Book Review - 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith' by Matthew Stover

‘Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’ by Matthew Stover

This novel is based on the screenplay of the film.

‘As 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 Greivous. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine continues to strip away constitutional liberties in the name of security while influencing public opinion against the Jedi, and a conflicted Anakin fears that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die. Tormented by unspeakable visions, Anakin edges closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic – and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.’

After all this time – the film was released in 2005, the same year the book was published – it seems pointless to say there will be spoilers, but I’ll do it anyway, just in case – SPOILERS AHEAD.

Of the many ‘Star Wars’ books out there, I’ve only read a handful; sad to say, I’ve not been impressed.

Having said that and even though I hadn’t read anything by this author before, I still went ahead and bought it for Liam’s birthday last year as ‘Revenge of the Sith’ is his favourite ‘Star Wars’ film.

I came to that decision after reading Berthold Gambrel’s blog post on his memories of the film, in which he also talked about the book.

Liam finally got around to reading the book earlier this year. He enjoyed it very much and loved the way it fleshed out the film and made it a richer experience.

I began reading it last weekend and zipped through it at a pace that surprised me; it’s been some time since I’ve read a book this quickly.

The book begins with a little introduction, in which the stage is set.

The war has come to the capital, Coruscant, and to the horror of the citizens of the Republic, the Separatists have captured Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. He is now in the hands of General Greivous.

But there is hope. Any moment now, they will be here, and everything will be alright; ‘they’ being…
‘Anakin and Obi-Wan. Kenobi and Skywalker. From the beginning of the Clone Wars, the phrase Kenobi and Skywalker has become a single word. They are everywhere…
Kenobi would rather talk than fight, but when there is fighting to be done, few can match him. Skywalker is the master of audacity; his intensity, boldness, and sheer jaw-dropping luck are the perfect complement to Kenobi’s deliberate, balanced steadiness. Together, they are a Jedi hammer that has crushed Separatist infestations on scores of worlds…
Though this is the end of the age of heroes, it has saved its best for last.’

As we progress into the story, familiar to those who have watched the film, Stover gives us more insight into our two heroes.

We learn how much Obi-Wan has matured and how humble he still is.
‘He is respected throughout the Jedi Order for his insight as well as his warrior skill… he is the Jedi [the Padawans’] Masters hold up as a model. He is the being that the [Jedi] Council assigns to their most important missions. He is modest, centered, and always kind. He is the ultimate Jedi.’
And yet, ‘inside, he still feels like a Padawan.’

Then there’s Anakin…
‘The most powerful Jedi of his generation. Perhaps of any generation. The fastest. The strongest. An unbeatable pilot. An unstoppable warrior. On the ground, in the air or sea or space, there is no one even close. He has not just power, not just skill, but dash: that rare, invaluable combination of boldness and grace. He is the best there is at what he does.’

Is he perfection itself?

No. For he is afraid.

‘Fear lives inside him… chewing away the firewalls around his heart.’

He’s terrified of losing those he loves like he lost his mother. There was nothing he could do stop that, and he’s afraid that even though he’s so powerful, he will fail again and lose again.

We also learn the extent of Anakin’s relationship with the Supreme Chancellor, which explains why the young Jedi is so easily influenced by Palpatine’s words.

He’s ‘always been family to Anakin: always there, always caring, always free with advice and unstinting aid. A sympathetic ear and a kindly, loving, unconditional acceptance of Anakin exactly as he is – the sort of acceptance Anakin could never get from another Jedi. Not even from Obi-Wan. He can tell Palpatine things he could never share with his Master… things he can’t even tell Padmé.’

We’re not far into the story when the real intention behind the kidnapping of Palpatine is revealed.

Count Dooku, conversing with his master, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, wonders if it’s possible to give Kenobi one last chance to join them, arguing that the ‘“support of a Jedi of his integrity would be invaluable in establishing the political legitimacy of our Empire.”’

But Sidious disagrees; Kenobi’s death is necessary for ‘“his death may be the code key of the final lock that will seal Skywalker to us forever.”’

Their goal is Skywalker, to successfully convert him to the dark side.

Stover lays bare the truth about Palpatine quickly enough; by page 57, the reader is shown Dooku looking ‘his Master in the eyes. Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith… Palpatine of Naboo, Supreme Chancellor of the Republic…’

Although I personally think the rescue mission is stretched out a bit longer than necessary, the part I enjoyed most was the fight between Anakin and Dooku. Experiencing the fight from both their personal viewpoints added so much more, especially to Dooku’s character. I even felt a little sorry for him, a testament, I think, to Stover’s writing.

Back on Coruscant after the rescue, it becomes clear just how severely affected the Jedi are by ‘the darkening cloud upon the Force that had risen with the rebirth of the Sith’.

In a private moment with Mace Windu, Obi-Wan is shocked when he’s told just how much Palpatine’s power has increased, something he’d been unaware of as he’s been away fighting the war. And he’s stunned to hear Mace Windu sound so demoralised.

It’s ‘as though the darkness in the Force was so much thicker here on Coruscant that it had breathed poison into Mace’s spirit – and perhaps was even breeding suspicion and dissension among the members of the Jedi Council.’

The scene when Anakin finally reunites with Padmé is touching, especially when he finds out she’s pregnant. Even knowing the news will mean their secret relationship will no longer be secret and he will have to leave the Jedi Order doesn’t dampen his happiness.

A happiness that doesn’t last as he has another premonition. This time he dreams of Padmé’s death. And that colours everything he does going forward.

Desperate to find a way to save the one he loves more than anything, Anakin finds himself torn between Obi-Wan and Palpatine.

The Chancellor voices his suspicions to Anakin about the Jedi wanting to overthrow him.

Unable to tell him all the details why, Obi-Wan reluctantly asks Anakin to keep an eye on Palpatine and in so doing, the Jedi unwittingly play into the Chancellor’s hands.

And we know where it all eventually leads.

The book isn’t a complete copy of the film. Some moments have been left out or changed to fit in with the layout of the novel. Personally, I believe this has strengthened the story and made it more complete.

Stover has given us more detail on the political side of the story. Far from being dry and boring, even these scenes are infused with drama.

There’s more focus on Senator Bail Organa and we’re introduced to Mon Mothma. And there are scenes hinting at the beginning of the Rebel Alliance.

I liked the explanations to do with the Force and each Jedi’s particular gift in relation to the Force.

As an example, when Mace Windu reaches into the Force, ‘the world crystallized around them, becoming a gem of reality shot through with flaws and fault lines of possibility… [he could] see how people and situations fit together in the Force, to find the shear planes that can cause them to break in useful ways, and to intuit what sort of strike would best make the cut…’

When Obi-Wan lets the Force reach into him, it ‘flows over him and around him as though he has stepped into a crystal-pure waterfall… it flows into him and through him and out again without the slightest interference from his conscious will… In the Force, he is beyond questions.’

For Obi-Wan, becoming one with the Force allows him to ‘see’ the path before him. He doesn’t manipulate it to guarantee him victory; instead, it’s to see how the situation will play out and to be carried along that path, whatever the outcome. He doesn’t bend the Force to his will but flows with it.

Stover’s explanations with regards to the characters aren’t info-dumps. They add to and flesh out the characters, making them more whole, and that, in turn, enhances the story.

He not only does this with Obi-Wan and Anakin, Palpatine and Dooku, but also with Yoda, Padmé, Mace Windu, Bail Organa, even with C-3PO.

Stover makes various factors more obvious – the clouding of the Force, the Jedi’s decreased numbers from being spread throughout the galaxy because of the war, and their dependence on their clone troopers.

When all these come together, it’s easier to see how the Jedi were blinded to the danger of Order 66, how easily they fell.

The one explanation I greatly appreciated was to do with Anakin’s reaction to not being given the rank of Master even though he was allowed to sit on the Jedi Council as Palpatine’s representative.

In the film, I thought all he wanted was to sit on the Council and couldn’t understand why he was being so petulant even when it seemed as if he’d got what he wanted.

But there is a very precise reason why he needs to be a Master. Stover’s detailing of this changed my perception of Anakin from a whiny brat to someone filled with desperate frustration. I found myself sympathising with him, understanding why he was doing what he was doing, I felt his turmoil and internal conflict.

I found Stover’s writing style engaging. There’s nothing elegant or flowery about it, more workmanlike; it certainly held my attention enough to not want to put the book down even though I knew what was going to happen.

He doesn’t stick to one point-of-view but switches between characters in each chapter, which sometimes gives us different perspectives for a particular scene. But I had no trouble following as there are clear breaks between scenes and point-of-view characters. And he anchors the dialogue well.

Obviously, the book isn’t perfect, but for someone who is one heck of a fussy reader, there wasn’t anything that jarred me out of the story, not even the moments of humour though not all of those moments worked.

I know for definite this is one book I will happily reread.

A couple of things before I end this…

One thing Mace Windu said to Obi-Wan hit uncomfortably close to what we’re experiencing here in the UK now:
‘“… Palpatine’s constant, cynical, ruthless maneuvering for power – he carves away chunks of our freedom and bandages the wounds with tiny scraps of security. And for what?... We have given up so much freedom – how secure do we look?”’

The other thing is to do with the scene where Padmé gives birth.

I know I wondered at the time, as articles had suggested, if she really had died of a broken heart. I found that strange as she’d just given birth and she didn’t strike me as the sort of person who’d easily ‘abandon’ those she loves.

A few years ago, I came across this article – ‘Padmé didn’t die of a broken heart’ – and it makes perfect sense to me. If you’ve questioned her demise as well, you might find it interesting too.

And now… I want to watch the film again…