Title: Revenge of the Sith
Author: Matthew Stover
Pages: 453
Type: Drama / Adventure
Time: 19 BBY

Novel quality
Here we are, at the end: The end of the Clone wars, the end of the Jedi order and the end of Anakin Skywalker. All these things happen in this novel and it was up to Matthew Stover to translate the great screenplay into a novel. Mr. Stover's previous (timeline-wise) novel "Shatterpoint" remains one of my favorites and so I had high expectations for this one. Especially so after reading the great prequel "Labyrinth of Evil" by James Luceno. I'm very happy to tell you that all my expectations were exceeded. I believe Mr. Stover did an absolutely fantastic job in capturing the spirit of the story.

The first major part is the battle with Dooku. Unlike in the movie, we do get to see Dooku's motivations and his thoughts on the situation. His initial arrogance and over-confidence and his eventual realization of the truth of things comes forward really great. Only then, at the end, does he understand. He was never the true apprentice of Sidious, he was never meant to dominate the galaxy with his master. He dies realizing that all his thoughts of greatness have been the thoughts of a fool and that he has only been a tool to Sidious. This in addition to the way Mr. Stover describes Anakin's inner darkness as a locked furnace that radiates extreme heat makes the scene a joy to read.

After this we get to the middle part of the story, the part where Anakin is truly seduced by Sidious and where the Jedi Council seems to push all the wrong buttons. This is perhaps the best part of the novel. We see the brilliant way Sidious plants distrust in Anakin's mind and we see that he orchestrates virtually everything that transpires. The Jedi try very hard to keep things under control, but every step they take makes things worse. Anakin has his own problems: he sees Padme dying in childbirth and he starts searching desperately for a way to save her. The Jedi Council keeps rejecting his every attempt to get the information he needs, while Sidious is giving him bits and pieces of information that slowly twist his mind. Because of the visions that come in the night Anakin is afraid of sleeping and the pressure from current events keeps him from eating. All this makes him very volatile and paranoid. This all reaches its climax when his only true friend Obi-Wan is sent to Utapau without him. Obi-Wan was the only person who was keeping Anakin balanced, he was the only one that truly trusted Anakin and loved him for what he was. With Obi-Wan gone, Sidious is ready to make his move and reveals himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord the Jedi have been looking for. The strength of the novel is that you really feel bad about Anakin. In the movie it all went a bit fast, and that's ok. But the elaboration on the thoughts and dialogue that this novel gives makes everything so much more emotional and deep that it improves the overall enjoyment of the story exponentially.

After the great middle part we get to the grand finale. Mr. Stover calls this part "Apocalypse" and it feels exactly so. Everything that has been building op during this novel and "Labyrinth of Evil" comes to a dramatic climax here. Starting when Mace Windu and his team of Jedi have just left for the Chancellors office and Anakin is in the Council chamber. Anakin fears what may happen to Sidious and what that means for him and Padme. He decides he has to make sure the chancellor survives. This is where everything starts to fall apart. Sidious manipulates events in such a way that Anakin is forced to choose between his wife and a failing Jedi order who have been frustrating him for a long time and who he distrusts because of Sidious' stories. Anakin makes the wrong choice, he decides that his wife is more important than anything else in the galaxy, and joins the dark side. The greatness of this story lies in the way Mr. Stover describes the shifting of perspective for the Jedi and for Anakin. Mace suddenly sees that the Shatterpoint of the entire galaxy is Anakin, but he fails to realize exactly what that means until it's too late. Anakin finally unleashes the heat from the furnace in his heart and feels the power of the dark side. It is only in the end of the story, when it's too late, that he realizes his mistakes. He lost everything and the man mainly responsible for all this is the only one he has left to "love". There is one final part I have to include in this review: The battle between Sidious and Yoda. Mr. Stover truly touches the essence of the entire PT here. It is in this final battle that Yoda realized how wrong the Jedi have been. He realizes that the dogmatic views of the Jedi have lead to the end of the Jedi Order and almost to the end of the Jedi as a whole. He realizes the Jedi have to change to defeat the Sith, they have to listen to the Force again. He abandons the fight and goes into hiding to be able to effectuate this change. It is on this moment that he saves the Jedi order from complete obliteration. Obi-Wan's, often criticized, action of leaving Anakin's fate to the Force is an example of the way the Jedi should act. This action ultimately helps the Jedi overcome the dark and restore balance. Whereas Sidious' action of keeping Anakin alive at all costs means he does not accept the way of the Force but does everything to manipulate it for his own goals. This eventually leads to his fall and the end of the Sith.

Even if you don't like EU, you should pick this novel up. It will enrich your Star Wars experience greatly. Perhaps not technically as great as "Labyrinth of Evil" but it makes up for that conceptually.
Rating: 92/100

Personal tilt
It's probably quite clear from the review above that I am totally blown away by this novel. It's not so much the great story that makes this such a great novel, it's the conceptual strength. I feel Mr. Stover is right on the money with his assumptions of dark vs. light and the way they influence each other. The small pieces about the dark that are placed outside of the story are beautiful and touch the essence of the struggle between dark and light. In addition Mr. Stover also provides us with in depth and emotional coverage of the characters. I could feel the emotions they experience and understand what makes them act. For me, this is the greatest Star Wars novel I've read so far and I think it will be up there for a while. It represents everything the struggle between light and dark stands for. Mr. Stover, you fulfilled all my hopes for this story and I am very grateful for it. Keep up the good work!
Rating: 98/100


Overall rating: 94.4/100

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For an overview of al reviews and a ranking see my Book review summary