PT This Is My First; I Need Your Opinion...

I wanted to purchase the prequels to episode IV - the first 3 parts of the saga. Could you tell me if this publication (see image below) is a good choice or should I consider another one instead.

Thanks a bunch!

 

This is a bundle of the original novelizations of the three prequel movies (TPM written by Terry Brooks; AOTC written by RA Salvatore; ROTS written by Matthew Stover). If that’s what you want, then yes, go for it.

Personally, I prefer the actual movies over their novelizations though

 

ROtS was a really good book.

 

I only read the ROTS novel and that one actually stopped me from reading any of the others because Stover got many of the characters simply wrong (in my opinion).

 

I didn't like the novelization of ROTS. I don't know. I found Stover's writing rather pretentious. And I thought some of his scenes dragged.

 

If you're looking for the definitive novelization of each film, then yes. You got it.

Personally, the ROTS book is a mixed bag for me. Some really good scenes like when Palpatine is testing Anakin's desire for power and control, but then other things like Dooku being a human supremacist proto-Imperial, Vader's puns killing the CIS leaders, Anakin shaking Padme to reveal her pregnancy, etc. are better left forgotten imo.

The first and middle of the book is well-paced but I felt the Order 66, post-Clone War, beginning of the Empire era, was better portrayed in the film. Felt too rushed in the book and the sense of tragedy is better shown and felt in cinema than explained with prose, no matter how well-written in my eyes.

 

I like the novels for their additional Scenes. Specially the cut Scenes are great. The made up stuff is cool too but I dont consider it Canon. But I love how they incoperated the cut Scenes into story

The intro to ROTS is just pure epic IMO

 

You should consider the actual movies, if you haven't done so.

 

The AOTC novel went a little deeper into the relationship between Jango and Boba. As a Fett fan I liked those parts.

 

ROTS is a good read if you want to point out all the little mistakes such as claiming Amidala was the youngest queen ever elected.

The scenes between Anakin and Palpatine were good though, and arguably the best bits of the book.

 

The main thing to remember about the novelizations of the movies is that the writers were pretty much always given the script to write the book before the end of movie production. As a result lots of the movie is changed, and/or cut and the movie is totally different than the book. Also, if you read the books from before Disney acquired lucasfilm Ltd be aware if it is in the book, but isn’t in the movie it is not canon to the actual story, which is legend lore rearing it’s head. Once Disney acquired lucasfilm ltd and made sure that all books before the Disney acquisition are now legends and the books written after the Disney acquisition are canon causes immense confusion for many readers, and let’s not even get into the fact that there are some big discrepancies between the”canon” books vs. the canon movies, tv, comics,books, or anything else Disney purports to be canon.

reading Star Wars books is one of my favorite things to do, it is also something I hate, as I often want to scream and throw books across the room for confusing the story, and challenging the entire supposed canon. Just approach the books with the intention to enjoy the story and be aware to try and not care about canon vs uncanon

 

I wasn't really a fan of it either. It's the best prequel novelization, but that's not really saying much. I couldn't stand those sections where the story would just stop and it would go "this is what it is like right now to be Anakin..." or "this is what it is like right now to be Obi-Wan..." It's funny that this and Heir to the Empire were hyped for me as the best of the best Star Wars novels and I didn't really like either one of them.

 

BBM. Those parts were kind of out of no where. I did appreciate though how the ROTS novel sheds more light on Anakin's disappointment in the being on the Council but not Master status- regarding the additional access he would have had in the Jedi archives.

 

Yeah, I did like that part. I also felt that the novel did a better job conveying that Anakin was really off balance and didn't know who to trust. It makes his turn to the dark side more believable.

 

I don't know. I've always thought that the book's "reason" why Anakin is upset about not being on the Council was pathetic. I mean "no access", really? Anakin, with all his weaknesses, is a smart kid. He could have found a way to get access and I think it's a stupid idea for the Jedi to reserve some knowledge for premium members anyway. Additionally, I think linking his disappointment to Padmè again is too much. It should be independent of the whole Padmé dilemma and simply be seen as what it is: Anakin was disappointed and upset because his ego was hurt. Because he felt disrespected and not treated as an equal, which hits him even harder given his upbringing as a "lesser" slave.

But yeah, I could't stand the "this is what it is..." parts either. The prologue was epic, though.

 

By all means, read the novels if ya like but the movies IMO pretty much get the job done and are extremely enjoyable. They feel like one long movie and that’s part of what makes it such a great trilogy.

 

For me, Star Wars is meant to be seen on film, not read. It's not meant to be an experience where you can know the thoughts of the characters and therefore understand every single little motivation they have. That's why I always find it perplexing when people think it is such a big deal that we find out that being a master gives you access to some sort of archive that allows you to explore the secrets of the dark side (which you apparently find out in the book and "explains" Anakin's annoyance at not being a master.)

 

I didn't say it was "such a big deal" and I read the novels after having seen the films which I loved by the way. I just felt that reading about him having access to the archives being a large reason why he was so disappointed about not getting the rank of Master helped to show his desperation in a scene where people simply just saw him as "whining." Knowing how badly he wanted to find a way to save Padme, and learning that he thought he could find the answers in the archives only to have his hopes dashed adds to the tragedy for me.

 

I’ve not read the book. I think changing the details in adaptation is completely fine. And that sounds like it references Anakin saying there’s things about the Force their not telling him (I think he means things about the dark side, not healing techniques). However i don’t think additions like these are based on the filmmakers intention.

Anakin’s reaction in the movie, IMO is entirely ego. He feels he’s at the master level and their excluding him, evidence of what Palpatine has told him.

 

The novel explains that Anakin has discovered a restricted section in the archives. He believes that there may be tomes there that hold knowledge regarding either saving Padme or bringing her back to life. From the scene in AOTC he already clearly thinks he's being held back which is compounded by the death of his mother when afterwards he clearly talks about learning how to stop people from dying. He does not want to experience that emotional trauma again.

Palps has already planted the idea in his head that there is a way to do it but a Jedi would never teach him. Doesn't mean Anakin couldn't find it in the archives BUT at this point he can't access them. So when Palps pulls the strings and gets Anakin put on the council, Anakin thinks he's going to get the rank of Master and then he can get into the archives. Then the council denies him.

With the book context you understand his desperation, that need to find a way to save her rather than thinking that he's being egotistical or dismissing him as whiny.