Revenge of the Sith: Star Wars: Episode III

Matthew Stover

Jun 2011 · Star Wars Book 3 · Sold by Random House Worlds

About this ebook

The turning point for the entire Star Wars saga is at hand

After years of civil war, the Separatists have battered the already faltering Republic nearly to the point of collapse. On Coruscant, the Senate watches anxiously as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine aggressively strips away more and more constitutional liberties in the name of safeguarding the Republic. Yoda, Mace Windu, and their fellow Masters grapple with the Chancellor’ s disturbing move to assume control of the Jedi Council. And Anakin Skywalker, the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the Force, is increasingly consumed by his fear that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die.

As the combat escalates across the galaxy, the stage is set for an explosive endgame: Obi-Wan undertakes a perilous mission to destroy the dreaded Separatist military leader General Grievous. Palpatine, eager to secure even greater control, subtly influences public opinion to turn against the Jedi. And a conflicted Anakin–tormented by unspeakable visions– edges dangerously closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious, whose shadow looms ever larger, to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic . . . and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.

Based on the screenplay of the eagerly anticipated final film in George Lucas’s epic saga, bestselling Star Wars author Matthew Stover’s novel crackles with action, captures the iconic characters in all their complexity, and brings a space opera masterpiece full circle in stunning style.

Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

Ratings and reviews

Matthew Stover (writer of Shatterpoint) offers up his take on the script for Revenge of the Sith. I'm not too much a fan of the original film and hoped this novelization would help ammend some of the movies issues and a lot of critics on here will tell you it does. I would say it's better than the film but it's no masterwork and still disappoints on a few levels. I would say mainly the romance is just as awful as ever, and the pacing is way off. The middle section is as slow and pedantic as in the film although it's manipulation of Anakin technically superior, it still houses some of the more notable plotholes featured in the film. Once stuff starts happening after the chapter called Revelation, I would say the blockbuster nature of Star Wars really peaks through and the book becomes an entertaining passtime. I found myself jumping from page to page during the last third. As a whole, the book is certainly better than the movie but lacks any real subtext as far as books go with mostly everything being quite literal or beginning level metaphorical language. An easy pageturner for anyone who likes Star Wars, but nothing to write home about. It's okay.

Stover's ability to bring the reader into the minds and emotions of the characters is amazing and really makes this story far more emotionally charged than the movie. (Granted that's not hard to do given that the movie was actually pretty terrible.) Despite the lackluster acting and directing, Stover managed to salvage the epic conflicts and vastly improved the character development of the prequel characters. Well worth the buy!

The book explains a lot the movie did not. It is so awesome. I really love Anakin Skywalker and you feel for him and the situations the Jedi put him in and how he cannot compromise between anything. His heart is in everything, so when he is made to decide basically between one or the other; Padme's love, The Jedi Order, Chancellor Palpatine his friend, and the power to save Padme' from horrible Jedi Premanition's he's been having about her death; he cannot choose and ultimatley chooses the easy path.

About the author

Matthew Stover is the New York Times bestselling author of five previous novels, including Star Wars: Shatterpoint; Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Traitor; Heroes Die; and The Blade of Tyshalle. He is an expert in several martial arts. Stover lives outside Chicago.