Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...... there was a casting director who made a very bad choice.

Some say that Hayden Christensen ruined the second two prequels of the Star Wars saga with his whining disposition and poor portrayal of the man who would one day be one of the greatest villains in the history of American cinema. And they might be right. For those that love the franchise and the story, but perhaps disliked the actors, this is the book to read.
Matthew Stover did an amazing job of not making this just another novelization of a movie. His intricate detail of fight sequences, landscape and scenery descriptions, and witty dialogue make this a book to spark the interest of any science fiction fan. But it is his show more characterization that will truly appeal to those devout lovers of Star Wars lore.
Stover begins every chapter with a thought-provoking quote, this alone endears him to my heart. Better still, he stops the action at momentous occasions to tell you exactly what it is like to be that character at that moment in time. This is more than an omniscient narrator detailing characters' inner thoughts; this is an examination of a character to the point where even I cried for Darth Vader at the end.
This is not a book to pass by on the bookstore shelves and sneer because you may or may not have liked the film. I promise you that you will hear the brilliant strains of John Williams music as Owen and Beru Lars watch a Tattooine sunset holding baby Luke Skywalker in their arms. I did. And I cried, again. show less

2005 REVIEW:
Having been disappointed with movie, I read the book much like I did with The Phantom Menace and was pleased with the result. The book is much better. Lacking CGI effects to distract Stover delves into the thoughts, motivations, and interactions of the characters, and in fact this book - unlike the movie it's based on - is very character driven. Stover makes the villainous Count Dooko and General Grievous interesting by actually telling about them and making them more than just props for the good guys to duel with and kill. In fact, the opening scenes with the rescue of Chancellor Palpatine are told from Dooku's point of view and make his eventual betrayal all the more powerful. The book goes where the movie fears to go show more delving into the politics of the crumbling Republic and the seduction of Anakin to the Dark Side by Palpatine in a series of conversations. Padme gets a part to play too as she is involved with other eventual Rebel leaders in opposing Palpatine's control over the Senate. Unfortunately, Stover can't veer away entirely from the movie and Padme still dies pathetically in childbirth acting the part of an abused wife.

2020 REVIEW:
Continuing reading Star Wars novelizations with my daughter, we come to one of the best novels drawn from a rather mediocre movie. Stover has a highly literary style and inserts into scenes from the film the thoughts of the characters and has them remembering key moments in flashback. The book is very character-driven and features frequent changes in point of view. Villains like Count Dooku and General Grievous are interesting and even scary in ways that they aren't in the movie. There are also many revealing conversations. While it makes for an engaging novel with great storytelling, I should note that it would translate into a far too long and dialogue-heavy movie. (I still contend in hindsight that the prequels would be vastly improved by ditching The Phantom Menace and developing the plot and character points of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith over three films). show less

"Though this is the end of the age of Heroes, it has saved it's best for last."

Funny thing about this novelization: it's either breaking my heart or boring me to death. To be fair, it did mostly the former, but the second was enough for me to drop a star.

Anakin's pov here is made of everything that makes Revenge of the Sith my favorite Star Wars movie, and the way we can see how deeply he was groomed and precisely manipulated is gut wrenching. It also acknowledges that despite all the machinations, it was all still his choice, and I really appreciate not making him a simple victim. It has all of the aspects of the inevitability of a tragedy I love so much.

Now, this is definitely for the big fans of the movie. Differently from most of show more the more modern SW novels, this one doesn't deal so well with the action sequences, specially considering they are all ones we know the exact outcome of from the movie. It's where I got really bored and had to skim whole pages. Some things just don't translate exactly to another format like that.

I feel obligated to point out that this drinks a lot from Legends, and giving it was written before even Clone Wars was a thing I can understand it, but there were enough hints about "the jedi not evolving enough", leaning close to bashing Mace and Yoda in favor to Anakin and Obi-Wan, to make me uncomfortable. At the same time, the exterior povs, that narrated events like an onisciente being, gave a lot of nuanced insight on the intricate plot Sidious had and the sad situation the Jedi were.

Overall a good read, extremely well written, and that made me bleed for Anakin Skywalker's tragedy even more. show less

Does it even need repeating? Matthew Stover's book is far superior to George Lucas' film. In fact, it's the best Star Wars novel yet written. Disparage Lucas' writing and directing all you want, but the man has still concocted a great tragic story, brought to life with stunning style by Stover. If Stover's Shatterpoint is the franchise's darkest book, his Traitor the deepest, and Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor the most fun, then this novelization is easily the most stylish. What was a so-so movie in Lucas' hands proves to be a gripping, moving book in Stover's. If you read only one Star Wars book in your life, make it this one.

Whoo this book is a WILD RIDE y'all. It has a very specific tone which took me back a little bit, but it works so well throughout and just like drives it home again and again. It was rough sometimes to read--not because it was bad but in fact because it was too good and Anakin's journey was so rough to follow emotionally. But I really cannot recommend it highly enough if you like Star Wars; it's really an incredible telling of a movie I know many people didn't like, and I think the insights in it really make so much more of it fall into place.

Much better than the first two novelizations, which serve as mere recreations of the films. Stover’s novel was seemingly allowed to take liberties with the story, though it proceeds about the same way, just in occasionally different manners. We might get a different POV in a familiar scene, or said scene might be cut short or extended depending on the theme of that chapter. The dialogue is often different and usually for the better. Stover hypes up many moments like Tom King in his Batman series with speeches of dramatic narration, which adds to the operatic feel. It’s still pulp, and it’s still a novelization of a Star Wars movie, but for what it is, it’s very good.

This probably the best Star Wars book ever written, but more than that, it's just a damn good book period. If Lucas's film was anything like this, it would have been up for an Oscar.

The only places the book suffers, are the area's where Stover can't escape Lucas's storytelling. Why are the Jedi and Anakin so stupid and blind when it came to Palpatine? He couldn't have been more obvious if he'd gone around with a bell on. And I refuse to believe that the Jedi's stupid and unrealistic "let it go" in response to all grief hasn't fucked them over in the past. Stover removes most of the terrible dialogue, but he does include Obi-Wan's hypercritical "Jedi don't deal in absolutes", which made as much sense here as it did in the film. Stover show more also includes Obi-Wan's rant to Anakin once he's been defeated, but it doesn't quite mesh with the calm Stover described Obi-Was as feeling.

But seriously, if you're a Star Wars fan you should read this book. If you're a sci-fantasy fan you only has a passing knowledge of Star Wars you should read this book. This is an amazing book. show less