5/5 Rancors

Matthew Stover, author of the excellent Mace Windu novel Shatterpoint, does not disappoint with his novelization of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Movie novelizations are often inconsequential by-products of a marketing push behind a big event picture, but in Stover's case, he strongly builds upon the film plot and adds meaningful substance to what was already a great story. Rather than give his readers a simple blow-by-blow recap of the screen action, he adds many sequences not in the film and cuts others entirely (fans of Yoda's visit to Kashyyyk will need to stick with the movie).

The novel spends significant time in the opening space battle, fleshing out the action sequences and delving into the participants' motivations. At first I found Stover's technique here slightly jarring. The story is clipping along and we are suddenly sidelined by a page or two that start something like this (for example): "This is how it feels to be Obi-Wan Kenobi." We then get a summary of who Obi-Wan is, what he's feeling, and what role he has played in the saga to date. However, as we read more of these entries, Stover's chance-taking really pays off: I found myself looking forward to the next one more and more, as the insights he provides illuminate certain story points brilliantly.

I especially enjoyed the time he spent taking us into Count Dooku's head. Dooku doesn't get much screen time in the saga; some choice moments at the end of Attack of the Clones and his duel at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith are about it. Why would this respected and powerful Jedi have any interest in sublimating himself to a Dark Lord of the Sith? Stover paints a realistic portrait of what Dooku hoped to get out of their twisted relationship and muses about what Dooku believed would be his role after the end of the Clone Wars. Of course, Dooku is sorely mistaken with his perception of his relationship with Darth Sidious.

Another place Stover excels is in subtly tinkering with some of the storylines to deepen both the motivations and the payoff. For instance, in the film, Anakin's lust to be elevated to Jedi Master and granted a seat on the Council is driven by his ego and inner demons. Stover adds an ingredient to the mix: Anakin also wants access to the Jedi Archives, which is only granted to Masters. He believes the Archives will contain Sith Holocrons with the forbidden knowledge Palpatine alluded to, including how to stop a person from dying. This small change greatly aids the believability of how furious Anakin is at being denied the Master rank when he claims his seat on the Council.

Near the end of the book there is a noticeable shift toward more economic storytelling, and the final duel on Mustafar is very similar to what we see in the film. This didn't bother me, as by this point events are rushing to their bitter climax and interjecting long character analyses wouldn't really work like it did early in the novel. The pacing of the book taken as a whole is spot-on and well considered.

Revenge of the Sith is a sweeping, dark, epic conclusion to the prequel trilogy, and Matthew Stover's novelization is more than worthy of the film. Kudos to him for not just cashing in a paycheck and writing a blow-by-blow account of the screenplay. He chose to take some chances and the results are quite rewarding.