Review: Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover

Blurb:

The turning point for the entire Star Wars saga is at hand. . . .

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 that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die. Tormented by unspeakable visions, Anakin edges closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic–and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.

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.

Review:

Revenge of the Sith, the culmination of the ultimately flawed Prequel trilogy from George Lucas, was a movie that had good ideas and poor execution. Matthew Stover (author of the Acts of Caine series) has elevated the work into a succinct, nuanced work that shows what could have been. 

It all centers on relationships, particularly Anakin’s. His relationship with Padme, with Obi-Wan, with Palpatine, with the Jedi order, with his mother, with fame, but ultimately, the most important relationship he has is with fear. 

“This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker, for now…”

Anakin Skywalker, the most powerful jedi in the universe, a hero, a living legend, is terrified. Once a slave boy who was forced to scrape by with machinery scraps and risky races, he’s risen to be the hero of the republic. He’s still that same boy, terrified and overcompensating, but he’s also the hero, fearless and loyal. He’s both. 

Plagued by a combination of prophetic nightmares and the limitations and rules that go with being a Jedi, Anakin is driven to desperation. He reminds me of Clark Kent. Superman, even with all his power, can’t save his own father from a heart attack. Just like that situation, Anakin has all the power in the world, but he can’t prevent fate. He will try. 

“Everything dies. Even stars burn out”

The way that Stover presents these trials of love and duty, of personal wants versus societal needs, of dichotomies of self and public, is handled with care and precision. We see it with Anakin’s journey in a multi-faceted way, but we also see it with Obi-Wan and his devotion to Anakin and his devotion to the Jedi as a whole. Stover shows these characters try to cling to both even though it’s impossible. Watching them struggle to grip the reins makes the heart yearn for success even when tragedy looms. 

The combat, one of the few things the movie did rather well, is handled just as well (if not better) in Stover’s novel. The characters fight with such dynamic styles that you can almost feel the poundings of lightsabers and the subtle mechnations of the force. Mace Windu with his deadly, dark driven gambits compared to Obi-Wan’s defensive go-with-the-flow motions in particular show the complexities of fighting that Stover effortlessly details. 

While Stover chronicles Anakin’s fall to the dark side with much more care and nuance, as well as going further to show that he’s already off-balance, the switch does still come quickly. I feel like he’s done the best he can given the source material, and the novel is still an excellent read and does everything the movie tried to do. 

“‘That’s not it at all. I am firmly convinced that Anakin can do anything. Except betray a friend. What we have done to him today … That’s why I don’t think he will ever trust us again.’He found his eyes turning unaccountably hot, and his vision swam with unshed tears. ‘And I’m not entirely sure he should.’

Overall, I loved this book. I grew up with the Prequel trilogy, and despite its flaws, I have a soft spot of nostalgia for them. Seeing the slow turn of Anakin Skywalker, the culmination of the clash of fate between master and student, brother against brother, was amazing. It was handled with grace and boldness and respect. I’d recommend this for anyone who has seen Revenge of the Sith without hesitation. 

“The dark is generous and it is patient and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies its weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back.

Love is more than a candle.

Love can ignite the stars.”