Darth Plagueis
Warning: This review contains spoilers. Not a lot, but enough.
It has been a while since I reviewed a book, but I recently used Libby through my library to read the Darth Plagueis novel by James Luceno. This novel is not within the current canon and is considered Legends. That doesn’t make it any less of a good read, however.
Publisher’s Summary (paperback)
Darth Plagueis: Like all Sith Lords before him, he craves absolute power. But like no Sith Lord ever, he possesses the ultimate power—over life and death.
Darth Sidious: In secret he masters the power of the dark side, while publicly climbing to the highest government office.
One desires to rule supreme; the other dreams of living forever. Together, they will destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy. Unless merciless Sith tradition becomes their undoing. . . .
Who is Darth Plagueis?
You may have never heard of this guy, or don’t remember him if you’ve just seen the movies. He is mentioned in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Darth Sidious / Chancellor Palpatine / The Emperor was Darth Plagueis‘ apprentice. So the Big Bad Old Guy came after the subject of the title of this book. The book begins with a prologue, where Darth Sidious killed Plagueis off the night before he became Supreme Chancellor.
It then jumps back in time to Plagueis killing his own master, Darth Tenebrous. I know, this is a lot of weird names. We don’t get much of Darth Tenebrous, though, so we should be fine.
The book then follows him scheming across the galaxy before taking Palpatine on as his apprentice. It ties in with The Phantom Menace toward the end, with Plagueis aware of both Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker.
There are also chapters from Palpatine’s point of view, though I found those less interesting. We’ve always known he’s a psychopath.
Slow Going?
Many of the reviews I read online indicate some readers found it slow. If you go into this expecting an action-packed fight fest, you’re going to be disappointed. The Sith have been hidden for around 1000 years, and they didn’t stay under the radar by getting in big, dramatic battles. There are a few fights, but remember, these are Sith Lords. They are short and violent.
Instead, the novel does a lot to explain the current state of the Republic. The Jedi fell due to their own failings, of course, but the Sith were not idle. There are a lot of ideas around the Force explored in the book that we don’t see directly anywhere else, at least not in the main parts of canon.
Darth Plagueis never intended to continue the Sith Rule of Two. He planned to make it so that he and Sidious could live forever by manipulating the Force itself.
Living Forever
I know the arc of Palpatine living into the sequels was not well explained or well received, but I can see how it ties into this non-canonical novel. Plagueis wanted both of them to live forever, but Sidious only needed himself.
The constant strife among the Sith and their pursuit of power and immortality ultimately led to their downfall. What good is 1000 years of hidden existence when you’re going to lose it all to a farm boy?
Final Thoughts
I thought this was a good read. It is well written and engaging. However, it is not fast.
Have you read it? What did you think?
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