Revenge of the Sith (Star Wars Episode III) [Hardcover]

Matthew Stover (Author)

Book Description

Series: Star Wars Episode III | Publication Date: April 7, 2005

Based on the screenplay of the movie, Star Wars: Episode III, the novel brings the epic full circle, revealing at last just how the young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, became the most evil villain in the galaxy, Darth Vader, and father to Luke and Leia. When the novel opens, the Clone Wars are still in full cry, and numerous Jedi have already been lost. Anakin is struggling with his dual life: Jedi Knight and husband (in secret) to Padme Amidala. The time is drawing near for the machiavellian Darth Sidious--the Sith Lord determined to wrest control of the galaxy from the Republic--to draw tight the noose he has been creating around Anakin Skywalker...and create a new Sith Lord with unmatched dark-side Force powers...Possibly the most anticipated Star Wars movie of all time, Star Wars: Episode III at last tells the tale of how the young Jedi Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, the most feared villain in the galaxy. The novel will go "behind the scenes" into the characters' thoughts as well as expand on scenes seen in the movie.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt Stover is the author of five previous novels, including Star Wars: Shatterpoint: A Clone Wars Novel, Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Traitor, and Heroes Die and The Blade Of Tyshalle. He is an expert in several martial arts. Mr. Stover lives outside Chicago.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 418 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1ST edition (April 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0712684271
• ISBN-13: 978-0712684279
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Improving upon the movie, December 19, 2010

By 

Enjolras (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Revenge of the Sith Matthew Stover (Star Wars) (Paperback)

Of all the prequels, I think there's unanimous agreement that Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the best of the bunch. Yet, even this finale faltered at times with choppy dialogue and unclear plot twists. Now, imagine you could reedit the movie and make perfect. That's what Matt Stover's Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is like. This novelization takes the movie as a base and makes it even more of an epic.

First, Stover's writing style mixes "stream of consciousness" sections, with glimpses into the minds of characters. While potentially risky, Stover pulls this off well, showing the inner emotional turmoil at which the film can only hint. Anakin's motives for joining the Dark Side become a lot clearer as we Stover explores the depths of his confusion. And he manages to really capture certain character dynamics well with just a few choice phrases, such as calling Obi-Wan and Anakin a team.

Beyond that, Stover also expands the plot beyond what was covered in the 2.5 hours of the movie. Palpatine's discussions with Anakin are longer and more intense. I particularly thought Palpatine's depiction of the Jedi-Sith conflict as a dispute over "philosophical differences" was quite clever. In the book, he's so effective at blurring the line between good and evil that I almost felt like I was falling for the Dark Side! Meanwhile, we actually get to sit in on the deliberations of the Jedi Council and hear some of the shockingly candid disagreements amongst Yoda, Mace Windu, and Obi-Wan.

Just as important sometimes is what Stover left out of the book. For example, Palpatine does not scream "Power, ultimate power" when he's zapping Mace Windu with lightning. Nor does Vader scream "Nooooo!" upon hearing about Padme's death. In fact, overall, the book and the characters' dialogue have a more dignified "age of heroes" feel. If only Stover had had a bit more influence over the final script.

Of course, the novel isn't a substitute for the movie, particularly for the action scenes. They're short and often not particularly exciting. I thought the first few pages of the space battle were the only slow part of the book, although they're a visual feast in the movie. It seems - wisely in my opinion - that Stover essentially left the epic action to the movie and focused on plot and dialogue.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is probably one of the most compelling Star Wars stories ever told. If for whatever reason - the acting, CG special effects, Jar Jar Binks - you were not enthralled with the story as told in the movie, you owe it to yourself to enjoy it as told through Stover's adaptation.

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC, January 19, 2012

By 

Brad "Darth Gunner" (LOGAN, UT, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Revenge of the Sith Matthew Stover (Star Wars) (Paperback)

This book is the prime example of when a book is better than the movie. The book can go into so much more in depth insights into character motivation and behind the scenes machinations - that the story makes infinitely more sense.

Dont get me wrong, I am a star wars fan and I still saw the movie 3 or 4 times, and I liked it. But I still found myself going - why the &)*%# would they do that? What kind of response is that ? Etc...

I recomend this book to anyone who likes star wars, and especially if you are into the EU books. It is a rich and vibrant tale that should be mandatory reading after seeing the movie. I will grant there are moments the horse gets beats a bit to death, but it is a fair trade for buyable explanations of way the pieces fit together airtight.

5.0 out of 5 stars Your a typical book better than a movie must read, January 16, 2012

By 

gyasi sutton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revenge of the Sith Matthew Stover (Star Wars) (Paperback)

Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, no form of media captures Anakin's fall and Vader's Rise to power more than this book. A Sci Fi Greek tragedy at it's best. This piece of text captures Anakins spirit even more so that the clone wars series does, and let's not talk about the choice of the actor that portrayed him onscreen. I always feared and yet respected Vader as a kid and loved the legend of Luke's crazy father the Jedi General reckless hero that every other Jedi shakes their head at because of the way he gets results on the Clone Wars on cartoon network, but the way this book portrays Anakin and Obi-wan as literal superheroes coming to rescue the leader of the galatic republic, the depiction of each Jedi Fighting style's (especially Mace Windu's) and the manipulation of Anakin by Palpitine is just pure candy. The Detail of Order 66 was as chilling as anything I've ever read and very realistic, as I truly think that the Jedi would not see that coming. It will have you begging Anakin not to make the decision we all know hes going to makeBut the most chilling thing about this tradgey and the reason why I totally changed my opinion about Vader, since the end of Return of the Jedi, because lets face it, we heard all the stories but never really seen exactly how evil Vader was, but to actually witness (as much as you can reading books) the killing of the Younglings by Anakin/Vader and the pure hurt and damage done to Obi-wan's soul when he first found out and the shock and disbelief from Padme when he told her was actually felt real even though it was words off of a book. I challenge anybody who said the movie was terrible to read this book and not come out better for knowing the story the way it was meant to be portrayed.