As we confront the passage of time in 2025, it's a poignant reminder that *Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith* is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Yet, there's an exciting twist to this milestone: the film is set to return to theaters in May as part of Lucasfilm's anniversary festivities. Additionally, fans have another reason to celebrate as Matthew Stover's highly acclaimed novelization of *Revenge of the Sith* is slated for a special 20th anniversary rerelease, which you can already preorder on Amazon.
Collider has revealed that *Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith* will be available in a new Deluxe Edition hardcover, hitting shelves in October. This edition boasts new cover art, luxurious red foil-edged pages, and a removable acetate jacket. It also features over 170 new annotations by Stover, adding a layer of depth to the beloved text.
Image Credit: Lucasfilm/Penguin Random House
Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, expressed enthusiasm about the project: "We couldn’t be more excited to publish this incredible deluxe edition of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. It has been thrilling to work with author Matthew Stover and Lucasfilm to create a fully annotated edition that gives readers unprecedented insight into the creation of this masterpiece. Across nearly 50 years of Star Wars books, it stands alone, and even among film novelizations, its approach to adapting characters and story from screen to page is unique. Two decades later, this novelization is as essential, enduring, and influential – on readers and creators – as it has ever been. Bringing the book back to hardcover in a stunning deluxe keepsake edition is a perfect way to celebrate 20 years of Revenge of the Sith."
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: Episode III - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)
$60.00 at Amazon
For those unfamiliar with Stover's novelization of *Revenge of the Sith*, it's widely considered one of the finest Star Wars novels and often regarded as superior to the film itself. While it adheres to George Lucas' screenplay, the book enriches many scenes and subplots, offering profound insights into the psyches of characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku. The novel's use of second-person narration is a stylistic choice that distinguishes it from other Star Wars literature. A poignant example of this is the following passage, which presents Anakin's transformation into Darth Vader in a deeply moving way:
And you rage and scream and reach through the Force to crush the shadow who has destroyed you, but you are so far less now than what you were, you are more than half machine, you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf, you can remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory, and so with all your world-destroying fury it is only droids around you that implode, and equipment, and the table on which you were strapped shatters, and in the end, you cannot touch the shadow. In the end you don't even want to. In the end, you do not even want to. In the end, the shadow is all you have left. Because the shadow understands you, the shadow forgives you, the shadow gathers you unto itself—And within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame.
In contrast, here’s how the film portrays the same scene:
This comparison underscores the value of exploring the story through the novelization. The *Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith* novelization is currently available in paperback and audiobook formats, with the Deluxe Edition hardcover set to release on October 14. You can preorder a copy on Amazon.
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