"Star Wars Novel Gets 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition"

The passage of time hits hard when you realize that "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. But fans have something to celebrate: the film is returning to theaters in May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary festivities. Additionally, Matthew Stover's acclaimed novelization of "Revenge of the Sith" is getting a special 20th anniversary rerelease, available for preorder on Amazon.

Collider has revealed that a Deluxe Edition hardcover of the "Revenge of the Sith" novelization will be released in October. This edition will feature new cover art, red foil edge pages, a removable acetate jacket, and over 170 new annotations by Stover himself.

Image Credit: Lucasfilm/Penguin Random House

Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, expressed his excitement: "We couldn’t be more excited to publish this incredible deluxe edition of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. 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."

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: Episode III - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

$60.00 at Amazon

For those unfamiliar with Stover's work, the "Revenge of the Sith" novelization is widely considered one of the best Star Wars novels, often regarded as superior to the film. While it follows the plot of George Lucas' screenplay, the book significantly enhances many scenes and subplots, providing a deeper exploration of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novel also employs a distinctive second-person narration style that sets it apart from other Star Wars literature. Consider this passage, which vividly captures Anakin's 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.

Contrast this with the film's portrayal of the same scene:

This comparison underscores the value of delving into the novelization. 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. Preorders are open on Amazon.

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