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[ROTS]The novel

Discussion in 'Archive: Revenge of the Sith (Non-Spoilers)' started by Jeff 42, May 28, 2005.

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  1. Lexi

    Lexi Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 9, 2002
    I'm really curious now. What about Obi-Wan and Anakin's butt? Wow, that's a sentence I've never said before...
     
  2. qui_gon_jinn_83

    qui_gon_jinn_83 Jedi Master star 1

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    Sep 18, 2002
    If I remember it right, it's when Obi-Wan wakes up after being knocked out on the Invisible hand. In the book, the first thing he sees when he opens his eyes is Anakin's butt. Then after a while he realizes that they're actually in "a bit of situation". :p

    It's quite funny, and it was unexpected.
     
  3. Darth-Seldon

    Darth-Seldon Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    May 17, 2003
    Say what you will about Stover, but he writes much better than most EU authors. EU in its very nature is fanfiction being published. Most of the authors are terrible (ie Anderson, Luceno etc) Stover can actually write, which is a plus.

    Though Shatterpoint was better written than Revenge of the Sith.

    -Seldon
     
  4. kingthlayer

    kingthlayer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jun 7, 2003
    I'm really starting to like this novel.

    It gives a better reason as to why Anakin wants to be a Jedi Master so much. In the film, when he gets angry over it, it appears to be his anger at being insulted. It is that and also something greater. His desire for mastership is also linked to Padme, an important link.

    It also makes it more clear that Yoda was going to Kashyyk to help draw out Sidious, rather than fight a pivotal battle.
     
  5. leelee

    leelee Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Jan 4, 2003
    Yeah I agree that it showed his motivation for becoming a master better in the book... but that is about the only thing that is better, but I'm still not quite finished yet.
     
  6. kingthlayer

    kingthlayer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jun 7, 2003
    I've been reading straight through today, I'm on the Order 66 chapter. I liked seeing the Rebellion subplot but I understand why it could be cut. Good stuff but yeah, of course I still prefer the film. I gotta say though, Stover is the best out of all the EU author's I've read, rivaling Zahn.
     
  7. STUBRIS

    STUBRIS Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Dec 11, 2001
    If people think GL can't write dialogue then they should read what this guy puts into some of the characters mouths!?!! If i'd read this before seeing the movie I'd would've probably had a heart attack if i'd thought Stover had stayed faithfull to the screenplay.Anakin's "Witty" Banter with the Seperatists being the worst offender!(Not to mention Sidious' "Happy Empire day!", What the....?)
     
  8. DamonD

    DamonD Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 22, 2002
    I thought the first third was excellent, the middle third decent, and really felt let down with the last third.

    A tremendous amount of depth was added to the battle to reach the Invisible Hand, the fighting against the droids, the duel with Dooku and the rescue of Palpatine, the encounter with Grievous and the crash landing.

    By the time it came to the middle third though, it was more of a mixed bag. Mace got more depth, as you'd expect from Stover, and some things were fleshed out well. However, some other parts were underplayed and almost skipped over.

    And as I say, the last third was a let down for me. He seemed to realise that he only had a certain amount of pages left to him after lavishing so much on the opening rescue of Palpatine, and had to squeeze everything into much too small a space. The action scenes seemed truncated and reduced in power, always an obstacle for a book but one that can still be overcome with enough effort.

    And I felt in particular that the finale of the Obi-Wan vs Anakin duel was a shadow of the movie version. Never mind the lack of kinetic energy, but the almost casual way Obi-Wan trots through his entire speech as opposed to the way McGregor practically howls them just can't measure up at all. "I hate you!" written on a page can never match up to it screamed on film.

    And since this was based on a screenplay, we also miss the re-construction of Anakin into Vader paralled with Padme giving birth, and so on.

    You got some things out of a book that you can't get out of a movie, and vice versa. I'd recommend this book, but I did feel disappointed with the last third.
     
  9. Darth-Seldon

    Darth-Seldon Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    May 17, 2003
    It was very rushed at the end.
    I prefer Stover when it is his own story. Shatterpoint was a great and solid read. It seems that there are a lot of demands made when writing the book for the movie. He is better in his own element.

    -Seldon
     
  10. kingthlayer

    kingthlayer Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Jun 7, 2003
    The last third is very good but extremely rushed. I reads Part II and III in a single day, and the pacing was screwy. Way too much time on the Invisible Hand.

    And yes, "Happy Empire Day" and "You're to be left IN PEICES LOLZ" was horrible and thankfully not in the film.

    Oh well, great read anyway.
     
  11. leelee

    leelee Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Jan 4, 2003
    I finally finished and I agree with pretty much everything that everyone has already said. The dialogue was worse, and it did lose momentum towards the end. One line that bugged me, was where Padme says to Bail that "I might not even live that long." What the heck? That made it sound like she wanted to die and she didn't have faith in Anakin, I don't know that part just made me kind of mad.
     
  12. Darth-Seldon

    Darth-Seldon Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    May 17, 2003
    I'm glad I saw the film first. I wouldn't want to lose that movie magic by knowing the story first. Before AOTC, I read the novel. It was a mistake. This time it worked out well by reading after seeing.

    -Seldon
     
  13. Jeff 42

    Jeff 42 Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Sep 14, 1998
    I thought Anakin's quips to the Separatists were pretty damn funny, personally. They wouldn't have fit with the scene as it was filmed, though.
     
  14. Frank1212

    Frank1212 Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Dec 16, 2001
    I absolutely love the ROTS novelization, it transcended EP3 into far greater heights than just the movie by itself. The book was magnificently written, fittingly dark, and beautifully expressed with aesthetic quality. My favourite parts in the book were the prologue and the description of how it felt like to be Anakin Skywalker near the end of the novel. At the end of my reading, I found myself moved to near tears. Sadly, the actual movie couldn't have an equal effect on me.
     
  15. marajadebean

    marajadebean Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Mar 11, 2005
    I did finish reading the novel a few days ago. My thoughts are somewhat in line with DamonD's. The beginning was excellent, the middle was good but rather lacking in some parts and the end seemed like a huge gloss over. My feelings are like this: if you start out the novel in a particular way, the reader intends for you to continue suit through the rest of the novel. Of course, one could argue that contemporary authors don't care, they just want us to think. I don't think this novel is intended to be that way.

    The beginning is so good and so detailed. It was nice to see more of the Anakin and R2 interaction. I really wish there was more in this in the movie but I seem to recall reading that McCallum acknowledged that relationship had to be scaled back. I would have liked to see that. In reading the part about Obi-Wan regaining consciousness and seeing Anakin's butt, could you imagine if they had done that in the movie? [face_laugh]. Though, I would have liked seeing Hayden's butt myself, but I digress.

    I also liked seeing more of Anakin's and Padme's relationship. I know it has moments in the movie but again, I would have liked to have seen more of this. I suppose since the Rebellion sub-plot was cut, that went by the wayside.

    The end was a let down. I was like, this is it? You have the most gut wrenching duel of all time to write and it only spans like what, 20 or so pages?

    That all being said, I liked the book a lot but I am rather glad that I saw the movie first and I know I will see the movie a lot more than read the book.
     
  16. DamonD

    DamonD Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 22, 2002
    I think it's worth buying, for the first third alone.
    I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt the big finales were a little rushed, though.
     
  17. TurnedJedi

    TurnedJedi Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Aug 7, 2002
    I finished the novel yesterday, and I must say it is the best of the novelisations, IMO. Stover is a phenomenal writer, with many inventive ways of telling the story.

    Granted, the opening space battle and following rescue gets a lot of pages. But don't forget that those pages also include a lot of backstory and contemplation on as well by the characters.

    I don't feel the ending is really rushed. Sure, a lot of things happen in a small amount on time but that really is due to Lucas story and not Stover's writing.

    As with all novelisations, this book contains a lot if things that aren't in the film, some good and some bad.
    - Padmé's politics. I'm honestly glad this wasn't in the movie. It freezes the story, and adds nothing to the overall story of Anakin's fall and only marginally to the fall of the Republic.
    - But Padmé and Bail's conversation after Palpatine has declared the Republic an Empire was great. It connected Padmé to the rebellion without being to obvious about it.
    - Anakin's one liners while killing the Separatist-leaders. I hated them. Really. It made him sound like an evil James Bond on a killing spree and not like a troubled, torn and afraid young man.
    - I didn't really miss the wookiees in the book. I love them in the film, but it would have been hard to do in the book.
    - The Duel. It was OK in the book. Not great, but fairly done. I though Yoda vs. Sidous was great in the book, though, as it emphasized on the Dark Side vs. the Light Side and how the Jedi have gone wrong.

    I'm sure I've forgotten a few things I thought about while reading the book... I'll probably post again...
     
  18. DarthTickle

    DarthTickle Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jun 1, 2002
    I read the intro online but it seemed EXTREMELY cheesy. I've never read anything like that. It was almost like reading an email.
     
  19. k-man

    k-man Jedi Youngling star 3

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    May 14, 2002
    I thought the novel was fantastic -- way better than the AOTC novel and from what I recall, better than TPM. Yes the writing style is a little melodramatic, but somehow he makes it work because the story is melodramatic...its a "space opera" afterall.

    What I like best is the insight into scenes that I hope turn up on the DVD, like Padme's meeting with Organa and Mon Mothma. I'm very sad this was cut from the film. While I agree that it doesn't contribute to the story of Anakin's fall, it does introduce the notion of the rebellion which was such a vital part of the OT. It also contributes to the beginnings of the split between Padme and Anakin. It gives a reason to her asking Anakin, "Have you ever thought that maybe we're fighting on the wrong side."

    Couldn't put this book down from the time I started it.
     
  20. TurnedJedi

    TurnedJedi Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Aug 7, 2002
    While I agree that it doesn't contribute to the story of Anakin's fall, it does introduce the notion of the rebellion which was such a vital part of the OT. It also contributes to the beginnings of the split between Padme and Anakin. It gives a reason to her asking Anakin, "Have you ever thought that maybe we're fighting on the wrong side."

    Personally, I think that the Rebellion should stay in the OT. It doesn't need to be in ROTS.
    And while that scene would set up the split between Anakin and Padmé, I though that worked just fine without it. Maybe it could work better with it, but I think that scene would slow things down too much to be worth it.
     
  21. Xin-Te

    Xin-Te Jedi Youngling star 1

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    May 7, 2001
    For me, the novel is what I wanted the movie to be.
    More dialogue, more detail, more reasons for the actions taken by characters.
    I especially liked the extra dialogue between Anakin and Palpatine in their scenes. It made his turn make much more sense to me.
    The movie is a 3 and a half out of 5 for me, but the book version of the movie would have been a 4 and a half or 5 out of 5.
    I really wish there could be a 3 hour or longer "epic version" of Episodes 2 and 3 for the fans.
     
  22. Frank1212

    Frank1212 Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Dec 16, 2001
    I think it's worth buying, for the first third alone.
    I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt the big finales were a little rushed, though.


    Well, at least it's better than the movie in that department because the movie was ENTIRELY rushed.
     
  23. TomPiltoff

    TomPiltoff Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Apr 7, 2005
    I hear Agen Kolar gets stabbed in the face. Ouch.
     
  24. drth sidious

    drth sidious Jedi Youngling star 2

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    Jul 24, 1999
    Yea, Agen, Saesee, and Kit all get more gruesome deaths. And, what Palpatine does there that the Jedi don't know about was really clever and devious.
     
  25. Mr. P

    Mr. P FanFic Archive Editor, Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 1, 2000
    I don't get how "extended edition" always equals "better." There is a reason that things get cut from movies. As opposed to books, which can be thousands of pages long, movies are meant to be enjoyed in a relative short period of time. Yes things might be interesting to know, but not necessarily to watch.

    Mr. P
     
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