REVIEW: The Revenge of the Sith Novelization Deluxe Edition
It seems like a distant memory that people read the novelization of a Star Wars movie before it hit theaters. In today’s movie-making environment, particularly for Star Wars and Marvel, the secrets of the production are held for dramatic reveals. Remarkably, the novelization of Star Wars (now called Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope) was published over six months before the film released. Many in the audience for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith had read the book, published in early April 2005 before the late-May theatrical premiere, and knew how Anakin’s fall would unfold. Now the Revenge of the Sith novelization has been re-released as a Deluxe Edition that includes over 170 annotations from author Matthew Stover.
As far as Star Wars books are concerned, the Revenge of the Sith novelization is considered one of best, if not the best. The Deluxe Edition includes a stunning black and red wrap-around cover with Vader’s silhouette framing the climatic duel between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi as alluded to all those years before in the first Star Wars movie. The pages are highlighted by a red foil that holds the second most famous line (according to the author) from the book: “This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker. Forever…” The interior also includes some stunning artwork and a new author’s note specific to this edition.
If you attended Celebration III in April 2025, you might have been lucky enough to attend the book panel with Matthew Stover. By that point, Stover already had cemented himself as a legend in the franchise with his novels Traitor (2002) and Shatterpoint (2003). At the convention, Stover offered insights into writing the novelization, explaining why he didn’t include the Wookiee planet scenes in the book and noting that one must know the rules of writing in order to break them to maximum effect.
Across the author’s note and annotations in the Deluxe Edition, Stover provides a masterclass on the rules that he knows, and when he chose to break them. He discusses the conceits of genre, storytelling ploys to evoke audience engagement, shifting point of view, and a myriad of other elements at an author’s disposal to increase the stakes as the story progresses. Notably, Stover really understood where he needed to get out of the film’s way (at times because it wasn’t shot yet) or fill in the gaps in Anakin’s journey.
No matter how many times you’ve seen the movie, the Revenge of the Sith novelization is a book worth reading. The Deluxe Edition is a magnificent version of an iconic Star Wars novel. For anyone wanting to understand more about writing and learn some interesting details about the creative process of making Episode III, this is a book worth adding to your collection.
If you haven’t read the book before, I recommend reading it once without the annotations, then go back to the annotations afterward. There is a flow to Stover’s writing that is almost magical. You slip into Anakin’s fall. Take the ride uninterrupted before indulging in Stover’s genius annotations that shed light on the craftsmanship behind the words.
The Revenge of the Sith Deluxe Edition is available now.
Tricia Barr's novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library's successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena's Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
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