Written by Mathew Stover
Copyright 2005 by Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.
Revenge of the Sith by Mathew Stover is the novelization of the movie Revenge of the Sith. In the midst of the Clone Wars, the Jedi Council sends Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on a mission to get the cyborg Separatist leader General Grievous. Meanwhile, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic Palpatine strips away the citizens personal liberties throughout the Republic in the name of security to establish the Galactic Empire. Palpatine also turns the public against the Jedi - including Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, of which the Jedi Council denies Anakin from becoming a Jedi Master. Anakin also has visions and fears that his secret wife, Senator Padme Amidala, will die in childbirth. Palpatine manipulations, and Anakin's fear, leads to an unspeakable new Sith Lord - Darth Vader.
While many of the politics of the book may seem like they came out of today's headlines - George Lucas actually based the politics from the Vietnam War era, since that is the time when George Lucas started writing Star Wars. This is perhaps the darkest story of all of the stories in the Star Wars series as the story of Revenge of the Sith leads into the dark times and the Galactic Empire - and the darkness of the various characters as the Dark Side reaches them.
While I have never believed Hayden Christensen as Anakin in the movie, in the book the characterization of Anakin was much more believable. Having Anakin defeat Count Dooku in the way that he did was rather graphic for the Chosen One - a preview of Anakin's path towards the Dark Side. Chancellor Palpatine seems more like a reasonable regular politician throughout most of the book - although Palpatine does give the infamous Order 66 for the clone troopers to exterminate the Jedi. It is hard for me to believe that the young Darth Vader had no remorse or not having any type of emotion for his deeds, except for his anger toward Obi-Wan at the climax and of what Vader's deeds has ultimately cost him. Having tiny little Yoda do battle with Darth Sidious is great to see, even though Yoda will grow weak by the time of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I liked how the end of the book set everything in motion for the next series of books, starting with Star Wars: A New Hope.
Pancho
All people smile in the same language.
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