STAR WARS; REVENGE OF THE SITH, by Matthew Stover, based on story and screenplay by George Lucas, Ballantine, 418 pages, $25.95.
The new "Star Wars" movie and the new "Star Wars" book are both pretty much critic-proof. There is a large segment of the population that will see the final installment of the movie and read the novelization no matter how bad it might get blasted in the press.
The book "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" by Matthew Stover went to the No. 1 spot on the best-seller lists the first week it was released.
The author is a veteran of several non-movie "Star Wars" books, including "Star Wars: Shatterpoint," and he clearly understands the "Star Wars" universe. Here, he tackles the events that are the crucial turning point of the entire "Star Wars" saga and provides meaning to the other story arcs that take place before and after.
If you have been in a cultural cave or have been driven away from the movies by two disappointing prequels, understand that this is the story of Darth Vader, voted the third greatest film villain of alltime by the American Film Institute.
Many will read the book because they can't wait to know how things happen before they see it on the big screen, and others will want to delve a bit deeper into the characters and situations than a film can. The book delivers on both fronts.
Released six weeks before the film debuts (midnight shows are scheduled for Wednesday), the book obviously "spoils" plot points. But for those who have been watching these films since 1977, there aren't a whole lot of mysteries anyway. Nearly everybody knows that Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader. The thrill then, lies in discovering how this happens.
The events of this chapter of the saga take place about 20 years before the events in the original "Star Wars" film, now retitled "A New Hope" (chronologically, it is the fourth installment of the films). The evil Empire is not yet established and the Jedi order is still a vibrant part of the democratic republic. Skywalker and mentor Obi Wan Kenobi are powerful Jedi, heavily involved in fighting the Clone Wars for the republic.
The book opens with a gigantic cinematic action sequence that find the friends tracking down the evil Sith, rivals to the Jedi Knights. The republic's chancellor — who in another worst-kept secret is also secretly orchestrating the war — is being held "prisoner," and his attempted rescue makes for dramatic heroics from the Jedi and shrewd manipulation from the thinly-disguised villain.
Every sequence with the chancellor makes for captivating reading as he plays puppet master to all the dark events that build and threaten the republic and Skywalker. The chancellor is one of the most interesting characters in the novel, although certainly the most evil.
Readers already know the
ruinous ending, but learning the nefarious details of how all the pieces fit is a genuine joy for fans who have waited almost 30 years to find out the details. The middle of the book follows Skywalker in his personal angst and, yes, immature whining, as he stumbles emotionally, hastening his inevitable journey to the dark side.
Here the novel reveals what may turn out to be bad dialogue and overwrought romantic scenes in the film. The lines are barely acceptable in the novelization since each character's motivations can be explained better, but one can almost hear a "clunk" after a couple of declarations of love. In fairness, the actors may well pull them off.
The climax of the book makes this easy to forgive, as Skywalker is pushed and manipulated and makes dark choices. The action sequences are as emotional and operatic as the entire "Star Wars" universe is rocked by the chancellor springing his carefully laid traps. The tragedy makes for enjoyable reading that evokes pity for most of the villains and sympathy for the failed heroes.
Stover is allowed some freedom, or so it seems, to push beyond obvious cinematic storytelling. This isn't literary greatness but it is entertaining, especially for those with a passion for "Star Wars." Best of all, it suggests that the final "Star Wars" movie might be pretty satisfying as well.
E-mail: lc@desnews.com