One of the greatest movie tie-in adaptations ever made turns 20 with a stunning new edition every Star Wars fan will want to get their hands on.
As the Holiday season approaches, we’re bringing back our Geek Pick of the Week. Each week leading up to Christmas, we’ll be highlighting a cool product we’ve found that we feel would be the perfect gift for geeks of all kinds. Use these to help fill in your own wish list or find the perfect gift for the nerds in your life. Click HERE to read more about previous Picks of the Week!
Yes, I know last week’s Geek Pick of the Week was also a book (and Star Wars), but I promise you not all of the ones we have planned are Star Wars books…That’s just how it worked out this first couple weeks! That said, let’s dive into Random House World’s stunning new Deluxe Edition of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith!
Written by Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith has long been considered one of the best—if not the best—movie novelizations ever made. I remember picking up my copy during the ‘Midnight Madness’ event for Revenge of the Sith (the movie) in 2005 and devouring it in just a few days, months before the film released. I was blown away, not just at learning how the story of Anakin Skywalker wrapped up, but at the skill with which it was conveyed in the book.
In the years since, I’ve revisited this novel numerous times. Sometimes for a full re-read, but even more often to come back to specific passages. Stover’s flowing prose and almost poetic pacing throughout the novel serve as a phenomenal example of how to phrase things in a way that’s concise, informative, and most importantly filled with emotion.
It’s fantastic and I’m not going to take up more time explaining why this 20 year old novel whips so hard. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t read the novel yet, this new Deluxe Edition is the perfect excuse to make up for that.
Hands down, this new Revenge of the Sith edition is gorgeous. From the plastic dust-jacket, the stunning art underneath, the crimson sprayed edges (with the iconic quote printed on the side), the new interior art, and even the black ribbon bookmark, everything about this book is special. This may be entirely in my head, but even the paper stock feels different to me. There’s no shortage of swanky looking books these days as sprayed edges and unique designs become more and more prevalent. Even among all those, however, this edition manages to stand above.
Of course, the biggest appeal of this Deluxe Edition is that fact it includes a new introduction and over 170 annotations from the author himself. What I like most about these annotations actually aren’t the insights they provide. Obviously those are great and offer hitherto unknown details and behind the scenes goodness.
How these bits of information are made are far more interesting to me. These are not the clinical, cut-and-dry annotations one might expect to find. The serious, no-nonsense approach to disseminating information like you’d find in history text or other books that use this annotated format. Instead, Matthew Stover’s insights are far more casual and relaxed.
The best analogy I can think of is a really good director’s audio commentary track. It’s not meant to be an instructional lesson, but presented more like a person sitting beside you while you watch something who offers up neat tidbits of info along the way. That’s exactly how they’re presented in this edition, and the result is so much more enjoyable than I thought.
Now, instead of simply getting cool details on certain things, it’s like the author himself is grabbing you by the hand and showing you his journey to making this all work. It makes the project feel less like you’re simply reading the details, and more like you’re experiencing it.
Of course, many of the annotations are incredibly informative. Wherein Stover not only goes into detail on his thought process behind certain scenes, but even detailing some of the specific literary devices he used to elicit the right emotions, tone, or pacing for the scenes. Others, meanwhile are fun asides, like a buddy pointing at the TV and saying “did you notice this?” and giving you some fun trivia. Some are just winks and nods, meant to make you dive deeper into a piece of text or look at it with a new perspective.
These are the kind of notes that make re-reading the novel itself even more engaging. Seeing those quick tidbits—like having Stover over your shoulder saying, “oh look at this”—add to the overall experience of the story being told. They enhanced how I read the book and the way I digest certain scenes.
Through Stover’s more casual annotations, it’s clear to see how much he loved working on this book and how its development continues to impact him and how he currently works on stuff. Combine that with the stunning presentation of the book overall, and you can REALLY feel how much everyone involved with making this happen loved doing it.
The result is an anniversary book where you can feel the level of care being put into it at all levels. Making it easily one of the best anniversary edition novels I’ve seen put out on the market.
Whether you’re a long time fan or just getting started in your Star Wars loving journey, the Revenge of the Sith Deluxe Edition is a must-have. Not only is it an informative work for fans to enjoy, it’s an excellent collectible in its own right. I suspect a whole bunch of fans would love to open this up on Christmas day.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Episode III Deluxe Edition is available now both online and wherever books are sold.
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