I listened to the Thrawn series on audio book and loved it. I started with the X-wing series....and don't think I got an hour into it. It just doesn't grab me.

I enjoyed them all. I loved learning more about the different pilots.

I wish they had made a couple of movies or even a TV show about the Rogues. Although it would probably been similar to Black Sheep Squadron. Of course that was one of my favorite shows.

Wow. That brings back some memories. Perhaps I am not the only older soul here....

Nah. You're not the only older soul. I loved "Pappy", he was one tough SOB.

I read the entire series in the early 2000s and recently re-read the first two. I am stalled out on the third due to other projects getting in the way. When I first read it, I was particularly entertained by the fact that he picked the one training mission from the original X-Wing flight sim computer game that I wound up playing the most to try and beat to transplant into the story; the one to save the Corvette Korolev from waves of TIE bombers that are coming in at various distances. That right there had me hooked.

What I found odd the second time through #2 was for a book series about a fighter squadron titled after the ships they fly there are all of 0 X-Wings in book 2 aside from maybe a training exercise in the first chapter. There are plenty of thrilling espionage/commando type moments in the book though. I get the feeling Stackpole was under obligation to fill in the narrative between RotJ and the Thrawn trilogy and had to write a story that didn't necessarily have to do with dogfighting or daring maneuvers.

I do recall the series picking up once they get back to regular squadron business in books 4 and 5.

Wraith Squadron did have a different feel but it is established when the squadron is commissioned that they are to be equal parts fighter squadron and commando unit so its not so strange when a lot of the action happens outside of the cockpit;

*spoilers*

like when Voort goes full Rambo on the bridge of Corellian Corvette.

My wife and I finished watching the Original Trilogy with our 8 year old daughter last week and afterwards I was thinking of reading the Thrawn trilogy again. I decided to look up the chronological list of books after Jedi and decided to start at the beginning with The Truce at Bakura. That was really good. I'm now on Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. I'm about a third of the way in and it's OK. I'll be starting the X-Wings when I finish that.

I enjoyed them all. I loved learning more about the different pilots.

I wish they had made a couple of movies or even a TV show about the Rogues. Although it would probably been similar to Black Sheep Squadron. Of course that was one of my favorite shows.

Wow. That brings back some memories. Perhaps I am not the only older soul here....

Nah. You're not the only older soul. I loved "Pappy", he was one tough SOB.

Yes. Indeed. Read Baa baa black sheep. The true story of Boyington. He survived two + years in a Japanese prison.

Interesting plan, Mainiac! Truce at Bakura is a fun novel, though I'm still not entirely convinced the Ssi-ruuk fit into Star Wars very well. But Luke, Han, and Leia have really good moments and some solid development, and there's some really tense space battles. Mindor is a very interesting novel, but I'm kind of the opinion that it has a similar problem to Bakura - as well as similar strengths. I was really annoyed that 1) it continued the retcon of Hobbie's replacement parts from the comic series Darklighters; 2) it claims that Tie Defenders were in service to rogue Imperial splinter forces and recognized by Rogue Squadron four years before they encounter it for the first time in Isard's Revenge; 3) Tie Defenders have ray but not particle shielding, which was just written so Stover could go for cheap Tie kills.

But that's an X-Wing nerd's annoyance at minor continuity issues. The overall thrust of Mindor has some really powerful moments.

I really liked the whole series, it's no masterpiece, but enjoyable, and it doesn't concentrate on Luke, Han, and Leia.

The Thrawn trilogy was OK. I liked the character of thrawn, and the overall storyline was good, but too much of the three amigos, and c'baoth was super annoying. A lot of things contrived just to fit the plot line.

The conclusion is, if you don't really like the 1st 2 books, try Wraith Squadron before you write off the series, because Allston has a whole different style of writing, and you actually care when people die.

Not to mention there's a whole new level of characterization, much more challenging villains, a very complex plot that builds up over the three books in layers, and some of the best practical jokes in literature.