20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Top Star Wars Novel Released

In 2025, grappling with one's mortality can be as simple as realizing that "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" is now 20 years old. But there's a silver lining: the film is returning to theaters in May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary celebration. And that's not all; Matthew Stover's critically acclaimed novelization of "Revenge of the Sith" is also getting a 20th anniversary rerelease, available for preorder on Amazon.

As revealed by Collider, "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" is set to receive a new Deluxe Edition hardcover, slated for release in October. This edition boasts new cover art, red foil-edged pages, 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."

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

$60.00 at Amazon

For those who have never experienced Stover's "Revenge of the Sith" novelization, it's widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars novels, often considered superior to the film itself. While it follows George Lucas' screenplay, the book significantly enhances many scenes and subplots, offering a deeper exploration into the minds of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novel also employs a unique second-person narration style, setting it apart from other Star Wars literature. Consider this passage, which provides a different perspective 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.

By comparison, here's how the film depicts the same scene:

And that's why sometimes it pays to crack open a book.

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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