Review: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
Star Wars: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yes, another Star Wars book for me. This one I wanted to read to understand how Darth Vader developed from Anakin Skywalker to the person he becomes in Rogue One (and A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi).
The book begins a few months after The Revenge of the Sith where Vader is still trying to get used to his new life and environment along with the trials and tribulations of becoming one with the dark side. It also includes a number of characters that we all know (e.g. Bail Organa, Mon Mother). Without giving too much away, I enjoyed the epilogue that directed the story to Obi-Wan in his new life on Tatooine.
I’ve enjoyed some of Luceno’s other books a little more however this was an enjoyable read which I struggled to put down, especially when the chapters were focused on Palpatine and Vader’s developing relationship.
Three key takeaways from the book:
1. Didn’t realise that so many Jedi survived after Order 66 was executed
2. Obi-Wan didn’t know that Anakin had survived for quite some time after his fight with him
3. It is still quite surprising how many Senators along with the people of the Republic never realising that Palpatine is in fact a Sith Lord
