Customer Reviews

The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Star Wars)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Long time fan and I've read 99% of the StarWars books. This was the first novella type I've read and it covers the very beginning of Anakin as a little boy when he arrives on Tattoine with his mother to his final death. When I first received the book I was impressed with it's hardcover quality and wrapping but not sure if maybe I had made a mistake since it looked like it was more for young readers...which it does qualify as.

What I liked about the story line is that it presents everything from Anakin's POV and reveals how really "human" he was on the inside, constantly wrestling emotionally while his exterior was always distant, firm, and foreboding.

The book's ending provides a fantastic revelation that makes the story worth reading. I kept it in my kitchen and read a few pages each time I ate a meal alone...usually lunch or when I got home after my kids already ate. It's a quick read and worth it. Two thumbs up...read it!

I too was very disappointed by this book. Mostly, it's 200 pages of recycled Vader episodes we're all familiar with, and I might even suggest that the author did a poor job of that recycling. There is not much new or insightful here (with the exception of Luke's aunt & uncle, the only *plus* of this book, and I'm sure I could find it in another). The author does a poor job of relating events we all suspected were loosely related anyway, and there's no development here--of Anakin's virgin birth, realizing that his son brings balance to the force, the hand-chopping as relates to Vader's "life-support suit" [I guess that's what it's called], hand-chopping between father & son, etc. I was hoping for something that might creatively probe into Vader's psyche a little bit, but the author keeps him evil, never even shows he's conflicted with a morsel of good until the very end. (This was the same scene as in Return of the Jedi, and depending how you watch it, just isn't true.)

In short, whatever your hopes and dreams would be for a book about the rise and fall of Darth Vader, this is not it.

As another user said on this site, "I could write a better book than this"; I couldn't agree more. Apparently, $10.99 is not enough money to buy something that's imaginitive. My stomach churns when I think of how many Star Wars books this Windham guy has written. I hope that they are all not like this.

If I could have rated this book lower than a single star, I would have.

The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader chronicals mostly from the movies. There are a little tibits of new information like Anakin arriving on Tatooine for the first time, how he found C3PO among other things. My favorite was the part where he's trying to figure out who Luke is. I would have loved for it to be longer of course but it was still really good.

I was disappointed with the fact that all the book was is a recapitulation of all the events from Phanton Menance to Return of the Jedi. It offers very little of anything new to Star Wars fans, including myself. I would not recommend this book to anyone familiar with the Star Wars saga.

It's funny, my first instinct was to go "on the internet and register my disgust throughout the world."

This has pretty much already been said, but still.

Save your money. Watch all 6 movies, maybe read a couple expanded universe novels, and you'll get more than if you read this book. It was like an 8th grader was forced to write a summary of all 6 movies and did so with boredom and disinterest. I had high hopes for some additional insight, some uber-geekiness, to know what happened in between movies, to know what went on inside his head. You'll get none of that here. It summarizes everything you already know, and does not fill in the gaps.

Looks like lots of us wanted this book to be so much more. BOO!

THIS is no doubt one of the GREATEST Star Wars books of all time... just read the description. I finished it last night and WOW... the story of a good hearted kid who turned evil ONLY bcuz he was trying to save someone he loved, was deceived, and then spent the next 20yrs living in a darkness he never wanted to... to find out he had a son, gave his life to save his son from having to live the same life he had to live.

How? How did I become this monster? I loved her.
I need to follow the dark side, so that this never happens
Again.

Those were the thoughts of Anakin Skywalker, or now
Darth Vader. Once a little slave boy living only with his
Mother and slave owner, to a powerful Jedi knight, to the
Dark ruler of the galaxy.
This book portrays important events in Anakin Skywalker's life. It has a lot of details, but not so much that it makes the reader think its lagging. I like how the author, Ryder Windham, puts in thoughts that
Anakin\ Darth Vader would have been thinking at that time.
If you are a sci-fi fan, or you just like Star Wars, like me, this book is a must. This is an awesome addition to any book collection.

Read this with my 7 year old son twice now. Enjoyed getting in the mind of one character for a story I've seen countless times. Gave a little more depth to the movies. Best for young SW fans, but still enjoyable for adults.

I bought this a year ago. I had it on the shelf, and pulled it after watching Episodes 1-3 recently. As other reviewers indicate its a kids book. Also, a kids book thats VERY fun to read and the simple text just allows the reader to create the visions in their own mind. Some reviewers say its a retelling of the story we already know, quoted word for word off the films. This is true, to the HARD CORE fans, changing dialoque or have it read other than the way its spoken in the movies would draw protest. So this is something that just didnt bother me. Like hearing a familiar song, I liked it. You know the tone the text should be read in; so thats okay. What I enjoyed is staying with Vader the whole time. It gives the reader a connection, thats never broken. Windham does inner monologue captions that capture Vaders thoughts fom inside the mask. I liked the parts that transition between the films. It provides extra info for the fan, but not the fanatic. Theres a section in the last third of the book that hints at the story in "Splinter of the minds eye". This is a book about a crystal that amplifies the force, and it was nice to revisit that story again. Learning about how Anakin gets the scar on his face that we see in Episode 3, or why the Lars homestead is destroyed in Episode 4 are easily explained, and help to make those parts of the film more understandable. I like that its not over detailed, just simple and fun. I recommend it for the adults that like simple fun reads, or for kids that like adventure books. Its an all ages read that was just a blast. Cant wait to read the books on Obi Wan, and Luke Skywalker! Not a masterpiece, but a lot of fun.

I know this is supposed to be a "teen" aged book, but they could have done so much better with this book. It follows too closely with the stories in the movies and has almost no new material. I was not impressed.