"Star Wars Novel Gets 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition"

In 2025, grappling with one's mortality might be as poignant as realizing that *Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith* has reached its 20th anniversary. Yet, the silver lining is that the film is set to return to theaters in May, celebrating Lucasfilm's milestone. Adding to the excitement, Matthew Stover's acclaimed novelization of *Revenge of the Sith* is also making a comeback with a 20th anniversary rerelease, available for preorder on Amazon.

According to Collider, a new Deluxe Edition hardcover of *Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith* will hit the shelves in October. This special edition boasts new cover art, red foil edge pages, and a removable acetate jacket. It also includes over 170 new annotations by Stover, offering fans an enriched reading experience.

Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, expressed enthusiasm about the project, stating, "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*."

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

Priced at $60.00, you can preorder this gem on Amazon. For those new to Stover's *Revenge of the Sith* novelization, it's celebrated as one of the best Star Wars novels, often considered superior to the film. While it closely follows George Lucas' screenplay, the book enriches many scenes and subplots, delving deeper into the psyches of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. Its use of second-person narration sets it apart stylistically within the Star Wars literary universe. Consider this poignant passage that reimagines 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.

Compare this to the film's depiction:

This comparison underscores the value of exploring the novelization. Currently, the *Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith* novelization is available in paperback and audiobook formats, with the Deluxe Edition hardcover set to release on October 14. Preorder your copy on Amazon.

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