Episode III Books

My children have enjoyed reading this series several times.

I am a 5th Grade teacher (and a huge Star Wars fan), and I am using this book as a novel study in my class this year. The story closely resembles the movie, but you spend time inside the major characters' heads (which really adds to the kids' understanding of the events in the book - some of which are very mature themes).

We just finished talking about Chapter Nine, the Opera House, and the kids loved the way the scene between Palpatine and Anakin was written (where much of the subtext is left to the reader to decide about who Darth Plageous' apprentice is and what these Sith secrets mean for Anakin).

This is an exciting and compelling story, which has really resonated with both the boys AND girls in my class. A great book to add to the home or classroom library - and a great read for any Star Wars fan!

When the original STAR WARS was released, it opened up a whole new world of movie marketing that the world had never seen before: action figures, lunch boxes, toy vehicles, kids underwear, etc., etc. etc. Television series had found niche markets before, but feature films had largely been unable to tap into the market. Of course George Lucas changed all of that and things have never been the same. One of the early strategies Lucas used was to release adaptations of his film through novel and comic books. The venture proved highly successful and has been carried on with ever STAR WARS film since.

The REVENGE OF THE SITH GRAPHIC NOVEL is an adaptation of the movie of the same name. It's only 96 pages in length, but wonderful illustrations by Doug Wheatley and Christopher Chuckry bring the essence of the film to life in comic book form. All of the essential elements of the story are here as well as a scene or two not seen in the movie, e.g. Anakin and Obi-Wan walking through a river of fuel as they try to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine from the command ship of General Grievous.

I enjoyed this book, but that's because I have a fondness for graphic novels and am a fan of Star Wars. Others with similar tastes will probably enjoy the book as well as children who have seen the movies and want more of the story, but don't want to read the novel version. Out of all the Star Wars' movies graphic novels, I'd say that REVENGE OF THE SITH is the best one of the prequels and on par with the old EMPIRE STRIKES BACK comics.

I thought it was awesome! It also is not very graphic, like when Anikan gets burned they show his gloved mechancal hand being burned instead of his whole body. If I could I would give this book 4 and a half stars instead of 5 do to it being so short.

I love Star Wars. I love Star Wars comics. I adore Revenge of the Sith. I was very disappointed. This comic adaptation is an emotionless, bare-bones outline of the plot - not at all what I expected after enjoying Dark Horse's recent runs of suberb, extremely well realized tales. If you want a quick overview, by all means buy this comic. For an adaptation that contains a smidgen of creativity, I recommend picking up Stover's excellent novelization instead.

It is very interesting to look over. You will learn more about how everything is set and look at the clothing concept. You learn more about the setting and sketch of things.

I was hoping this book would provide information on the various 'film codes' used in the film (such as colour and shot symbolism, style of music, frame composition, costume etc) and how they enhanced the actual story. There is none of that in this book; however, it does provide 'a fly on the wall' insight into the production of the film. It relays conversations between Lucas and his producer, as well as recreates dialogue between Lucas and his actors as they move through the filming process. Glorious pictures, but you can get the same images from the net if that's what you're after. The book didn't provide me with what I wanted, but the Star Wars nerd in me liked it nevertheless.

This book is jam-packed with information on the making of the movie, from Preproduction to Principal Photography to Digital Shot Production. Really, this book has it all!
In "Part 1" it shows original drawings and rough drafts of the script. In "Part 2" it shows what they filmed every day, and even has quotes straight from Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, and Ewan McGregor. You can read about the problems they would go through on a day-to-day basis.
In "Part 3" it mostly talks about adding in those special effects that make the movie what it is today. Plus, there are a few pages about those Wookiees!
If that isn't enough, almost every page has 3-6 crystal clear, candid photos. And I just want to mention that there are more than 220 pages. Small font is used in order to fit in more information.
This book tells a whole lot more than the special features on the DVD do. I'm serious, this is a must-have for any Star Wars fan. Even if you're not obsessed like some people, I think everyone will enjoy this book.

I thought that this was a very well done book! I liked how it showed what they were doing each day while filming, and how they prepare for making the movie. I learned alot about making movies, and now know alot of what the technical terms mean. It also had a nice format, with behind the scenes pictures on most of the pages. I am a HUGE Star Wars fan, and I thought this was a great book. A must read for all fans, or "wanna be" movie makers.

Well, it's been about 30 years in the making but the Star Wars saga finally came to an end with the release of Revenge of the Sith. This book is about all the hard work, both in front of and behind the camera, that made the final film possible. As with the DVDS I felt that too much time was spent on the "technical" aspects of the film and not enough was spent on the actors, the scriptwriting process, and the themes of the work as a whole. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Star Wars films and this book's problem is that there is an obsession with "design" instead of the emotional content or the plot. Instead of obsessing about the look of each and every laser gun, Lucas should have filled us in about plot holes and told us why Qui-Gon couldn't have communicated with Yoda and said "Palpatine is the Sith Lord"! and saved the whole universe with those words. There are some entertaining and insightful looks into the psychology of the characters, especially in the 1st drafts of the script in which Lucas envisioned Palpatine as the person that conceived Anakin through his control of the Force, which would make him Anakin's father in a way, and Luke and Leia's grandpa! The other negative thing about this book is that you become more conscious of the trickery used in Episode 3. When you read about all the digital head-swapping, especially of Palpatine and Christopher Lee, when you view the film, you start to notice the slightly different looking heads during the duels. It also made me disillusioned to find out that at the beginning of the film when Anakin and Obi-Wan face Dooku, Christopher Lee was not even on the same set with them. So I don't know, this book really revealed all fakery that I believe is so responsible for people's unease with the prequels. Movies like Sin City which were completely digital made no pretensions to look real, but Lucas tries so hard to make Episodes I-III look authentic that somehow everything seems bogus. If you read this book, you will probably never view the film the same, and I mean that in a negative way.

i love the star wars series and i am currently reading every novel published. i give the movie books episodes 1-6 four stars because george lucas is a fool when he wrote the movies such as making anakin a little complaining brat or including too many contradictions. these authors had to write based on the movie and it did not come out so well. but it is star wars and the general concepts are quite amazing. so george lucas isnt a complete fool. i recommend star wars to any individual who found something interesting in this series. i recommend this book just as another book you should read in the series because you should be reading every single one.

Matthew Strover is one of the most talented writers out there. His use of vocabulary, personifications, and connations are blended together perfectly to out-do the film itself. Strover's depiction of Anakin and the fear that lives inside him really captivates the reader and makes them understand how Anakin truly feels and why he turned to the dark side. For example, Strover desribes how Anakin thinks of his fear as a dragon that haunts his life and lives in his heart and how it whispers of death and failure. It may sound silly now, but is wonderfully written in the book. The dialouge Strover uses is so much better than the novel. I only wish George Lucas had hired him to write it. Matthew's work is so wonderful you're pulled into a tale of lies, love, vengeance, and forgivness. Wether you're fan of the movie or not, you'll love this book. I only wish Matthew wrote other movie novelisations.

I devoured this book while on vacation. Not only is Stover's style appealing and fast paced, but he is utterly true to the movie's characters, both old and new. He beautifully illustrates the fact that Anakin's descent to the dark side is far more complicated than simply a bad guy doing bad things for bad reasons...the layers to his persona are drawn out beautifully by the author, and follow with perfect syncronicity the plot/mood/characterization of the movie (Hayden Christensen's portrayal of this multi-layered character, by the way, was simply incredible). Loved the movie, loved the book, and unhesitatingly recommend it (and beyond Star Wars realm, I'm not much of a sci-fi reader...). ENJOY!

This novel is a must read for anyone who is a fan of Star Wars. In my opinion, this is one of the best Star Wars books you can find.

The story is much more intriquite that that of the movie. The inner workings and motives of Anakin Skywalker's mind are laid out with crystal clarity and Matthew Stover does a superb job of filling in the gaps that the movie version leaves in its wake.

The book differs from the movie in that it's main focus is on the turmoil raging inside Anakin and how he is ultimately seduced to the dark side. I feel there is no need to explain how this happens, but I will say that it's presentation in the novel is much more satisfying than that of the movie's.
The highlight of Anakin's relationships with Palpatine and Obi-Wan are also central to the story and Stover contrasts them beautifully in his writing.

Unlike the novels of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, which are basically glorified versions of the movie scripts, with almost every line of dialogue coming directly from the films, Reveng of the Sith tells the story of the main events in the film, but in Stover's own way that is both faithful and familiar to the movie, and different enough to be refreshing and unexpectedly exciting.
Several story archs from the movie are absent from the novel, however. Such as the battle of the Wookiees for Kashyyk and the death of many Jedi through the execution of Order 66. But, with the focus being so skillfully directed towards the spiral of Anakin towards the dark side, those scenes are hardly missed.

Overall, this is a fantastic book and should not be missed by anybody who is a fan of either the Star Wars movies or the expanded universe of novels.

I'm only going to mention a couple of things. Both the novel and the film have been out long enough that I don't see any real reason to go back over a synopsis of the story.

Once freed of a film's running time Stover could really take his time fleshing out issues that the movie was forced to speed through. For example, he made it clear as day why tension had mounted between the Jedi and Palpatine, and the current political climate on Courasant.

The relationship between Anakin and Palpatine is explored much more then in the movie. In the scene when Palpatine revealed himself to Anakin, Palpatine's emphasis on his right to live and his prediction that the Jedi would kill him on the spot for his religious beliefs, I found, much more effective then in the film. From what I recall, the film focused more on trying to save Amadala from her predicted demise.

I thought that the effect Anakin's visions were having on him were much better explained then in the movie. The novel, basically, had Anakin terrified to rest and exhausted from sleep depravation. This worked in that when the climatic battle between Windu and Palpatine came to a head, Anakin (who, at that point, was nothing short of delerious from exhustion) obviously wasn't thinking clearly.

I loved the way that the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan developed. It was very well illustrated that Anakin was always using Obi-Wan as his emotional anchor and when removed of that, just how easily he could be manipulated by someone Anakin saw as never having lied to him.

The only thing that I wound up dinging the novel for was the Wookies role and Yoda's escape. It's virtually missing, as if someone just accidentally edited it out. It was really bizarre that it was just ... not there.

Outstanding book though, as much as I liked the film, the book is significantly better.

I've been waiting in anticipation for a Family Guy episode guide for many, many years. However, I must say I am a little underwhelmed by the final result.

This guide is so much like all of the Simpsons episode guides that it's almost laughable. I mean, it has the exact same format! A 4 or 5 paragraph plot summary, a collection of quotes from characters, and even a "Stuff You May Have Missed" section as well (here it is called "Stuff That May Have Slipped By"). For a show that already doesn't like being compared to Homer and company, they sure are trying to act just like them with this book.

Now, that isn't saying the entire thing is worthless. I haven't found a mistake yet (which is usually the case with a book like this--the amount of Simpsons geek fan sites listing every error in their episode guides is mind boggling), and the layout is quite cute, with lots of drawings/photos that I've never seen before. The only real original part of this book is every now and then there will be a little quote blurb from Seth MacFarlane or another writer on the show for some of the episodes. Unfortunately, most of the time the quotes are pretty meaningless and/or dumb, and do not add much. Plus, most of the "Stuff That May Have Slipped By" is well, stuff that is easily seen, such as "Stewie is seen reading (insert book title here)" which doesn't really slip by when it's on screen for 2 minutes. Why not have a list of each of the weird pop culture reference in each episode? That's what the show is famous for, right? In fact, there's an entire webpage devoted to debunking all the references on the show. I think it would be more beneficial to us to understand WHY Brian was chasing that mini horse and wagon around the kitchen rather than being told that Meg has a Hanson poster in her room.

One more complaint: This book only covers the FIRST THREE SEASONS of the show. Any new episodes that have aired after the series' return on May 1st, 2005 are not included. In fact, based on the wording in this book, I think it was supposed to be released BEFORE the season started re-airing, as there are several mentions of new episodes that will soon be airing, plus an ad for the "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" DVD, releasing September 22, 2005! Too bad the book was released November 1st. Oops! Well, most of that is forgivable, and it's not worth NOT buying this book over, but would Stephen King release a new novel and advertise "The Green Mile" as coming soon? I don't think so.

But, you know what? I'm being too hard on this whole thing. It's really a good investment if you want to be able to flip to a certain episode, and it's really great to have most of the memorable quotes in one volume for reference. However, if you're like me and you're already a die-hard fan of the show, it doesn't bring a lot of new information to the table. Almost everything in this book can be found on some of the excellent Family Guy webpages out there, especially all the pop culture references. But for the casual fan, or the new Family Guy fan, it's definetly worth a shot. Just don't expect to be blown away.

This is truly a must if you are a fan of the series. I always laugh when I see the episodes and I discovered that I also laugh when I read this guide. It is very interesting to know a little bit more from the characters, the people involved in the series and other funny stuff. They did an excellent job in selecting the dialogues. Even the scans are great.

This is an excellent book and very handy. I always say a quote from Family Guy, and sometimes wonder what episode it happened in. Well, its all here in one book. A few minor things are left out like Stewie telling Lois to burn in hell or Stewie in his cereal box fort. Very pleased with the book, even if the Simpsons had the same format. Family Guy changes and keeps the changes. Simpsons is old and stale. Its time for the show to get cancelled, how old is Monty Burns now? 168? Bart's still in fifth grade? Family Guy is the best cartoon of the past 20 years and not even Simpsons can surpass them. Family Guy is edgy and smart; The Simpsons quickly changed to a more violent and lewd format to keep up with Family Guy. It might work with some viewers, but to me, it'll never pass Family Guy. Pick up the book if you love Family Guy, you wont be disappointed.

The tale of the famous "Molly Maguires" of the Pennsylvania coal field in the period immediately after the American Civil War is another in the seemingly endless stories of the Irish Diaspora triggered by the ruthless policy of the bloody English imperialists, who come what may, refused to part with their colony until forced to by the Irish nationalist liberation fighters of the early 20th century. One can read the Molly Maguire story as one of the first attempts in the post-Civil War period to organize an industry-wide labor union in the coal industry, including its sectionalism, political immaturity and oath-bound secrecy. One can also read it as a story of atomized labor confronted by the consolidation of capitalism in the extractive industries linked up to the carrying trade of the railroads and financed by stockholders here and in Britain. Finally one can read the story as a police procedural, highlighting the role of the infamous Pinkerton Detective Agency and its founder Alan Pinkerton in bringing some of the alleged leaders of the Mollies to trial and execution on behalf of the railroad and coal bosses. That is the route the author of the book under review has taken.

While some of the story as presented here is tiresome, repetitive and overly written it nevertheless has a few points that can help us understand the history of that turbulent period in the foundation of the `robber baron' capitalist period of American history. One point is a rather good description, using the Reading Railroad and its president as a case study, of how the railroads, backed by finance capital-the banks, consolidated the coal industry by breaking the small individual operators, buying coal land on the cheap and by manipulating supply and demand which ultimately broke the local miners union of which the Mollies were a part. Another point is how the mainly English capitalists of the area aggravated the already existing antagonisms between ethnic groups, like the Irish, Welsh, Germans and later the various Slavic groups to their benefit in a classic example of their `divide and rule' policy. Finally, the story points out the key role that privately-employed detective agencies, private police and ultimately state and federal troops played in bringing about the early defeats in the American labor movement (and continue to do so today, one need only think of Wal-Mart). As stated above it you want the tale of the police roundup of some admittedly none too savory elements in the Mollies read this book. If you want to get a better picture of what the Mollies meant as part of the Irish Diaspora in America and as part of the hard-pressed and poorly organized early American labor movement look elsewhere.

This is a history of the "Molly Maguires" in the hard coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania (pp. 80-81). It presents the historical antecedents in Ireland for the societies or gangs that fought against English oppression and often with each other (p.11). The Irish had a culture of uniting against an oppressive government, the landlords, and the tax collectors (pp.18-19). Chapter 2 discusses the origins of the name "Molly Maguire". Women's clothes, bonnet, and veil was used as a disguise by agrarian rebels (p.25). In Ireland, as in England, most of the land was owned by the aristocracy and the peasantry was squeezed to provide wealth for the landlords. The Irish were the largest group of immigrants to America in the first half of the 19th century (p.73). While the Catholic Church banned secret societies they exempted associations of workmen whose purpose was mutual help and protection (p.78).

Coal mining began in the Schuylkill area in the 1830s. As elsewhere, the canals were soon surpassed by the railroads. The Panic of 1857 damaged the economy. After the prosperity of the Civil War, another depression struck (p.104). This brought Franklin Benjamin Gowen to the head of the Reading Railroad. Gowen cut wages for the mine workers after a long strike. Gowen raised shipping rates to a prohibitive level for his competitors (p.114). Gowen sought to buy coal lands (pp.121-122), and acquired coal lands from the operators who couldn't pay Gowen's prohibitive shipping rates (p.125)! Gowen then turned to the "Molly Maguires" (Chapter 6). Could Gowen have used the Molly Maguires to attack mine operators so they would sell out to the Reading (pp.131-132)? The post-Civil War years saw a jump in crime (p.138). The crash of 1873 created another serious depression (p.144). Gowen hired the Pinkerton agency to send detectives into the hard coal fields to investigate the disturbances; only a spy who became part of the Molly Maguires could succeed. Chapter 7 tells of James McParlan's activities, and how Gowen bought up more coal lands and started a pool to control production (p.171). Chapter 8 tells of "The Long Strike" of 1875 that lasted for months until starvation forced the miners back to work at lower wages (p.205). This killed off the union (p.209).

Chapter 9 tells what happened afterwards. More violence occurred, leading to the question of about an agent provocateur (p.213). The shooting of John P. Jones led to the capture of Michael J. Doyle, Edward Kelly, and James Kerrigan; other shooters were never caught (p.235). Chapter 10 tells of the murder at Wiggans patch in the early morning of December 10, 1875; this was never solved (p.266). The facts known about the secret Molly Maguires implied the presence of a spy or informer (Chapter 11). Kerrigan was given immunity for informing. More Mollies were arrested (p.277). When McKenna became suspected of being a detective he left the coal fields (p.289). Was the leak of McKenna's identity a way to create a new crisis (p.293)? McKenna returned to testify in the first Yost case (p.297). The testimony convicted the defendants in the court of public opinion (p.306). The following trials saw more Mollies convicted and then hanged. Gowen had defeated the rival canal owners, the independent mine operators, the union, and the Mollies. The National AOH revoked the charters of the hard coal region lodges (p.345). Even with the return of prosperity the Reading Railroad was mired in the debt created by Gowen's purchase of coal lands. Gowen lost his job at the Reading in 1883, then returned to private law practice. But in 1889 he shot himself in the head - a suicide (p.357). Allan Pinkerton had died of a stroke in 1884. For decades private detectives would be used for internal surveillance of workers (p.360). [Do you know if this goes on in your workplace?]
In 1979 the Governor of Pennsylvania gave a posthumous pardon to Jack Kehoe, the first time this was ever done by Pennsylvania.

For anyone interested in the Molly Maguire story, this volume is a "Must Read." Professor Broehl's account is by far the most comprehensive and authoritative work on the subject, eclipsing the works of Anthony Bimba and Kevin Kenny, whose attempts to explain the Molly Maguires are negatively affected, in the first instance, by Communist class-warfare ideology, and in the latter case by the author's politically correct concerns about class, gender and ethnic issues, which pre-occupy and mar so much post-modernist historiography. Professor Broehl simply gives us the facts, along with his straightforward and eminently reasonable interpretation on some of the thornier issues arising from the Molly Maguire prosecutions. It is good reading and remains the best work on the subject.

Probably the weakest episodes of the 3 seasons are in this the last season e.g. "Spock's Brain" and yet we get here very well-written stories that although are not exactly the same as the episodes themselves, we get a greater understanding of what's happening because of the greater details. Watch the eps and then read this.

In the late 1960s James Blish began writing "The Star Trek Readers," a series of paperbacks in which he adapted the scripts of what was then the late lamented original "Star Trek" series. When first published Blish basically started with what fans voted as the most popular episodes and eventually worked his way through the show's three seasons, although his untimely death forced his widow, Judith Ann Lawrence to finish some of the stories. For the 25th Anniversary editions the adaptations were reorganized so that there were not only three volumes, each representing an entire season. Therefore, "Star Trek: The Classic Episodes, Volume 2" represents the third and final season in 1968-69.

The volume includes a new introduction, "Star Trek in the Real World," by Norman Spinrad and then the third season episodes
are arranged in order of their television appearance: "The Last Gunfight [Spectre of the Gun]," "Elaan of Troyius," "The Paradise Syndrome," "The Enterprise Incident," "And the Children Shall Lead," "Spock's Brain, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?," "The Empath," "The Tholian Web," "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," "Day of the Dove," "Plato?s Stepchildren," "Wink of an Eye," "That Which Survives," "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield," "Whom Gods Destroy," "The Mark of Gideon," "The Lights of Zetar," "The Cloud Miners," "The Way to Eden," "Requiem for Methuselah," "The Savage Curtain," "All Our Yesterdays," and "Turnabout Intruder."

Blish was a well-known science fiction author, who has won the Hugo Award for his novel "A Case of Conscience," and what he brought to these adaptations was a great ability to flesh out both the characters and the actions. In many ways these adaptations hold up better than the original episodes, where the special effects are less than what an eight-year-old can do on a home computer today. But throughout Blish shows an understanding of both the characters and the Star Trek universe that was being created, which explains why he was also the author of the first "Star Trek" original novel, "Spock Must Die!"

For those of you that love the classic series; this set of books are the written word version of each episode. Why read the written versions? Well, James Blish provides lots of insight as to what is going through the minds of Kirk, Spock and McCoy along with the orginal crew. In the episode the Alterative Factor James Blish provides a better ending than the questionable one on TV. The novels provide a lot more facts on the crew and background details never metioned in the series.

As the mother of an autistic son, we have had a great deal of difficulty in getting him to enjoy reading. He doesn't understand a great many words, but has a few "subjects" he really enjoys. Star Wars,Episode 1 is one of them. This book has been a real find that he loves! I am getting more of them, as they don't "talk down" to kids, really explain the movie in detail, and help kids understand many things (in life, as well as the movie!) better. We are really looking forward to the next Star Wars movie this summer- as well as the books that will follow it!

DANGERS OF THE CORE takes a section of the movie 'Phantom Menace' and, step by step, breaks down the action that flies by so quickly on the big screen. This makes it easy for children to follow. The excitement starts with the first sentence and never lets up!

The illustrations are expressive and dramatic; nicely done.

DANGERS teaches children to respect all living beings. Qui-Gon Jinn is the epitome of patience (especially with Jar Jar!), and remains calm, steady and in control even in the midst of danger. Excellent life lessons for children!

Another plus: The story doesn't 'talk down' to children. It assumes an appropriate level of maturity and intelligence.

I'd take off half a star because Jar Jar's speech is impossible for some children to understand when reading the book on their own.

Nevertheless, all the children to whom I read DANGERS OF THE CORE just loved it! And with such a variety of characters and emotions, it's fun to read out loud, too.

Highly recommended for children as well as old fogeys who are young at heart!

"Dangers of the Core" is a great beginning reader, especially for a boy. The book carefully summarizes the underwater chase from the Episode 1 movie into easy-to-read language that captures a boy's attention. I have had trouble finding interesting early readers that my son will read; but when we found this book, he would not put it down. He read it TWICE in the first day--without prompting! Thank you for sparking his interest in reading!

Recently coming from a dangerous time-traveling mission, Eli Sands and intergalactic friend Clyne the evolved dinosaur and an Alexandrian scholar Thea, are thrown into late nineteenth-century America after an "minor" mishap with their plasmachanichal time-travel vessel. Unfortunately, Clyne is separated from his friends in potentially hostile and unknown territory. While Thea and Eli on the other hand, pop up at the beginning of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition (pre-Sacagawea). After Thea is taken from Eli as she is mistook for an escaped slave and taken into the custody of president Jefferson (though he prefers to be called Tom). Eli then joins up with Captans Meriwether Lewis and Clark's "Corps of Discovery" whit the hope of finding his pal Clyne, that in turn will be a means to rescue Thea, and safe transportation home. However, while trying to escape the clutches of slave drivers and glory-hungry native warriors with hopes to regroup, the trio make an important discovery about their "unforeseen" stumble into 1804. It looks like they were attracted by a so called Prime Nexus, which they may have produced, which will surely change all of history to come.

-Jackson Courey

Eli Sands and his friends are trapped in 19th century America after an accident with their time-travel vessel, stranded in different times. Separated, the group must not only make contact with each other again; they must assure their accident doesn't change history itself.

This is the first book I have read in this series, but it is still enjoyable on its own. It is well written, flows well, and kids will learn a lot of history without it being overdone. It has enough gross factor to appeal to boys, but not so much to turn off parents or a female reader (one of the secondary characters, who tells part of the story, is a girl). It will encourage kids to pick up the next book in the series...

This sheet music book contains Star Wars music scores, written in arrangements that are not too hard for advanced beginner students. The CD it comes with is great. My son has been listening to it non stop and although he has not mastered the music himself, he's becoming familiar with it every day. Great Buy.

This book is pretty easy. It's good for beginner cellists. Two of the songs I wasn't familiar with but overall this is fun music to play especially if you like Star Wars!

this book arrived quickly but there was no cover. i am buying for collecting so i must purchase again.

I read this novel sometime after viewing ROTS, and I must say, this is one of the greatest Star Wars books I have ever read! The story is action-packed, and would make a great movie in my personal opinion. Plus, the story gives a really good insight into the character General Grievous (my favorite character) and his origins and actions during the end of the wars. The story was fun to read; I had a hard time putting the book down at times. Overall, I would count this as a must-read for all fans of Star Wars. A wonderful read!

"LOE" is a great tie-in to Episode III, "Revenge of the Sith".

The adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker during the latter days of the Clone Wars are exciting and entertaining. The interaction between the two Jedi make the events of "Revenge of the Sith" all the more poignant, as you see the two friends heading for the eventual disaster and heartbreak that Ep. III brings us.

Highly recommended if you've seen Ep. III or read "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith."

Billed as a must-read prequel to Episode III of the movie franchise, "Labyrinth of Evil" by James Luceno weaves together some loose ends and characters that weren't expounded upon in the movie. The title is apt, for the various plotlines read like a maze at times, with some strands seeming more tangential than necessary. With the war between the Separatists and the Republic spinning on without an end in sight, the Jedi order tries to find out the truth about the Sith Lord behind it all.

The story begins with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker setting out to capture an ally of the Sith in an attempt to find out who their leader is. Their trek takes them from planet to planet, escaping traps at every stop, and learning just enough information to create more questions. Meanwhile, other Jedi knights, including Mace Windu, are getting too close to the truth about the Sith Lord and his whereabouts on Coruscant. And when Coruscant is attacked so that Chancellor Palpatine can be kidnapped by General Grievous, the Jedi must once more abandon the search to save the fate of the Republic, and the story ends where Episode III begins.

James Luceno has written several books within the Star Wars series, but "Labyrinth of Evil" is a little too muddled at times. In an effort to enhance his writing, he sometimes winds up with sentences that are convoluted in nature. His descriptions of battles can be a little mechanic, but he offers some insight into the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin that pads their later confrontation. I was looking forward to learning more about General Grievous, and while Luceno does offer some background to this strange creature, it is a meager profile. "Labyrinth of Evil" does offer fans necessary background information between movie episodes, and all in all is a fast-paced, enjoyable read.

After reading several books in the genre, I have come to believe that James Luceno is the best of the Star Wars writers. While some may credit this to the fact that he has better plots to works with, I suspect the fact that he adds depth to the characters from the movies is also a factor. "Labyrinth of Evil" is the perfect set up for "Revenge of the Sith."

Beginning with Viceroy Gunray's careless blunder in leaving behind a holonet chair in an evacuation, the Jedi find themselves hot on the trail of the idenitity of Darth Sidious. In fact, the path leads them in the unlikely direction of Coruscant. But just as a breakthrough seems eminant, Coruscant fall under a surprise attack by General Grievous and the separatist army. With the abduction of the Palpatine, the dominos are in order for the conversion of Anakin to the Dark Side of the Force.

While adding new dimensions to the charcters, Luceno does an excellent job of leading into Episode 3. Among the factiods that I apreciated was the backstory of General Grievous. Also, the story of the order for the clones is expanded. The Anakin-Padme love story is largely absent, but I am more than willing to accept its omission. Those who love the movies are certain to enjoy this book.