This book was going to be an interesting one to read and review. I am no fan of the new canon of books that have been released since the abolition of the old canon and its relegation to legends status, but I had a great love of the X-wing series of books.
I enjoyed stepping outside from the Jedi occasionally to see ordinary soldiers and pilots do extraordinary things. Alphabet squadron promised a a high octane novel set in the underrepresented New Republic era. Sadly on the novel failed in several ways.
The book was incredibly slow and the characters didn’t seem to gel, I should have realised this would be the case as one of Alexanders earlier books was Twilight Company. This I was also looking forward to this book which tied in with the first Battlefront game but found the novel lacked engaging characters.
On paper it should work, a new squadron pulled to together from former rebels and led by an Imperial turncoat unfortunately these characters were flat and uninspiring, their motives were suspect (on the whole) and I found I wasn’t concerned if they ‘bought the farm’ during their missions.
Two characters did stand out for me though General Hera Syndulla of Rebels fame, her limited book time showed her shift from pilot to commander of a fleet and it was great to see her again. The second good character was IT-0, the former interrogation droid turned counsellor. He added a refreshing balance to the narrative and allowed us to challenge the motivations the lead characters.
The general plot was good, taking down a remaining element of the Imperials and the combat scenes were well handled. It was slow to start but once the team were together the pace carried you through to the end.
In total the book was okay, its redeeming feature was the inclusion of Syndulla and the view of the New Republic trying to mop up the Imperials and establish itself as a new government.
I would recommend this as a part of the Star Wars universe but not a a novel.
Into the Nebula 
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