This year marks the 20th anniversary of Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, and if you’re looking to celebrate, you can grab the film’s novelization in a new and deluxe package. The book is currently priced at $60 ahead of its October 14 release, but it’s possible this price will come down before then. As a reminder, Amazon offers a preorder price guarantee, so you’ll only be charged for the book when it actually ships out. If the price does come down–which often happens with Amazon preorders–then you’ll pay the lower amount. For now, think of this preorder as booking your spot in line, just in case the book sells out.
$60 | Releases October 14
The Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: Deluxe Edition Novel features new hardcover binding with an illustrated wrap-around cover, an acetate jacket featuring a foil-stamped silhouette of Darth Vader, and a red satin ribbon bookmark. The pages feature foiled and ink-stamped edges that create an iconic quote from the film when the book is closed. Within the book, you’ll find a new introduction by author Matthew Stover, over 170 annotations with insights on how this adaptation was written, and two illustrated endpapers depicting two of the most pivotal scenes from the story.
Widely considered to be one of the best Star Wars novelizations, the literary adaptation of Revenge of the Sith improves on the feature film’s story by diving into each character’s internal thoughts, providing more insight into their motivations and actions. The added context makes for a holistic version of the plot and adds a Shakespearian quality to the story, mixing tragedy with a painful lesson about always having the upper hand.
If you’re curious about the other Star Wars novelizations, all eleven Star Wars feature films–including Episodes 1-9, Rogue One, and Solo–have received official book adaptations, and the Prequel Trilogy novels are particularly of note. Not only are they all considered elevated versions of their film source material, but all three are written by acclaimed sci-fi and fantasy writers. As mentioned above, Revenge of the Sith is written by Matt Stover, who has also written a long list of other official Star Wars extended universe books, while The Phantom Menage was written by Sword of Shannara creator Terry Brooks, and Attack of the Clones was written by R.A. Salvatore, best known for the Legend of Drizzt series of fantasy novels. If you want to check out all three, you can pick up the Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Novelization for $18 at Amazon (was $25). The rest of the Star Wars novelization series is also available at Amazon.
For more Star Wars books, there’s a lot to recommend in this department–especially if you’re looking for more reading material focused on Revenge of the Sith, the Prequel Trilogy, or Darth Vader.
Graphic novel fans will want to check out the Star Wars: Vader’s Castle – The Deluxe Library Collection for a sci-fi horror take on the series, while Star Wars Icons: Darth Vader is an extremely in-depth examination of one of cinema’s greatest villains. If you’re interested in learning more about the first film in the Prequel Trilogy, the Phantom Menace, a new behind-the-scenes book is on the way and it’s filled with photography, concept art, and filmmaking anecdotes from Episode One’s production. There’s also a special hardcover behind-the-scenes book detailing the making of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith launching on June 3. Published by Star Wars Insider and priced at $20, the 96-page book includes vintage interviews with the film’s cast and is complemented with photography and art from the Lucasfilm Archives. The Star Wars Archives 1999–2005 is another good book to pair with these, as it offers a broader look at the filmmaking process on all three of the prequels.
It’s also worth mentioning that the recently released Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy has dropped to $30 (was $50). As the title implies, this 448-page hardcover guidebook is packed with up-to-date information on the sprawling sci-fi universe, including detailed entries on hundreds of characters, vehicles, planets, gadgets, and more.
More Star Wars Books
Star Wars 4K Blu-rays
While the novelizations are great ways to experience the Star Wars film saga from a new point of view, you can also pick up the films on Blu-ray. This includes 4K Blu-ray standalone editions of all nine mainline entries in the Skywalker Saga. Each release is packed with special features, like mini-documentaries exploring the special and practical effects, extended and deleted scenes, cast and crew commentary tracks, and much more, so you’re really getting a lot of Star Wars for your buck here.
- The Phantom Menace — $45
- Attack of the Clones — $30.57 (
$39) - Revenge of the Sith — $30.56 (
$39) - A New Hope — $39
- The Empire Strikes Back — $28.09 (
$39) - Return of the Jedi — $30.57 (
$39) - The Force Awakens — $26.41 (
$39) - The Last Jedi — $23.80 (
$39) - The Rise of Skywalker — $17.66 (
$35)
