this. Think about it. Corran is a POW who survived a harrowing experience. Being in/on the Lusankya could be tantamount to having an experience in Hell. Although he was not broken, shivers still run down his spine at the thought of what Isard was trying to do to him there, what could have happened to him. So, at one of the most romantic moments of their lives, Mirax compares her love of him to his experience in Hell? If I were Corran, I wouldn't find that overly romantic, and I find it odd that Mirax would wish to remind her new fiancé of that time in his life.
Overall, though, the book is a great way to end Stackpole's run of the X-wing series. Plenty of action, drama, suspense, with some romance thrown in, the reader is guaranteed to be kept entertained the entire time. In my opinion, Booster Terrik himself is worth the price of admission. Plus, I feel that anyone who has come this far with the series should at least read The Bacta War just to see how the Isard/Thyferra storyline turns out.
Reviewed December 6, 2001 by Kelly M. Grosskreutz.
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