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Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy #1)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 2,290 ratings · 80 reviews

The war that erupted in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is nearing its boiling point, as the dauntless Separatist forces continue their assault on the teetering Republic–and the diabolical triumvirate of Count Dooku, General Grievous, and their Master, Darth Sidious, fine-tune their strategy for conquest. In Episode III Revenge of the Sith the fates of key playe...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published September 27th 2005 by LucasBooks (first published January 1st 2005)

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Feb 25, 2009 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars

As a run up to (movie) Episode Three, Labyrinth of Evil succeeds. As a standalone novel it was nearly unintelligible. All the usual suspects go through all the usual motions, but what about the hapless reader who wanders into the Star War universe at this book?

That said, Luceno also flunks astrophysics. On one page (326) he uses the phrases "closing rapidly on the rim of the gravity well" and "punching through Corusacant's sheath of gases." (outward bound) Similar statements throughout the book...more

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Sep 12, 2007 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

As per usual, after I saw Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith for the first time, I wanted more. This novel is the prequel to the movie, occurring between episodes II and III. It fills in nicely a lot of plot-data, but it doesn't do much else. Luceno seemed afraid to explore the Obi-Wan/Anakin dynamics of this time period, something which, thankfully, did not hamper Matthew Stover when he wrote the novelization of Episode III. Obi-Wan and Anakin are the reason I love Star Wars, and I...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Jason added it

This book is another example of an exciting Star Wars adventure (not great science fiction, but wonderful space opera). It was hard to put the book down. The pacing is fast and pushes events along that lead directly into the opening scene of Episode III. You get background info Grievous and Sidious and it explains the how and why of the events of Episode III. Sadly, some of the events in LoE (Labyrinth of Evil) conflict with Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars microseries cartoon, mainly the details...more

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May 05, 2012 Ploy [SU] rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remembered reading this book a year or so ago, when I was eleven, and I liked it then. I recently read it again, and I think I better understand it now. If this book is a stand alone, it won't be very good, but since it is all part of the star wars saga and I understand the galaxy pretty well now, this book is entertaining for me. James Luceno's style of writing is strongly shown here, and that is probably part of why I liked the book. I recommend huge Star Wars fans for this book, mostly beca...more I remembered reading this book a year or so ago, when I was eleven, and I liked it then. I recently read it again, and I think I better understand it now. If this book is a stand alone, it won't be very good, but since it is all part of the star wars saga and I understand the galaxy pretty well now, this book is entertaining for me. James Luceno's style of writing is strongly shown here, and that is probably part of why I liked the book. I recommend huge Star Wars fans for this book, mostly because it will leave you hanging if you don't know where you are.

The Clone Wars is near its boiling point. Jedi Knights Obi-Wan and Anakin attempts to capture a treacherous ally of the Sith. Though they came up empty handed, their bravery gave them an unexpected prize: intelligence capable to leading the republic forces to their ultimate quarry: the ever eluding Darth Sidious, whom they suspect has been manipulating every aspect of the Separatist rebellion. As the trail takes a shocking turn, Sidious stays one move ahead, for he has set up a ruthless campaign to bring to Republic to its knees.

This book, for those who don't know how events will unfold, would seem mysterious. For those who know, which would be the majority, this is a great set up for ROTS. I'm glad that he did not tamper with Mathew Stover's novelization, which is the most awesome Star Wars book I've read. It was amusing to see Grevious not knowing the identities of Sidious. It was also funny to see Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship, even if it is a little too less. Anakin's emotions are also done well, but it would be good if there was more. I'm also glad that Windu and Shaak Ti is in the story. The continual references to other books and movies are good since it helps fit the story in. I like the idea of how it pretty much became a wild bantha chase since Sidious already knew...

It was interesting to see how Anakin's emotions played out, which eventually led to his downfall. I'm glad Obi-Wan was there next to him, and as Stover said, be part of the team. Padme, Bail, and other senators were pretty brave, and I liked to see how they reacted to the action and everything. I'm glad it was clearly stated that Yoda knew of the corruption in the senate and how the republic was falling as well.

In conclusion, I loved this book. It could be better some ways, but this is what I'm striving for if I can ever publish a Star Wars book myself- a dream come true.
(less)

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Jul 11, 2010 Crystal Starr Light rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

While this book is most certainly not an easy read (typical James Luceno), it is none-the-less fun and informative. Many of the Clone Wars novels (most notably The Cestus Deception and Jedi Trial) have been lacking or not very cohesive. Attack of the Clones movie only shows the beginning of the Clone Wars. And Revenge of the Sith ends the Clone Wars, leaving us, the audience, yearning for answers as to how we get from AotC to RotS.
This is where Labyrinth of Evil comes in.

Plot:
Anakin and Obi-Wan...more While this book is most certainly not an easy read (typical James Luceno), it is none-the-less fun and informative. Many of the Clone Wars novels (most notably The Cestus Deception and Jedi Trial) have been lacking or not very cohesive. Attack of the Clones movie only shows the beginning of the Clone Wars. And Revenge of the Sith ends the Clone Wars, leaving us, the audience, yearning for answers as to how we get from AotC to RotS.
This is where Labyrinth of Evil comes in.

Plot:
Anakin and Obi-Wan are fighting in the Outer Rim worlds, thrown their by our favorite almost-Emperor, Palpatine. They discover the mechno-chair used by Nute Gunray and discover the location of the feared General Grievous, finally revealed in fine detail.
Meanwhile, Bail Organa watches the changes in government and begins to worry about the outcome. He and a few others (Mon Mothma from Return of the Jedi) start the outlines of what will become the Rebel Alliance.
Anakin and Obi-Wan race closer and closer to the true identity of Darth Sidious as the events tumble into what was made into the movie, Revenge of the Sith.

Good:
Little references from all the Clone Wars novels (well, mostly the good ones, Yoda, Shatterpoint, etc.) are integrated into one cohesive work. The end blends perfectly with the beginning of RotS. I just loved reading each little detail that blended with AotC, the previous Clone Wars novels, and even The Phantom Menace, making sense of all the wanderings that previous novelists have done.

Bad:
Probably the only reason this does not receive a full five stars is the apparent conflictions with the Clone Wars Animated Shorts (almost as good as the movies). In the shorts, the end is completely different than that in Labyrinth of Evil. Anakin and Obi-Wan are on completely different systems with completely different reasons for being there. I still wonder how this is reconciled in Star Wars canon.

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
No coarse language. No sexual situations. This is Star Wars during the Clone Wars--expect Star Wars type of violence (lightsabers, blasters, war, etc.).

Overall:
If you wonder about what happens to Anakin and Obi-Wan just before RotS, this will answer your questions. It is way, way better than The Approaching Storm (which merely told an unimportant, filler story) in this regard. Definitely worthwhile and important to truly understanding the nuances of Revenge of the Sith. (less)

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Apr 03, 2010 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars, sci-fi

I read Labyrinth of Evil a couple years ago, and I remember being excited about it, but I couldn’t remember any of the details. I wanted to re-read the novelization of Revenge of the Sith so I thought I’d go through this again to set the stage. After completing the book It seems that’s what sets it apart from the star wars pack for me: it sets the stage for Revenge of the Sith. RoTS the film had some issues with acting and dialogue (etc, etc) but I recall really enjoying the novelized version,...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Chad Warner rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Star Wars fans

Shelves: science-fiction, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 22, 2012 Patrick rated it 2 of 5 stars

From my limited experience, it is rather difficult for the Star Wars "expanded universe" novels to rise above overt hokey-ness. Luceno does a better job than most, though he occasionally recycles well-known Star Wars dialog and builds meaningless dramatic tension. If nothing else, Labyrinth of Evil highlights a fundamental flaw of George Lucas' prequel trilogy: that Anakin is essentially a flat character with nowhere to go except the Dark Side of the Force.

Labyrinth of Evil is fun, albeit unnece...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars, science-fiction

One of the most frustrating things about Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy is the time-hopping that leaves big gaps in the story of the Clone Wars and left me, as a viewer very disconnected with the characters whose story he was trying to tell. Even more annoyingly, the planetary and political backdrop to this entire period in Star Wars Universe had clearly been discussed, debated and worked through in quite some detail and there's nothing more that this reviewer likes than an epic story that tak...more One of the most frustrating things about Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy is the time-hopping that leaves big gaps in the story of the Clone Wars and left me, as a viewer very disconnected with the characters whose story he was trying to tell. Even more annoyingly, the planetary and political backdrop to this entire period in Star Wars Universe had clearly been discussed, debated and worked through in quite some detail and there's nothing more that this reviewer likes than an epic story that takes place on a well thought out, politically complex canvas.

Although he's become a terrible director Lucas did one thing right with the prequels and that was to open up the franchise to allow for a bigger multimedia campaign that would be freer to tell stories that "couldn't" be told in the movies. The original Clone Wars microseries - for instance - is wonderful and probably more essential than the movies. That show was artistic and impressionistic, though, so it's down to the novels of the period to really fill in the gaps and to explain to a confused viewer like me just what exactly was going on with the bigger picture.

Labyrinth of Evil is one of these novels and was written as a direct prequel to Revenge of the Sith and its primary intent is to fill viewers in on what happened leading up to the opening of that movie which sees Anakin and Obi-Wan on a mission to rescue Palpatine who has just been kidnapped from Coruscant. It's fair to say that Luceno has done a really good job of not only creating an entertaining sequence of events that build nicely into that scenario but he's gone one further and tied together a whole lot of loose ends that were hanging from Attack of the Clones too. Character details and motivations from that movie are explained and characters such as General Grievous and Dooku get some nice history and background information, and I now feel like they are a firm, important part of the Star Wars universe, rather than underdeveloped creations that Lucas just happened to think "looked cool". Having read this novel I now feel that the era of the Clone Wars is one that matters to Star Wars mythology and is more than just a cash cow.

Sadly, Luceno is a competent, but not a great writer and he drops the ball in two major ways (as well as having an awful habit of switching perspectives mid-chapter and confusing the hell out of me). Firstly, the major plotline of the novel is horribly A-B. Some readers maintain that this is a "detective" novel and in a sense it is, since it follows an attempt by the Jedi to uncover a series of clues that will lead to them finally uncovering the identity of Darth Sidious. However, no good detective novel simply sees the main protagonist leap from one clue/interrogation to the next in a linear fashion (i.e. Anakin/Obi Wan speak to someone who tells them to go and speak to someone else, then someone else and so-on) since there's little interest or dramatic tension to be had from pure linearity. It's not a terrible plot device for allowing a number of space operatic action scenes, though, and since the main Anakin/Obi-Wan plot is interspersed with sections featuring Yoda, Windu, Amidala and more it never feels as linear and dull as it could have. What's more there's some nice scheming on Palpatine's behalf towards the close of the book and it all ends in some fast paced action.

Secondly, Luceno never lets us get inside Anakin's head. I'm not sure if he was afraid to, or if he'd been directed not to for fear of spoiling Stover's novelisation of Revenge of the Sith, but this hampers the book badly since it both distances us from the main protagonists, and worse, fails to help sell the idea that headstrong Anakin would turn into the ultimate evil that is Darth Vader. Having ended this book my feelings about Anakin were "he's just another guy" rather than an impassioned but brilliant Jedi on the brink of a major catatastrophe that will shake the core of his soul and the entire universe. I was particularly disappointed by this since Lucas' characterisation of Anakin is very weak and was hoping for a little more depth and understanding, particularly as this is the point of the entire series. Obi-Wan too, unfortunately, remains as flat as he does in the movies.

Overall though, for the positives, this is a recommended read for anyone who either enjoys the prequels or wants to get a little more background, and to make a little more sense out of them. There's more than enough here to suck you into this particular universe and I'm continually more appreciative of the complexity of this backdrop and of Palpatine's political machinations that lead to the downfall of a once great Republic. As a series designed for young adult readers this is never going to reach amazing heights of subtlety or brilliance, but it fills its remit pretty well and makes for an entertaining easy to enjoy Space Opera.(less)

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Sep 21, 2011 Luke Baldock rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've always enjoyed the Star Wars prequels. But I also enjoy Sharktopus and the Anaconda movies. The prequels were never up there with the original trilogy. They don't even come close. Despite this, I decided to give this book a read. The prequel to Revenge of the Sith. One plus about reading Star Wars novels is that I'm familiar with characters and places. It's never too taxing on the imagination and I'm able to breeze through the books. In many ways this book is about as good as, if not better...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Mike Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

This book relates the events immediately preceding the movie Revenge of the Sith. If you've seen the movie, you recall it opens with the Supreme Chancellor having been kidnapped by the Separatists. The book covers the actual kidnapping and the machinations of the factions leading up to the kidnapping.

The book covers a lot of territory and has some good action scenes, but falls a little flat overall. Also, some of the plot details are different from those presented in other media, such as the Clo...more

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Feb 23, 2013 Linda Jaejoong rated it 5 of 5 stars

Die Geschichte hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Sie zeigt deutlich den inneren Konflikt der in Anakin tobt!! Wir tauchen tief in seine Gefühlswelt ein und man merkt das die Brücke zwichen Gut und Böse nicht sehr lang ist!! Das Böse zieht ihn immer mehr und mehr auf seine Seite und man merkt das er dem Bösen in seinem Inneren nicht entkommen kann. Würden Obi Wan und Anakin doch nur mal wirklich miteinander reden und sich gegenseitig sagen was sie wirklich fühlen und denken. Das Buch ist düsterer als se...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Ethan I. Solomon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Labyrinth of Evil is part of a trilogy to me, comprised of this book, the novelization of Ep.III and then The Rise of Darth Vader. Of the three, Labyrinth is second favorite and acts as an incredibly perfect lead-in to Revenge of the Sith. The story never feels forced, as many "prequel" novels do, the story develops organically and does much to help us understand the psyche of Anakin Skywalker and his descent to the dark side. Four stars is the highest I can really give a Star Wars book, other t...more

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Mar 22, 2013 David Dalton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, favorites

I am amazed this novel is not more popular. It is the setup novel to Star Wars III movie (Revenge of the Sith). The book takes you into the world of the Jedi and we get to see how closely Anakin and Obi-wan work together. You did the friendship and trust the two will share. It also sets up General Griveous as a serious villian as opposed to the movie or tv show. This guy is really a major league villain.....but even he pales when compared to the Dark Lord of the Sith. The book ENDS just where th...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Yves rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dans ce tome de la Guerre des Clones, Anakin et Obi-Wan partent à la recherche de Nute Gunray, un des leaders des Séparatistes. D'après eux, c'est la meilleure façon de découvrir Darth Sidious, le Sith Lord qui manipule les séparatistes. Lors de poursuite contre Gunray, les deux Jedi vont découvrir des faits de plus en plus troublant sur l'origine de l'armée de clones.

J'ai bien aimé ce roman car les héros commencent découvrir la vérité sur la guerre des Clones. Ils se rendent compte que le compl...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Jemiah Jefferson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read as part of the Dark Lord Trilogy omnibus. Luceno's bracketing novels (Labyrinth of Evil and Dark Lord) are well-written but suffer by comparison to Matthew Stover's excellent novelization of Revenge of the Sith. That said, Luceno creates rich and interesting original characters, and gives Obi-wan Kenobi a welcome level of depth and humor in a couple of very dark stories.

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Nov 29, 2010 Chris Hawks rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

I was fully prepared to give this book 2.5 stars, as I was only reading it to lead in to Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith. But the gripping, action-packed final third of the book mostly makes up for the clunky, boring first two-thirds. It works well as prequel, building right up to the beginning of RotS, though it's not really worth reading for its own sake.

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Sep 06, 2012 Danny René rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An average addition to the lore of the SW universe. Great insight to Grievous' back story, and Luceno does a great job at describing many of Coruscant's varying locations. The book REALLY picked up in the final act, and set up Episode III quite well. I loved all the mentioning of Qui-Gon Jinn throughout the story, proving just how important that character was, and how much more pivotal he would have been were he to survive against Maul. A fun, simple read.

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May 07, 2013 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Book is a prequel to Revenge of the Sith.

If you want to know how Sidious got fake kidnapped then this is the book for you.

Otherwise not worth your time. That's pretty much the entire plot. Skywalker and Obi-Wan go looking for clues as to where Sidious is and then we get the kidnapping. Nothing important or insightful is revealed.

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Nov 29, 2008 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone interested in the Star wars series

This is the first one of these novels I have read. Since I didn't start with the first one things were a little confusing at first as I tried to understand where this novel was taking place in a timeline as compared with the movies.

Overall it was pretty good and it was an easy to read book since I was already familiar with most of the characters.

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Jan 26, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed "Labrynth of Evil." The teams of technicians which blend all of this Star Wars history together really did an excellent job this time. We all know what happened in "Revenge of the Sith," which opens with Obi Wan and Anikan battling their way onto the Seperatist battle-cruiser to save Chancellor Palpatine. "Labrynth of Evil" is a sequel to "Revenge" and fills us in on all the events of the weeks leading up to that point. It really highlights the deep freindship of the two Jedi Kn...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Best prequel-era Star Wars book out there. It is an official lead-in to "Revenge of the Sith," ending seconds before the movie starts, and captures the feel, cadence, and adventure of everything that Star Wars should be. This was my second read; I may have to make a point of re-reading it every year....

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Feb 20, 2009 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

I disagree with the blurb on here, but can see this one is more for Star Wars nerds like myself.

This one to me just makes Episode III make sense and more poignant as they ALMOST catch Palpatine in the act before he can pull all the stuff he does in Episode III. It is a fascinating whodunit as they track and hone in on the mysterious Sith Lord, completely unaware they're getting closer to Palpatine. If just like one thing at any of various points had gone better, maybe they expose Palpatine befo...more

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Dec 15, 2008 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-fantasy

Non Star Wars nuts won't be able to follow this book. It was written strictly in mind of the big Star Wars fans. Even with that in mind, the story was predictable and a bit dissapointing.

If you're interested in knowing what happens before the beggining of Episode III then this book is what you want. This isn't a spoiler, but the events include how Palpatine was kidnapped and the book ends with Kenobi and Skywalker getting in their ships to start what will be Palpatine's rescue.

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Dec 09, 2010 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science, fiction

i thought this was a great book! if your a big fan or just like it this book is a great lead in for episode 3. i loved how it gave grievous's backstory but i still wish there was more. some parts were boring but once you get reading it it's hard to stop!

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Oct 25, 2010 Gord rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-picture-book-readings

Much like the prequels I absolutely loved specific elements to it for instance the origin story of General Grievous but as a whole the book fell short. For those who know me know Im as geeky about Star Wars as they come.. ert ert schneeegle.

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Jan 05, 2012 Ricky Ganci rated it 2 of 5 stars

It had all of the information about Master Syfo-Dyas that we’ve been wanting since Attack of the Clones – that alone made it worth reading, but it’s a Luceno and it felt a lot like SW all the way through. Shaak Ti rocks my face off.

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Feb 19, 2009 Walt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-wars

Set during the Clone Wars, this is one of the better Star Wars novels. There is not too much detail except to orient readers to the changing environments. The plot line fits very well with the movies.

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Jan 13, 2013 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish I could give it 4.5 stars. Very well written and absorbing. The real tragedy of the new trilogy is that nobody will read the books, which is where the story itself really shines.

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Jul 13, 2012 Souvik added it

this book fills the gap between the movies episode 2 and 3,awesome book,tells about the events of the clone wars and also gives details about general grievous and others,cool book :)

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Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy #1)

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