Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
by MATTHEW STOVER
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Book Reviews of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Book Review: "Even stars die"
Summary: 5 Stars
"Even stars die"
Palpatine has been abducted from Coruscant in a daring attack from General Grievous of the Separatists. Anakin and Obi-Wan head off to rescue the Chancellor. Thus begins the end of the Republic...and the rise of the Empire.
I Liked:
THIS is what the prequels should have been. THIS is what the movie should have been. This is the pinnacle of Star Wars novelizations, the best showcase of characters, of story, of background, of setting, of action, of dialogue, of everything that readers love.
When I first heard that Stover was penning this novel, I knew it would be good. I loved Stover's other Star Wars entries. But I still was a little unsure. Could Stover pull it off?
Now, I realize what a stupid question that is.
Stover has a masterful hand at writing, at writing a tortured character like Anakin, and writing a book as deep, as heavy, as ominous as Revenge of the Sith. For the most part, Stover uses third person limited--except for his brilliant "This is..." scenes, where he switches to second person present. As most readers and writers know, second person is rare in a novel and rarely well done. Stover sees that and laughs in its face. His "This is..." scenes are personal, gritty, introspective views on the characters, emotions, and feelings of the moment.
His grasp of the characters is excellent. From Anakin and Obi-Wan to Yoda and Bail, his characters are real, they are consistent with their on-screen presence, and they are sympathetic, most notably Anakin. At the core, Revenge of the Sith is Anakin's story, and it is vastly personal. We learn why he wants to be a master (because Jedi Masters have access into Restricted areas of the archives--areas that could contain information on how to save Padme), his friendship with Palpatine, his burden at being the Chosen One (best line ever: "Why couldn't people let me be? Why did their problems have to be his problems?"), and how confused and conflicted he was at having to betray Palpatine, his dear friend. I got so much more about Anakin from this book than I have from multiple viewings of the movie.
Throughout the story, there are beautiful scenes were the characters show they are much more intelligent than their on-screen versions. Mace and Yoda recognize the risk of Sidious and the Dark Side and attempt to lay a trap...a trap that ultimately back fires. Bail and Mon Mothma start the Loyalist committee, something that ended on the cutting room floor, but needed to be in the movie. Even Padme comes out a much better character, being smart and cunning, yet tender and broken-hearted (to the point where I could almost understand her dying of a broken heart).
And then, Stover shows he did his homework and acknowledges continuity. Of course, we get Tatooine, Own, and Naboo references, but also expect to see Garm Bel Iblis, Ansion, and Subataars crop out. I love it when an author takes the time to reference other material.
I Didn't Like:
This is such an amazing book, finding flaws were nearly impossible. But I did feel the first battle with Dooku, Anakin, and Obi-Wan on Grievous' ship did go an awful long time. Also, do not expect a word by word transcript of the movie (I think this is actually an asset).
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
H*** crops up.
Padme is pregnant.
Where this book is notable is its violence. Stover doesn't hold back on battles, starfighting (is there anything he can't write), and lightsaber duels (particularly the last one is gruesome).
Overall:
This is a stunning work of art. It blows all the other novelizations out of the water. Heck, it shatters most Star Wars Expanded Universe (and I am even including Timothy Zahn's works here!). This is a brilliant, heartfelt novel, a novel about a man's destruction, about the end of everything. There were times my heart ached along with the characters as they endured the pain, and that isn't an easy feat for an author to accomplish, even a good one. Even if you have seen the movie, even if you are not a Star Wars fan, you need to read this book. Five stars.
Brought to you by:
*C.S. Light*
Book Review: Not bad - but some glaring downsides
Summary: 3 Stars
I dont know about every other fan of star wars books out there, but for me, I always love reading the descriptive detail MOST authors put into those fight scenes. The expressive phrases, detail so crisp and exciting, its as if you can visual see every stroke, every block, every spark of force lighting etc.... The rest of the book can be okay, but if the starwars novel details great fight scenes I am really happy. This book was sadly lacking in such detail. I shall spell out what I found to flaws and then end with what was good.
Some things simply should not be glossed over and left to the mind to figure out. For example, the yoda-Palpatine battle - watered down, short and lacking detail - very sad. The same can be said for at least two or three other encounters.
In fairness - the Dooku v. Anakin/Kenobi scene was well thought out and described - you will enjoy that immensively.
Aside from the watered down beverage of fight scenes, the constant use of the term "shadow" to describe the sith, especially sidious - and especially constantly through fight scenes was confusing and ambiguous. Going with sith lord, or dark lord would have been much cleaner
Now the most disturbing flaw of all - Anakin's conversion. What's terrible is many star wars geeks (affictionados :)), have been speculating for months that whatever turned Anakin must have been traumatic. A grand death of his wife blamed on the jedi OR Kenobi - his dear friend betraying him - say a trumphed up love affair with Amidala. But no.... Palpatine cajoles him to switch sides, confuses and entices him. But its just not convincing. Simply put thats all it took - a little prodding to think "for yourself and take what you want" next thing you know Anakin goes marching off and starts slaughtering everything he sees. It makes little sense that such a massive personality change can come when throughout most of the book - all though irritated and cranky (as usual) Anakin is laughing, telling jokes, and still has respect for friends and at least a little respect for life. And with only minor stimuli - that changes in a flash. I DONT BUY IT! Some story is conconcted how Amidala dies in Anakins dreams and Palpatine offers him the power to raise the dead. This theme is wasted. It's thrown out there with no real purpose or explanation. It seems more or less that the way this author writes Anakin WAS ALWAYS TRULLY EVIL - there really wasn't good at all, Palpatine just had to bring it out. It goes against all star wars - the good man gone bad - there is still good in him. Through this book - it WAS NEVER THERE I TELL YOU.
Finally - Anakin proclaims his undying love for Amidala all throughout the book but in the end...it is she who dies by his very HAND! This is just unacceptable. It only supports that Anakin is truly evil and always was deep down inside.
I think the writer has made a serious plot mistake
Oh one more thing - Chewbacca??? Non existent in the book, wookies???? non existent. The wookies are only mentioned along with their planet when yoda goes with a force of troopers there - thats it - period - yuck!
Now - done with the bad. Readers will enjoy the dialog between Palptine and Anakin - totally evil/sinister -very nice. You learn some very cool things such as why Palpatines face gets so nasty, back info on Palpatines own master (awesome stuff) You further learn how the infamous "threepio doesnt recoginze darth vader later problem" is solved
Another great area of the book is the writers work on Grevious - awesome detail, good background - a well written character!
Overll 3 out of 5 - honestly a wait for the movie isnt a bad idea for once
On a scary note, I am almost hoping Lucas's film cleans up this writers mess when in the first two movies it was the other way around. I minor disappointment
Book Review: one of the most satisfying Star Wars books yet
Summary: 5 Stars
Matthew Stover is the latest author (after Terry Brooks and R.A. Salvatore) to be given a chance to adapt one of the Star Wars films to a novel. Stover is no novice to the Star Wars universe, having written the excellent prequel novel "Shatterpoint" and the New Jedi Order volume "Traitor". Considering how dark and gritty "Shatterpoint" was, Stover appeared to be the perfect author to give the novelization for Episode Three to. Episode Three was said to be the darkest of all 6 films, and Stover is good at going dark. This was one of the few Star Wars novels which I was actually looking forward to reading.
The basic outline of "Revenge of the Sith" has been known for years, even before "The Phantom Menace" was a glimmer in the eye of George Lucas. This is the one fans have been waiting for. This is the fall of Anakin Skywalker. This is the film, the book where Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the Dark Side of the Force, turns his back on the Jedi, helps destroy the Jedi and becomes Darth Vader. We know the history. We know what the end result is, that Luke and Leia will end up being separated with no knowledge of each other or their father. What we don't know is exactly how this all goes down. When the first two prequel movies were not what the audience had expected, "Revenge of the Sith" had to contain all the fans had wanted for the prequel trilogy. Since the release date for the movie is still a month away, I can't say if the movie will deliver the goods. I can say that the book does.
The Anakin Skywalker that we know from "Attack of the Clones" is more than a little brash and angry at times, but he is dedicated to the Jedi. The other prequel novels give little foreshadowing hints to the fall, as does the scene in Episode Two where he slaughters the Tusken Raiders who kidnapped his mother. But how does he fall from the Jedi to the Sith? Matthew Stover does an excellent job at showing the reader the inner workings of Anakin's mind regarding the Jedi and how much of a friend Palpatine is to him, how important Palpatine is and how little Palpatine judges Anakin. He is exceptionally close to Obi-Wan, but Anakin still feels judgment from the Jedi. Through tightly described scenes of conversation and battle, we see Anakin slipping closer and closer to being able to accept the Dark Side. We see Palpatine continue to manipulate Anakin so that when he finally does reveal himself Anakin doesn't see the monster, but his friend who also happens to be a Sith Lord and might the Sith really not be as evil as the Jedi have taught?
I can only hope that George Lucas proves to be half as good of a director for this final Star Wars film that Matthew Stover is a writer. If so, we can be looking at one very, very good movie. I'm skeptical, of course. Stover set the bar pretty high with this book. Including this book I have read forty of the Star Wars novels and this is easily one of the best. The story is gripping and one which I wanted to keep reading to find out exactly what happened next. Stover is very good at describing the lightsaber battles as well as making the dialogue feel natural (something that we don't often get in Star Wars). The only thing that felt off was the use of the trademark "I have a bad feeling about this" that must be contractually required of every Star Wars author. If Stover is this good playing in somebody else's world, I can imagine how good his original work must be. Not all Star Wars authors seem capable of writing this good of a Star Wars book. One could even skip all of the other prequel novels that fill in the story and having seen the first two films just jump right into this book and read arguably the best Star Wars novel out there (Stover's "Shatterpoint" and Karen Traviss's "Republic Commando" must also be considered). If you are looking to read a Star Wars novel, this might be the place to begin.
-Joe Sherry
Book Review: Excellent! --- The Book on Which the Movie Should Have Been Based
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm no major "Star Wars" fan, but I have seen all of the movies and even picked up a few of the books. I saw "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" and wasn't wowed by it, but I thought it was a decent, enjoyable movie. After seeing some of the acclaim for the novelization, however, I decided to definitely give it a read --- I love movie novelizations.
Although I know of course it couldn't be possible, I do call this the book on which the movie should have been based. This is a thrilling and compelling adaptation of the true final saga in the "Star Wars" series. Matthew Stover gets right into the heart of the story and the characters. Throughout the book, you'll find his compelling and detailed descriptions of the characters --- their emotions, their place in the story at that time, their relations with others and much more.
The action scenes are great, but this book is at its best in the depictions of the characters and the relations. You'll learn many things you never knew or never picked up on before about Darth Sidious, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and many of the other characters you've come to know through Episodes I-III (and in Kenobi's [and I suppose Anakin's] case, the other Episodes as well.) Matthew Stover writes about these characters with such depth that one would almost believe, if they didn't know better, that he created them. You'll relive all the drama, the highs and lows of the movie and feel more satisfied with the plot than you ever were before.
I'd even go so far as too say that even someone who's never been a fan of "Star Wars" before could enjoy this novelization. As for myself, I'll definitely be seeking more of Matthew Stover's work.
Edit --- Audiobook on CD Review
Hmm, apparently you're only allowed one review per "set," so now I'm adding in my review for the audibook version on CD as of November 6, 2005:
Wow, and I Thought the Written *Book* Was Great
This is the audiobook adaptation of Matthew Stover's version of "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" on CD. The story it contains is powerful and strong, written by a master writer.
No doubt, you would be listening to a great story even if this were a normal audiobook production. However, following up on the great example set by the book, the people at Books on Tape who put this together have gone the extra mile. There's stuff on here I never expected --- musical scores from the movie, sound effects including light-saber humming and astromech whistling, full surround sound and other audio elements for a truly immersive experience. Pretty much all audiobooks I've heard before have been pretty much just a straight read-out-loud, with maybe some music at the beginning and end. For this to have all of this totally blew me away.
Of course, I couldn't do this review without complimenting the excellent talents of Jonathan Davis. One thing this audiobook does not have is a "full cast" like some audiobooks these days, but it doesn't need it. Jonathan Davis is everyone, from Padme Amidala, to Yoda, to Kenobi and to Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith. And he's also the surround-sound voice of that whispering dragon in Anakin's ear --- "All things die, Anakin. Even stars burn out."
Even if you've read the book, or seen the movie, you haven't yet fully experienced the story until you've listened to this. Get a hold of the audiobook on CD (or tape --- but I don't know if the tape production is quite as good) and relive the story once again.
Book Review: It could have been a 5 star!
Summary: 3 Stars
Well, it's too late at night to write up a complete review, so I will hit on the major points that I have with the book.
1. First off, I am incredibly glad that I read the book before watching the movie. Although much of the initial "what's going to happen" magic will be gone, I will know more deeply what is going on in the heads of the characters as things unfold. I will understand why particular actions/thoughts are going on. The author did a FABULOUS job detailing this. I was about 3/4 of the way through the book and so many things that I already knew about the entire saga just did a complete click. I feel completely different about Vader, Obi-Wan and everyone else. I no longer am totally irritated by Anakin's whining etc. I see more deeply into him. Again, the author did a wonderful job pulling the characters into focus as he went through the story.
2. What's with his "clenched knuckles" fetish? Within just a couple of chapters, if that, he goes on to explain like 3-4 character's clenched knuckles at least. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't use practically the same description less a couple varying phrases near the end of those descriptions.
3. This is Mathhew, now and forever. Wha...?? I see his point for these sections however I must say they really drew me out of the story. Surely they could have been written in a more inclusionary way into the story?
4. What happened to the battle of Kashyyk?? This is one of the most absolutely MAJOR parts of Episode III! Seriously! We get introduced to Chewbacca. Supposedly there's a relationship between him and Yoda, we're supposed to learn about Chewbaccas true brute strength and honor as well as the wookie homeland, fighting styles and dedication to eachother or one that saves their life. There is seriously about 1/3 of the story in that battle. Be it direct or hidden within what's happening! How can this be totally left out in the book?? It goes from a clipit about Yoda talking to Obi-wan via commlink from somewhere on the planet to Yoda being found in a pod over the planet. It doesn't even describe yoda's "disguise"! What is up with this?? Surely this wasn't some "hidden plot" when he was given the storyboard. Again, this is one of the major points of the saga, and it's totally neglected in an OFFICIAL representation of the story. This is the LAST official book covering the true 6-part movie, and they totally leave out one of the major plot-points in the entire thing.
This last point is totally unforgiveable in my opinion and really throws fear into me as to where Lucas is leading this "empire". He used to hate the "Big company" tactics yet he's become the worst of them all. He gives in to Samuel Jackson with the purple lightsaber. This was never to be. . .he gives in to Hayden being the one in the Vader costume. .thus making vader look like a pansy. He's thin, he's weaker looking, and he's just plain small. Again, no excuse.
Overall I'd say the book itself is written extremely well, and I don't know if I have to put the blame for my 3rd point on Matthew or on Lucas so I can't really put that against them as much as I'd like to. ..although the knuckle fetish and pulling you completely out of the story so often with these descriptions really hurt my overall rating.
However, I do recommend reading this before seeing the movie, or perhaps after if you're willing to go see the movie again after reading the book. I feel that it would add a LOT to your movie experience!