Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy Paperback – May 1, 2007

Loved the first two books but struggling with the third one because some things seem out of place, like from the beginning it's presented to us that Palpatine was "the man who might as well have been his father" to Anakin. Where did that come from? There was no mention of Palpatine and Anakin being close in the previous 2 books, however there was a mention of Obi Wan being the closest thing to a father he's ever had. This got me confused and has no connection to the previous books at all. I get it that in the movies Palpatine was like a mentor to Anakin but in the books this is out of the blue and it feels like a big chunk is missing from the story line of the books. Also not crazy about the descriptions: "This is Obi Wan:", "This is Obi Wan and Anakin"... That's unnessassary and annoying. I can draw my ows conclusions of who they are based on reading and come on, we've all seen the movies. I've only started on the 3rd book so wd'll see but feels like there is a big discord between this one and the previous ones, primarily in Anakin's passionate feelings towards Palpatine out of the blue that were non existent in the previous 2 books.

Having read the prequel trilogy I must say that I really don't like the prequel films as much as I used to. It used to be the viewers side with Anakin over Obi-wan but having read the books now I see just much of a victim Obi-wan was aside from Anakin. Obi-wan even going as far as to defend Anakin to the Jedi Council. As much as the Galactic Senate needed another branch to prevent the Supreme Chancellor from gaining absolute power - so too did the Jedi Council need a secondary governing board to hold the Council responsible. And there needed to be "what if" safeguards in place just in case the Supreme Chancellor were to proclaim himself emperor; shouldn't have been up to Jedi alone to remove him. I feel so completely sad that events had to transpire in such a way to be allowed to sow such contention between Master & Apprentice. As much as Mace Windu maintains "A Jedi can change his/her mind" it shouldn't have been his decision to have allowed Palpatine to befriend the boy Anakin; let alone allow the Supreme Chancellor to teach him the intricacies of diplomacy. True diplomacy is watching how both sides can come together and agree on certain things. What are the common factors or denominators? Just because one side disagrees doesn't mean they are the bad guys.And I never really understood the Jedi teaching on not having personal attachments to people. It would appear that for much the same reasons Anakin had for leaving the Order; so too did Obi-wan in his relationship towards Anakin. "He's like my brother!" For Jedi to refer to the Order at large as their "family" seems in violation of that rule. Grief and mourning are a fact of life. You will love people as part of living and those people will eventually die or go away. We must grieve that is part of learning to "move on," some people you won't ever stop missing. They are a part of us. You can learn to love people without feeling jealousy towards them. Often times jealousy speaks louder as to our own insecurities and fears. Jedi will feel fear and insecurity at times but it's how you manage them that matters. For an Order dedicated to "peace and justice" they appear full of holes and inadequacies at time on par to rival the Sith. But, as with everything it is their perspective that determines their reality.

Added so much depth to the Star Wars saga and I loved every page! 100% recommend to all Star Wars fans!

A paperback collection of what is commonly referred to as the "Prequel Trilogy" or "Skywalker Saga" Episodes I, II, and III, these books were all written with some amount of oversight from Star Wars creator George Lucas, and were at the least informed by his screenplay material. The product itself is larger than your basic print paperback about the dimensions of a typical hardback, with an Episode III promotional photo on the floppy cover. While in no way a collectors piece, it is ideal for Star Wars completists like myself attempting to glean some added insight into the somewhat maligned trilogy of films.Star Wars: Episode I 'The Phantom Menace' by Terry BrooksThe Episode I novelization is very close to the film, with a few additional scenes, none of which have been officially debunked by canon. These additions, most of which concern either Darth Sidious (not officially confirmed as Senator Palpatine, but heavily suggested, much as in the film), and Anakin Skywalker the 9-year-old-slave destined to become Darth Vader. One of the added accounts adapts a deleted scene confirming, via odd coincidence that the bounty hunter Greedo as a childhood nemesis of Skywalker. Much of the heavily criticized dialogue in the film is touched up and expanded, proving a smoother experience for readers. Some of the improved dialogue, even gives clarity to the oft repeated "Now this is Podracing" meme. A relatively quick and painless read, that calls for an immediate rewatch of the movie right after.Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones by R.A. SalvatoreNot a bad read, by any means, this novelization is easily the weakest of the Star Wars prequel novelizations. Much like the film it is based on, the narrative bounces from compelling to mundane story beats. Salvatore's character work is his strength, but his action is hard to read, often seeming like a technical readout of the movie's story board. The opening of the book is an absolute strength giving added insight to the political context of the episode, as well as a fascinating dive into Anakin's mother's time spent with the Lars family. Most of the opening content has not been disproven by any subsequent canon material, and some of the political concepts involving Padme, have actually been upheld by later writings. The major things no longer to date are mid-book scenes adapted from a set of deleted movie scenes recounting Padme's visit to her family's home on Naboo. The scenes themselves communicate some appreciated character development for Padme, and mirror nicely with attention spent on the Lars family, but details regarding certain members of her family no longer hold up to continuity. Ultimately all the narrative issues of Anakin and Padme's frustrating A-plot, coupled with the more interesting B-plot revolving around Obi Wan are here, but it benefits from strong moments of character insight.Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith by Matthew StoverThe best read of the prequels, complements the best film which details the ultimate fall of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the force. The biggest issue of it is how much peripheral material has been disproven by later canon. Much of the novelization references an old Clone Wars expanded universe that George Lucas himself de-canonized when he executive produced the hit animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Stover habitually mentions plot points of his own "Star Wars: Legends" Clone Wars novel, Shatterpoint, much of which does not line up with the newer iterations of the saga, and his character insights on Padme and Dooku do not quite gel with the profiles they have since been given. That said, anything not thoroughly disproven by subsequent work act as truly compelling additions to the Star Wars universe, especially Palpatine's fixation with the Jedi Archives and Mace Windu's alleged "shatterpoint" force gift: content I hope is upheld in future canon, and not discarded. Additional context is given through adaptations of deleted scenes involving the Senate dissent to Palpatine's rule, much of which have been supported by current canon reference material. All in all, it is an absolutely engrossing read, and offers a lot to the knowledge and perspective of a true fan.

This is a handy book that includes Episodes IV, V, and VI all in one. You learn additional information about the characters than you do in the books. Written in an easy to read style, engaging and detailed. Do yourself a favor and buy this book, you won't be sorry!