20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Top Star Wars Novel Released

There's no better way to confront your own mortality in 2025 than to realize that Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith has reached its 20th anniversary. Yet, amidst this reflection, there's cause for celebration: the film is set to return to theaters in May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary festivities. Moreover, fans can look forward to the rerelease of Matthew Stover's critically acclaimed novelization of Revenge of the Sith, which you can preorder on Amazon.

As reported by Collider, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will be released as a Deluxe Edition hardcover in October. This edition features new cover art, red foil-edged pages, a removable acetate jacket, and over 170 new annotations by Stover, enhancing the reading experience.

Image Credit: Lucasfilm/Penguin Random House

"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. "Working with author Matthew Stover and Lucasfilm to create a fully annotated edition has been thrilling. This edition offers readers unprecedented insights into the creation of this masterpiece. Over nearly 50 years of Star Wars books, it stands out, and among film novelizations, its approach to adapting characters and story from screen to page is unique. Two decades later, this novelization remains as essential, enduring, and influential as ever. Releasing this stunning deluxe keepsake edition in hardcover is the perfect way to celebrate 20 years of Revenge of the Sith.”

Available October 14

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

$60.00 at Amazon

For those yet to experience Stover's Revenge of the Sith novelization, it is widely regarded as one of the finest Star Wars novels, often considered superior to the film itself. While it follows George Lucas' screenplay, the book enriches many scenes and subplots, offering a deeper exploration into the minds of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novel's distinctive use of second-person narration sets it apart from other Star Wars literature. Consider this passage, which provides a profoundly different perspective on 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 depiction of the same scene:

This comparison highlights 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 for release on October 14. Preorders are open on Amazon.

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