"20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Top Star Wars Novel Released"

The passage of time can be starkly felt in 2025 as we mark the 20th anniversary of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith." This milestone is being celebrated with the film's return to theaters in May and a special 20th anniversary rerelease of Matthew Stover's highly acclaimed novelization, available for preorder at Amazon.

Collider has announced that the "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" novelization 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, enriching 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. "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."

Out October 14

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

$60.00 at Amazon

For those unfamiliar with Stover's "Revenge of the Sith" novelization, it is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars novels and considered by many to be superior to the film. While it follows George Lucas' screenplay, the book enhances many scenes and subplots, offering a deeper exploration into the minds of characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. A distinctive feature of the novel is its use of second-person narration, setting it apart stylistically from other Star Wars books. For instance, the following passage provides a profound look at 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.

In contrast, the film's depiction of this scene is less introspective:

This comparison underscores the value of exploring the novelization for a richer narrative experience.

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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