Star Wars: Darth Plagueis [Hardcover]

[Note: I tried to make this review 100% spoiler-free, but read at your own risk. Once the book is published, I will update the review to discuss a few plot points and characters in greater depth. However, I'm happy to answer specific questions in the comments section.]

I think it's fair to say that Star Wars: Darth Plagueis is the most eagerly anticipated Star Wars novel of the past 5 years. However, Star Wars: Darth Plagueis is also one of the most risky because it delves into the backstory of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine, easily the most evil villain in all of Star Wars. Some fans were worried that the book might "demystify" Palpatine or humanize him a bit too much (just as Episode I made Anakin a bit too sympathetic a character).

So let me begin my review by stating that Star Wars: Darth Plagueis does not destroy Palpatine's character - it makes him even more evil and chilling. We do not see Palpatine as a cute little blond boy. While the book spends a good deal of covering Palpatine and his machinations, it's quite clear how the younger Palpatine presented in this book grew up to become the sadistic Sith Lord of the films. There were a few times when Palpatine's actions even sent a slight shiver down my spine. We do, however, learn a bit more about how exactly Palpatine rose to power and where his urges stem from.

As for the title character, I think James Luceno does a great job of bringing Darth Plagueis to life. I admit I was actually a bit worried because Darth Plagueis is a Munn (the same species as San Hill), and we all know that the Star Wars universe has a tendency to stereotype characters by race. I was worried the book would overplay the stereotype of Munns as bankers. However, Luceno handles this pretty well by giving Darth Plagueis a sort of Count of Monte Cristo personality (or alternatively a mix between Prince Xizor and Darth Bane). Like Sidious, Plagueis lives a double life, and he lives each life with a ferocious intensity. In a few scenes, Plagueis transforms from negotiator to killer with frightening speed. Overall, Luceno created a complex character stands out above most of the other Sith characters.

The plot is more of a political thriller and serves as a backstory for the movies. I personally dislike Star Wars books that throw in a bunch of battles just to see the characters whip out their blasters or lightsabers, so I thought Star Wars: Darth Plagueis was a welcome change of pace. There are only a few fight scenes, but those that are in the book are really emotionally intense and bloodcurdling (yes, I said bloodcurdling). More importantly, the action scenes reveal a lot about the characters and how much they enjoy violence. Again, without revealing too much, the book reminded me of The Count of Monte Cristo in how the plot develops.

There were two unique aspects to Luceno's writing style in this book that I want to highlight. First, unlike so many Star Wars books (come on, we know Luke, Han, and Leia aren't going to die!), Luceno does not try to build a false sense of suspense. After all, we know Darth Plagueis is killed and we know who killed him (it was revealed in Episode III, but even if you fell asleep during that scene the murder scene takes place on the first page of the book). Rather, Luceno toys with what we think we know about Star Wars history and holds readers' attention by focusing on HOW and WHEN events unfold. At his best, Luceno forces readers to rethink and relearn the events of the prequels. I for one thought the book filled in many of the holes left by the movies, even more so than the movie novelizations. I finally understand what happened in Episode II!

Second, the narrative style in the book is unlike anything I've seen in Star Wars novels, with the exception of Matt Stover's books. The narrator has a voice of his/her own, one that doesn't intrude into the story but rather makes it more epic. For example, the narrator places certain planets or events in historical context, even referring to events and places from the movies. My favorite line [mini-SPOILER Alert] in the book is: "Naboo and Gungan alike couldn't recall a colder winter than the one that followed [Plagueis'] autumnal visit..." [end SPOILER alert]. The narrator also provides a lot of physical detail making it easy to envision the characters and the scene. It's a different style for Luceno, whose previous books seemed a bit lighthearted, but I think this tone suits this book really well.

One more thing: Luceno worked closely with LucasFilm in writing the book. My understanding is that the book is as close as any novel can get to being canon (although the Star Wars Expanded Universe canon system is pretty confusing). In other words, this is THE story of Plagueis and Palpatine.

Overall, I was pleased to see how James Luceno built Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious, and Darth Maul into truly compelling and evil characters. It easily stands head and shoulders above most Star Wars novels both for its character development and its storytelling. I haven't been the biggest fan of Luceno's books in the past, but it's clear he dedicated a lot of time, thought, and love to this book. A must read for any Star Wars fan!

"Everything I tell you is a lie. Every question I ask is a trick. You will find no truth in me. " ~ Vergere, to Jacen Solo (New Jedi Order: Traitor)

Expectations are a funny thing, they affect how we perceived things for good or ill. The danger that any book runs is that it's reviews will hype it up too much, that expectations will be set so high that they cannot possibly be met. In the Star Wars fan community, expectations usually outstrip that which is possible. Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a great film, but the expectations of fans after waiting 16 years between Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace were simply too high. No matter what George Lucas delivered it would not have matched what fans wanted or expected. It is only with the benefit of hindsight that The Phantom Menace is placed in its proper context and can be judged fairly.

Before you ever begin or contemplate beginning to read Star Wars: Darth Plagueis, be aware that whatever I or other reviewers say, this book will receive tons of hype. I only have one thing to say to you, believe it. Darth Plagueis is simply pardon the pun, a tour de Force.

At 368 pages Darth Plagueis isn't the biggest novel in the Expanded Universe but of any EU work it may have the biggest impact on the story that George Lucas told in the film saga. Author James Luceno delivers his magnum opus with such skill and care that you can tell this was a novel years in the making. Originally slated for release in 2008, this book idea was shelved and then reclaimed. What Luceno delivers is a galaxy spanning masterpiece that takes place in three distinct periods of time and follows the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis as he navigates the Sith Rule of Two, searches and grooms an apprentice, and his subsequent fate. Along the way we are introduced to a young Palpatine who would go on to become Senator, Supreme Chancellor, and Emperor, all the while living a secret life as a Dark Lord of the Sith. The story revolves around the relationship between this Muun and this Man as they seek to enact the revenge of the Sith, bring about the destruction of the Jedi and the conquest of the galaxy.

Through the course of the novel Luceno manages to bring various threads of continuity together from novels, comics, video games, The Clone Wars animated series and the Star Wars films in such a way that is both seamless and stunning. Multiple times throughout this novel, I was stunned with how boldly Luceno went in his storytelling, treading on ground that I was surprised that George Lucas would allow anyone but himself to interpret. This book gets to the very foundation of Palpatine, the conflict between the Jedi and the Sith, Sith philosophy, and the immediate background facts surrounding Episode I.

Truth, lies, droids, clones, slaves, citizens, all of these are but tools to the Sith. With the Sith the ends always justify the means. The above quote by Vergere seems apropos given the scene in Revenge of the Sith between Chancellor Palpatine and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Palpatine plays Anakin Skywalker expertly and manipulates the young man to get what Palpatine wants. How did Palpatine learn these skills, how exactly can someone be some fundamentally evil? This book goes a long way to pulling back the curtain on the mystery that is this man who has one foot in the world of the profane and one in the mystical world of the Force. The danger with telling Palpatine's back-story is that in giving them character more dimension, you diminish him, the more we learn the less imposing is the towering menace that we were introduced to in the films.

One of my favorite things about this books is the unique spin that Luceno puts on some of the Sith, each has their own way of viewing things, much like we have seen in the Expanded Universe with the portrayal of Jedi and how they view and access the Force. There is a ton of Sith philosophy in this book and while relatively light on action, this book is instantly one of my favorites in all of the Expanded Universe.

While there are still some questions this book leaves up in the air, one thing is for sure. You will never watch the Prequel trilogy in the same light again and I am fascinated about how the elements from TCW may come into play with the return of Darth Maul at the end of Season Four.

Well done Mr. Luceno, well done.

[...]

I consider myself more than a casual SW fan but not a great deal more. I've of course seen the movies multiple times, including the spinoffs, EVERY TV series and the Christmas special, but I've only skimmed a few graphic novels and been VERY picky about the books, having read around ten. Not because I feel the majority of the books are poorly written, I just try to avoid books in a series and I don't much care for post-RotJ stories, though I have read the Thrawn trilogy.

I give this book 3.5+ stars but not quite a full 4. This is the forth SW book by James Luceno I've read and I enjoyed every one of them. Having said that; however, at times his writing style can be a bit hard to follow because of his over-use of 'big words' when other, more recognizable ones would suffice. I'm not saying expanding one's vocabulary is a bad thing, I just don't like needing to refer to a dictionary and Wookieepedia multiple times per chapter. I also noted SEVERAL instances of grammar/spelling mistakes, but I can let those slide since that would be the fault of the editor and the book was only just (officially) released two weeks ago.

If there's one thing I think everybody who reads this book can enjoy it's the numerous references to not only many other SW works, particularly Luceno's other stories, but also the parallels to real events and organizations; specifically Roman and American politics as well as secret societies like Skull and Bones and Free Masons. Although there were some references to the current Clone Wars series, I had to cringe with each one of them because they also happened to be sources of continuity errors longtime fans (like me) have issue with, but I digress...

One of the main critiques I have with this book is the seemingly contrived plot. As many of the other reviews have pointed out, Plagueis is only in the limelight for about half of the book, slightly more if you add all the sections and mentions but in many ways he is not really the main character. This fact doesn't bother me as much as the main reason this book was written, to get a glimpse into Plagueis's midi-chlorian/Force knowledge! I am satisified with his personality and background information, but instead of getting to read about his experiments first hand we get after-the-fact monologs and completely wasteful chapters, such as his escape from Bal'demnic and beating us over the head with philosophy we already know. I also didn't really care to know about Sith training, because I imagined it was similar to a Jedi's with more pain and suffering. Give us the good stuff James!

A few other minor points that caught my attention: It is mentioned that Naboo's governing body is an elected monarchy. Would it still be considered a monarchy? Damask Holdings was initially drawn to Naboo because they have plasma than can be mined and sold as fuel. Is that even possible for an Earth-like planet to have plasma in its mantle? (I know it's fiction but come on!) I'm sure it's in other books, but I didn't know the rest of Jabba's name is Desilijic Tiure. To my surprise he spoke quite eloquently here; a bit out of character perhaps? The Bando Gora are mentioned as capable mercanaries in this book. Last I knew they weren't much more than zombie-like people with a collective mind of sorts (as seen in the Bounty Hunter video game). Nuclear weapons were used in a plot to kill Plagueis, which is a bit old-fashioned I think. Damask is injured in an assassination attempt and eventually self-heals the long-term wounds he received, yet he still needs a breathing mask for some reason.

All-in-all this book was an entertaining read and I would recommend to even more casual SW fans than I am. The book really does connect some long-standing dots and tie up several loose-ends from other stories, though it is not without its flaws. It does bring Palpatine down a few pegs, realizing that he wasn't the TOTAL mastermind behind the success of the "Grand Plan", but I don't see that as a bad thing. This telling was more realistic IMHO. It's discussed more than once that the two Sith are concentrating on their own strengths throughout, and the last chapter has Sidious claim to Plagueis that many of his recent ideas were actually Sidious's, so it all works out in the end.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 153 reviews  4.3 out of 5 stars