JasperKazai’s Reviews > Solo Command > Status Update

Allston is trying to be cute with this mouse droid takeover plan of Lara, but like with everything else about Lara, it doesn't make any fucking sense. It states that Tonin has replaced 'many' of the mouse droids' wheels with magnetic strips, so they can traverse the outside of the ship. Ok. How? Where are they getting all of the materials for such an endeavor? That shit doesn't just appear out of thin air.

Yeah yeah Wedge finally turning the tables on Janson and pranking him is fun and all, but it really makes no sense that Janson was not even a little bit suspicious or skeptical about any step of it. Like, come on. Dude would realize something was going on way before the end of it.

I take issue with Janson's assertion that you have to get drunk or get slapped by a woman you're trying to court in order to be 'living life.' In my book, that's called being an asshole, and not in a fun way.

Ok, they have a discussion about Face's decision and timing, and Wedge straight-up says it was a bad call. But he also says Face's logic wasn't bad, which is just blatantly incorrect. The logic was 'I know she's potentially evil so I have to prevent it ASAP,' but waiting until she was in an armed vehicle is utter stupidity. Zero logic. Allston just took the easy way out for plot reasons. Anyways. Moving on...

What is it with Allston and Ewoks? First there's all the crap with the fake Lt. Kettch and 'yub, yub, Commander.' Now there was a Sullustan whose brainwashing delusion was that he had Ewoks dancing in his nose. Ewoks were basically unknown until Return of the Jedi. That was only 3 years before this story in the timeline. Ewoks would still be new knowledge and wouldn't be so ingrained in the culture at this point yet!

Oh god, he's continuing to develop Face's utterly ridiculous skill of 'reading' people. Now he sees Lara doing 'Corsucant charm singing.' First it was everyone from a planet walking the same way, now it's a secret high society way of flirting. This is so goddamn stupid.
I noticed that Han keeps being addressed as Solo in the narration. That's weird. I don't recall many other books doing that. Feels oddly distant.

I get that this incineration room is a fun cinematic setpiece, but it's really fucking stupid. The Wraiths fell into a trap door pit. Stormtroopers had them at gunpoint. They want the Wraiths dead. But what do they do? Demand they throw up the demolitions, then close the door without checking the bag. Just fucking shoot them. Or capture them, check for sure, then execute them. What they did makes no goddamn sense.

Oh isn't it hilarious how they stole a landspeeder from an innocent, hardworking small business owner? Seriously, why include that? It just makes them look like assholes.

'At some point, Voort saBinring's squad mates will secure permission to visit the place of his birth.' Why is that a foregone conclusion? Yes, it's where the plot is going to go, but Zsinj has no reason to assume that will be the case. I feel like that's a standard in Allston's novels - characters make leaps in logic that guide where the plot goes, but they have no actual reason to make such assumptions.

The formatting of this ebook is strange. The text is very packed in, even at the highest spacing setting. Something I noticed, the capital ship names are italicized. Which is what I was used to back in the print versions. The past few ebooks have not been doing that. It didn't even occur to me until I saw the italics again.
Allston enjoys early action. Last time the ambush, this time the sleeper assassin.