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Techtite's Hardcopy: Book Reviews |
"Though the final film's rating is a separate entity, as a book this story is another fine addition to Star Wars novels." ---from the review ----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------ ------------- Sidebar : ------------- No sidebar comments for this review... Yet.
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Star Wars:Revenge of the Sith(first edition: April 2nd, 2005)
Click either picture to order that version of the novel. A Techtite ReviewIt's important to note that Star Wars books based on actual films are purchased (on the majority) for one thing: spoilers. So, forgive me if this review is filled with spoilage, as it were, because in order to fully review the value of the book, we must of course cover the value of the spoilers. That said: SPOILER WARNING! That now said, let us continue. The shortest summary; cool. That's about the size of it. The first films were campy fun if you let your inner 8-year-old come out, but Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is dark, ominous, and more than slightly powerful upon impact. It is in this story that we learn the true reasons for Anakin Skywalker's turn to the dark side, and the fall of the heroic Jedi to near-extinction. We also learn just about all there needs to be known prior to the original trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). What isn't there to love? I will admit that the film, at just a few minutes shy of two and a half hours, would seem to lead to a very thick book. Regardless, author Matthew Woodring Stover (who bases his prose on the actual screenplay for the film) goes into the very verbose narrative from time to time. We learn how each character feels, why each character does what they do (for example; what "fighting styles" is Mace Windu's favorite?), and even what each Jedi is thinking...even when it seems pretty obvious. This hardly detracts from the book, but for those who'd rather glance at a scene here and there, it leads to more reading than would seem necessary. Any five minute scene could be an entire chapter. Personally, I liked this writing style, so allow me to just move on. The good news --or bad, depending on outlook-- is how the readers of this novel cannot "spoil" the actual movie for you per se. Oh, they can tell you the obvious and say the core story, but is every scene here identical to the film? No. The lengthy scene where Qui-Gon gradually appears in ghost form to Yoda, telling him how to become "immortal" himself...? Not in the film. There is also a long discussion in the novel, of how Palpatine audio recorded his confrontation with Mace Windu, only to later use snippets of that confrontation to make it look as though Mace Windu was in fact attempting an assassination of an innocent politician, not a "Sith Lord." Not in the film. Padme also has the very uplifting monologue where she outlines the original plans for the rebellion to Senator Bail Organa. Not in the film. Then again; I like it this way. There are reasons to read the book as well as see the film. After all; aren't the best stories the ones where the book is better? There is one conversation I did not like omitted; a conversation that better illustrated why Anakin would turn from his would-be allies to quickly. It's a typical tale of the most mortal reason for any potential villain to succumb to dark motives; greed. Palpatine is basically telling Anakin in this scene (which, again, is cut from the film), that he needs him for his plans, and in order to make Anakin his friend, anything he wants is his. A first jovial Anakin muses about an expensive flying car ridden only by the very rich. It's yours, says Palpatine. Then Anakin says something about a building in Coruscant that is described as sort of a Trump Tower of sorts of this galaxy. Palpatine tells Anakin that not only the best penthouse can be his; the whole building can be his. There are already people in that building, insists Anakin. Not a problem, says Palpatine. Then Anakin's greed shows a sign of growth, when he casually mentions one of the most beautiful planets he has ever seen. Palpatine then asks if Anakin is asking for just the planet, or the planet's entire system. This occurs just before the moment in the film where Palpatine confesses he's actually a Sith to Anakin. This would've been an intriguing moment of the film, but it's not there. It's still pretty intriguing when read in text. This mild spoiler (no plot twists, no surprises) is just a taste of the sort of different turn the book takes from the movie. In the movie, for example, we see a more visual representation of Jedi dying all over the galaxy. In the book, this moment is merely alluded to in a more melodramatic prose proclaiming that all over the galaxy, "Jedi die." Then again, the reason the Jedi were so taken off guard is illustrated much better in the text of the book, since the Jedi rely on the force and emotions to detect what someone may do next, while the clones have no such emotions, and...or have I revealed too much? It's a good book. Let's put it that simply.
But is it a good story? It will be to fans, since it is a pivotal revelation in Star Wars lore. We learn why Darth Vader turned to the dark side, and more importantly, what led to that infamous bout with Obi-Wan that left the then evil Vader with none of his original limbs and serious burns over almost his entire body. This is a dark story, to be sure, but it's an important one for fans, and since the book has more elaboration of these scenes than the apparently vastly-edited film, it's a worthwhile read for them. As for others; you'll have fun reading it as well. I liked it very much.
Click either picture to order
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