Reviews

This is truly a masterpiece both in terms of storytelling and writing ability. You can tell that every page and every word had so much care, thought, and purposefulness put into its use - it was mesmerizing to read. I really loved how each part specifically expanded on eras and the transfer of power between Sith. I thought the characters were so well fleshed out - it really helped me to understand the motives of the Sith and just how expansive their puppeteer meddling was. I loved the interaction between the politics and the action scenes. I just cannot gush enough about how excellent this book was - a must-read for major Star Wars fans.

With that being said - this book is HEAVY on lore. You have to have a pretty deep understanding of the Star Wars universe as a whole and the EU in order to even begin reading this book. I read this as a part of a book club with a Star Wars mega-fan who pretty much knew every single reference off the top of their head. Even still, as we read this together - I kept Wookiepedia and a Dictionary open on my phone. I was actually sad to finish this book, it was just so excellent.

notesurfer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Darth Plagueis is a competently written expanded universe novel, but doesn't have much going for it other than a giant pile of Star Wars trivia. The moment-to-moment prose is excellent, and the premise is initially pretty compelling. Unfortunately little is done to humanize the baddies - both protagonists are selfish, scheming, murderous, and power-hungry. No attempt is made to illustrate why they developed those traits or why they continue to choose the dark side.

Furthermore, it feels like half the book is just references to the events and characters of other expanded universe novels. The intended reader is clearly either someone who has read every other EU novel or who will now buy and read those because they are curious about the vast network of ancillary events. If the book spent more time delving into the character and psychology of its leads then I could forgive the repeated hand-waving of off-screen events. Sadly, this book feels like just another brick in the Star Wars wall.