Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith prequel book
Brian Edmonds
NOW AVAILABLE!
The must-read prequel to STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH
STAR WARS LABYRINTH OF EVIL by James Luceno
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James Luceno: Navigating the LABYRINTH OF EVIL
Setting the Scene
Making the wait for Episode III's cinematic debut easier for Star Wars
fans is Del Rey's release of Labyrinth of Evil, the new Star Wars novel
that directly ties into the beginning of Episode III. Author James
Luceno writes this new adventure, with access to detailed Episode III
information from Lucasfilm, ensuring an authoritative prelude to the
final Star Wars chapter.
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker embark on their last big mission
together before the events of Episode III. It is the Chosen One's first
assignment with Obi-Wan as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. The Clone Wars
are nearing their climactic resolution, with the Jedi investigating
tenuous leads as to the location of Darth Sidious, the long-rumored
mastermind behind the dark events clouding the galaxy. But such a search
leads deep into a web of lies, and an explosive adventure that sets the
stage for Episode III.
Author James Luceno answers a few questions about this hotly anticipated
hardcover release that hits bookstores today.
QUESTION: LABYRINTH OF EVIL is said to be the prequel to Star Wars:
Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Does the novel take place immediately
prior to the film? What will audiences who see film without having read
the book be missing?
JAMES LUCENO: LABYRINTH OF EVIL takes place in the final month of the
Clone Wars and leads directly into the opening moments of Revenge of the
Sith. It supplies plot and character backstory that George Lucas didn't
have the time -- or inclination -- to include in the film. In addition,
the novel addresses a couple of story points that remain unresolved from
Attack of the Clones. With regard to whether audiences will be missing
out by not reading the book, Sue Rostoni, of Lucas Licensing, put it
best when she asked fans to consider whether knowing precisely how
Princess Leia received the Death Star plans is essential to enjoying A
New Hope. Personally, I like the fact that Star Wars films always begin
in the midst of the action and leave the backstory for audiences to fill
in. But I jumped at the chance to provide the back-fill.
Q: Did you have access to the shooting script for Revenge of the Sith in
writing LABYRINTH OF EVILLABYRINTH OF EVIL? Were you able to look at any
early rushes from the film?
JL: I read the first version of the script, and was kept updated on
revisions until the last possible moment -- that is, until no further
edits could be made to the manuscript. I read the novelization as it was
being written, and, because I was also working on the Episode III Visual
Dictionary, had access to film stills and props, and spoke frequently
with Sue Rostoni, Pablo Hidalgo (Episode III Set Diarist), and Jonathan
Rinzler (author of The Making of Revenge of the Sith), all of whom were
either attending dailies or seeing screenings of the rough cuts. Even
so, Labyrinth contains a few minor continuity errors, owing to my
attempts to be specific when I probably should have been vague.
Q: Can you set the scene of the novel for us?
JL: Following on the heels of events in Jedi Trial and Dark Rendezvous,
Anakin Skywalker has been dubbed a Knight, and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has
been named to the Jedi Council. The Separatists have been pushed from
the galactic core, and the war has taken a toll on everyone. The Outer
Rim sieges have been going on for four months, and Anakin and Padme
haven't seen each other for at least that long. Labyrinth is the first
chance to focus the action on Anakin and Obi-Wan, both as warriors and
close friends. The first half of the book takes them through a series of
adventures, during which they gather clues which coalesce in the second
half, setting the stage for the opening sequence of Revenge of the Sith.
Q: Some have commented that the war the Republic faces parallels the
uncertainty the U.S. faces in its current war. Were these intentional
parallels or is this a case of reality mirroring art?
JL: Views espoused by the characters do not necessarily reflect those of
the writer, and no intentional parallels are made. So it must be a case
of reality mirroring art. In public and in private George Lucas has said
that the prequel films show the way in which democracies fall and
dictators come to power. But galactic politics, even the war itself, are
backdrop. Ultimately, Star Wars is a family saga about loss and
redemption, and the repercussions that spring from cutting deals with
the devil. Revenge's political scenes will probably end up on the
cutting room floor, in any event, though they are included in the
novelization, and with luck will show up on the DVD.
Q: It's interesting to see how the relationship between Anakin and
Obi-Wan has evolved over the course of the films and novels since
Episode I The Phantom Menace. How would you describe that relationship
in Labyrinth of Evil?
JL: Jealousy and concern undermine the depth of Anakin and Obi-Wan's
friendship. Obi-Wan fears that he has failed to persuade Anakin of the
danger inherent in anger, and to convince him to distance himself
emotionally from Padme. He also worries about Chancellor Palpatine's
continuing influence on Anakin. By contrast, Anakin is torn between
being the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan wants him to be and following his own
destiny as the Chosen One. Anakin wants to have it all and has convinced
himself that the Jedi are holding him back. More important, he no longer
accepts that the Jedi can win the war. He wishes that the Senate would
simply follow Palpatine's lead.
Q: Even though Padme and Anakin aren't physically together in Labyrinth,
they are never far from each other's thoughts. This relationship is
obviously a source of great strength to Anakin . . . why does Obi-Wan
fear it?
JL: The relationship is an opening to the dark side, in the sense that
attachment, of any sort, is a road to fear, anger, and suffering -- in
the world according to Star Wars. Padme is both wife and surrogate
mother to Anakin, and any threats to her have a devastating effect on
him. What happened on Tatooine in Attack of the Clones was only the
beginning.
Q: Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord orchestrating the collapse of the
Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Knights, is always a step ahead
of his adversaries, even powerful Jedi like Mace Windu and Yoda. Is this
because the Jedi have grown too fearful of the dark side?
JL: The Jedi appear to have forgotten that evil can't simply be stamped
out, and that their mandate is to help maintain a balance between good
and evil. Complacent for too long, they have dropped the ball. They
dismissed Dooku as a political idealist, failed to prevent the
Separatists from creating a vast army, and allowed themselves to be
beguiled by Palpatine. Worse, they have placed too much trust in the
prophesized Chosen One. Sidious, meanwhile, the culmination of 1,000
years of Sith training, has been watching the Jedi closely, and gaining
strength at their expense.
Q: Speaking of Dooku, it seems that you had a degree of sympathy for
him.
JL: Dooku started out as wanting to reform the Republic. He was
disillusioned by the fact that the Jedi Order had essentially turned its
back to obvious instances of corruption and vice. But Dooku ended up
taking the easy path to power, by allowing himself to be seduced by the
dark side, and, in the end, to be duped by Sidious. Perhaps, at 83,
Dooku is beginning to lose his memory; or perhaps Sidious neglected to
include a Sith history lesson in Dooku's training. Betrayal plays an
important role in the Sith master-apprentice relationship, and Dooku
just doesn't see it. He also fails to grasp that Sidious is keen on
recruiting Anakin, despite the fact that, where two Sith can coexist,
three spells trouble.
Q: General Grievous, destined to play a large role in Episode III,
appears in Labyrinth. Who is he, and what makes him so dangerous?
JL: Grievous was a fierce warrior long before he was transformed into a
cyborg, as the result of what appears to have been an accident. Supreme
Commander of the Separatist forces, General Grievous is far more cunning
than the members of the Separatist council, and is able to deploy the
droid army to better advantage. Trained in lightsaber combat by Dooku,
and backed by a cadre of durasteel MagnaGuards, Grievous poses a threat
not only to clone troopers, but also to the Jedi. He does, however, have
a sniveling, cowardly side.
Q: You mention authors Ian Fleming and Thomas Pynchon in the dedication
of Labyrinth. Why these two writers, one famous for creating James Bond,
the other a master of postmodern paranoia?
JL: Both writers had a strong influence on me as a teenager. Along with
Carlos Castaneda and Eric von Daniken, Fleming set me on the path of
adventure travel, and is probably responsible in part for some of the
tight spots I've gotten myself into along the way. Pynchon was a great
companion to have on those adventures, first because it took me weeks,
sometimes months, to get through novels like V and Gravity's Rainbow,
but also because Pynchon has such a great facility for fusing the
esoteric and the comic. I enjoy his take on history, and the fact that
he succeeded in making himself into a man of mystery.
Q: Are you working on any more Star Wars novels? What about projects
outside the Star Wars universe?
JL: At the moment I'm working on a book that will form a loose trilogy
with LABYRINTH OF EVIL and Matt Stover's adaptation of Revenge of the
Sith. Focusing on Darths Vader and Sidious, along with a band of Jedi
that survives the events depicted in the film, Star Wars: Dark Lord
begins before Revenge ends, and takes place over the course of the
subsequent month or two. I've been so immersed in the Star Wars universe
for the past six years that there hasn't been much time for other
writing projects. When I'm not writing I'm usually making my way to some
remote archaeological site, playing bass, or doing carpentry work on our
log cabin in Maryland.
To read an excerpt from Star Wars: LABYRINTH OF EVIL go to:
http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=
0345475720&view=excerpt
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NEWS:
Coming Soon
STAR WARS: THE CESTUS DECEPTION by Steven Barnes
Available in paperback: March 1, 2005.
Includes bonus material - the exclusive story "STAR WARS: THE HIVE,"
previously available in e-book format only.
http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=0345458982
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