[Posting now because the links at Jedinet.com no longer work]

The Novelization

Let me start by declaring that I was not a big fan of Matthew Stover and was apprehensive about how this book would work out from the time he was announced as the author. I found his work in Traitor, whilst interesting, to be very inaccessible on first reading. It was so difficult to read that I don't think I really understood what was going on until my second or even third reading of the book. His style in retrospect was interesting and relevant to the type of book he was brought in to write. However, this was a style that I was concerned was completely inappropriate for a mass consumption movie novelisation

I am pleased to say that I was wrong. Matthew Stover has written what in my opinion is the best of the six movie novelisations with detail and insights that are excellent. The result is not only comprehensible but is written in a style that evokes the mood of the movies of the past with a depth that foreshadows the mood of the movie that is to come.

This review is written before the movie is released so is obviously limited in terms of comparisons with the movie. From the spoiler reports of which I am aware, there are a number of scenes in the book which are not in the movie - which is to be expected - but there are also a number of scenes in the movie which are either not in the book or are glossed over, which came as a bit of a surprise.

There is very little information about the Battle of Kashyyyk - Chewbacca and Tarfful do not even rate a mention - with the limited information we receive being in the context of reports in the Jedi Council. I found this omission a little odd, but can understand that the author may have been concerned that the middle part of the story needed to move along at a faster pace.

What was more surprising was the way in which the execution of Order 66 was handled. The screenplay indicates that the movie will have several specific scenes depicting this, and the spoiler reports indicate that at least three of these scenes will make the final cut. None are specifically referenced, except to refer to the planets on which Order 66 was being carried out. I also found this omission a little odd. Perhaps a mechanical description in print of what was going on at each planet would have detracted from the feelings evoked. As it stands, the way in which it was handled was haunting even without the detail. It certainly had me in tears.

There were aspects of the book that will not be in the movie that I found particularly pleasing. First, there were many interludes in the book devoted to giving us specific character background and insight into their feelings in a way that I have not seen done before but which worked particularly well. Most of the major characters had a least one of these segments with some having two or more. Whilst it pulled the reader out of the action briefly, the pay off in terms of the emotional depth given to the characters was well worth it.

Secondly there were many more EU references than have been seen in earlier novelisations. This is something that no doubt movie purists will take issue with, and some who have not read the EU may also find it alienating. I myself have not read many of the earlier works referenced (particularly Shatterpoint, one of Stover's own books) but I did not find the references alienating, although the references to lightsaber action/styles were a little odd. The other references to battles etc were not unlike the movies themselves (including this one judging by the screenplay) having obscure references - sometimes later taken up by the EU - and just fleshed out the fact that the characters had been through a lot in the lead up to the events of RotS.

The Audio Book

For those who have not seen or heard of this, there is an audio version of this novelisation which is unabridged on 11 CDs, read by Jonathan Davis and presented in Dolby Surround Sound.

The narrator does a magnificent job of making sure that every word is clear and actually provides different tones and accents for each character so that it is very clear who is speaking at all times. The interludes of character development were handled particularly well so that there was the same sense of standing aside from the story whilst the information was being provided that you got with reading the printed copy. As we moved into battles or duels there was a clear sense of urgency in the style of narration that enhanced the experience.

More importantly the soundtrack and sound effects were awesome. John Williams's music was provided at appropriate times and there were various sound effects - from crowds and lightsabers to lightning and battle sounds - that really made the experience much more worthwhile.

If you have any interest in audio books then this one is definitely worth considering.