Battlefront - Twilight Company by Alexander Freed

Battlefront - Twilight Company by Alexander Freed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The bravest soldiers. The toughest warriors. The ultimate survivors.

Among the stars and across the vast expanses of space, the Galactic Civil War rages. On the battlefields of multiple worlds in the Mid Rim, legions of ruthless stormtroopers—bent on crushing resistance to the Empire wherever it arises—are waging close and brutal combat against an armada of freedom fighters. In the streets and alleys of ravaged cities, the front-line forces of the Rebel Alliance are taking the fight to the enemy, pushing deeper into Imperial territory and grappling with the savage flesh-and-blood realities of war on the ground.

Leading the charge are the soldiers—men and women, human and nonhuman—of the Sixty-First Mobile Infantry, better known as Twilight Company. Hard-bitten, war-weary, and ferociously loyal to one another, the members of this renegade outfit doggedly survive where others perish, and defiance is their most powerful weapon against the deadliest odds. When orders come down for the rebels to fall back in the face of superior opposition numbers and firepower, Twilight reluctantly complies. Then an unlikely ally radically changes the strategic equation—and gives the Alliance’s hardest-fighting warriors a crucial chance to turn retreat into resurgence.

Orders or not, alone and outgunned but unbowed, Twilight Company locks, loads, and prepares to make its boldest maneuver—trading down-and-dirty battle in the trenches for a game-changing strike at the ultimate target: the very heart of the Empire’s military machine.


This novel offers a unique perspective on the Star Wars universe, focusing on a band of unremarkable people who form the rebel unit Twilight Company. This is not to say that Battlefront Twilight Company is an unremarkable story, quite the opposite, this normalcy, is what makes it so remarkable.

The story takes on the feel of the TV show Band of Brothers, although the setting makes the characters more reminiscent of the Marine troop in Aliens. With much of the narrative focused on the characters within Twilight Company, we experience a very close-up and at times uncomfortable view of rebellion life and the hardships they go through. And although the novel at times lacks that Star Wars feel, slowly but surely, we begin to care for the members of Twilight.

The novel does a good job of tying together several major battles seen in the movies with its own original conflicts. It is also another example of the Star Wars universes expansion, introducing several new planets and species. Several highlights in the book are the creations of Gedren (a profound and solemn Alien), Governor Chalis (probably the most interesting character), Prelate Verge (a sadistic sycophant in the service of the Empire) and a brief appearance from Darth Vader.

Ultimately, the novel is a very good story of non-force users doing there bit against the Empire. One of the only criticisms of the novel is that it takes time to get going, but this could be because it introduces so many new characters and tells a Star Wars story from an unfamiliar perspective. However, I have no problems with recommending this book, written by Alexander Freed to any other Star Wars fan.

I have given this 3.5* which has been rounded up to 4 for Goodreads and Amazon.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.