| Title | : | Star Wars: Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345477332 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345477330 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published November 3, 2005 |
From the site of Anakin Skywalker s last stand on the molten surface of the planet Mustafar, where he sought to destroy his friend and former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi a fearsome specter in black has risen. Once the most powerful Knight ever known to the Jedi Order, he is now a disciple of the dark side, a lord of the dreaded Sith, and the avenging right hand of the galaxy s ruthless new Emperor. Seduced, deranged, and destroyed by the machinations of the Dark Lord Sidious, Anakin Skywalker is dead . . . and Darth Vader lives.
Word of the events that created him the Jedi Council s failed mutiny against Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the self-crowned Emperor s retaliatory command to exterminate the Jedi Order, and Anakin s massacre of his comrades and Masters in the Jedi Temple has yet to reach all quarters. On the Outer Rim world of Murkhana, Jedi Masters Roan Shryne and Bol Chatak and Padawan Olee Starstone are leading a charge on a Separatist stronghold, unaware that the tide, red with Jedi blood, has turned suddenly against them.
When the three narrowly elude execution and become the desperate prey in a hunt across space it s neither clone soldiers, nor the newly deployed stormtroopers, nor even the wrath of the power-hungry Emperor himself they must fear most. The deadliest threat rests in the hideously swift and lethal crimson lightsaber of Darth Vader behind whose brooding mask lies a shattered heart, a poisoned soul, and a cunning, twisted mind hell-bent on vengeance.
For the handful of scattered Jedi, survival is imperative if the light side of the Force is to be protected and the galaxy somehow, someday reclaimed. Yet more important still is the well-being of the twin infants, Leia and Luke Skywalker, the children of Anakin and his doomed bride, Padme Amidala. Separated after Padme s death, they must be made safe at all costs, lest the hope they represent for the future be turned to horror by the new Sith regime and the unspeakable power of the dark side. From the Hardcover edition."
Star Wars: Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader Reviews
-
REVISED: 4/19/12
When you think about Darth Vader, many things come to mind. Dark Lord of the Sith. Bane of the Jedi. Throat-Crusher Supreme.
Emo?
No.
Of all my complaints about the new trilogy – and there are many – the biggest one has to do with how Anakin Skywalker was handled. I grew up loving Darth Vader. He was a vicious bastard, but by gods he was awesome about it. He was a hard-ass who inspired terror wherever he went, and he was a man who overcame insurmountable evils to ultimately redeem himself. From the moment we see him emerge from the smoke in A New Hope, we know that this is a man to be feared and reckoned with.
He never said, “Yippee,” and he most certainly was never a mopey little emoboi. I despised the choice to make Anakin a whiny little brat who was turned to the Dark Side. And please note the passive voice there – “was turned.” He was manipulated and pushed and pulled, and finally when Palpatine said, “Go murder children,” Anakin just said, “Okay,” and did it. I never got the feeling that Anakin was making his own choices in these movies, or doing terrible things because he truly thought they were the right thing to do.
The title of Darth Vader fit very, very poorly on this wet noodle of a Sith-wannabe, and that, more than anything else, made me very angry about the new trilogy.
So, in comes James Luceno to clean things up.
Set about a month after the events in Episode 3, this book starts Vader’s transformation from mopey to malicious.
Despite the best efforts of the Clone Army, some Jedi survived the initial massacre of Order 66. One of those, a Jedi named Roan Shyne, is trying to lead his dead comrade’s padawan to safety, wherever safety may be found. He’s questioning his purpose now, in a world where evil has emerged victorious, and where the Jedi are no more. Should he make a stand and die defending the Idea, or should he obey Yoda’s last orders and go to ground?
Sadly, he’s a principle character in a Star Wars novel, so the Force takes the choice out of his hands. He finds himself drawn ever closer into the mystery of the Empire and the Emperor. And Vader.
Who, I might add, is having issues of his own. The first three pages of his first POV scene are about how uncomfortable the Suit is (Luceno talked to the folks at LucasArts to find out what it was like), and how miserable he is being a nubby lump of burned flesh inside a mobile life-support system. He can’t see properly, can’t hear normally, can’t move like he used to – hell, he can barely walk steady, much less wield a lightsaber like he used to.
Palpatine, being the good mentor that he is, knows exactly how to cure Vader’s blues: give him a project, something to keep his mind off things. Like hunting people down and killing them.
Luceno handles the transition from brat to demon very delicately and very smoothly. By the time the book is over, Vader still isn’t the avatar of evil that he will one day become, but he’s certainly over the hump. In addition, the advantage of writing a prequel story is that you can boost the power of events that happen later on, giving them much more significance. When Vader finally kills Palpatine at the end of Return of the Jedi, for example, the moment is a little richer and more powerful for having seen what Palpatine put Vader through in his early days.
In this book, we get a good look at the Master-Disciple relationship of the Sith, and the precarious balance that it requires. The Master works his hardest to break and subjugate his disciple in order to make him strong enough so that he will one day exceed his master. The problem is that, traditionally, the disciple usually kills the master at that point, finds a new disciple of his own, and the cycle begins anew. Palpatine is looking to avoid that, if at all possible, and Vader is just itching for a chance. The key is that power is an end unto itself, and the cycle of murder is just a part of that.
But at the end of Jedi, Vader kills his master for the benefit of another, something that is antithetical to the core philosophy of the Sith. Vader gained no power by killing Palpatine, at least not in the sense that he understood “power” up to that point.
Star Wars purists might stay away from the novels, and that’s certainly their right. I think this one is worth reading, though. It’s an excellent move away from the horrorshow that was the new trilogy, and does a very good job at helping us rediscover the Darth Vader that we all came to know and love.
-------------------------------
“The old system is dead, senator. You would be wise to subscribe to the new one.”
- Darth Vader -
Several Jedi, including Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone, are fighting a fierce battle on Murkhana when Order 66 arrives. Commander Climber, the clone leader amongst the Jedi, defies orders and allows the Jedi to leave. The three Jedi must then leave the planet and flee to safety, avoiding Darth Vader and his wrath.
NOTE: Based on novel and audiobook.
I Liked:
I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed this novel. If you've read my review for
Cloak of Deception, you learned how disappointed I was, how I didn't like all the info-dumping and over-describing, and how I just wasn't very engaged. This book is completely different.
The primary characters really stand out, namely Roan and Olee. Roan feels a little like Arwen Cohl from CoD, a little like Lorn Pavan, a little like Han, and a little of something else. He's a Jedi who has lost two apprentices during the war. He's not a super Jedi, but he's decent. Only problem is, he really struggles with what the Jedi should do next. I adored how he met his mother, how they imply Jedi stealing babies (Roan's mother did not want to give him up), and how awkward it was.
Olee Starstone is completely different. She's a strong-willed woman, who wants to find other Jedi and regroup. She used to be a librarian, under the tutelage of Jocasta Nu before the war. Now, she's lost her master and is the unofficial Padawan of Roan.
Darth Vader also appears quite prominently, though not as prominently as you would figure from a novel with his picture splashed on it. I really liked how Luceno tightened the gap from Anakin in the prequels to Vader in the sequels. Vader is lacking confidence, upset with his new body, and questioning everything. Also, his single-minded goal of exterminating the Jedi keeps interfering with his missions, making Palpatine wonder if Vader is such a good apprentice after all.
The story is unique, as (especially at this time, before the Coruscant Nights books) we don't know what has happened to the few Jedi who escape Order 66. What many hoped to see in Karen Traviss' eponymous novel, we actually get to see here: Clones defying orders and saving Jedi, and what happens to them afterwards. It's touching and very neglected.
And, being this is a Luceno novel, we get tons of EU references, from Garm Bel Iblis, to the outcome of Fang Zhar, to Tarkin, and more. If there is one thing Luceno can get, it's tying in EU and making it seem like it was meant to be that way.
I Didn't Like:
There are a billion other Jedi in this book and I couldn't keep their names straight or remember them for the life of me. There are six total on Murkhana, but I could only remember Olee, Roan, and the one Vader killed (and I can't even remember her name!). Then Olee and Roan meet a bunch more Jedi on a ship, and none of them are memorable. This may be in part because I am listening to an audiobook, but it's hard to be invested in characters when they pass through sotransparentlytransitorily.
For a book about Vader, there is stunningly little Vader. This was disappointing, even if Vader's development overall was good.
I went directly from listening to Revenge of the Sith to reading this, and there is a distinct difference in writing style, one that comes as quite a shock. After the intimate, dark, and tortured writing style from RotS, Dark Lord comes off as bland, uninspired and emotionless.
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
Little to none.
One smuggler makes eyes at Olee.
Several Jedi die. Order 66 is enacted. Vader lightsaber duels several Jedi. There is a big, final battle on Kashyyyk that results in the Wookiees imprisonment.
Overall:
While not seeing more of Vader was a disappointment and the writing style a drastic change from RotS, this is a decent final novel to the unofficial trilogy (Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith, and Dark Lord). We get to see the effects of Order 66 on two vastly different Jedi, Roan (pessimist) and Olee (optimist). We get to see Darth Vader overcome his confidence issues and get adjusted to his body. And we learn what happened to Fang Zhar, how the Wookiees are imprisoned, and if there are other Jedi. A more than decent novel, very enjoyable and recommended. -
As a punishment I had to read this book. It is the only Star Wars novel I've ever read. It's possible that this book makes those crimes against my childhood that Lucas calls Episodes 1 through 3 look like masterpieces compared to this.
The saving bit that earned this book a star?
The author felt it was necessary to explain in detail how Darth Vader urinates and defecates. Yup, if you ever wondered how he does then this book will teach you that most secret of all Jedi tricks. If you are like me and never wondered about this, then you will learn something you never imagined you'd want or need to know. -
Abridged Audiobook
3.5 Stars, considering what it is and what it's trying to be, which is making Vader non-stupid, and providing some insight into how the Jedi were wiped out along with how survivors dealt with it.
Mostly, this book follows some Jedi when Order 66 (the one that told the clones to murder the Jedi) went into effect. We get to see how they discover Palpatine's betrayal, how the galaxy suddenly has turned against them, and how they deal with the end of the only life they've ever known. Some want to walk away, thinking that 10ish people an Order does not make, when it used to be thousands literally last week. Others are all "NO, WE WILL RISE UP!"... somehow. We just need to go find other surviving Jedi! I'm sure they exist. Right? Right?! I imagine it plays out like the end of any major war, where some of the losing side don't want to admit the war is over and they've lost.
We also get to see more of Vader. This book follows shortly after the 3rd movie, so Anakin just basically burned to death and got thrown in this janky suit recently. We get to follow Vader as he goes around trying to wipe out the surviving jedi and basically making himself known to the galaxy. But that's not the interesting bit. The good part is that we learn some about the suit. About how it's put together poorly using inferior materials, which leads Vader to wonder if Palpatine is attempting to keep him weak. I felt it was an excellent way of trying to explain why Vader's suit from the original movies seems so much less polished and advanced than the other tech we see in the movies, despite him being a Dark Lord that basically rules the galaxy. Of course, given the time frame this book takes place in, they can't explain why he doesn't replace the whole thing over the next twenty years, but at least it shows that Vader notices his suit is a mess.
We also get into Vader's head more. We get to see his actual plans involving the Emperor, and his hate for Obi-Wan. Anakin went full 'the end justifies the means'. He's insane to think that Padme would ever have gone along with the crazy, but at least I can see why he's angry. I get it. You're insane and wrong and crazypants, but I get it.
All in all, a pretty good time.
Sidenote: This is a galaxy with a galactic senate and laws and the whole nine yards. How in the world is it legal for the army to murder all of its Generals? More importantly, because some lies could be told about a coup that the public could never verify, how could they murder all of the children in the Academy and not have any public outcry? Do they claim that the Jedi murdered their own children or some nonsense? -
“TWO THERE SHOULD BE; NO MORE NO LESS. One to embody power, The other to crave it."
Very good book, and it's funny that I hated it the first time I read it. It was enjoyable and a very quick read. Of course there's the typical issues I have with Legends Vader, but it didn't detract from anything. It's absolutely better than the Lords of the Sith novel, which was just a boring Twilek story more than anything. And the B-Plot with the surviving Jedi wasn't bad either. -
Did you know that Darth Vader is actually a whinging, emo sook? Neither did I until I read this book. I knew Anakin was pretty pathetic but I was hoping his transformation was the end of it. No it wasn't. He doesn't like his helmet or his prosthetic limbs or his gloves or sand. He thinks Palpatine is a big meanie. And so goes the first part of this book.
The other part revolves around Jedi Master Roan Shryne and his attempts to flee the Empire with a group of Padawans. It was interesting and served to keep the story moving (and not involve razor blades) but was fairly cliche and bland.
At the end, though, you finally got to see a glimpse of the original Vader. Dominating and unstoppable, he couldn't care what you called his mum. This was the Vader I wanted to see. Pity he arrived so late in the book.
Just don't mention sand to him... -
4.5 ⭐️
-
This will be a fan boy rant, but I don't care.
For a book that's supposed to be solely about Darth Vader's rise to prominence and power after becoming the towering figure in black he's most known for, he hardly plays any role in this book. Disappointing is easily the best word to describe this book. I was expecting brutal exploits that bridge the gap from the last crappy prequel to the first original, and there were none. Hell, the entirety of this book basically covers a few month span shortly after Vader becomes a cyborg. The majority of the book is about a group of Jedi that survive order 66, and how they have to flee and survive. When Vader is featured in the story, it's well done. But it doesn't happen nearly enough, and too much of the story is about the Jedi that are on the run, or how Vader is having a tough time adjusting to his new life. For me, most of that is assumed. I wanted to know about the things that made Vader the most feared man in the galaxy. But when this book ends, those questions are still left unanswered. It's not a terrible story. If you're like me, however, and read this with the notion that a book with the sentence 'The Rise of Darth Vader' in the title would be about the rise of Darth Vader, you will also be disappointed. 'Death Star' was a far better book, if you're looking for stories predating 'New Hope'. -
I enjoyed this one.
Luceno handles Vader with a deft touch, his transformation is made much more plausible here. For one thing, the author directly addresses how nimble young Anakin becomes the lurching techno-Franken-monster of the Original Film Trilogy.
Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, more pages are dedicated to a plucky band of Jedi survivors who are Vader's quarry as opposed to the Big Bad himself, but this structure works well. As in the films, Vader is scarier the less we see of him. -
Unfortunately, I found this “must-read sequel” to be very missable. I can’t put it more succinctly than that.
But of course, you want me to get into the nitty-gritty of it. Let’s get one thing straight immediately: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader isn’t a terrible book. It’s not even close to the Expanded Universe’s Top Ten Worst Books. The problem is that it’s just so darn mediocre; and yes, that comes off as bland in comparison to all the high drama of Revenge of the Sith to which this is touted as the direct sequel. Why did this seem so mediocre to me? Well…
First, we’re introduced to a bunch of Jedi we’ve never met before as our protagonists, so we don’t have any pre-existing care for these characters, and Luceno failed to make me care for them. Quite a lot of the Jedi introduced in the book are just names and very forgettable. The only two that stand out are Olee Starstone and Roan Shryne, and even then, I couldn’t tell you much about their personalities. Olee used to be a librarian (not a character trait, I know, but this shows you how little she was developed) and other than that I draw a blank. Roan feels like he’s a second-rate Jedi and wants to chuck it all in after he realises that shit’s gone down. Sure, I start out with a low level of investment in these characters because generally speaking we like to support the good guys, but the book doesn’t draw me in to engage with these specific characters, to want to know what happens to them, and doesn’t really coax my empathy for them beyond that baseline of supporting common decency.
Second, Vader doesn’t appear in the book nearly as much as you’re led to believe by his ostentatious appearance on the cover, and when he does show up, he feels muted. He’s more Anakin Skywalker than Darth Vader, mentally whining about how people don’t understand him and it isn’t fair. I feel like that horse has already bolted from the stable, but even if I buy in to the suggestion that Luceno is trying to show more of the transformation from one to the other, I didn’t find that transformation very compelling. The glimpses of Sith training shown to us in the Darth Bane trilogy and Darth Plagueis, and mentioned elsewhere with great dread, suggest a torturous process to say the very least. Sidious gets him a tiny bit frustrated a couple times by thwarting his desire to go off chasing Jedi, and taunts him once about Padme’s death and how he should wish to kill him, but that’s about it. This seems kind of petty and small stakes, and to me doesn’t adequately explain how Vader gets his confidence back.
Third, I found the writing style to be tediously pedestrian. Luceno is kind of hit and miss with me in that way. Sometimes I find his style quite lucid, clearly described with some striking imagery and a few neat sci fi locales. This was not one of those times. The description of the battle on Murkhana felt lacklustre to me, and the return to Kashyyyk felt predictable. I was also annoyed at Chewbacca’s appearance because it felt like another ill-judged attempt to shove original trilogy cameos in to make us care, regardless of whether it makes sense that the same few characters would happen to be present for every important event in history. I’m happy with Chewbacca just being Han’s partner. He doesn’t have to meet Yoda. He doesn’t have to help Jedi in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, okay? Not to mention the unnecessary plothole this opens up in Chewie never speaking about it again – even after Palpatine is defeated and he can speak freely with his Rebel friends.
The only time this book vaguely sparked my interest was when it threw up the whole “Jedi stealing babies!” debate again. I’m pretty tired of this being rehashed over and over, so I’ll try to get this over with as quickly as possible. Yes, I think the age rule is pointless and futile since plenty of examples show it’s clearly not a requirement for a successful Jedi, and also because people should be able to choose their own life path at an appropriate age. No, I don’t think the Jedi are ‘stealing babies’. Given the founding principles of respect for life and self-determination, I seriously doubt the Jedi are coming and taking away babies without the express consent of their legal guardian or guardians, and I’m pretty sure people are allowed to leave at any time – and any scout that does otherwise has fallen. Come on, you don’t think that shit would be reported on if they were doing that, not least by parties with a vested hostility against the Jedi? Prequel books however seem to be constantly contradicting one another about this, with some books establishing that no they’re absolutely not, and then other books coming in kicking and insisting that yes they absolutely did! For Force’s sake, try to keep a consistent canon, will ya? What’s annoying about the books that suggest the whole Jedi stealing babies thing, is that they often make the rather insulting assumption that unless a child is brought up by its biological parents it must grow up to be some kind of maladjusted freak. Take it from someone who knows, we don’t grow up to be disturbed curiosities, and the insinuation that we’re missing something vital from our lives is offensive.
If I’m honest, the only reason I hesitate to make the cut on this one is that this is one of the very few novels where we actually get to go to Alderaan and it isn’t just referenced. The Expanded Universe was really missing a good exploration of Alderaan pre-explosion. And that’s not enough to save it.
4 out of 10 -
A necessary chapter in the expanded history of the Star Wars universe. While focused on Darth Vader's growing into his role as Sidious' apprentice and hatchet man, it also opened themes which will blossom into Episode Four.
Well-written, if pedestrian. I believe this is the first four chapter long epilogue I've encountered. -
This book does an impressive job making a believable transition from Anakin at the end of ep. 3 to Darth Vader as we see him in ep. 4 (or Rogue One now, I guess), where he seems fully on board w/ the Emperor and completely cold and remorseless. I hardly remember the plot now (a couple years after reading it) but I liked it if only for that.
-
3.75
a 3.5 story with some 4-5star parts -
For 2022, I decided to go back in time and reread all the Prequels Era novels published between 1999 and 2005, plus a smidgen of other novels (like
Survivor's Quest and the Dark Nest trilogy) released during that time frame. This shakes out to 21 novels, four eBook novellas, and at least thirteen short stories.
This week’s focus: in the immediate aftermath of
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno.
SOME HISTORY:
In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, James Luceno details all the physical limitations that Vader is dealing with while getting accustomed to his prosthetics and his suit. Luceno got the idea for this aspect of the novel after talking with Ryan Kaufman, a former employee with LucasArts. Kaufman had worn a Darth Vader costume several times while working on different video games, and his experience wearing the suit gave Luceno the idea to dedicate part of the novel to Vader's struggles with the physical reality he now finds himself in. Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno made it to number eleven on the New York Times bestseller list for two straight weeks—from the week of December 11 to the week of December 18, 2005.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I don’t think I ever read Dark Lord before, because everything was completely new to me.
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
On the Outer Rim world of Murkhana, Jedi Master Roan Shryne and Padawan Olee Starstone are leading a charge on a Separatist stronghold, unaware that the tide has turned suddenly against them. While they narrowly elude execution, their biggest threat comes not from the clone soldiers, nor the newly deployed stormtroopers, but the lethal crimson lightsaber of the newly remade Darth Vader.
MARKETING:
Even though they were not intended as a trilogy,
Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno,
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno again were released as the “Dark Lord Trilogy,” as they show Anakin's fall and Vader’s rise. (They were packaged together as an omnibus with Vader on the cover.)
But for a novel calledThe Rise of Darth Vader, I felt like Vader made up about one-third of the story and two-thirds of the story involved Roan Shryne, Olee Starstone, and the other fugitive Jedi they encounter. That felt like misdirection and tricksy marketing to me, but I ultimately absolve Luceno from this: apparently he turned in his novel untitled, and Del Rey or Lucasfilm applied the Darth Vader label. I was expecting 100% Vader, though, and I think it would be more honest to name this novel something like “The Aftermath of Order 66.”
THE PLOT:
The novel is broken into five parts, and the first part is all about the Battle of Murkhana in the last hours of the Clone Wars. Shryne and Starstone and Starstone’s Master Bol Chatak evade execution, mainly because some of the clone commandos questioned the order that they were given. This is definitely an aspect of the Clone Wars that would change over the intervening years, because here it appears that Order 66 was just a contingency order from Palpatine, and since the Ion Team commandos weren’t directly given Order 66 to carry out (they’re just told by Commander Salvo to take out the Jedi), they don’t immediately follow orders. Whereas later Clone Wars materials like the 3D animated show depict Order 66 as something that was hardwired into the clones, so that Palpatine’s words activate Order 66.
The Jedi initially escape, but they’re eventually captured with the rest of the mercenaries on Murkhana and held captive for four weeks. Then Vader appears…Vader has been sent by the Emperor to deal with the Ion Team, and he’s not there for the Jedi. The Jedi meanwhile have no idea who this Vader guy is—is he a Sith, or an ex-Jedi, or a cyborg machine like General Grievous? So most of the story involves the Jedi on the run, evading capture and looking for other fugitive Jedi and trying to figure out how Vader fits into the equation.
It all culminates in a big battle on Kashyyyk, as the Empire arrives to enslave the Wookiees and Vader tracks down our fugitive Jedi. He faces off against Roan Shryne; Shryne doesn’t make it, but he comes to some revelations before he goes. The last chapter of the Epilogue shows Obi-Wan Kenobi in Anchorhead, learning that Vader is alive but being told by the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn that he’ll never return to Tatooine—because to Vader, Anakin Skywalker is dead.
THE CHARACTERS:
Let's talk about Vader here! I found his parts of the novel very interesting, because we still see a fair amount of Anakin Skywalker in him, even though Vader wouldn’t admit it. The physical limitations of his suit and his prosthetics mean that he has to completely change the way he fights and the way he moves, and he’s pretty whiny about it. As we saw in Revenge of the Sith, he's willing to align himself with Palpatine but he also plots to overthrow him. Vader actually thinks that if only Padme hadn’t turned against him, he would be sitting on the Imperial throne with his wife and child at his side. As the novel ends, he needs the Sith knowledge and power that Palpatine can impart, but he also plans to supplant him at some point in the future, just as Palpatine would chuck Vader to the wayside if he found a better prospect.
The way that Vader has to change how he fights and how he moves was also really interesting, because he's taller and stronger now but he doesn't have the flexibility that Anakin did. There's one part where he talks about how he can't raise his arms above his head in the suit, so his fighting style has changed to become closer to what we see in the original trilogy. There’s less flips and acrobatic stuff, and he’s had to become slower and more centered. When he initially faces off against Bol Chatak on Murkhana, he’s clumsy, but by the time he fights Roan Shryne on Kashyyyk he has come to a better understanding of what he can do, and he's a much more formidable opponent as a result.
I didn’t dislike any of the fugitive Jedi (who take up so much of the plot line here), but I strongly suspected that all or most of them would die. I’d never heard of any of them before, which doesn’t bode well for their survival.
Olee Starstone is the eager and idealistic one. She had been a librarian-in-training under Jocasta Nu, but once the Clone Wars broke out she became the padawan to Master Bol Chatak so she could learn about other aspects of the Force. However, she’s still drawn to knowledge, and helping people find information. She’s also the one that believes they need to find as many Jedi survivors as possible so that they can overthrow the Emperor together.
Roan Shryne is more pessimistic, but perhaps more realistic. He realizes that if Palpatine could take out four Jedi Masters (including Master Windu), and if Master Kenobi and Master Yoda are in hiding, that they should follow the order they were given and go to ground. I also got the sense with Shryne that as the war progressed, he felt like his Force abilities were lessening and so he felt somewhat lost and guidance-less. When he meets his biological mother and the smugglers, he wonders if this is where he’s being led.
Of course, Shryne rises to the challenge on Kashyyyk when he stays behind to duel Vader while the remaining Jedi escape. During that fight, he comes to two realizations: first, that he foresaw his own death right before the Battle of Murkhana; and second, that even though the Sith have triumphed and the Jedi Order is in ruins, that Palpatine’s empire won’t stand for anywhere close to his promised “thousands of years,” and the Light will persevere in the end.
And honestly, I was surprised that five Jedi got out of Kashyyyk relatively unscathed. True, we’re only left with three padawans and two Agricultural Corps members as all the Masters and Knights have died. We don’t hear anything further about them, so maybe Vader or the Inquisitors later hunted them down—but I was expecting a Rogue One-like ending, and Luceno was a little more optimistic than that.
We also have some scenes with Bail Organa. While Mon Mothma wants to rebel against Palpatine immediately—she sees this is the ideal time, while things are still in flux—Bail is much more hesitant to move directly, because he has Leia to protect. He’s also one of the very few people who knew that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and he sees Vader in the black suit on Coruscant and knows what danger he holds for his infant daughter. So Bail walks a very fine line between allowing others to protest the Emperor’s authority without coming outright and agreeing with them. I wish we had seen more of Queen Breha, because I did feel like this was missed opportunity to get inside her head—but nope, we only get Bail’s POV.
ISSUES:
Tying into the “false advertising” angle, I thought that what we got of Vader was really good, but I was expecting more of Vader in a novel called “The Rise of Darth Vader.” More of the plot is devoted to these fugitive original Jedi characters, and that surprised me. I think it may have made more sense to call this novel something like Order 66. (I know it’s
a Karen Traviss novel, but that one wasn’t published until 2008.) While a key part of the story is Vader laying Anakin Skywalker to rest and coming to terms with his current reality, it's not the majority of the story. I could see that being frustrating to some readers, because when you have a book with Vader on the cover and in the title, you expect it to be predominantly about Vader, and Dark Lord is really not.
I also felt like there were too many Jedi here. The only Jedi who got fleshed out in any detail were Shryne and Olee Starstone, but then they pick up six more Jedi (a human Knight, a Ho’Din Knight, two padawans, and two Agricultural Corps members). We don’t know those six in the same way that we know Shryne and Starstone, and while leaving four of them alive at the end was very optimistic, I’m not sure how realistic it was. It would have made more sense to me if Vader killed everyone except for Starstone and the blind padawan, because then we still would have had two padawans alive out there to remember the Jedi during the Dark Times before A New Hope.
Finally, Chewbacca's here. This is more a George Lucas problem than a Luceno problem, because Lucas did include Chewie in Revenge of the Sith. If not a plot hole, this has always felt strange to me, because if Chewbacca knew Master Yoda and had interacted with Jedi, surely this would have come up some time in his conversations with Luke & Leia? (The answer of course is that the post-Return of the Jedi books were written years before Revenge of the Sith, so no one knew that Chewie had met any Jedi.) So while I guess it makes sense that Starstone and co. would talk to Chewie here, since he put Yoda in the capsule and saw him off, his continuing presence in the story felt like too much Chewbacca. Apparently he escapes Kashyyyk with the smugglers, but will end up enslaved by the Empire anyway so that Han can save him at a later date?
IN CONCLUSION:
I really liked what Luceno did here with Vader, almost bridging the gap between Anakin in the Clone Wars and Revenge of the Sith and Vader in the original trilogy. He's coming to terms with his recent trauma (most of it self-induced), and making up his mind to bury his past and to look towards his future. While I didn't dislike any of these original Jedi characters, I did feel like there were maybe too many of them here. Still, if you're coming off of Revenge of the Sith and you want to see more with Vader, this is the book for you.
Next up: Timothy Zahn’s long-awaited tale of
Outbound Flight.
My YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/_nRomobMyDw -
I see that a lot of the reviews here spend a considerable amount of time whining about the prequel trilogy.
I'm not going to do that.
Me, I'm a sucker for a good hero-turns-villain story. So I actually really enjoy the prequel trilogy.
Yes, it has its flaws. Many of them. But a lot of people seem to think that Vader just emerged automatically black clad and badass. But he didn't. We know all along that he was a young jedi seduced by the dark side. The portrayal of Anakin is far from perfect, but the idea of him as an originally very human character in my opinion only makes his transformation all the more powerful.
James Luceno walks us through some of the later parts of this transformation, and he does so with skill and conviction. He wisely waits a long time to "reveal" Vader's identity to the other characters, thus prolonging the dramatic tension of Anakin's betrayal and turn to the dark side. This is also intensified by our seeing the story from many different perspectives.
The new characters introduced, Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone, are interesting and worth following. It took a little while for me to become invested in their journeys, but this is understandable, as we must, from the beginning, know something of their inevitable fate. The interesting bit here is that, although Shryne and Starstone are, arguably, the "heroes" of the story, you don't root for them. For this book is, as its title suggests, chiefly a story of Vader and his development. So you know Shryne and Starstone (and their missions) are doomed. What keeps you hooked is the desire to see how Vader brings them down.
In other words, this is a brilliant book for those of us who enjoy a good villain story. Luceno's book elegantly maps a small part of the gap between Sith and Hope, suggesting something of Vader's rise to power and his final defeat of his former self. It is a development at first tragic, as Vader realises the magnitude of all he has lost, and then triumphant, as he realises the potential of all he can be. At the same time, Vader is not permitted to triumph entirely, as Sidious' control over him is made even more apparent. The interplay between Vader's desire for power and Sidious' control makes for a very tense, interesting ending.
EDIT 12.07.22.
WARNING: I am about to complain about the Disney+ Kenobi-series. Venting and spoilers will follow. Read on at your own peril.
So, I re-read this after watching the Kenobi-series because this book has a lot of what I wanted from that show in terms of Vader's development.
(This book is obviously lacking Obi-Wan (except for a bit at the very end), but again, in terms of development for our favourite villain, Luceno's book is GOLDEN.)
I desperately wanted the series to show us flashbacks of Vader's rise to power, his training in the dark side, juxtaposed with Obi-Wan's own training with Qui-Gon, his coming to terms with Anakin's betrayal. Instead, what we got was a story about pretty much everything but the two characters we really cared about.
I mean, what were they thinking? Honestly?
I feel like the entire series was completely pointless except for the Vader/Obi-Wan confrontation at the very end.
Also, did it bother anyone else that Vader wasn't allowed to be victorious there?
I mean, obviously, he couldn't have destroyed Obi-Wan at that point, but I still felt that he should have come out of that encounter standing strong. Obi-Wan hadn't trained for 10 years, according to the series (which, in and of itself, was stupid in my view), whereas Vader had, presumably, been honing his dark side abilities that entire time and should, therefore, have wiped the floor with his former master.
Can James Luceno please write a book about Kenobi too? Please? -
(English review below)
Me ha gustado muchísimo, aunque menos que
El laberinto del mal, quizá porque me ha costado un poco reconocer al misterioso y tenebroso Darth Vader en el conflicto interno que se nos ha presentado, pero entiendo por qué el personaje reacciona así, con su transformación tan presente. Lo mejor de este libro es seguir el camino interno que debe librar Darth Vader contra los restos de Anakin Skywalker, y cómo va progresivamente asumiendo su papel en el Lado Oscuro y con respecto al Emperador. Poder entrar dentro de la psique de Vader ha sido una delicia, y me ha ayudado a comprender mucho mejor las motivaciones del mítico personaje.
Por otra parte, Shryne y Starstone me han parecido unos secundarios de lujo, y lo único que lamento es que no se desarrollaran algo más sus historias. También me ha encantado que se haya visto más sobre la vida de Bail Organa y lo que pasa en Alderaan en las primeras semanas tras el fin de la guerra.
En resumen, un libro de ritmo trepidante que no deja que te despegues de sus páginas ni un momento, ¡y de lectura obligada para todo fan de Star Wars que ame a Darth Vader tanto como yo!
***
I have liked it a lot, although less than
Labyrinth of Evil, maybe because Darth Vader's inner turmoil was a bit more emotional than I expected, but it's only normal, as his transformation was so recent. I loved seeing the developing of Vader's psyche through the book, it really helps you to understand the motivations that lie behind his actions. I have also enjoyed greatly the characters of Shryne and Starstone (it's a pity their stories couldn't be more developed), and knowing more about Bail Organa and Alderaan after the Clone Wars.
This is a nice pageturner and a must for every Star Wars fan who loves Darth Vader as much as I do! -
As stated in another review, Luceno is not my favorite author when it comes to the Star Wars Legends universe.
He writes the first and third books, while Matthew Stover writes the second (the novelization for Episode III). Labyrinth of Evil brings us up to events immediately preceding the film's opening, while Rise of Darth Vader picks up shortly after its ending.
Together, this trilogy helps complete the transition from Anakin to Vader. It's very well done, and Luceno manages to capture some real depth with Anakin and Vader. Stover treats the movie script masterfully and adds a lot of necessary dimension to it. His only fault is that the showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin simply has to be seen on film; there's no possible way of capturing it in writing. -
I didn't really enjoy this book. I rated it 3 stars after I read it in April 2022. Now I'm writing this review 9 months later and I do not remember anything that happened in this book. I don't even remember the main characters. I didn't care for them at all at the time and found them painfully uninteresting. It's no surprise that they didn't make a lasting impression on my brain.
To make matters worse, Vader was used very little. Deceiving title = Unhappy Reader
After reading five of Luceno's books, I think I've come to terms that his books are not for me. I'm glad that many people love his books, I'm just not one of them.
I think 3 stars was a little generous of me. Dropping it to 2 stars so it can sit on my Bantha-Poodoo shelf. -
Since his creation, Darth Vader has made a footprint and rightfully received his place as one of the greatest villains of all time. However as the years have gone on writers and even video game creators have turned this once imposing Dark Lord of the Sith into a joke. And it's not fair. This book however made me believe in Vader's power once more. His overcoming of his handicap and truly earning his place as the second most powerful being in the galaxy was a great load off of me, a dedicated Star Wars fan boy who has seen the authors tear his favorite character down for far to long.
-
Of course this book is not good. I can no more blame this book for being what it is than I can blame a bird for flying. I can blame only myself, and then also blame The Star Wars Minute for dragging my mind into these nooks and crannies.
If you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you will like. -
Had Katie and me listening earnestly as they described Vader from a perspective that we've never see in the movies.
-
I really enjoyed this authors vision inside the helmet of Vader. He is a storyteller and a very good one. I by this point know that Luceno is really good at making believable bad guys. They aren't the cardboard cut-cuts that are usually displayed, understandably, on film. They carry themselves with a passion of what they feel is what is right, which is so much more interesting. Having said that Luceno does have a way of entertainment that almost suits the SW universe as a nowadays t.v show or even a movie. He brings the action and he does it in a chilling way too- all of his traits truly fit SW. Thanks James.
But honestly I think I do like the new Canon just a tad bit more. I feel like it's not all Luceno's fault though. Keep in mind this was back when the Revenge of the Sith had just come out and SW was on the brink of ,"could this be the end?" Kind of stuff. The problem I had was the beginning with the nonprogrammed Clones and why they just ignored the order 66. It just played out too simple. Honestly though I feel like I just am so spoiled with the explanation of the new Canon and its few exceptions of clones that managed to break away from 66. But you know it's a small complaint cause I know there wasn't The Clone Wars show back then to further explain about this.
Also I at first had a problem with Vader's adjustment to his armor and his attitude towards his choice. I guess I felt Disney has handled the Vader well enough in a sense of the mystery of how Vader is truly feeling about all this. His lure to the Darkside is subtle at best- here in Rise of Darth Vader he is plainly practical about his decisions almost to the point of an immediate retreat from his rash decision. But KEEP READING! Keep reading because it's really quite insightful of the darkside. I felt like Vader learned that the Mystery is only as good as your commitment to it. And his process in learning is so worth tuning into.
All characters , Emperor Palpatine is very mysterious and it's almost a anti-Yoda thing here where you question ," woah is this guy like above it all? How much does he truly know and foresee into the future?"
The jedis Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone are powerful protagonists even towards eachother they both have very different view points and there is a time when you scratch your head and say, "oh that's right the Jedi are all about defense and knowledge!"
--- but maybe the Sith knew that if the jedi retreat it's in their own nature that they will never "Attack!" Because that is not the jedi way.. wooooah it blows my mind. The Sith control everything in this story but just know there is always hope and the end is worth getting to. Enjoy bye-bye -
This review is also posted on my blog. -
While Luceno’s newer stuff has shown a downward trend, older books like this (and pretty much everything he wrote from the prequel era) are actually good.
Dark Lord distinguishes itself from other prequel era/rise of the empire novels but establishing a believable and entertaining story that fills in gaps, answers questions, and, most of all, is a lot of fun to read.
Luceno writes Vader, not as the badass villain he became known, but as a struggling sith apprentice, confused, hurt, betrayed, and angry. He makes mistakes and questions Sidious, as well as his role, and in doing so, makes him far more of a tragic character than eventual dark side master.
Personally, I loved this side of Anakin and it made for a novel that, like Labyrinth of Evil really excelled at making the moments after Revenge of the Sith interesting. -
Lo leí hace unos trece años, pero me sigue pareciendo de las mejores novelas de Star Wars en cuanto al acercamiento al personaje de Anakin/Darth Vader. Es destacable especialmente como continuación directa del Episodio III, y que nos ayudará a entender con más profundidad las decisiones tomadas por el personaje, sus pensamientos internos respecto a todo lo sucedido y la adaptación a su nueva vida.
Por otro lado tenemos unos personajes secundarios que, sin ser gran cosa, ayudan a avanza la trama y no es difícil empatizar con ellos. Una pena que ya no sea considerado canónico pues me parece una versión mucho más interesante, como continuación de La Venganza de los Sith, que la que actualmente plantean los cómics.
He hablado. -
This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed it��James Luceno does a good job of getting up close and personal with Darth Vader (which, to be honest, is kind of a scary thing!).
-
Приятна, ненатоварваща книжка. Изключително безполезна от гледна точка на цялостната история. Нищо съществено не се случва, освен, може би, момента, в който Оби Уан разбира, че Анакин всъщност е жив. Само дето това се случва в послеслова на книгата...
-
A great read. This book gave some great insight into the mind of the Emperor, Darth Vader getting used to his new body, and what happened to the Jedi that escaped Order 66, Chewbacca, C3PO & R2D2. It was also nice to get some more background on Alderaan.
-
Turn to the dark side
