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Based on the screenplay of the final film in George Lucas’s epic saga, bestselling Star Wars author Matthew Stover’s novel crackles with action, captures the iconic characters in all their complexity, and brings a space opera masterpiece full circle in stunning style.
Revenge of the Sith Novel Excerpt
Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
By Matthew Stover; Based on the story and screenplay by George Lucas
A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY. . . .
This story happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
It is already over. Nothing can be done to change it.
It is a story of love and loss, brotherhood and betrayal, courage and sacrifice and the death of dreams. It is a story of the blurred line between our best and our worst.
It is the story of the end of an age.
A strange thing about stories -
Though this all happened so long ago and so far away that words cannot describe the time or the distance, it is also happening right now. Right here.
It is happening as you read these words.
This is how twenty-five millennia come to a close. Corruption and treachery have crushed a thousand years of peace. This is not just the end of a republic; night is falling on civilization itself.
This is the twilight of the Jedi.
The end starts now.
INTRODUCTION: The Age of Heroes
The skies of Coruscant blaze with war.
The artificial daylightspread by the capital's orbital mirrors is sliced by intersecting flames of ion drives and punctuated by starburst explosions; contrails of debris raining into the atmosphere become tangled ribbons of cloud. The nightside sky is an infinite lattice of shining hairlines that interlock planetoids and track erratic spirals of glowing gnats. Beings watching from rooftops of Coruscant's endless cityscape can find it beautiful.
From the inside, it's different.
The gnats are drive-glows of starfighters. The shining hairlines are light-scatter from turbolaser bolts powerful enough to vaporize a small town. The planetoids are capital ships.
The battle from the inside is a storm of confusion and panic, of galvened particle beams flashing past your starfighter so close that your cockpit rings like a broken annunciator, of the bootsole shock of concussion missiles that blast into your cruiser, killing beings you have trained with and eaten with and played and laughed and bickered with. From the inside, the battle is desperation and terror and the stomach-churning certainty that the whole galaxy is trying to kill you.
Across the remnants of the Republic, stunned beings watch in horror as the battle unfolds live on the HoloNet. Everyone knows the war has been going badly. Everyone knows that more Jedi are killed or captured every day, that the Grand Army of the Republic has been pushed out of system after system, but this -
A strike at the very heart of the Republic?
An invasion of Coruscant itself?
How can this happen?
It's a nightmare, and no one can wake up.
Live via HoloNet, beings watch the Separatist droid army flood the government district. The coverage is filled with images of overmatched clone troopers cut down by remorselessly powerful destroyer droids in the halls of the Galactic Senate itself.
A gasp of relief: the troopers seem to beat back the attack. There are hugs and even some quiet cheers in living rooms across the galaxy as the Separatist forces retreat to their landers and streak for orbit -
We won! beings tell each other. We held them off!
But then new reports trickle in - only rumors at first - that the attack wasn't an invasion at all. That the Separatists weren't trying to take the planet. That this was a lightning raid on the Senate itself.
The nightmare gets worse: the Supreme Chancellor is missing.
Palpatine of Naboo, the most admired man in the galaxy, whose unmatched political skills have held the Republic together. Whose personal integrity and courage prove that the Separatist propaganda of corruption in the Senate is nothing but lies. Whose charismatic leadership gives the whole Republic the will to fight on.
Palpatine is more than respected. He is loved.
Even the rumor of his disappearance strikes a dagger to the heart of every friend of the Republic. Every one of them knows it in her heart, in his gut, in its very bones -
Without Palpatine, the Republic will fall.
And now confirmation comes through, and the news is worse than anyone could have imagined. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has been captured by the Separatists - and not just the Separatists.
He's in the hands of General Grievous.
Grievous is not like other leaders of the Separatists. Nute Gunray is treacherous and venal, but he's Neimoidian: venality and treachery are expected, and in the Viceroy of the Trade Federation they're even virtues. Poggle the Lesser is Archduke of the weapon masters of Geonosis, where the war began: he is analytical and pitiless, but also pragmatic. Reasonable. The political heart of the Separatist Confederacy, Count Dooku, is known for his integrity, his principled stand against what he sees as corruption in the Senate. Though they believe he's wrong, many respect him for the courage of his mistaken convictions.
These are hard beings. Dangerous beings. Ruthless and aggressive.
General Grievous, though -
Grievous is a monster.
The Separatist Supreme Commander is an abomination of nature, a fusion of flesh and droid - and his droid parts have more compassion than what remains of his alien flesh. This halfliving creature is a slaughterer of billions. Whole planets have burned at his command. He is the evil genius of the Confederacy. The architect of their victories.
The author of their atrocities.
And his durasteel grip has closed upon Palpatine. He confirms the capture personally in a wideband transmission from his command cruiser in the midst of the orbital battle. Beings across the galaxy watch, and shudder, and pray that they might wake up from this awful dream.
Because they know that what they're watching, live on the HoloNet, is the death of the Republic.
Many among these beings break into tears; many more reach out to comfort their husbands or wives, their crèche-mates or kin-triads, and their younglings of all descriptions, from children to cubs to spawn-fry.
But here is a strange thing: few of the younglings need comfort. It is instead the younglings who offer comfort to their elders. Across the Republic-in words or pheromones, in magnetic pulses, tentacle-braids, or mental telepathy - the message from the younglings is the same: Don't worry. It'll be all right.
Anakin and Obi-Wan will be there any minute.
They say this as though these names can conjure miracles.
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. HoloNet features of their operations against the Separatist enemy have made them the most famous Jedi in the galaxy.
Younglings across the galaxy know their names, know everything about them, follow their exploits as though they are sports heroes instead of warriors in a desperate battle to save civilization. Even grown-ups are not immune; it's not uncommon for an exasperated parent to ask, when faced with offspring who have just tried to pull off one of the spectacularly dangerous bits of foolishness that are the stock-in-trade of high-spirited younglings everywhere, So which were you supposed to be, Kenobi or Skywalker?
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.
All the younglings watching the battle in Coruscant's sky know it: when Anakin and Obi-Wan get there, those dirty Seppers are going to wish they'd stayed in bed today.
The adults know better, of course. That's part of what being a grown-up is: understanding that heroes are created by the HoloNet, and that the real-life Kenobi and Skywalker are only human beings, after all.
Even if they really are everything the legends say they are, who's to say they'll show up in time? Who knows where they are right now? They might be trapped on some Separatist backwater. They might be captured, or wounded. Even dead.
Some of the adults even whisper to themselves, They might have fallen.
Because the stories are out there. Not on the HoloNet, of course - the HoloNet news is under the control of the Office of the Supreme Chancellor, and not even Palpatine's renowned candor would allow tales like these to be told-but people hear whispers. Whispers of names that the Jedi would like to pretend never existed.
Sora Bulq. Depa Billaba. Jedi who have fallen to the dark. Who have joined the Separatists, or worse: who have massacred civilians, or even murdered their comrades. The adults have a sickening suspicion that Jedi cannot be trusted. Not anymore. That even the greatest of them can suddenly just . . . snap.
The adults know that legendary heroes are merely legends, and not heroes at all.
These adults can take no comfort from their younglings. Palpatine is captured. Grievous will escape. The Republic will fall. No mere human beings can turn this tide. No mere human beings would even try. Not even Kenobi and Skywalker.
And so it is that these adults across the galaxy watch the HoloNet with ashes where their hearts should be.
Ashes because they can't see two prismatic bursts of realspace reversion, far out beyond the planet's gravity well; because they can't see a pair of starfighters crisply jettison hyperdrive rings and streak into the storm of Separatist vulture fighters with all guns blazing.
A pair of starfighters. Jedi starfighters. Only two.
Two is enough.
Two is enough because the adults are wrong, and their younglings are right.
Though this is the end of the age of heroes, it has saved its best for last.
Excerpted from Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover Copyright © 2005 by Matthew Woodring Stover. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Anonymous
Posted December 16, 2009
I Also Recommend:
I absolutley loved this book. When i first got though i didnt think it was at all interesting but when i really read it was beyond my expectations. If you like star wars than this is the book for you. Keep writing stover you'll go down in history. And people i'm not kidding really read this book it is amazing!
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Matthew Stover seriously worked wonders with this story.
Many of the emotions that I knew I should have felt about the characters at the end of the movie that I didn't, I felt in full force here. I actually felt pity for Anakin (instead of just being angry at him like I was after the movie), enjoyed Dooku and General Grievous as the "small time" villains, and understood why the Jedi Council did many of the things it did. Mr. Stover's strength was, actually in 3 particular areas, but the 1st was his understanding of the characters. Even characters who only get their 15 minutes of fame like Count Dooku get explored and explained and become enjoyable figures. The characterization of the "main" characters and their relationships with others was what really blew me away. Anakin and Padme's relationship becomes realistic here and you can honestly see why Anakin made the decisions he did regarding it and her (plus it loses all the corny, cheesy dialogue from the movie) and the Jedi Council become real characters with flaws and strengths and fears and hopes. But my favorite part, I think, is how the relationship between Anakin and his former master Obi-wan came out. You can see that Obi-wan truly loved Anakin as a brother and how much the final battle hurt him. Not only that, but you can also see how much Anakin returned Obi-wan's brotherly love and how that kept him grounded for so long.
The 2nd and 3rd of Mr. Stover's particularly strong points were his battle scenes and just his over-all style. In books battle and fight scenes usually bore me. They are great to watch but when it comes to simply reading it...something just gets lost. This was a big time exception. They (especially the battle between Obi-wan, Anakin, and Dooku) became my favorite parts. I just loved his understanding of the styles of fighting and how he used the fights to bring out the characters even more. His style was also just great. Witty, correctly emotional, and just right.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 7, 2006
It's obvious what's going to happen to Anakin. He will turn to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader. But the way Matthew Stover wrote it, you just felt for him. Palpatine was the real villain. He was twisting every word anybody good ever said to Anakin in ways to serve him. He blinded Anakin to what he wanted him to see. He promised to help him save Padme' and in the end, he just let Anakin believe that Anakin had killed her. The end had me in tears. The way Matthew Stover wrote, the emotions jumping out of the pages, was just brilliant. It genuinely hurt to read about Anakin's downfall and that is the sign of a great book. Of course, he had amazing material to go off of. Although, George could've taken a few dialogue queues from Stover. All joking aside, this is one of my top 5 Star Wars books ever.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 6, 2007
This story of Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader was intriguing and sad. I can't help but feel the pain at Padme's coming death and the birth of the twins. When Anakin truly became Darth Vader...well, you need to read this book to understand what he felt. I highly recommend this book to any Star Wars fan.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2012
This title is rated E(10+)
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 25, 2012
I love the book and the movie
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 12, 2012
I'm a huge star wars fan and this book was amazing!! It totally emphasizes Obi-Wan's love for Anakin and his pain when Anakin turned to the Dark Side. Padme's pain was almost unbearble. Such a sad book but amazing writing! I love how it took more persuading to turn Anakin into Darth Vader and how he seemed to be aware of the monster he was becoming without quite realizing it. This book is one I reccomend to ANY Star Wars fan!!!! :)
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Posted October 26, 2012
BEST BOOK EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted September 7, 2012
And i thought Attack of the clones was sad......
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Posted June 22, 2012
Sorry i misspelled anakins name. Its anakin not anikin. Im tired and should go to bed. So yeah.
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Posted June 3, 2012
Addicting
I'd read the original trilogy, but no others.
After the movie came out, I needed to know what was going through Anakin's mind. Had to know what all the characters were thinking. Needed to have an authors insight into the movie. Couldn't put this down.
Afterward I started reading the whole Star Wars series. The minds of the Jedi and Sith irresistible.
I've been addicted to Star Wars books since reading this.
Anonymous
Posted May 31, 2012
I got the book because i loved the move
Best book ever
Anonymous
Posted May 2, 2012
It is cool because anakin turns to the dark side and evil is stornger if you do not like this book you should read it again
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 2, 2012
BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Matthew Stover recreates Revenge of the Sith with such mastery that George Lucas himself should take lessens from this man. The Vietnam War-esque allusions that Stover compares with the Clone Wars are absolutely haunting.
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Posted December 30, 2011
I hope it is good as the movie.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 9, 2011
Great book good book if you know what words from star wars are even kids can read it if your reading level 3 to 4
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DarthRevanMB
Posted August 31, 2011
this is the book that really cemented my love for star wars.
it has great insights in the inner workings of the characters. i love how there are moments wherein the author seemingly stops time and just let's us readers absorb the situation/emotion.
overall, probably one of the best books ever - not just from the star wars EU.
Anonymous
Posted August 21, 2011
After two chapters I was sold.
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Posted January 16, 2012
This book is amazing. He wrote it really good.
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Overview
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 Grievous. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine continues to strip away constitutional liberties in the name of security while influencing public opinion to turn against the Jedi. And a conflicted Anakin fears ...