Upon finishing this book I have read only two Star Wars novels, but can say from my limited experience in Star Wars literature that this may be the book by which many after will be judged. You definitely get the impression that James Luceno did his homework here, because his command of the universe seems seamless and nearly infinite. There are so many good descriptions and accurate references/inferences to events that add to the overall enjoyability of this book. I wanted to read this title because not only was I interested in Palpatine's backstory, I wanted to know the Sith that bred him and seemed to command the most "biological knowledge" of the force. I definitely wasn't disappointed. Luceno paints a picture of a very intelligent, level headed and pragmatic Darth Plagueis who is less apt to act on inward emotion and rage as many Sith we have seen in film. Plagueis is also well detailed as one that has all sorts of knowledge as a result of endless research and experiments on living beings with midichlorians. The back story of Palpatine was also interesting and brings new light to the character we've all seen as the already capable supreme chancellor and dark emperor Sidious.

Overall I thought this a really good and very descriptive read. It was an easy read, but not overly easy to where you felt you were reading a Star Wars book meant for minors. My main criticism is that there was an overwhelming number of characters at play and it was hard to follow who was who at times. Even still, after reading it I feel as if I know not just more about the characters involved, but about Star Wars in general. I highly recommend you re-watch The Phantom Menace after finishing this book. It overlaps events in that film, and it is a much more enjoyable movie with this back story. You can even place Plagueis' whereabouts in the film between scenes! This book will make me view the films (not just Phantom Menace) in a different and more fully realized light. I would have given this one 4.5 stars (if possible) but I will give it the benefit of the doubt at 5 due to the solid research, dedication and execution you can tell the author put forth here.