"Star Wars Novel Gets 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition"

There's no surer way to grapple with one's mortality in 2025 than to realize that Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is now 20 years old. The silver lining, however, is that the movie is returning to theaters in May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary celebration. Adding to the excitement, author Matthew Stover's highly acclaimed novelization of Revenge of the Sith is also getting a 20th anniversary rerelease, available for preorder at Amazon.

As revealed by Collider, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is set to receive a new Deluxe Edition hardcover, scheduled for release in October. This edition will feature new cover art, upgrades such as red foil edge pages and a removable acetate jacket, and over 170 new annotations by Stover himself.

"We couldn’t be more excited to publish this incredible deluxe edition of the Revenge of the Sith novelization," said Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, in a statement. "It has been thrilling to work with author Matthew Stover and Lucasfilm to create a fully annotated edition that gives readers unprecedented insight into the creation of this masterpiece. Across nearly 50 years of Star Wars books, it stands alone, and even among film novelizations, its approach to adapting characters and story from screen to page is unique. Two decades later, this novelization is as essential, enduring, and influential – on readers and creators – as it has ever been. Bringing the book back to hardcover in a stunning deluxe keepsake edition is a perfect way to celebrate 20 years of Revenge of the Sith.”

Out October 14### Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: Episode III - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

$60.00 at AmazonFor those who have never read Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization, the book is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars novels and is often considered superior to the film itself. While it generally follows the plot of George Lucas' screenplay, the book greatly enhances many scenes and subplots, offering a deeper look into the minds of characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novel also employs a recurring system of second-person narration, stylistically distinguishing it from other Star Wars books. A poignant example is the following passage, which offers a much different take on Anakin's tragic transformation into Darth Vader:

And you rage and scream and reach through the Force to crush the shadow who has destroyed you, but you are so far less now than what you were, you are more than half machine, you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf, you can remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory, and so with all your world-destroying fury it is only droids around you that implode, and equipment, and the table on which you were strapped shatters, and in the end, you cannot touch the shadow. In the end you don't even want to. In the end, you do not even want to. In the end, the shadow is all you have left. Because the shadow understands you, the shadow forgives you, the shadow gathers you unto itself—And within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame.

In contrast, the film's depiction of this scene is notably different:

This comparison highlights why delving into the novel can be so rewarding.

The Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novelization is currently available in paperback and audiobook formats, with the Deluxe Edition hardcover set to release on October 14. You can preorder a copy on Amazon.

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