Reflecting on the passage of time can be a sobering experience, especially when you realize that "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" is now celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. But there's good news for fans: the film is making a triumphant return to theaters this May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary festivities. Additionally, the critically acclaimed novelization by Matthew Stover is set for a special 20th anniversary rerelease, which you can preorder at Amazon.
Collider recently announced that "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" will be honored with a Deluxe Edition hardcover, scheduled for release in October. This edition boasts new cover art, luxurious upgrades such as red foil-edged pages and a removable acetate jacket, and over 170 new annotations by Stover himself.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm/Penguin Random House
Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, expressed his excitement about the project, saying, "We couldn’t be more excited to publish this incredible deluxe edition of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. 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 Matthew Stover's novelization, it's widely considered one of the best Star Wars novels and even surpasses the film in many respects. While it adheres to the plot of George Lucas' screenplay, the book significantly enhances many scenes and subplots, providing deeper insight into the psyches of characters such as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novelization also stands out with its use of second-person narration, setting it apart stylistically from other Star Wars books. Consider this passage, which offers 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.
In contrast, here's how the film portrays the same scene:
This comparison underscores the value of exploring the story through Stover's 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 to release on October 14. You can preorder your copy on Amazon.
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