Labyrinth of Evil: Star Wars Legends

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Anakin and Obi-Wan race closer and closer to the true identity of Darth Sidious as the events tumble into what was made into the movie, Revenge of the Sith. On the other hand, a lot of things were trimmed that I absolutely agreed with. Scenes that went on for way too long such as the Mustafar duel, the rescue of Chancellor Palpatine, and faceoff with Grievous, scenes and dialogue that were clunky and irreparable due to either poor acting or pacing such as Anakin's slaughter of children (you know, just in case you couldn't already tell he was evil), Chewbacca's forced insertion into the film, and even the laughable duel between Palpatine and Yoda. Awesome by Analysis: Thanks to his brain being technologically enhanced, Grievous manages to copy a few of Mace's Vaapad techniques during the Battle of Coruscant. Capturing Trade Federation Viceroy–and Separatist Councilmember– Nute Gunray is the mission that brings Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, with a squad of clones in tow, to Neimoidia. But the treacherous ally of the Sith proves as slippery as ever, evading his Jedi pursuers even as they narrowly avoid deadly disaster. Still, their daring efforts yield an unexpected prize: a unique holotransceiver that bears intelligence capable of leading the Republic forces to their ultimate quarry, the ever-elusive Darth Sidious. After Kenobi, Anakin, and Palpatine crash land on Coruscant, Anakin and Kenobi have a brief conversation about who owes whom what. Obi-Wan mentions that "that time on Cato Nemoidia doesn't count."

For the most part, Luceno enriches the prequel storyline, like when Anakin expresses his personal hatred for Nute Gunray for what he did to Padme’s planet, Naboo, in Episode I. Sometimes the author risks getting too cheeky, like when C-3PO meets TC-16 – who is even more furtive than Threepio — but I’ll forgive it. JasonN, L8wrtr, Q2, AEMovieGuy, Corigar, Kerr, ADigitalMan, Slumberland, Stankpac, TM2YC, Spence, Father Merrin, Sithlord, and The Cutter.

Was going to read this right before watching Episode III, similar to how it was released just prior to the film's original release and set during the immediate precedings, but I just finished the original 6 season run of the Clone Wars and the final arc used some elements that Wookiepedia said were also covered in this book, so I went ahead and skipped to it because this one always seemed cool to me. These edits adopt the prequels' assumption that the audience is already familiar with what came before. As such, the best answer is Old Ben's exposition that, "to protect [them] both from the Emperor, [they] were hidden from [their] father when [they] were born."

Padme is seen cradling an infant Leia on Alderaan, using footage from The Other Boleyn Girl, with her eye color corrected by Hundsdorfex. (Idea by 'The Cutter,' also used in Q2's edit.) Surprisingly enough, I found this pre-movie novel to be both well-written and quite engaging. I would have liked there to have been more character and motivational development, but unfortunately, it seems that Separatist and Sith characters are never flushed out, as they must be portrayed as evil and corrupt as possible (which I don't agree with at all, but it's canon and I cannot change that). However, Labyrinth of Evil is more audacious and intricate than most of the Star Wars prequel novels, and I believe it to be because of James Luceno's fluid writing, which is not difficult to read but still contains the subtlety you'd find in a good novel.

It's Star Wars, so you don't get a long review. The audiobooks by Random House come complete with sound effects and music. They're really well done. If you like audiobooks anyway, the Star Wars ones from Random House are worth your time. Reinstated Palpatine spitting a bit of propaganda at Anakin about having restored peace and justice to the galaxy. In my experience, it's a rare thing for a movie tie-in novel to feel important or necessary. After reading Labyrinth of Evil, I can say that it is one of the few that breaks the mold. James Luceno adds another quality book to his impressive resume, and sets the stage for what many consider to be the best of the Star Wars prequel movies.