In the 1990s, authors Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston contributed nine novels to Bantam Spectra / Del Rey’s acclaimed Star Wars: X-Wing series in the Lucasfilm franchise’s then-called Expanded Universe, with the tenth and final book being released in 2012.
Now, with the Star Wars Expanded Universe having been designated the “Legends” timeline after Lucasfilm’s acquisition by Disney, Del Rey has been reissuing the best and most popular of these titles via the Essential Legends Collection. The second book in the X-Wing series, Star Wars: Wedge’s Gamble by Michael A. Stackpole, was published with new cover art at the beginning of April, and the novel also received its first-ever unabridged audiobook edition on the same day.
As a dorky teenager (as opposed to the perhaps-even-more dorky adult I am now) I bought and read the paperback editions of the first few X-Wing books when they were released in the 90s. So it was great to have the opportunity to revisit Wedge’s Gamble as read by the extremely talented and prolific Marc Thompson, who most recently gave us his vocal interpretation of Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy – Greater Good by Timothy Zahn in Del Rey’s canonical world of Star Wars novels. Star Wars: Wedge’s Gamble is about the fledgling New Republic governmental and military efforts to retake the city-planet of Coruscant, which remained an Imperial stronghold for years after the events of Return of the Jedi in Legends continuity.
It’s clear to me now (just as much as it was more than 25 years ago) that Stackpole has a wonderful grasp on the language of Star Wars, and was able to reliably deliver countless meaningful character moments interspersed with taut, energetic action sequences while he was writing for the franchise. In listening to Marc Thompson’s voice describing Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron’s attempt to infiltrate the Imperial capital and go up against the Empire’s de facto ruler Ysanne Isard, I was reminded of just how much I enjoyed these books in my adolescence, and consequently I now plan to revisit the rest of them as soon as I get the chance.
But I want to pay special attention to Thompson’s efforts here. This is a dense novel with a lot of text (the unabridged audiobook edition clocks in at almost 13 hours, whereas most full-length Star Wars books these days average about eight to ten) and as always, the actor– who has voiced characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, and Mobile Suit Gundam, among many others– makes the surely grueling process seem almost effortless. And like Stackpole in his writing, Marc Thompson has the ability to capture the voices of the characters down to a tee… his impressions of numerous familiar voices are uncanny, while his outside-the-box choices for personas who haven’t yet been portrayed on the screen are always entertaining as well. On the whole, I’m still absolutely thrilled that Del Rey has decided to give these Legends re-releases the love and care they so richly deserve. Ensuring that the books that had previously been cut down for their audio versions receive unabridged editions makes The Essential Legends Collection even more exciting.
Star Wars: Wedge’s Gamble is available now in paperback, audiobook, and digital forms as part The Essential Legends Collection.