Action Stations

I really can't say enough about William Forstchen and the Wing Commander novels he has written. In each one he adds a little bit more to what has now become (at least in my mind) one of the most involved and well-developed sci-fi epics of our era, and Action Stations is no exception. Not to give too much away, but the plot of the novel parallels the beginning of America's involvement in WWII. Some have complained that it resembles it TOO closely, but I found it a very interesting approach. The characters are well-modeled, and Forstchen's handling of the Kilrathi is amazing, showing the almost "human" side of a few of them. It adds a totally new dimension to the race that you probably won't get from the movie or the games. I also found it noteworthy that once or twice the author even makes reference to the Wing Commander: Prophecy game, which I can only hope he will eventually write about. However, the best aspect of this novel is that the fans finally get to see Tolwyn in his younger days fresh out of the Academy, and how he came to be involved in the war. It's almost hard to read about him though, considering what he eventually does, but it reinforces even more the concept of the tragic figure or fallen hero that Tolwyn is. All in all, this is a great novel with intelligent dialogue, an enhrossing and believable (if somewhat borrowed) plot, and above all a story that needed to be told. (Note: the Foreword itself leaves you yearning for more).

I never could get in to Wing Commander books because the war was already old news. The war had become part of people's lives in the books so it was hard to jump in to it. This book does an excellent job of starting you off since in the truest since of the word it is a prequel. It goes to the very beginnings of the wing commander universe and the war with the Kirathi that it is based on. I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. People critize certain aspects such as the supposly one dimensional characters like the politicians in the book being selfish scum who care more about votes than whats right. The sad fact is they were portrayed right. This book is very realistic for a sci-fi. A must read!

Action Stations details the beginning of the Kilrathi War and ends with climatic First Battle of McAuliffe. The story is modelled off Pearl Harbor and the beginning of the war in the Pacific Theatre, and I think it was done intelligently. Some of the characters are flat and the book does reinvent the WC Universe a bit, but overall Forstchen used his creative license very well. This is definetly a must read for all WC fans (myself included) and I hope newcomers to WC read it as well.

Great story telling of the beginnings of the Kilrathi War. Gives much background of Tolwyn when he was just an Ensign and how he came to be a great man amongst the Confederation. One can't help but see similarities between this story and Pearl Harbor but the story does take twists that make it uniquely suspenseful. I can highly recommend this book for Wing Commander fans.

Wing Commander: Action Stations is one of the best WC books yet. Forstchen characters are more developed then in his previous books. The story is very interesting, and involves some different aspects of Wing Commander. I strongly reccomend this book to any WC fan.