Rating: 
Summary: Good! The best yet
Review: By book three, this series is in full swing; the main characters have been introduced and developed, the continuing war against the Empire is being fought, and Coruscant has been taken! This book is where the author really shows his stuff, balancing characters, relationships, battles, action and death perfectly. I had read I, Jedi some time before this, so as far as Corran's situation went I already knew the outcome, but the amount of tension and fear for his life that I felt was amazing despite this. Though some of it was a bit far-fetched, (Corran Horn, the barely known Rogue Squadron pilot and former cop is suddenly everyone's best friend and the martyr of the galaxy? Spare me) the book was still excellent. Since I've been following the New Jedi Order for quite some time, I've gotten used to Gavin as the kind, middle-aged, father figure type squadron leader, and I found it quite entertaining to see him here as the young, inexperienced sixteen-year old scared little boy, "taken care of" by his squadronmates. Anyway, this book was great and I recommend it to any true Star Wars fan.
Rating:
Summary: The Rogues Take Coruscant! (4½ Stars)
Review: I just read a review of the Phantom Menace where the reviewer said that anyone who didn't like the movie was not a true Star Wars fan. So, in order to be a true Star Wars fan, you must like everything that has ever been published about it, regardless of quality or content, got that? People have no right to their own opinions and must have them dictated to by narrow minded fans who are so insecure about what they like that they have spew them out like toxic effluent and poison phenomena like Star Wars. It is like all things that have a following- you like what you like and leave the rest, which is as it should be. I didn't much care for the Phantom Menace. Deal with it.For myself I am really enjoying Michael A. Stackpole's X-wing series, and the 'Krytos Trap' is no exception. It concentrates on crackling good action centered around the now famous Rogue Squadron-a dozen of the most skilled X-wing pilots originally assembled by Luke Skywalker after the Battle of Yavin and now led by Wedge Antilles. In this book the New Republic forces have taken Coruscant-the capital of the Old Republic and the now-almost-defeated Empire. But at what cost? The delightfully maniacal Ysanne Isard has unleashed a virus known as Krytos which afflicts almost all races with the exceptions of humans, bothans, and a few other closely related species like wookies. The terrible plague ravages the body, breaking down cell membranes until the victim is literally this bloody slurry of agonized pulp before finally dying after mere days of contracting the disease. There is a cure, however, but bacta is in short supply which drives up the prices, putting the New Republic in a very precarious position as they face allegations of racism. To make matters worse Corran Horn is dead and Captain Tycho Celchu is on trial for his murder during the Rogue Squadron mission on Coruscant. But Horn isn't dead, instead he has been captured by Isard and has him held on the Lusankya prison where she attempts to brain wash him into one of her custom agents. This is the same problem that Celchu faces since he himself was a prisoner of hers in Lusankya as well and this fact dogs him through out the story. But Isard is finding Horn a very hard nut to crack, because for some reason he keeps shrugging off her mind control attempts. Meanwhile, Wedge Antilles puts it all on the line by steadfastly supporting Celchu during his trial. About the only concept I wasn't thrilled with was the idea of the bacta cartels out of the planet Thyferra. This stuff is almost as important as fuel for starships, and in a galaxy with tens of thousands of inhabited worlds and trillions of people, there would be no cartels controlling the supply of bacta given how long it's been around. In all that time it would have been stolen, duplicated, etc. that many companies would have been making it for centuries. The stuff is too important to be controlled by a few cartels, it's not cocaine, it's an all-purpose medical item like a stethoscope. 'Krytos Trap' like the rest of the Rogue Squadron books are genuinely good reads-light, easy to digest, and more focused on having fun with the Star Wars environment than producing some in-depth political discourse. These books will never win major literary awards, but who cares, they're there to be enjoyed. And thanks to Stackpole's excellent grasp of all things Star Wars, the Rogue Squadron series delivers high adventure, larger than life heroes and villains and continues the greatest space fantasy of them all. The Force will be with you, always.
Rating: 
Summary: Krytos Trap Traps the Reader
Review: Wow... I just finished reading "The Krytos Trap" about five minutes ago, and I have to say that I am amazed. After reading "Wedge's Gamble" and "Rogue Squadron" (yes, I read them out of order), I found the next development in the X-Wing saga perfectly molded to follow the example set by those two books. With a huge number of deceptions, high-pitched action scenes, an intriguing court case and a number of personal relationships, this book is absolutely awesome! Even for those who know some of what will happen (I had read Stackpole's "I, Jedi" before reading the X-Wing series), this book is still full of surprises and twists. Just knowing what happened in the aftermath was not enough. HOW things turned out the way they did ends up being just as important as WHAT they turned out to be, leaving the reader baffled at Michael A. Stackpole's sheer genius in writing this novel. Realizations and predictions on behalf of the reader prove true only occasionally, creating a lack of predictability and an appreciation for Stackpole's mystery aspect. Corran Horn is a great character to use as a focal point, and we see how he becomes less and less suspicious, trusting in others and allowing them to trust in him. Stackpole definitely ranks up there with Timothy Zahn, Steve Perry and even the great Kevin J. Anderson. All in all, "The Krytos Trap" is an excellent piece of Star Wars literature and a great story in the history of Rogue Squadron. Great job, Michael A. Stackpole!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite in the series so far!!
Review: I haven't finished the series yet, but it's my favorite so far. This one kept me up late many nights (between school, and other things this tends to be the only time I have to read), waiting for my sister to fall asleep so that I could hall out the old flash light. The plot twists are carried through well, the story interesting, making it a definite page turner. Tycho Celchu goes on trial for the murder of Corran Horn while Rogue Squadron is sent to take bacta for Warlord Zisinj. The Krytos plague is threatening to destroy the Rebel Alliance. The death of Corran has definetly hurt some people. What they don't know that you do is that Issard has taken him to Lusankya, a place that no one knows much about. And meanwhile, the spy in Rogue Squadron continues to sabatage. Carefully, but well deliverd, this book keeps you on your toes, or rather your fingertips. Although the battle scenes are few, it is wholey satisfying, bringing you to the end with sorrow over the book gone by. After I finished I layed in bed smiling at the ceiling, and I still go back to read the best parts. This is one of my favorite Star Wars books.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book!
Review: Although there are few battle scenes, the book is good. Since the trial of Tycho Celchu is one of the biggest things in the book, it is important to understand that if you don't like that part, there are others that are great too, like the scenes with Corran Horn in Lusankya.
Rating:
Summary: Great, full of plot twists and action.
Review: This series just gets better the more you read! This was one of the best, as the battle sequences are few and most of the story focus is on the characters. Since the plots kind of melt into one another, this series is kind of like one huge book. Stackpole writes his characters very well, and the more you read the more comfortable you get with the absence of Luke, Han and Leia. While the other books have had believable situations, I found the Lusankya prison to be a little far-fetched, even for sci-fi, much like the ysalamiri in the Thrawn Trilogy. While it does provide a thrilling situation for Corran's escape, when it was finally revealed what and where it was I was a bit disappointed. I felt that Stackpole went too far overboard and ruined the whole Lusankya line. This book has lots of plot twists, all of which I found entertaining, and believable. With all the wild cards thrown into the mix, I was left guessing throughout the enire book. It's got quite a bit of action, however, I found the trial to be a bit drawn out and boring at times. I recommend this to all fans of action and Star Wars, but a word of caution: be sure to read the other two books in this series before moving on to this one. They provide the needed background necessary to understand the plot. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the lot
Review: This book excelled. It is the best in the whole series. While many other books managed to be about as good, none were better. Characters drive this book not battles. Sequences that really shine are WEdge's trip where he is almost forced into a fight. (More ethical behavior dead ahead.) Gavin's encounter with the Bothan. The search for Bacta. The entire trial sequence, which shed light on Wedge and Tycho as fast friends. In a day where two men who show affection are called gays, it is nice to know that some authors can still write about simple friendships. Corran's escape sequence and the deaths of two main characters are outstanding. Stackpole holds himself back in the action department this time out which causes more tension to build until it lets go with a bang. Stackpole still hasn't topped this one. Read it now.
Rating:
Summary: A good read...a little slow
Review: This is a good book. There are many secondary plots (in fact, I still don't know what the main plot was supposed to be) and, in the end, they all come together. The battle scenes show much detail and are very exciting. The best part is when you figure out the Lusankya prison is... well I won't give it away. Actually, I thought the best part was when the SSD was lifting off. That brought all of the plots together. Stackpole does a good job with the SSD part. You can visualize it escaping. There are many plot twists in the story and the Rogues visit many different planets. Sometimes, the plot twists can be confusing, especially if you are a first-time reader of the series. If you read the books in the right order this one is great. When you get to the part about the SSD, you think all the plot twists are over, but then you find out who the imperial agent was. The first part is a little slow, especially the trial. The center and end are exceptional. The Krytos viris is one of the many secondary plots in the story, but it is well depicted. I felt that the book should have been titled differently because the Krytos viris wasn't really the star of the story. This book is a very good read and would probably be good on tape, too. It's not a good idea to read this one before the first and second because it could throw you off. The character development is pretty good especially for Corran Horn. The escape from the Lusankya prison(there is a huge plot twist about the prison)is depicted very well, also. I think any fan of the series should read this book. It is one of Stackpole's best.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, par for the course
Review: This is a reasonable book by a sub par author. His combat sequences are customarily slow, and lack the cutting edge necessary to make a really strong book. Stackpole finds a really strange need to make sure that everything blows up in a different way, and spends paragraphs describing what happens to a ship after its been hit by enough firepower to knock it out of a battle. This I found rather boring, I can just imagine what happens AFTER the ship gets hit. I also felt that Stackpole's efforts to humanize the characters lacked something. I never really felt attached to any of the characters other than Wedge. I found it difficult at times to identify with Hobbie and Janson, not to mention the horde of characters developed just for the books. The rebels are able to take down capital ships without being touched by their guns, which raises the question of why the Empire spent so much money building them to let them get destroyed by snubfighters and their commanding officer's ineptitude. The Imperials are typically stupid and underdeveloped, even Isard. Their tactics are weak, and their motives are often questionable. Despite all this the book did have some redeaming qualities. I liked the plot, and Stackpole gets the technology in Star Wars, even if he hasn't mastered the tactics or characters. I felt like he was afraid to write about Luke, Leia, Han, and the others for fear of damaging their characters by not understanding them. When he finally writes about the main characters, he writes mostly about the characters that have been written about by other authors.
Rating:
Summary: Stackpole really knows star wars universe.
Review: This being the third book in the x wings series you may think it will begin to lose some steam but, let me tell you with great joy, it does not. The plot gets deeper into the goings on of the most elite squadron in the galaxy and the action hardly wavers. Stackpole really knows how to give the reader that star wars atmosphere and this book is no exception. You get to know the already familiar characters even better while even meeting a few new ones. I can not say enough for how well these characters are portrayed. Good guys and bad alike are very interesting, a reason this series has gained so much popularity. Overall, if you enjoyed the first two in the series this one is even better and it looks like the books to follow will be equally entertaining.
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