The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader (Star Wars) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: imperial senate, protocol droid, two droids, Death Star, Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The full story of Anakin Skywalker, from his birth in slavery to his death as the powerful Darth Vader ... told for the first time in its entirety by NYT bestselling Star Wars author Ryder Windham. Spanning all six Star Wars movie and including the pieces of the story that fill in the gaps, this novel will be a must-have for any Star Wars fan.

About the Author

Ryder Windham has written many Star Wars books, including junior novelizations of the Star Wars trilogy. His also the author of several nonficton books. He lives with his family in Providence, Rhode Island.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (December 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439681324
• ISBN-13: 978-0439681322
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #84,467 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rise and Fall of Darth Vader Review, October 18, 2007

By	Darth Snoop "D.S." (Dantooine) - See all my reviews

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!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What?, December 22, 2007

By	B. Seymour "scrub_704" (Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, September 21, 2007

By	Andromeda (USA) - See all my reviews

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.