the latest novel in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, begins shortly after the events of Ep. III. as always, James Luceno’s prose style is excellent. unfortunately, the novel disappoints.

Vader doesn’t appear as early as i would have liked. this is supposed to be the story of Vader’s rise to power, and it is. however, it’s just as much, if not more, the stories of Jedi Master Roan Shryne and Padawan Olee Starstone, who eluded Order Sixty-Six. Dark Lord is their first and possibly last appearance in the EU, which is a shame because as usual, Luceno has created very interesting and likeable characters.

his—and i hate to use this word since Luceno is one of my favorite EU novelists—failure is with Vader’s story. though Shryne’s and Starstone’s tales seem complete, Vader’s does not.

there wasn’t enough Vader. though the novel is supposed to mark the completion of his transformation, there wasn’t enough detail. (for example, how/why/when did Anakin/Vader begin speaking so formally? ;)) in a book whose title refers to Vader, i expect to read plenty about him. if the title referred to Shryne and Starstone, i’d be satisfied with the book’s content. the story is well written, but the parts that include Vader could use more fleshing out. a major disappointment, especially when compared to Labyrinth of Evil.

some favorite characters make appearances, and the groundwork is certainly set for Ep. VI. even though i expected more, no Star Wars fan should go without reading this, especially if they plan to do well in Daily Star Wars Trivia tournaments. hint, hint.

Very interesting insight into the torturous experience of living inside the black metal casket. A bleak and sympathetic view of Vader. An excellent book for gaining insight into the Dark Lord.

This really isn’t the book I was hoping it would be. Rather than focus on Vader’s rage and growing hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi, it wanders off to tell the story of how the Wookies were enslaved and Vader’s part in making that happen. Even the rogue Jedis surviving Order 66 who are here to take him on are new and utterly boring characters. Only Vader, the Emperor and the interesting addition of Moff Tarkin make the book even remotely enjoyable.