Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Darth Plagueis is by far the best star wars title I've consumed to date{read 25 books including Thrawn Trilogy}. I'll be watching closely to see if James Luceno is nominated for a literary science fiction awards this year.

Finally a Star Wars book that is written for adults and hard core star wars fans! . Great pacing, plot, use of language and atmosphere. Once finished you will understand the Sith lineage all the way back to Darth Bane and beyond. This book is written in more of a classical style similar to the Count Of Monte Cristo. It's very interesting to see an entire offering from the view point of the dark side. Plagueis is well aware of the fact that Sith are being hunted by the Jedi and that he cannot afford to confront them. He does however indirectly use them to eliminate certain undesirables.

It took me an hour or so to get used to the narrator. I completely disagree with other commentator and I think Daneil Davis is a perfect fit for the novel {reader played DR Moriarty in the Star Trek Next Gen series}. Mark Thompson would not be a good fit to narrate as his cartoonish and campy style would have had a negative impact.


I've read many sci fi classics and am confident that this compares quite well. Would make a fantastic movie as long as Lucas is forbidden any sort of input.

If you were like me and thought that Star Wars episodes I-III were ruled by special effects and the music of John Williams rather than an epic story with epic characters, then you need to read/hear this book! You will come to understand the nature and history of the Bannite Sith Order, and the masterful and ruthless subterfuge that resulted in the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi order.

All of the characters from episodes I-III are given greater depth and texture than could be conveyed in the roughly 8 hours of film in the movies. Emperor Palpatine will no longer be just a stooped,gravelly-voiced shadow hidden in a cowl to you after this, Darth Maul will be more than a silent, scowling killer wielding an exotic weapon, Count Dooku will no longer seem like Saruman in a cape and boots. The mystery of the death of Jedi Master Sifo Diyas will puzzle you the same way it puzzled the Jedi Council.

And you will understand that Anakin Skywalker was destined for greatness, but NOT in the way that the Jedi imagined when they accepted him for training.

I would listen to this again. The story was great. It gave a lot of background to what happened in Episode 1, The Phantom Menace, but it was also a great story in itself. It was interesting to hear the story told with the Sith being the main protagonists, to see what their motivations are. Although the book is titled "Darth Plagueis", it is really about both Plagueis and Sidious. It shows how Plagueis became a Sith Lord, how he tried to unlock the secrets of life (which is important in Episode 3), and how he recruited Palpatine to be his apprentice. It shows why Naboo and Tatooine were critical in Sith plot. I highly recommend it.

Memorable moments were when Plagueis met Palpatine, when Palpatine feel to the dark side, and when Plagueis was surprised by events even though he thought he had everything under control.

This is my first Daniel Davis performance, and I thought it was excellent. Of course, Lucasfilm does a good job on all the Star Wars audio.

Episode 0: The Dark Side Emerges

I think George Lucas should make a movie from this book. I don't understand why he hasn't made any more movies given the volume of expanded universe books. He runs the risk of the general public "moving on" and forgetting about Star Wars. This would make a great "Episode 0" because of its tie to the prequel movies. Then he should make films from Zahn's Outbound Flight and Thrawn trilogy.

Not only does the pace and power of Luceno's story turn SW:TPM into a movie that makes sense (it's my least favorite), but the choice of Daniel Davis was absolutely brilliant. The depth and smoothness of his voice was the crown of perfection; he has the right touch of magnificent malevolence needed for a Sith-based story. I hope that if Random House decides to make the Darth Bane stories available on audio, they choose Mr. Davis as the reader. And thanks to James Luceno (ok, and George Lucas) for filling in all the unanswered questions about Palpatine, Dooku and the so-called "rule of two" among other things. I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys SW history.

This isn't really the story of Darth Plagueis as the title and description would have you believe. In fact he rarely appears in the second half of the book. It gives very little information on his trying to use the force to extend his life. If Darth Plagueis interests you, this book will hold your interest but not answer all your questions.
What this book really focuses on is Darth Sidious and the events that led up to Episode 1. What I can't understand is why they didn't just call it Darth Sidious. I am sure it would have sold more copies with that title as Sidious is a much more well-known Sith Lord.
Aside from being misleading the writing was great (for a Star Wars book) and the narration was top notch. I will definitely read more Star Wars books in the future.

So I've never written a review before but just wanted to respond to the whiner who says that they should drop music and sound effects from SW audio books. I absolutely love that they include music (especially) and SFX in SW audio books. It's what makes them so much better than other AB. It can send chills down my back when big moments are happening in the book and an appropriate piece of John Williams score is used to amplify the action or emotions.
On another note, the narrator was pretty good although I think my all time favorite is Alexander Adams reading Clock of Deception. He does the best Palpatine/Sidious. I really like this readers young whiny Palpatine. Not what I expected from the most powerful Sith ever but it really parallels Anakin at the same age.
Going back into Cloak of Deception, Shadow Hunter and The Phantom Menace from another angle is absolutely brilliant. It shines a whole new light on the those events. I've waited since Ep. 3 for this book and it didnt' disappoint on any level. Thank you James Luceno for bringing all the stories that have been floating around in my head together in one great book!!

let me first say, this is my first star wars book. i'm a huge star wars fan and saw star wars 33 times as a kid. i have enjoyed the movies, even the last 3.

all i have to say is that this book is instrumental to understanding what the 6 movies are about. i can't say it enough...this book adds so much depth to the story and answers so many questions- why invade nabooo? why did count doku leave the jedi? where did darth maul come from? who was darth plagueis?

wow...this book was soooo much better than i thought.

george lucas should make this into a movie. well maybe not. lucas makes movies too kid friendly, e.g. ewoks and jar jar. we would need christopher nolan. think darker like the batman reboot.

this book is darker than the movies. being in my 30's, i got just as much a thrill listening to this story as i did seeing the original star wars.

the narration is excellent. there are some sound effects, and they add to the listening.

the story is complex, but i enjoyed understanding how the dark side, the sith, amassed power and influence throughout the galaxy.

one of the things i most enjoyed was the insight into the way the sith think. the history and influence of the major sith lords adds another layer of enrichment to the overall story. i found myself rewinding and re-listening to darth plagueis explaining the sith's understanding of the force to palpatine.

in the movies, i didn't really like palpatine. this book has changed my mind about him. this book does an awesome job building and revealing who he is and why he does what he does. this book adds a new dimension to that character. he is a schemer, and you get drawn into his machinations. this book covers palpatine from uncomfortable child to new apprentice to sith lord and does it in a way that's utterly irresistible. i just kept wanting to listen.

Normally I am not a big fan of fiction, but this was very well written and Daniel Davis does superb work.

Darth Sidious. He is the most evil character and you know him a bit better from the movies.

The different voices. Just excellent.

Starwars 1/2

I liked that this book ties together pieces of missing information from the movie series. Great read for Star Wars fans.

Understanding how Palpatine came to power

The narrator was almost unbearable. Made it through the book for the story aspect, but it was not pleasant to listen to the narrator.