Darth Plagueis: Star Wars Legends
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- Create Date：2022-04-30 09:52:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：James Luceno
- ISBN：0593358805
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - This essential Star Wars Legends novel chronicles the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise， and the origins of the saga's most enduring evil--the malevolent Sith master Palpatine。
"The best Star Wars publication to date 。 。 。 [James] Luceno takes Darth Plagueis down the dark path and never looks back。"--Newsday
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived。 Possessing power is all he desires; losing it is the only thing he fears。 As an apprentice， he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith。 When the time is right， he destroys his Master--and vows never to suffer the same fate。 For like no other disciple of the dark side， Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power 。 。 。 over life and death。
Darth Sidious: Plagueis's chosen apprentice。 Under the guidance of his Master， he secretly studies the ways of the Sith while publicly rising to power in the galactic government， first as Senator， then as Chancellor， and eventually as Emperor。
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious， Master and acolyte， target the galaxy for domination--and the Jedi Order for annihilation。 But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition？ Or will the desire of one to rule supreme， and the dream of the other to live forever， sow the seeds of their destruction？
"Luceno draws on his storytelling skill and prodigious knowledge of the [Star Wars] world 。 。 。 to craft a complex tale of ambition and desire。"--Library Journal
"The best Star Wars publication to date 。 。 。 [James] Luceno takes Darth Plagueis down the dark path and never looks back。"--Newsday
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived。 Possessing power is all he desires; losing it is the only thing he fears。 As an apprentice， he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith。 When the time is right， he destroys his Master--and vows never to suffer the same fate。 For like no other disciple of the dark side， Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power 。 。 。 over life and death。
Darth Sidious: Plagueis's chosen apprentice。 Under the guidance of his Master， he secretly studies the ways of the Sith while publicly rising to power in the galactic government， first as Senator， then as Chancellor， and eventually as Emperor。
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious， Master and acolyte， target the galaxy for domination--and the Jedi Order for annihilation。 But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition？ Or will the desire of one to rule supreme， and the dream of the other to live forever， sow the seeds of their destruction？
"Luceno draws on his storytelling skill and prodigious knowledge of the [Star Wars] world 。 。 。 to craft a complex tale of ambition and desire。"--Library Journal
Reviews
Morgan
，
No es una historia que te contaría el canon nuevo。。。 ¿O sí？Darth Plagueis es una historia tocha sobre la vida del titular personaje。 Pero también lo es sobre el origen de Plagueis en su camino a convertirse en Darth Sidious。 Pero también es una historia de orígenes de Darth Maul。 Que también es una precuela a las propias precuelas plantando absolutamente todas las semillas de los conflictos más destacables de esa era。Es un libro que quiere contar muchas cosas， a veces muy marronero （que es una h No es una historia que te contaría el canon nuevo。。。 ¿O sí？Darth Plagueis es una historia tocha sobre la vida del titular personaje。 Pero también lo es sobre el origen de Plagueis en su camino a convertirse en Darth Sidious。 Pero también es una historia de orígenes de Darth Maul。 Que también es una precuela a las propias precuelas plantando absolutamente todas las semillas de los conflictos más destacables de esa era。Es un libro que quiere contar muchas cosas， a veces muy marronero （que es una historia del Sith que influyó en el que gobernó la Galaxia con un Imperio） y dependiente del conocimiento que puedas tener del Universo Expandido （y si no te recordarán muchas veces lo que otros Sith cabronías se han hecho entre ellos）， pero es que lo que cuenta， en su gran parte， atrapa。 La backstory de Hego Damask a。k。a。 Darth Plagueis es muy interesante， contando su constante miedo a la muerte que acaba desembocando en la investigación de los midiclorianos a la vez que tiene que vivir una doble vida al ser uno de los altos cargos del Clan Bancario。 No sé si me acaba de gustar que a partir de la mitad del libro la atención se la lleve más Palpatine， ya bajo su tutela， pero es una decisión que respeto por todo lo que se viene después。Aunque tenga un comienzo un poco lento junto a lo que ya he contado: Darth Plagueis es un libro del que es muy difícil apartar la mirada， ya sea por sus constantes tensiones políticas， las manipulaciones de ambos Sith al resto de la Galaxia y la manera que tiene James Luceno para conectar de una forma tan natural al resto de la trilogía de precuelas （¡Una fracción del libro ocurre a la vez que La Amenaza Fantasma y no es el epílogo！）。 Hasta ha usado frases meméticas de tales películas que me han sacado más de una sonrisa， si bien Luceno a veces se pierde un poco en sus monólogos oscuros o en usar veinte sinónimos poco conocidos de cosas， pero no molesta mucho。¿Y Plagueis como tal qué tal？ Pues。。。 Es interesante sin ninguna duda。 El libro peca de lo mismo que pecaba el Universo Expandido: En hacer a los personajes lucir molonidad o 'badassería' por encima de todo， y a pesar de que Damask tiene sus carnicerías detalladas al detalle （Sheev tiene un par también）， sus acciones informan a la trama y quién es él。 De nuevo， un libro a ratos marronero pero ver el principio de la caído de la Galaxia nunca había atrapado tanto。 Ojalá el propio Plagueis tuviera un poco más de protagonismo pasada la mitad， si bien el argumento tiene buenas razones para compartir tiempo con Palpatine。Pues un libro de más de 450 páginas que se lee tan rápido es un buen libro， mi gente。 Muy bueno。 Y sinceramente， para mí es canon。 。。。more
Elias Vasquez
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One of my favorites Star Wars of all time。 Highly recommend this book to any Star Wars fan。 Like omg
David
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Another good-not-great entry in the Star Wars story， but I am a Star wars fan so there was no turning away from it once it was suggested I read it。I think it suffers from being a little over-long though。
Aaron Warren
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It was good enjoy ugh。 It took a more historical approach in story telling。 I found the fact that there were no good guys to make it less interesting to finish。
Aaron Frasier`
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Lucasfilm， please translate this into a canon live action project。
Unseen Library
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Rating of 4。75。Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series， where I republish old reviews， review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read。 In my latest Throwback Thursday I look at one of the more interesting novels from the Star Wars Legends universe， Darth Plagueis by James Luceno。“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise？”Throughout the long and bloody history of the Republic， many Sith lords have risen to threaten the peace and or Rating of 4。75。Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series， where I republish old reviews， review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read。 In my latest Throwback Thursday I look at one of the more interesting novels from the Star Wars Legends universe， Darth Plagueis by James Luceno。“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise？”Throughout the long and bloody history of the Republic， many Sith lords have risen to threaten the peace and order maintained by their hated rivals， the Jedi。 While some have put complex and deadly plans into effect， few have reached the pinnacle of power， influence or mastery of the Dark Side of the Force as the mysterious Darth Plagueis， whose malign guidance shaped the galaxy in terrible ways and introduced a great darkness。Upon killing his master and obtaining all the power he ever desired， Darth Plagueis set out to continue his order’s greatest goal: destroying the Jedi and claiming the Republic as his own。 Using his position as a powerful member of the Banking Clan， Darth Plagueis worked to manipulate the Republic into chaos and slowly lead the Jedi to a war they had no hope of winning。 However， even a Sith as powerful as Darth Plagueis is unable to do everything on his own， and he soon seeks out a powerful Force user to take on as his apprentice， a talented politician from Naboo known only as Palpatine。 Renaming Palpatine Darth Sidious， Plagueis begins manipulating events to ensure that his apprentice becomes a major power in the Senate， planning to elevate him to the role of Supreme Chancellor while also destroying those opponents who threaten their plans。 However， despite the importance of their plan， Plagueis’s main desire is not the defeat of the Jedi but of a far older enemy， death itself。 Diving into the mysteries of the Force， Plagueis will explore avenues of power not seen for millennia as he attempts to become the immortal master of the galaxy。 But his obsession with endless life could yet be his greatest undoing。Wow， Luceno did not disappoint with this fantastic Star Wars novel。 Darth Plagueis is an impressive and captivating read that perfectly tells the story of a particularly elusive figure。 Bringing in some heavy Star Wars elements from the extended lore， Luceno has crafted a brilliant character-driven story that I had an extraordinary time listening to。To see the full review， click on the link below:https://unseenlibrary。com/2022/04/15/。。。For other exciting reviews and content， check out my blog at:https://unseenlibrary。com/ 。。。more
Carina
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I was about five pages into this book when I realised it was face-down in a ditch drunk on its own sense of importance。 Things got worse from there。 Firstly， this book did not need to exist。 Did it actually give any new information？ Not that I saw。 Granted， the only reason this book didn't end up on the DNF pile is because I was *convinced* there had to be a point where it became interesting， actually gained momentum， and imported new information。 No; there wasn't。 I skimmed the stupid thing onc I was about five pages into this book when I realised it was face-down in a ditch drunk on its own sense of importance。 Things got worse from there。 Firstly， this book did not need to exist。 Did it actually give any new information？ Not that I saw。 Granted， the only reason this book didn't end up on the DNF pile is because I was *convinced* there had to be a point where it became interesting， actually gained momentum， and imported new information。 No; there wasn't。 I skimmed the stupid thing once I couldn't stop hearing Ryan George's "That's the name of the movie！" whenever Luceno had a character refer to the Sith being "the phantom menace" and TWO different references to "the revenge of the Sith"。 Oh， and "s/he/they're from the movie！" whenever a character from the movies was dropped in for no other reason than they were there。 Let's throw in a couple “roll credits （ding！）” for good measure。 I'm still not sure what the plot of "Darth Plagueis" is。 We went from Point A to Point G is a painfully paint-by-numbers sequence of events with random tangents that did nothing to forward plot， characters， or even add to world building。 The book would be about 30 pages shorter without the tangents。 Maybe another 20 on top of that if you cut out the needless monologue-cum-flashback passages which only existed for "mwahaha！ we're the bad guys！ remember？" If this was the choice of Powers that Be at LucasFilm， I would like to extend my apologies to Luceno。 If it was Luceno's decision， sir， you are not as clever as you think you are。 Or maybe you are but you expressed it horribly in your writing。 There are multiple points where things are repeated， such as the Hutts and two other species being resistance to Force mind tricks and a character reminding another character of conversation that happened 20 years prior in-story but less than 100 pages previously。 And this is what I caught while skim reading。 I can only imagine what people who were close reading actually caught。 Probably enough about midi-chlorians to pass Star Wars Biology 103？ There were also several points which contradicted lore established in the movies （I'm ignoring contradictions with written lore from when the Prequels was released）， specifically Palpatine insisting Padme could rule for 50+ years when TCW states there's a term limit for elected Naboo rulers。 Throw in the classic written sci-fi presumption that the reader doesn't know that the energy weapon goes "pew-pew"， the space ship goes "nyoon"， and the overly-detailed yet underdescribed aliens。。。did I miss something？ What did I miss that makes this book so highly praised？ The writing was not good。 Moving forward， the action scenes （the handful that there were） were on par with "The Queen's Shadow" （honestly， this book reminded me so much of Queen's Shadow， and that is not a compliment）。 To its credit， "Plagueis" at least had a scattering of action scenes。 However， they fell into the classic style commonly seen from inexperienced authors: unbroken paragraphs of just describing what happened， and a lack of tension or interest--which actually applies to the book as a whole。 I knew what Plagueis' goals were because he and Palpatine spelled them out every five pages。 There's one scene where they talk together， and I actually read through it twice because I swear there was an "as you know"， but no， it was simply implied。 Rather than writing out what happened and running the risk of giving us an interesting sequence of events， digging into the tension and action， Palpatine reports to his master on how he assassinated someone by way of Pufferfish Nigiri--sorry， wrong franchise--assassinated someone by a rare and poisonous dish with the Force as a follow-up in case it didn't work。。。I'm losing brain cells and already ranted to a colleague to get the first rush of frustration out of the way。 I borrowed this book from the library and had to run to return it before I chucked in across the room and had to explain why the office plants were smashed。 Because you wanna know what really ground my gears？ Oh， yes， it gets much， much worse。Luceno made Palpatine boring。 Yes， you read that correctly: Palpatine， the Granddaddy of the Modern Villain， the brainchild of our Lord and Saviour from Wooden Villains， the King of Genius Camp Ian McDiarmid Himself， and who is the single-most influential character in my entire life， was boring。 Not even boring。 Dull。 He did things; I can tell you that much。 This is unpardonable and inexcusable。 Yes， the book went from biology textbook to actually having something resembling forward movement once Palpatine entered。 It is possible to argue that he hasn’t grown into himself at this point—but people don't change that much as they grow; they mostly become more themselves。 This was a sad excuse of a knock-off。 Where's the joy of evil？ Where's the cunning mastery？ Where's the scheming and being five steps ahead of everyone else？ Show， for the love of all that is holy， Stop Telling， how Palpatine manipulated his master， manipulated everyone around him。 Do not give me another villain who’s "Just Like That" because "Daddy Problems"。 There were a few points where the writing was enough that I slowed down enough to actually read and not just skim， but they were far and few between。 About page 200， things got more interesting， but we were scraping the bottom of the barrel so hard that I could see stonework。 When griping about the book， people told me "well， he's a politician！" No， no， I've read plenty with interesting political scheming to know that's not a valid excuse。 Heck， even Palpatine's internal monologue in the original RotJ book where he reflects on how he rose to power was interesting and intriguing。 It was tidy， it made sense， and it showed Palpatine's arrogance and self-assurance without slowing down the story。 This was。。。sad。 And maybe I'm being unfair because I hold Timothy Zahn as the gold standard for writing intelligent characters and plots for Star Wars while also extending the courtesy of assuming his own audience is intelligent*。 Maybe it’s my own fault that I just expected more from what’s supposed to be the Big Big Bad of Star Wars and it was impossible to live up to these expectations。 I wanted to give this book two-stars， but alas and alack， no。 Now， excuse me while I go watch Full Fat Videos' "Palpatine's Art of Camp （And How It Saved The Prequels）" for the fifth time in an effort to bring down my blood pressure。*No joke: I would pay serious money to watch and 8-D chess match between Thrawn and Kaz Brekker。 。。。more
Noah Nevils
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Really fun book。 I had tried reading a couple Star Wars books in the past and could never get into them。 Listened to this on Audible and the narrator was fantastic。 Only quibble was that he sometimes makes the voices of certain characters we've seen in the movies sound way different than they did onscreen， which is a bit distracting。 （Nute Gunray and Obi Wan were the biggest examples of this。） Included some good sound effects。Loved how it gave a lot of Dark Side lore， and info that really fleshe Really fun book。 I had tried reading a couple Star Wars books in the past and could never get into them。 Listened to this on Audible and the narrator was fantastic。 Only quibble was that he sometimes makes the voices of certain characters we've seen in the movies sound way different than they did onscreen， which is a bit distracting。 （Nute Gunray and Obi Wan were the biggest examples of this。） Included some good sound effects。Loved how it gave a lot of Dark Side lore， and info that really fleshes out and explains the events of the prequels， especially Anakin's birth and the politics around Naboo and Tatooine， and how those planets factors into the plans of Plagueis and Palpatine。 The moon Sojourn where Plagueis holds his Bacchanals was a cool conspiratorial touch from our world， reminiscent of Bohemian Grove。 The other our-world touch that sort of fit， but also sort of didn't， was a nearly direct quote from John Donne's poem "No Man is an Island"。 Biggest problem with it was the manner in which a key character dies （shouldn't be a spoiler for anyone who's seen "Revenge of the Sith"） at the end; unrealistic that he would allow himself to be lulled in that way。 。。。more
Alexis P
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This is the third Star Wars novel I've read， and by far is the best one， and probably one of the best books I have read in my life。 Darth Plagueis is a prequel/tie-in to The Phantom Menace。 The book covers Palpatine's youth and his rise to power， Maul's early life， Dooku's days as a Jedi， and Sidious' training by Hego Damask aka Darth Plagueis， the Wise。 Yes， THAT Plagueis。 Darth Plagueis is a great novel about galactic political conspiracies， the corruption of power， the nature of the dark side This is the third Star Wars novel I've read， and by far is the best one， and probably one of the best books I have read in my life。 Darth Plagueis is a prequel/tie-in to The Phantom Menace。 The book covers Palpatine's youth and his rise to power， Maul's early life， Dooku's days as a Jedi， and Sidious' training by Hego Damask aka Darth Plagueis， the Wise。 Yes， THAT Plagueis。 Darth Plagueis is a great novel about galactic political conspiracies， the corruption of power， the nature of the dark side and the ways of the treacherous and evil Sith。 A beautifully written book that's more cerebral， complex and adult-oriented than many other Star Wars stories， and I really liked how everything was explained and tied to the infamous Episode I。 Definitely a must-read for Star Wars fans， and for people who like politics to a certain degree。 。。。more
Mat Francis
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Ok one thing that I get frustrated with when it comes to the Star Wars literary world， is the fact that if you're reading a titled named after a certain character， you're guaranteed that most of the novel will be someone else's story with almost like the title character as a side character arc off in the background。 Although this is titled Darth Plagueis it basically tells the story of the rise of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine。 It starts off with Plagueis already basically established as a sit Ok one thing that I get frustrated with when it comes to the Star Wars literary world， is the fact that if you're reading a titled named after a certain character， you're guaranteed that most of the novel will be someone else's story with almost like the title character as a side character arc off in the background。 Although this is titled Darth Plagueis it basically tells the story of the rise of Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine。 It starts off with Plagueis already basically established as a sith with his master Darth Tenebrous before ending his masters life。 Then coming across Palpatine as a teen/young man and goes from there where Plagueis teaches Palpatine and then to the rest of Palpatines journey。 It'll sometimes come back to let you know what Plagueis/Hego Demask is doing in the background but feel like with what I said at the start that SW literary world， the book title is like a mask for another's story， I guess at least it wasn't a story from the light side titled as someone from the dark side 。。。more
G
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Good book
Vivek
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Amazing storyOne of the best written stories。 I have read this multiple times。 The characterization of Plagueis and Sidious is masterful。
Michael
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DNF at page 214 so no star rating。I really wanted to read this after listening to those couple of lines in the film about the "The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise"。What I got was dull， political trade stuff with no action at all。 The book is supposed to be about Darth Plagueis but seems more focused on Sidious。 I don't have the time or the patience to carry on reading to see if anything of note happened。 DNF at page 214 so no star rating。I really wanted to read this after listening to those couple of lines in the film about the "The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise"。What I got was dull， political trade stuff with no action at all。 The book is supposed to be about Darth Plagueis but seems more focused on Sidious。 I don't have the time or the patience to carry on reading to see if anything of note happened。 。。。more
Iago
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Novela sobre Darth Plagueis， lord sith mencionado en "La Venganza de los Sith" y maestro de Darth Sidious。 Trata sobre la relación entre este maestro y su aprendiz。 Esperaba del libro que fuera como una especie de inmersión en lo relacionado con el lado oscuro， pero apenas lo ha sido， ha sido más bien una serie de intrigas políticas encadenadas entre ambos。 Es interesante， pero me ha resultado un poco culebrón （desde el punto de vista político， claro）。 Novela sobre Darth Plagueis， lord sith mencionado en "La Venganza de los Sith" y maestro de Darth Sidious。 Trata sobre la relación entre este maestro y su aprendiz。 Esperaba del libro que fuera como una especie de inmersión en lo relacionado con el lado oscuro， pero apenas lo ha sido， ha sido más bien una serie de intrigas políticas encadenadas entre ambos。 Es interesante， pero me ha resultado un poco culebrón （desde el punto de vista político， claro）。 。。。more
Matt
，
Palpatine’s origin story。 Reading （listening） to this after reading a bunch of other Star Wars books was perfect。 There’s so many references and mentions of characters from other series that I kept going， “Hey， they’re talking about so and so！” It was a treat。 Blends together the Legends book universe with the prequels very nicely。
Jon Sulek
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First。 This book is not technically considered “cannon” anymore given the Disney acquiring of Star Wars。 Having said that， this book is one of my favorite Star Wars properties EVER。 If you have ever wanted to know more about the rise of Palpatine through his master and be glued to the page， this book is for you。
J。M。 Giovine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "4。5 stars"I think I should’ve seen a mile away how much of a “Phantom Menace prequel” this would be。I’ve encountered some diverse opinions， saying this book wasn’t that good， or that is plain disappointing。 Personally， it was more educational than entertaining， but I get the feeling。 I also had a completely different expectation towards this， and only based on its sole title。 Based on the iconic scene from ‘Revenge of the Sith’， Darth Plagueis starts as a story mostly focused on a ‘muun’ named "4。5 stars"I think I should’ve seen a mile away how much of a “Phantom Menace prequel” this would be。I’ve encountered some diverse opinions， saying this book wasn’t that good， or that is plain disappointing。 Personally， it was more educational than entertaining， but I get the feeling。 I also had a completely different expectation towards this， and only based on its sole title。 Based on the iconic scene from ‘Revenge of the Sith’， Darth Plagueis starts as a story mostly focused on a ‘muun’ named Hego Damask， who’s secretly the Sith apprentice of Darth Tenebrous， and who immediately gets kill by him， quick starting the chain of events that’ll set in motion the upcoming destiny of the Galaxy。Taking place 67 years before the Battle of Yavin （30 before ‘The Phantom Menace’）， James Luceno grabbed the concept told by Palpatine during Episode III， expanding on the “Legend of Darth Plagueis， the Wise”， and delivering a direct prequel of the very first episode， explaining several key elements from the prequels that’ll benefit the experience regarding the main plot of these films。 Not only that， but from the very first episode， Luceno also takes the time to give some special mentions to some Old Republic references， particularly the KOTOR videogames， the “Darth Bane Trilogy” （by Drew Karpyshyn， the games’ writer）， and even the ‘Dark Horse’ comics book series， ‘Tales of the Jedi’， and while reading or checking on these mentioned titles isn’t completely necessary， nor obligated， it certainly would help to dig upon the experience offered by ‘Plagueis’。 The story， as aforementioned， takes place before the invasion by the Trade Federation on the planet Naboo， getting to know all the circumstances and origins of the Grand Plan， which is plotted mainly by Damask to take control over the Galaxy by taking down the Republic， in order to make the fallen Sith rulers， after destroying the Jedi Order。 So far so good， and the introduction of Damask as a Sith apprentice is very well handled。 Luceno properly explains his motivations， his origins and his role as a “business man”， owner of a prestigious company， and an influential figure amongst the elite。 The “double life” presented in the character of Damask it’s also one of the higher points regarding his character。 A trait that later will be adopted by the one of Palpatine， but here’s where all the polarizing opinions towards this novel comes from: it comes a point half-way through the book in which this becomes ‘Darth Sidious Origins”， which yeah， it is a problem， considering there’s plenty of substance seeded regarding Plagueis’ obsession towards immortality， and his goal of stepping over Bane’s sacred “Rule of Two” by being the one taking over， and finally bringing the Sith glory once again。 Palpatine’s initial participation it’s pretty much an obligated sub-plot， since we all know he’s his vaguely-referenced “apprentice”， but again， the story completely out shadows Plagueis in pro of turning this into a fairly well-constructed precursor of ‘Phantom Menace’。 Unfortunately， and as much as I loved it， there comes a point in which the fanservice turns a little too obvious。 Example of this comes with the incursion of Darth Maul’s origins， and his presence is constant throughout the book until the very finale。 Dooku and Sifo-Dyas are in here， as well as Qui-Gon Jinn， who at the very start I believed they would’ve only be a random but nice reference in the middle of the story， but， yeah， just like Maul， they’re here for a considerable amount of time。 I guess I would’ve forbid the references interfering with Plagueis’ character， but the part where I genuinely started to feel bothered was once the story collides and mixes with the events of Episode I。 Just to give a clarification， I’m not stating I hated it， or that I thought the book was bad， but for the premise and the way Luceno executed the story， mixing it in the end with the events of the film felt lazy。 As a matter of fact， I was hoping the book would’ve ended with the very beginning of the first film， even the very prologue of the book suggests that would be the case。 But no。As for Luceno’s writing， he’s a great narrator， and his style is fancy and engaging。 If my grade for this is that high it is entirely for the way he wrote the book; while the pathway it followed in the end wasn’t of my personal liking， his prose felt genuine and way more mature than I would’ve thought a ‘Star Wars’ novel had any right to be。 Not that the franchise its known for delivering mediocre literature， but the new Canon seems to forget there’s an actual adult substance that could be delivered in these stories， and while yeah， this is no longer canon-since it belongs to “Legends”-， it is a great reminder that one of the latest written novels from the ‘Expanded Universe’ shelf， was able to nail the writing department。 Luceno manages to dominate each chapter， making constant cliffhangers， and adding certain political values to the plot， and to his characters， so much that it works as a clear reminder of the time period this belongs in the timeline， since the prequels are very well known from their “political excess and lore”。But the aspect of Luceno’s writing that hooked me the most was how visceral and explicit this was when it comes to deliver action and violence。 These are Sith， we’re talking， and while there’s and obvious and obligated absence of “lightsaber duels” between Jedi and Sith， I was surprised on how much happened regarding the main characters and certain enemies and “victims” in the story。 It reminded me of how distinguishable these stories were compared to the new canon by Disney; this felt more in line with the take and tones delivered in ‘Revenge of the Sith’， rather than， let’s say， ‘Rise of Skywalker’， and the more I read “Legends” material， the more I remember how serious and grim the franchise felt， more in accordance to Lucas’ original vision， instead of the “family friendly” new approach presented by Disney， although， I’m not saying Disney its completely absent of strong-mature moments， all I’m saying is that they felt rather limited， compared to the previous thing。In the end， this might please hardcore fans who may be fully aware of the true content this delivers。 I guess one might consider a “spoiler” mentioning how much this connects and references the prequels， but I guess it’ll improve the experience to know-as a head start-， that this is not a 100% focused “Darth Plagueis novel”， but instead， a smartly and substantial prequel to Episode I， focusing almost entirely on the character of Palpatine， and his Sith origins rather than， ironically， the way Plagueis came to uncover the secrets of the immortality that Sidious explains to Anakin， in the film。 It is a good book， and one that exposes plenty of depth and insight on the early days in the saga’s timeline， but the title might’ve been mistakenly chosen either by Luceno or the editors。 However， it is strongly recommended， even if it doesn’t have any longer a canonical value， but as a former and alternative ‘Star Wars’ product， it delivers， but not in the way people might think at first。 。。。more
TheGeeksAttic
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Star Wars: Darth Plagueis was written by New York Times Bestselling Author， James Luceno。 This novel marks the first story in the Rise of the Empire Era。 It takes place around 67 to 32 years before A New Hope。 SUMMARY: Hego Damask， head of Damask Holdings， which is a financial institute closely affiliated with the Muun's Intergalactic Banking Clan， is secretly the Sith， Darth Plagueis。 Plagueis uses his company to produce more wealth， which， in turn brings him exotic resources and political gain Star Wars: Darth Plagueis was written by New York Times Bestselling Author， James Luceno。 This novel marks the first story in the Rise of the Empire Era。 It takes place around 67 to 32 years before A New Hope。 SUMMARY: Hego Damask， head of Damask Holdings， which is a financial institute closely affiliated with the Muun's Intergalactic Banking Clan， is secretly the Sith， Darth Plagueis。 Plagueis uses his company to produce more wealth， which， in turn brings him exotic resources and political gain。 Darth Plagueis is scheming to fulfill the Sith's grand plan。。。 to conquer the galaxy。 The Sith have remained in the shadows for far too long， the plan to rule is a massive undertaking。 One cannot simply take control of the galaxy with pure ferocity and power。 However， with strict strategic measures， it could be taken through political means。 Darth Plagueis knows he cannot fulfill this task alone。 He seeks out his apprentice， specifically one with political potential。 When he stumbles upon a young and defiant Palpatine on Naboo， he takes him under his wing to mold the boy to his liking， and fulfill the Sith's grand plan。 CHARACTERS: Darth Plagueis: In his public life， the Muun is known to others as Magister Hego Damask。 He is wealthy， smart， and hungry for power。 His wisdom in the dark side of the force tames his patience。 He understands that in order for the Sith to conquer the galaxy they must forfeit their physical prowess and be successful in the affairs of politics。 The transfer of power from the republic to the Sith is one of his goals， but his obsession with cheating death is his primary objective， but ironically。。。 ultimately， it is his undoing。 OVERALL THOUGHTS: Luceno's word structure， or prose， is incredible。 The descriptions are extremely vivid。 The visuals he produces really stand out from the pages， making this book one of the most descriptive books I've read in the Expanded Universe。 The story is so ominous， and it gives incredible insight as to how the Sith have failed in the past and how they succeeded in their quest to rule the galaxy。 With a title like Plagueis， I assumed the book would have been a bio of sorts， on where the Sith had come from。。。 his history。 Of course his name is mentioned in Revenge of the Sith so the book could have just been some shallow tale about some old Sith who was killed by his apprentice。 I was wrong。 The book actually covers a lot of Hego Damask's life but also， so much of Palpatine's raising。 This book could have been titled "Sidious。" But， this story really shines light on the genius and arrogance of Darth Plagueis。The book is loaded with tons of Sith lore， it's so cool。 The relationship between Plagueis and Sidious is full of distrust， but， that's just the way of the Sith， they constantly test each other。 The apprentice needs the master， and the master needs an apprentice that desires power， and has the drive to accomplish the grand plan。 Sidious learns of Plagueis's secret experiments of prolonging life long after he'd already been taken on as apprentice after Plagueis suffers a bad injury， which keeps the suspense and tension at a heightened level for the reader。 Sidious is surprised by his masters obsession。 Plagueis says to Sidious， "Together， we are the new born stars that complete the Sith constellation。" I absolutely love how the plan to overtake the Republic unfolds， Plagueis and Sidious are master manipulators and warriors。 Learning the details of Dooku and Maul adds so much more to their story， giving these shallow characters from the film so much depth。 Maul was was trained as a warrior， to be the violent tool in the Sith's back pocket when they need him。 Plaguies and Sidious are on a completely different level in relation to Maul。 It's odd that Sidious would choose him to be his apprentice。 It's not that Maul isn't intelligent， but he has no political knowledge。 He is strictly focused on brute force， craving action immediately， rather than patiently。 Palpatine see's the obsession that Plagueis has with prolonging his life。 The shifting of Republic affairs has become a burden for him alone。 This really goes to show how deceptive and powerful Palpatine truly is。 This book is a must read for Star Wars fans。 If you've never read a Star Wars book。。。 if you've never read an Expanded Universe book， this novel is the perfect example of how awesome media tie in material can be。 Darth Pagueis should be required reading for any Star Wars fan。 So， do I recommend that you read Darth Plagueis？ Yes！ An excellent introduction of the Sith in a new era。 RATING: I will give this book an A+。 It's a wonderful telling of Palpatine's introduction to darkness and power and delivers an incredible insight of who Darth Plagueis was。 。。。more
Gaby García
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Ajijosumadre se puso denso el bisne
The Literary Jedi
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I really loved this book。This book starts off nearly 70 years BBY [Before the Battle of Yavin] on the Legends Timeline。 And even though it's called "Darth Plageuis" it's actually about Palpatine and his rise to power more than it is about his master。I know other readers have been very disappointed about this and it's quite understandable; at first， I was a bit miffed too but then I really started to pay attention to the story and it hooked me。There are many things about Darth Plageuis throughout I really loved this book。This book starts off nearly 70 years BBY [Before the Battle of Yavin] on the Legends Timeline。 And even though it's called "Darth Plageuis" it's actually about Palpatine and his rise to power more than it is about his master。I know other readers have been very disappointed about this and it's quite understandable; at first， I was a bit miffed too but then I really started to pay attention to the story and it hooked me。There are many things about Darth Plageuis throughout the book and how he played behind the scenes， especially in his civilian role as Hego Damask of Damask Holdings on Muun。 The experiments Plageuis conducted are discussed and I was pleased to read/hear when a favorite villain was introduced too。The story goes right up through Episode One: The Phantom Menace and the parts Palpatine played in that story。**All thoughts and opinions are my own。** 。。。more
Shane Henderson
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I thought it was fairly well written， but the tone didn’t really fit Star Wars for me。 It was too dark， too grim， and too violent at times。 I don’t have a problem with any of those feelings in a story， it just didn’t seem to fit the overall tone of the series。 I also felt that the author tried to tie in too many different plots。 I get that the intention was to make it seem like the characters were pulling the strings of every major plot line going on at the time， but it felt a little too forced I thought it was fairly well written， but the tone didn’t really fit Star Wars for me。 It was too dark， too grim， and too violent at times。 I don’t have a problem with any of those feelings in a story， it just didn’t seem to fit the overall tone of the series。 I also felt that the author tried to tie in too many different plots。 I get that the intention was to make it seem like the characters were pulling the strings of every major plot line going on at the time， but it felt a little too forced at times。 It felt like this entire universe was smaller than it should be。 I get why it was done， but I don’t think it was done in a good enough way that made sense。 。。。more
Marco
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James Luceno is a great writer。 However， I do prefer the canon Padme books background for Naboo over this one's。 Otherwise， a fantastic novel。 I finally know the true tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise。 James Luceno is a great writer。 However， I do prefer the canon Padme books background for Naboo over this one's。 Otherwise， a fantastic novel。 I finally know the true tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise。 。。。more
Matilda Marie Beekay
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A rare look into the inner workings of the Sith， you'd expect the eponymous Sith Lord to take centre stage in 'Darth Plagueis'， but unfortunately the machinations of the Muun businessman desperate to uncover the mysteries of controlling midochlorians isn't nearly as interesting as the origin story of the Once and Future Palpatine。Plagueis himself is a decent character; cold and calculating， viewing social and professional interactions， investigations and scientific endeavours as nothing more tha A rare look into the inner workings of the Sith， you'd expect the eponymous Sith Lord to take centre stage in 'Darth Plagueis'， but unfortunately the machinations of the Muun businessman desperate to uncover the mysteries of controlling midochlorians isn't nearly as interesting as the origin story of the Once and Future Palpatine。Plagueis himself is a decent character; cold and calculating， viewing social and professional interactions， investigations and scientific endeavours as nothing more than business transactions to profit from。 It's entertaining to see him manipulate those around him， but ultimately he comes off as dull compared to his young apprentice and the tale of his rise。A casual Star Wars fan will probably find the story dull - there's not a lot of action and the bulk of the important conflicts resolve around the complicated plans to destabilise Galactic politics。 But there's a lot here for those who love the setting， the characters and the broader ideological conflict of the Star Wars franchise。 Well worth a read。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Luceno is one of my favorite Star Wars authors， and he did not disappoint in Darth Plagueis。 Darth Plagueis tells the tale of Darth Sidious' Sith master and gives much background on Sidious as well。 It was a very well-written book， and even though they were clearly evil， it had me cheering for Plagueis and Sidious all the way。 Some of the most interesting and insightful parts were those in which Plagueis seduced Sidious to the dark side。 Beginning years before the Phantom Menace and ending just Luceno is one of my favorite Star Wars authors， and he did not disappoint in Darth Plagueis。 Darth Plagueis tells the tale of Darth Sidious' Sith master and gives much background on Sidious as well。 It was a very well-written book， and even though they were clearly evil， it had me cheering for Plagueis and Sidious all the way。 Some of the most interesting and insightful parts were those in which Plagueis seduced Sidious to the dark side。 Beginning years before the Phantom Menace and ending just as Palpatine is elected Chancellor， it didn't drag at all， despite the length。 。。。more
Tim Jones
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A must read for Star Wars fansGripping from the 1st page， links up very well to the 1st trilogy。 It’s a long book but there is an awful lot of information to take in。 Highly recommended。
Horizon_Universe
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Découvert en livre audio， ce livre raconte l’histoire de Darth Plagueis， sa découverte de Palpatine， et leurs manigances pour manipuler le Sénat et le clan bancaire， et prendre le contrôle de la Galaxie。 Livre très sympa qui， pour le coup， a un vrai intérêt pour ceux voulant découvrir l’univers étendu。 Il a aussi l’avantage d’avoir des bruitages et musiques -je mettrai juste un bémol sur la voix de l’acteur， qui est parfois franchement à la limite de l’incompréhensible quand il prend certaines t Découvert en livre audio， ce livre raconte l’histoire de Darth Plagueis， sa découverte de Palpatine， et leurs manigances pour manipuler le Sénat et le clan bancaire， et prendre le contrôle de la Galaxie。 Livre très sympa qui， pour le coup， a un vrai intérêt pour ceux voulant découvrir l’univers étendu。 Il a aussi l’avantage d’avoir des bruitages et musiques -je mettrai juste un bémol sur la voix de l’acteur， qui est parfois franchement à la limite de l’incompréhensible quand il prend certaines tonalités de voix （pour imiter des femmes par exemple）， et la voix nasillarde donnée à Palpatine jeune est vraiment désagréable。 En dehors de ça， j’ai adoré mon écoute du livre， et j’ai envie de découvrir plus de cette partie de l’UE， Luceno a fait un travail formidable sur la politique et l’économie de ce monde。 。。。more
Bailey 🌻
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The story itself is remarkable as it leads up to The Phantom Menace， but for some reason it took me so long to get through this。 My attention span was so off every time I would try and read this that I ended up skimming the last 100 pages or so。 I’ll leave it unrated for now because I don’t think I can give an accurate star rating or review。
Daniel Jacoby
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fine
Ben H
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EASILY one of the best Star Wars books I've ever read。 Arguably a MUST READ for major fans。 Learn the history of Palpatine -- all the way back to his Master。 Without it， there would be so many unanswered questions。 There are even implications on the prequel events。。。not just the period before the films。 So good I plan to re-read it for sure！ EASILY one of the best Star Wars books I've ever read。 Arguably a MUST READ for major fans。 Learn the history of Palpatine -- all the way back to his Master。 Without it， there would be so many unanswered questions。 There are even implications on the prequel events。。。not just the period before the films。 So good I plan to re-read it for sure！ 。。。more
Brian Moody
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