Darth Plagueis

[Fonecrusher]

Just curious if anybody has read it yet? I just ordered it online so it should be here within the next week or so. It's been getting some good reviews and is one of the more relevant (to the movies) Star Wars books to come out in years. For those who don't know Darth Plagueis was the Sith Lord who trained Darth Sidious (The Emperor) he also had the power to manipulate life and possibly bring the dead back...The book apparently has a lot of revelations not just about Sidious but also Anakin and Darth Maul. Here's the description if anybody is interested.

He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived.
But could he be the only one who never died?

“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.”
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master—but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination—and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?

[Blueferret]

Still waiting for them to explain Syfo-Dias

[Doug_Brunell]

I have not read this yet, but I'm curious to hear what you think once you have finished it.

[Ben Akers]

Still waiting for them to explain Syfo-Dias

I wonder if they'll do a special edition of the Attack of the Clones novelization with a new short story that delves into Syfo-Dias, Dooku and the "origin" of the clones.

[Laurence]

You know that face people pull when someone's either farted really badly or told an awful joke? That's the face I pull when I hear the name of an evil Star Wars character.

"Darth Plagueis." Really, that's even fucking worse than General Grevious.

[ChrisIII]

I think the Sifo-Dyas thing was explained in the Episode III tie-in Labyrynth of Evil. Basically he was a Jedi on the council who was concerned about the future, so with Dooku's prompting he ordered the Clones. Dooku then betrayed and killed him as proof of his allegiance to Sidious.

Of course in an earlier script, it was implied Palpatine ordered the clones using a fake Jedi name: "Sido-Dyas"...

[The Greatest Hero]

Well, did Palpatine say the Plagueis' apprentice murdered him in his sleep? And I assumed the apprentice was Palpatine, so we already know where the story will end.

So I'm curious if it's less a story about Darth Plagueis and more of an origin story of Palpatine/the Emperor.

Either way, I want to know if it's any good before I pick it up.

[jediracer]

Just finished this and WOW is about all I can say. the best Star Wars book in at least 20 years. Yes, it's that good. (possible light spoilers ahead)

Soooo many questions are answered. Who was Sifo-Dyas, who ordered the clone army and how was it funded, how did Palpatine become Sith, how did Padme become queen at such a young age, how did Dooku come to team up with Palpatine, stuff about the Trade Federation, obscure information about the Sith, Darth Maul's origins, the list goes on and on.

The book has a lot of political maneuvering, after all that's how Sidious cam into power rather than by brute force, but there is quite a bit of action as well, including an awesome and totally hair-raising scene with Palpatine/Sidious completely obliterating three floors of beings with a lightsaber and use of the Force.

My one and only complaint is the book makes Darth Maul out to be not much more than a thug, mindless, incapable of thinking for him self, and completely dependent on his master. I would have liked to think there is/was a bit more to him than that.

[cphilli]

I have it on my Kindle but haven't started it yet. I got burnt out on Star Wars books a while back and had to take a break. Glad to hear it's getting some good reviews it'll be my next Star Wars read before the new Timothy Zahn book comes out.

[ChrisIII]

Does the book feature Maul's original origin or the revised version from the last few seasons of Clone Wars?

[jediracer]

Not sure if I am familiar with the "original" origin, but the book is certainly in line with the last season of Clone Wars (he is from Dathomir, it is implied he has a brother, etc.).

[Jared]

I thought the book started great, but the first half is much stronger and more involving than the second. Not because I knew what had to happen, but because Luceno gets too involved in politics and tie-ing in virtually every pre-TPM work that there is. The latter was kind of cool, but only when you've read the stories in question. So while I liked all the references and revelations about 'Jedi Council: Acts of War" and "Shadow Hunter", the (I assume) connections to Cloak of Deception were just confusing and a bit dull.

I must say I wasn't really thrilled with how The Murder is actually done. I won't spoil it, but I will say I thought it was a little too soapy.

Matt Stover wrote a related short story, "The Tenebrous Way", that was in SW magazine. It's quite good. Odds are it will be included with the paperback and I hate when publishers do that. It's the people who pay more for the Hardcover deserve the extra stuff.

Maul didn't really remember much of his original origin, so it's barely a retcon. Maybe he was told he was taken from Iridonia as a toddler, but it doesn't really affect the character.

[felix77]

I've to say that i am not a fan of The New Jedi Order Books we get these days.

There's so much retconning. Jacen in The Unifying Force is completely different from the Jacen we get in the FOTJ series. Also Vergere suddenly becomes a Sith and the "There is No Dark Side" philosophy that Luke adopts earlier is quickly aside. Everything in this series seems disjointed for some reason.

Matthew Stover and Paul Kemp's books are great reads though. Their Jedi actually seem wise and knowlegable there.

[jediracer]

I've to say that i am not a fan of The New Jedi Order Books we get these days.

There's so much retconning. Jacen in The Unifying Force is completely different from the Jacen we get in the FOTJ series. Also Vergere suddenly becomes a Sith and the "There is No Dark Side" philosophy that Luke adopts earlier is quickly aside. Everything in this series seems disjointed for some reason.

Matthew Stover and Paul Kemp's books are great reads though. Their Jedi actually seem wise and knowlegable there.

Um, Jacen is not in the FOTJ series. But his character definitely does evolve throughout the New Jedi Order series to get to what he becomes in the Legacy of the Force series.

The New Jedi Order series certainly had its problems. For me, it was mainly the fact that Luke didn't take any action on anything. He has sat around meditating and hand-wringing for the past two series, but finally in the latest Fate of the Jedi series he steps up and starts being a bad-ass again.

Stover is in a league of his own, he is simply awesome. Too bad he's only written four SW books. But your comment on Kemp does not really make much sense--he is writing about Jedi in the Old Republic era. Jedi of this era are COMPLETELY different than the Jedi of Luke's new Jedi order. Different philosophies, etc.

[felix77]

Sorry, my mistake. I meant Legacy of The Force.

Kemp did write SW books in Luke's time period. Riptide and Crosscurrent. There's some nice discussions on Force philosophy. In fact, Darth Krayt's Sith from the LEGACY period make an appearance in both books.