Entertaining, but contains a fair anount of objectionable material.
Plot
Wedge Antilles and the rest of Rogue Squadron infiltrate the capital city-world of Coruscant to gather vital intelligence information, helping to prepare the Rebellion to take the world from the evil Imperial forces.
Morality
Knowing I would not be keeping this book for my permanent collection, I decided to do something that I normally wouldn't consider doing--I dog-eared the corner of any page on which I found objectionable material. I started this practice perhaps a third of the way through and must admit I was surprised by how many pages were bent by the time I was finished.
Spiritual Content
The Force, a supernatural power that can be manipulated by some individuals, is believed in by most. One character displays a form of telepathy.
Violence
The story involves a lot of military action. A helmet is cracked open and is compared to a type of fruit being split. There is a good deal of shooting and killing of bad guys.
Drug and Alcohol Content
The characters visit bars and drink. There is smoking, though not by the primary characters. Different types of drugs, called 'glit' and 'spice' are present in the criminal elements throughout the galaxy.
Sexual Content
For not technically having a sex scene, this book certainly talked about the subject a lot. We're privy to one attempted seduction, plus a veiled description of one of the main character's nights spent with an alien woman. We're also introduced to a disturbing system of slavery, procreation, and child-rearing that seems to be typical on the upper classes of one planet. A couple of characters discuss the challenges and dangers of inter-species intimacy.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
D**n, plus one or two words invented for the Star Wars universe.
Conclusion
While the story was fairly entertaining, various less-than-savory elements in the story may make it less appealing to some readers. I also was never entirely sure what the title referred to: what, exactly, did Wedge 'gamble' here?
This review is brought to you by Kristi.
