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A review by mianderingbard
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover
4.0
Well! This was as good as its reputation said it would be, but I was glad that I knew the writing around Padmé would leave much to be desired. The lines about her ‘playing’ at being a senator because her real role is to be ‘Anakin’s wife’ and the fact that she did not interact with Leia at all irked me the most.
But overall, I did enjoy this book very much. I grew up with the prequels and I have always been an Anakin apologist, but I’ve finally realised a few things that this book really solidified.
1. Anakin restricted what could have been an infinite Empire to a mere 23 years. That’s short even by human standards!
2. Anakin’s fall was inevitable. He bears the brunt of the blame, of course. He allowed himself to be manipulated, to an extent. However, Sidious/Palpatine had been planning this for some time. With or without Anakin. The Jedi had lost their way.
3. Discussion: is the Galactic Empire the most evil entity to ever exist in the SW universe? Or was it just the evolution of the Republic. Is Sidious to blame for all of this or was it a result of corruption? This is what I intend to find out as I try to figure out what to read next. To be fair, my faith in the Republic was broken when I played a light side Jedi in SWTOR so I don’t have a strong background in SW lore beyond the movies but it was far more satisfying to play a light side Sith than a Jedi working against corruption (and the most heart-wrenching of all would’ve been a dark side Jedi…) because there was a strong sense of evil to fight against. The republic being corrupt is a far more realistic version.
4. I love Obi-Wan. Infinitely. I refuse to see him as 16 years older, I hc him as Luke’s age in ANH when he takes on Anakin as a padawan because I can. Their friendship is what makes the heart of this story, not the love story.
5. Speaking of ages, Anakin falls at the same age Luke was when he defeats the Emperor… :(
5. I will be describing my anxiety as a dragon from here on.
6. I also love Mace Windu. I see Stover’s written a book about him so perhaps I should read that next.
But overall, I did enjoy this book very much. I grew up with the prequels and I have always been an Anakin apologist, but I’ve finally realised a few things that this book really solidified.
1. Anakin restricted what could have been an infinite Empire to a mere 23 years. That’s short even by human standards!
2. Anakin’s fall was inevitable. He bears the brunt of the blame, of course. He allowed himself to be manipulated, to an extent. However, Sidious/Palpatine had been planning this for some time. With or without Anakin. The Jedi had lost their way.
3. Discussion: is the Galactic Empire the most evil entity to ever exist in the SW universe? Or was it just the evolution of the Republic. Is Sidious to blame for all of this or was it a result of corruption? This is what I intend to find out as I try to figure out what to read next. To be fair, my faith in the Republic was broken when I played a light side Jedi in SWTOR so I don’t have a strong background in SW lore beyond the movies but it was far more satisfying to play a light side Sith than a Jedi working against corruption (and the most heart-wrenching of all would’ve been a dark side Jedi…) because there was a strong sense of evil to fight against. The republic being corrupt is a far more realistic version.
4. I love Obi-Wan. Infinitely. I refuse to see him as 16 years older, I hc him as Luke’s age in ANH when he takes on Anakin as a padawan because I can. Their friendship is what makes the heart of this story, not the love story.
5. Speaking of ages, Anakin falls at the same age Luke was when he defeats the Emperor… :(
5. I will be describing my anxiety as a dragon from here on.
6. I also love Mace Windu. I see Stover’s written a book about him so perhaps I should read that next.