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Dark Lord: The Rise Of Darth Vader (2005.) A Star Wars novel by James Luceno, occuring immediately after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. INTRODUCTION: The Star Wars film series is, without question, the greatest science fiction series of all time. George Lucas captured the minds of people young and old across the world. But as anyone knows, there are only a limited number of films, and for many people, this just wasn't enough. And thus, the Star Wars Expanded Universe was born. The Expanded Universe consisted of comic books, video games, novels, and other media. Many of the stories focused on the characters in the films, many focused on unknown characters from the same universe. Among the authors who tried their hands at creating Star Wars novels was James Luceno. In 2005, he wrote Dark Lord: The Rise Of Darth Vader, a novel which occured immediately after Episode III, which was released that year. Read on for my review of Luceno's sequel to a prequel. STORYLINE: Order sixty-six has been issued. The Jedi Knights have been deemed traitors to the Republic. Nearly the entire order has been decimated. Palpatine has dissolved the Republic and crowned himself the Emperor of the newly-formed Galactic Empire. And, much to the surprise of the few surviving Jedi, Darth Vader has survived his duel on Mustafar. Although now forced to wear life-sustaining armor, Vader is no less a threat. With a limited amount of remaining Jedi Knights still on the run, and plenty of people who still resist the New Order, Emperor Palpatine calls on Vader to do away with these threats to galactic peace. Now, with Vader hunting them down, those few suriving Jedi Knights face their greatest challenge ever. OPINIONS: Star Wars novels, much like Star Wars video games, are hit and miss in their execution. For every great book, there's a less-than-stellar one. But when it comes to writing prequel-era novels, Luceno is king. Cloak Of Deception and Labyrinth Of Evil were also excellent, and Dark Lord continues his reign of excellence as far as the prequel-era novels go. With plenty of plot elements, action, and development of characters old and new alike, he manages to create a story you won't want to put down. The only real complaints I have about this book are that, despite the title, I don't really think there is enough focus on Darth Vader (you have to read through nearly fifty pages before he even shows up!) and that there are times in the novel where he introduces too many characters in too little time (but he is certainly NOT the only Expanded Universe author guilty of that crime.) Overall though, if you got a kick out of Episode III and want to see what happened immediately thereafter, you should definitely check out Luceno's novel. OVERALL: Much as Episode III was the redemption episode for the prequel films, Luceno's novels are the redemption phase for prequel-era Star Wars Novels. James Luceno is one of the best Star Wars Expanded Universe novelists, and his contribution to the genre here is a damn fine one. It's good stuff. If you're a Star Wars fan, read this. And if you haven't seen Episode III (which isn't likely), I recommend seeing it first so you can see where this story takes its beginnings from. For the ultimate Revenge Of The Sith experience, I recommend reading Labyrinth Of Evil (also by Luceno) before watching the movie, and then watching the movie and reading Dark Lord. All in all, I am very much satisfied with this novel. Luceno has succeeded again. Highly recommended to any Star Wars Expanded Universe reader!Read full review
This book is great to read. It gives you insight into some of the surviving Jedi's attitude and conflicts over what to do next after the Jedi purge. It also gives insight into the mess that Anakin has become inside of his new life giving armor. Anaki is kind of walking around in a daze in this book still upset over his decisions and the loss of Padme. The book also focuses on a few Jedi who have survived and their problem. They must figure out whether to fight or to hide. In the end Vader confronts the leader of Jedi remnant in a lightsaber duel. Vader feels very sluggish in his armor because it doesn't allow the quick movement he was known for. This duel unlocks Vaders rage and allows him to flow more into the dark side and become the great Sith Lord. This book is a definate read for any Star Wars fan.Read full review
Addition to trilogy so must have.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Thanks
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The action is told very well. It also kept me reading at a fast pace. Recommended for anyone that followed the saga.
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