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Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy (Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy #1–3)

by James Luceno, Matthew Stover

3.93 · rating details · 43 ratings · 6 reviews

For the first time in one thrilling volume, three novels–Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith, and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader–that follow an epic chain of events: the last days of the Republic, the creation of the Empire, and the ultimate transformation of Jedi Anakin Skywalker into the notorious Darth Vader.

On the planet Neimoidia, Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi an...more

Paperback, 784 pages

Published June 28th 2011 by Del Rey

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Jul 12, 2010

Mike rated it

This book is three novels in one, chronicling the downfall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader.

Book #1 Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno. It's rare to find a Star Wars tie-in book that features mostly main characters from the movies. This is one of them. The focus of the book is mainly the hunt for Darth Sidious by Anakin and Obi-Wan, due to a slip up by Nute Gunray that allows the Republic to track Sidous down. I thought the novel was pertty good and the events of the fi...moreThis book is three novels in one, chronicling the downfall of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader.

Book #1 Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno. It's rare to find a Star Wars tie-in book that features mostly main characters from the movies. This is one of them. The focus of the book is mainly the hunt for Darth Sidious by Anakin and Obi-Wan, due to a slip up by Nute Gunray that allows the Republic to track Sidous down. I thought the novel was pertty good and the events of the final act (the invasion of Coruscant and the capture of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine by General Grievous) lead the reader directly into..

Book #2 Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover. This is a novelization of the screenplay written by Lucas and is, in some cases more enjoyable than the film itself because it can provide a broader scope to the events and doesn't exactly match the events of the film. If anything, I'd say some of the descriptions of the opening space battle are too intricate and detailed and slow the story down. But the fight between Dooku and Anakin and Obi-Wan is well written, as are most of the battles in the book. The least interesting battle, in terms of how the narrative is laid out is the final battle between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. That should be the climax of the novel. Instead it seems rushed, as if a deadline prevented the writer from doing better work.

Book #3 Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno. This novel is mainly about scattered Jedi fleeing the wrath of Emperor Palpatine--said wrath being carried out by Darth Vader. This is a different Vader than we're used to seeing. He's conflicted and still getting used to his armor...though he has adapted the Villain 101 speech patterns he would use later on. Palpatine is shown as a evil taskmaster. The seeds of the Rebellion are shown growing with characters like Mon Mothma and Bail Organa maneuvering to avoid Vader and to discover his shocking true identity. Vader isn't exactly sympathetic, but the author doesn't spare the details about life in that ominous black suit of cybernetic armor. I'd say there's too much from characters we've never seen or heard about before and not enough Vader, but it turns out to be a good story eventually. There's even a nice bit with Obi-Wan on Tattooine at the end.(less)

· see review

Jan 05, 2011

Eric Farr rated it

I had in the past read James Luceno's Labyrinth of Evil, but it had been such a long time and I had had fond enough feelings that I did not mind re-reading the book in my exposure to this trilogy collection. It is more than a little unusual for a "trilogy," in that the first and last books are by Luceno, and the middle book, an adaptation of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is by Matthew Stover. It is all the more unusual, since Episode III is the third part of the Prequel T...moreI had in the past read James Luceno's Labyrinth of Evil, but it had been such a long time and I had had fond enough feelings that I did not mind re-reading the book in my exposure to this trilogy collection. It is more than a little unusual for a "trilogy," in that the first and last books are by Luceno, and the middle book, an adaptation of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, is by Matthew Stover. It is all the more unusual, since Episode III is the third part of the Prequel Trilogy of movies, making this collection a trilogy within a trilogy.

Nonetheless, despite clear differences in writing styles, the books do hold up a level of thematic and chronological consistency, chronicling the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker and his rebirth as Darth Vader. I would go so far as to say that the greater story, more immediately focused around the weeks and months just prior to and following Anakin's fall, is far more compelling and concise than the somewhat rambling affair that was the actual Prequel Trilogy.

Labyrinth of Evil provides an excellent set-up to Anakin's fall, while still giving enough references to past exploits and current scenes of heroic action to present Anakin as a genuine hero and to flesh out the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The poignant sense of heartache felt by a separated Anakin and Padme does wonders at legitimating their love, something the movies often fell short of. The major weakness of this novel is that it is a mystery story structured around a mystery that most readers are going to be privy to already: the identity of Darth Sidious. Nonetheless, the action and tense pursuit of clues by the heroes manage to maintain some degree of suspense, but the author's purposeful avoidance of Sidious' identity feels a little bit like cheating the reader, forcing a mystery out of nothing. It's okay for the characters not to know, but the author does not really have a reason to pretend like the readers are still in the dark.

For those readers who pick up the book without enough Star Wars knowledge to be aware of Sidious' identity (i.e., those who have not before seen the movies), I am sure that they were only further confused by the myriad references to past events from other novels and movies. However, given that this is a Star Wars book, I would hope that readers would at least have had a prior interest in the franchise to know enough to carry them through. The alternative would be terrible writing bogged down in exposition.

As it is, Luceno has a very engaging, smooth writing style that manages to move from near-lyrical insights into characters to efficient action prose. I would like to go ahead and say that in Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, Luceno really triumphs with his description of lightsaber combat--and I tend to find sword combat poorly described in text, often too focused on over-explaining individual movements and swings. Luceno finds a balance between description and summary, rarely over-specific or too vague.

The middle book, the adaptation, was enjoyable and relatively fast-paced, but I felt that the prose was perhaps too casual and conversational at times. Something rubbed me the wrong way about descriptions of characters in the midst of action, set off with things like, "Here's how it feels to be..." Nonetheless, the end description of Anakin is quite intense.

Overall, the adaptation sticks true to the events of the movie, embellishing on some elements and excluding others. I thought that the addition of the rebellion plot line and the increased interaction between Obi-Wan and Padme was definitely a plus, showing the start of the Rebellion against the soon-to-be Empire and giving more of a reason for Anakin's growing paranoia. Anakin himself is a disturbing character here, especially in regards to Padme: obsessive, overly passionate, aggressive, paranoid...he is the epitome of the abusive husband. This is not in poor taste on Stover's part, I think; in fact, it really gave me a greater understanding of Anakin and Padme's relationship, made me understand more the dynamics of their interactions, made me foresee how their tragic ending could conceivably play out. This felt a lot realer than the cheesy romantic dialogue of the film leading up to a violent turn-about, and made Anakin's progression to the Dark Side more natural.

Now I will return to The Rise of Darth Vader, the third and last book. The Jedi characters introduced in Bol Chatak, Olee Starstone, and Roan Shryne were very interesting--average in Force abilities, but still able to be iconic representations of the Jedi Order. I did grow to care about them. I thought that the use of clone commandos for their initial survival through Order 66 was rather clever, given that the commandos were more autonomous. And I really enjoyed the perspectives of Bail Organa, Darth Vader, Moff Tarkin, and Emperor Palpatine as they grew into their new roles.

That said, I found the cast of smugglers, additional Jedi, senators, and clones to be a bit overwhelming. Two of the smugglers are described as six-fingered humanoids, their only defining characteristic, it would seem--and yet they were pivotal characters. The Jedi were only briefly provided any description at all, and names were dropped without the ease of an associating detail to connect them readily to a character. Honestly, the story would have been better with less characters bouncing around.

Nonetheless, The Rise of Darth Vader was a nice conclusion to this trilogy set, and overall, I would recommend it. Alone, these novels are good franchise books, but together, their story is all the more tragic and all the more powerful.(less)

· see review

Jun 06, 2010

Graig rated it

If you're expecting this to be a life-altering work of literature, don't. If you're expecting it to be an over-worked comic book, you may be pleasantly surprised; though not so much for the novel treatment of Episode III.

Luceno's vividly descriptive style lends a lot of life to chracters and their struggles. He also solidly elevates the reading level beyond the standard 6th grade treatment provided in many similar works.

If you're a Star Wars fan, like to root for th...more

· see review

Nov 07, 2010

Marchel rated it

Shelves: dewasa, adventure

It's about Darthj Vader and the story behind that.

It's about the greatest jedi ever born who turn to be the greatest Sith.

It tells why the great jedi like Anakin Skywalker can be turn to be a Sith, not only a common Sith but Strongest Sith ever known.

· see review

Nov 03, 2011

Chris Cook rated it

This book made me a Star Wars fan. The novelization of Revenge of the Sith made me actually like the movie. The third book is fascinating--getting into the thoughts of Darth Vader.

This book started a fascination in me.

· see review

Feb 17, 2010

Landon rated it

Awesome . . . sheer awesome.

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About James Luceno

James Luceno co-wrote a lot of books with Brian Daley as Jack McKinney.

He is a New York Times Best-Selling author currently living in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and youngest child.

More about James Luceno...

Books by James Luceno

The Unifying Force (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, #19)

Hero's Trial (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, #4) (Star Wars: Agents of Chaos, #1)

Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise Of Darth Vader

Jedi Eclipse (Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, #5) (Star Wars: Agents of Chaos, #2)

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Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy (Star Wars: The Dark Lord Trilogy #1–3)

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