Darth Vader Was A Dick

Finished reading the above book last night. If you're not a Star Wars fan, move along, because we're going to be knee deep in nerd very soon.

Like now.

I've always enjoyed James Luceno's Star Wars novels, mainly because he takes some very thin material (re: the entire last trilogy) and tends to build something far more substantial. In Labyrinth of Evil--



--he clearly showed how Sidious fucked with Anakin's mind, manipulating Anakin's innate stupidity and Jedi Temple enforced naivety to push him down the path to the Dark Side. There was some genuine moments of quiet horror there. He also built up the older brother/younger brother relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin in a far more believable way, something that has not escaped the notice of the writers of the current Clone Wars. Whereas the films had very wooden characters being hammered into situations required to lead to the next fight and/or space battle, Luceno does his best to make them actual people, and as a result, tells a far more involving story.

He works the same magic here, to a somewhat different degree. The title of the book is really more about marketing than the actual story content. While we do have Vader's early days, we also are shown the after effects of Order 66 on surviving Jedi, most notably Roan Shryne and Olee Starstone. We see how not all Clone Troopers bought into killing the Jedi, and how that affected them. There is more focus on Bail Organa, who comes across as a Jedi in all but biology, and is surprised by how much he has fallen in love with his new daughter, and how he feels he must protect her now at all costs--especially when he puts two and two together regarding just who this new Vader douchebag is. And perhaps the most powerful part of the story is the depiction of the Fall of Kashyyyk, and just why Darth Vader ordered it. And yes, Chewbacca is here--and we see the first pirate ship he signed on with.

As for Vader, Luceno shows just how shitty the suit is--it pinches and hurts Vader most of the time, and things become so bad it seems Vader contemplates suicide. His constant whining and bitching becomes so bad that the Emperor actually considers kicking him to the curb,drumming his gnarled fingers and wondering if anyone better is out there. The 'Rise' of Darth Vader is a little vague--in a sense, Vader sees Anakin as someone else, and is unrelated to who he is now. I think that's what Luceno was saying. All I know is that Vader stops bitching about not being able to sleep and starts killing people left and right.

As for the combat, Luceno never takes the easy route. There is the inevitable final lightsaber battle at the end of the book that actually wasn't half bad. And as the book ends, one of those eternal fan questions-- Why would Obi-Wan hide Vader's son on Tatooine with his stepbrother?--is finally addressed.

So, yes, a nerdy time was had by all.