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Star Wars: Darth Plagueis Paperback – International Edition, November 8, 2012

by James Luceno (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 10,343 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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 publically climbing to the highest government office.
One desires to rule supreme; the other dreams of living for ever. Together, they will destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy. Unless merciless Sith tradition becomes their undoing...
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  1. Part of series
    Star Wars - Legends
  2. Print length
    462 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Cornerstone
  5. Publication date
    November 8, 2012
  6. Dimensions
    4.41 x 1.14 x 7.05 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780099542643
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0099542643
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  1. “Uncertainty is the first step toward self-determination,” Plagueis said. “Courage comes next.”
    Highlighted by 794 Kindle readers
  2. A common misconception held that midi-chlorians were Force-carrying particles, when in fact they functioned more as translators, interlocutors of the will of the Force.
    Highlighted by 760 Kindle readers
  3. “The power of the dark side is an illness no true Sith would wish to be cured of.”
    Highlighted by 556 Kindle readers
  4. Damask knew, too, that the ancient Sith had once had an outpost on Tatooine, but he kept that to himself.
    Highlighted by 501 Kindle readers
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0099542641
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornerstone (November 8, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 462 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780099542643
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099542643
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.41 x 1.14 x 7.05 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 10,343 ratings

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James Luceno

James Luceno

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
10,343 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this Star Wars book engaging and well-written, with excellent character development of Darth Plagueis and Palpatine. The book provides a detailed look at Palpatine's rise to power, with one customer noting how it sets up Episode I in great detail. While some customers describe it as a quick read, others find it slow-paced.

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652 customers mention "Readability"632 positive20 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a labor of love and an amazing read for Star Wars fans, with well-executed storytelling.

"The new cover is so, so good. Love the composition and the color. The yellow really pops...." Read more

"...the eyes of Plagueis and involves a lot of introspective narration, plotting, and strategic political games...." Read more

"...It is a magnum opus, a labor of love, with superior writing and lasting artistic insight enough for it to merit a title of "classic" even so early..." Read more

"...upon itself to accomplish with regard to canon and storytelling is simply staggering, not to mention this is one of the handful of novels with..." Read more

450 customers mention "Story development"384 positive66 negative

Customers appreciate the book's story development, particularly its excellent backstory and insightful narrative, with one customer highlighting its detailed subterfuge and another noting how it expands understanding of the plot.

"...well it takes a fairly all-ages story world and maps very adult, grounded politics and philosophy onto it...." Read more

"...Not only do I feel like I understand the Sith better, but I feel like this is the first time the lure of the Sith felt more realistic and accessible..." Read more

"...: Its prose is cerebral, lyrical, and delves into philosophical discussions of morality and ethics that people -- for those who had the privilege to..." Read more

"...We do get some insight into Plagueis' powers and his quest for immortality, and we see just how ruthless Palpatine was, even when he was younger and..." Read more

174 customers mention "Entertainment value"141 positive33 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and engaging, describing it as absolutely fascinating and enlightening, with one customer noting it is completely engrossing from start to finish.

"...study that reads through the eyes of Plagueis and involves a lot of introspective narration, plotting, and strategic political games...." Read more

"...sound effects were used as needed and it was just enough to enhance the listening experience without detracting from it. Cons:..." Read more

"...The author goes so in depth with the force, what it is, what its capable of, that some chapters you'll read twice just to be sure you gathered all..." Read more

"...I say that because when the story does pick up it's very entertaining and quickly becomes a page turner, I just wish that it didn't continuously hit..." Read more

167 customers mention "Writing style"142 positive25 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, noting its clear and well-structured presentation.

"...the Essential Legends Collection covers really make the books feel more like literature as opposed to cheap tie-ins the way the old covers did...." Read more

"...This book easily revolutionizes writing for the EU: Its prose is cerebral, lyrical, and delves into philosophical discussions of morality and ethics..." Read more

"...Looking back, the plotting for this novel must have been a tremendous undertaking...." Read more

"...Overall, the book is very well-written and has a nice blend of action and the same kind of political intrigue, scheming, and backbiting we saw in..." Read more

34 customers mention "Information content"31 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the information content of the book, particularly how it provides a great perspective on Palpatine and offers many interesting points about his early life and rise to power.

"...Despite all of this, it's a pretty excellent read that exemplifies the cunning of Palpatine and his roots of being swayed into the dark side of the..." Read more

"I found this book to be full of many interesting points of information that tied into the prequels well...." Read more

"...More Political Thriller than Space Opera, the narrative is tight, relevant, and thought-provoking...." Read more

"This book was a lot of fun. It answers many of the questions that I had after watching Episodes 1,2 and 3...." Read more

34 customers mention "Look"30 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's appearance, noting its depth and excellent fashion, with one customer highlighting how it provides insight into Palpatine's rise to power.

"The new cover is so, so good. Love the composition and the color. The yellow really pops...." Read more

"...is a magnum opus, a labor of love, with superior writing and lasting artistic insight enough for it to merit a title of "classic" even so early in..." Read more

"...Almost beautifully. As mentioned before, the Bane Trilogy is a good pre-book series to read, as those set up everything that this book continues...." Read more

"...As unique and compelling a character as Plagueis is (important too, if you know your Star Wars mythos), I actually found that the most interesting..." Read more

32 customers mention "Detail"32 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's detailed explanations, particularly how it sets up Episode I and explains everything about Sidious, with one customer noting how it creates familiar yet novel settings.

"...Star Wars “author laureate” James Luceno has done an incredible job setting up the events and characters for the Prequel Trilogy (PT)...." Read more

"...James Luceno does a wonderful job fleshing out the settings and characters of the book, all while keeping the tone appropriately moody and dark...." Read more

"...or decades, especially in the beginning, it manages to avoid feeling disjointed or rushed...." Read more

"...In fact, it even goes into quite a lot of detail about what Darth Plagueis learns about the prolonging life through dark side which ironically, his..." Read more

84 customers mention "Pacing"35 positive49 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it an awesome and quick read, while others describe it as slow.

"...The book is not without flaws. The first third to half is rather slow and somewhat dry, and the entirety of the novel is difficult to resume between..." Read more

"...but managed to deliver, in my opinion, one of the finest additions to the Expanded Universe since Timothy Zahn's THRAWN TRILOGY...." Read more

"...One other thing that bothered me, aside from how slow the novel got at certain points, is the fact that after part one Plagueis' importance quickly..." Read more

"...For the rest of the title, the pacing and plotting is done quite well; not once was I left feeling it a chore to continue reading...." Read more

The book is without doubt athe very best dark side story
5 out of 5 stars
The book is without doubt athe very best dark side story
Crazy fans had the urge to cancel Darth Plagueis continued appearance and influence on the Acolyte.. so the only way you are going to hear about the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, the Sith legend is here! sit back and relax the book and audiobook adaptation is a very good investment. a real prequel to the entire Skywalker saga and Palpatine's true motives!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Greg Castro
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Star Wars stories ever told
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The new cover is so, so good. Love the composition and the color. The yellow really pops. All of the Essential Legends Collection covers really make the books feel more like literature as opposed to cheap tie-ins the way the old covers did.

    But beyond that, I'm also happy to report that Plagueis holds up. Years later, and I'm still in awe of how well it takes a fairly all-ages story world and maps very adult, grounded politics and philosophy onto it. It also completely recontextualizes the Clone Wars as a conflict stoked entirely by the Sith, as opposed to just sort of set off by them. Like, we knew from the movies that the clones were created by Jedi master Syfo-Dyas and that Dooku was leading the Separatists, and that the Sith were playing the two factions against each other. But James Luceno depicts Plagueis and Sidious as taking decades to stoke the conflicts that create the Separatists in the first place, and putting the idea for the clones in Syfo-Dyas's head. And of course, their experimenting with the force leads to the creation of a certain Chosen One.

    I will say that aspect of the story is probably the most ill-defined. Obviously the ways in which one might use a mystical Force to influence fictional microscopic organisms to create life is a hard thing to describe, so Luceno kind of just doesn't bother, but even so it feels like he needed to do something to really add some climactic punch to the Sith's force-meddling. Like, this is the action that sets off the whole franchise and ultimately seals the Sith's fate. As it is, it gets mentioned in the book's final act as something they did years ago.

    Ultimately the first three-fourths of the novel work better then, because they're more about concrete machinations and the endearing relationship between Plagueis and Sidious. Despite the evil dynamic of the Sith you kind of like their "friendship" if you can call it that, and feel bad about the inevitable end-result of the Rule of Two. The last fourth feels rushed as it encapsulates the events of The Phantom Menace, and then concludes Plagueis's story.

    Still, you'll be hard-pressed to find a Star Wars story that feels more adult, or that does as good a job of keeping you in suspense until the end. There are no good guys here, so the typical Star Wars framework of the heroes triumphing against all odds at the climax just doesn't apply. As a result, you can't put Plagueis down.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Rosslyn
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you only read one Legends book, let it be this one
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book is SO good. My current focus in reading Star Wars novels has been to gain a deeper understanding of Anakin’s fall to Darth Vader, because I feel like there’s a lot of questions left when watching only the films/Clone Wars show. This has lead me to realizing that I really wanted to see the bigger picture, because Anakin’s story is a small snapshot in a series of carefully planned disasters. I have since taken a deep dive into a few character studies centered around their journies in the Force (Mace, Maul, Kenobi, Vos, Qui-Gon, Dooku, Ventress). Ultimately, I was left wanting to know more about the Sith and, in particular, about Sidious.

    This lead me to Darth Plagueis and MAN was I not disappointed because it was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Not only do I feel like I understand the Sith better, but I feel like this is the first time the lure of the Sith felt more realistic and accessible, not just about villainous selfishness and power.

    As a heads up, unlike most Star Wars novels out there, this is not an action-packed space thriller, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this may not be for you. This is much more a character study that reads through the eyes of Plagueis and involves a lot of introspective narration, plotting, and strategic political games. Although the true introspective voice is only Plagueis’, we still get to learn a lot about the way Sidious feels/thinks as well as more about where he came from. As a bonus, we also get to learn a bit more about Maul in the meantime and see a lot of crossover with other Legends canon.

    All in all, walking away from this book, I feel like I have a better understanding of the Sith, Sidious, and the “grand plan”. A very rewarding read.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • SpeckledBand
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated writing for those who like it darker and smarter...
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I've read plenty of books in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, including recent offerings. "Darth Plagueis" was not only heavily anticipated, but worth the wait. It is a magnum opus, a labor of love, with superior writing and lasting artistic insight enough for it to merit a title of "classic" even so early in its run.

    This book easily revolutionizes writing for the EU: Its prose is cerebral, lyrical, and delves into philosophical discussions of morality and ethics that people -- for those who had the privilege to take a few philosophy or political science courses in college -- are familiar with, though they are obviously cast in a new light (see: Nietzsche, Hume, Hobbes, and Schopenhauer, not to mention Freud and Plato.) *This book is not for Star Wars fans who like action/adventure or like to see things go boom.

    The book is extremely clever, using an omnipresent third-person narrator but multiple protagonists, a non-linear timeline, and nudge-nudge chapter titles that remain grounded in our world (I recall a chapter named "The Discreet Charm of the Bureaucracy" -- ha) and keeping us with one foot in the Star Wars Universe and one in Earth's. The stories of lobbies, bureaucrats, political machinations with corporations may be dull to some, but why not learn that strings are pulled by the rich, powerful and violent in EVERY GALAXY? Take an ethics lesson with Hego Demask and Palpatine, Star Wars fans; "Darth Plagueis" is, to some extent, a micro textbook on modern international politics and sentient moral philosophy, and for that I love it. Another major plus is that, while fleshing out the backstory of Palpatine, the man is not made sympathetic. He was always petulant, always manipulative, always superficially charming, always violent, and always destined for this future -- no mere Anakin Skywalker he. Palpatine is not a classic fallen hero trope, and his malevolent anti-social personality disorder is on gorgeous display in writing here.

    "Darth Plagueis" is for fans who have always wanted their Star Wars a little darker and a lot smarter than the average.

    My only qualm is that the species of Darth Plagueis, the Muun species, is an obvious (and so obvious it was not unintentional) amalgam of various stereotypes of the Jewish people: Isolationist, obsessed with money, nearly only bankers and lawyers, not fighters but rather people who use money to win, and, of course, the famous stereotype that Jews are the puppetmasters behind all kinds of political lobbies and massive global schemes. As much as I adored the character of Darth Plagueis, I felt, as a Jewish woman, a little bothered that James Luceno would exploit common and harmful stereotypes of a real-life community of people to make his point about the nature of the Grand Plan of the Sith. It showed a lack of creativity on Luceno's part, just as George Lucas' casting of the Neimoidian Trade Federation leaders as East Asian peoples was crass and brought down his brand. Luceno might as well have said he thinks George Soros is a Sith Lord and taken it from there.

    The puzzling pseudo-antisemitism notwithstanding, this book is fantastic and the only must-read EU novel since, I don't know, anything that had Thrawn in it (exception: "Choices of One".) It's for the fans of the Empire and/or Sith who want to know the nitty-gritty without it all being romanticized or flashy. It is also removed enough from the heavy canon discussion that happens in the NJO/Legacy series for it to be acceptable to non-Star Wars fans. All you need to have seen are the movies, really. It can be a standalone fantasy novel, and it may prove to be a good rival EU introductory novel to "Heir to the Empire" or "Shadow of the Empire".

    This was the Expanded Universe book I was looking for.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Carlos Henrique Nakashima
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom.
    Reviewed in Brazil on December 4, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Como fica subentendido - até meio claro - no terceiro episódio da nova trilogia (Prelúdios, 1999-2005), Darth Plagueis é mestre de Darth Sidious. A mesma cena cria a curiosidade sobre quem é o poderoso ser que foi capaz de controlar a vida e a morte. Esse livro faz um ótimo trabalho satisfazendo parte dessa curiosidade.
    A história é bastante fluida e contempla a trajetória do lorde Sith desde sua libertação por seu próprio mestre, até seu fim pelas mãos de seu aprendiz. Em um período anterior ao episódio I - A Ameaça Fantasma, toda a trama é bem entrelaçada com os eventos apresentados nos filmes. Há bastante conspiração política, mostrando a manipulação que Plagueis - que assume a identidade de Hego Damask para o restante da galáxia - implementa para alcançar seu objetivos sombrios. Também há muitas passagens sobre a cultura do lado negro e os experimentos que o lorde Sith realizava para o entendimento da Força e para alimentar sua obsessão em viver eternamente.
    O segundo - talvez primeiro, não fosse pelo título - personagem principal é Palpatine, que é mostrado desde um jovem participante de educação política de Naboo até sua ascensão como lorde Sith e supremo chanceler.
    Outros personagens dos filmes que tem suas histórias completadas no livro são Darth Maul, Conde Dooku, Padmé e Sifo-Dyas.

    Sobre o produto, é um pocket americano, então a qualidade é inferior a maioria dos livros publicados nacionalmente. Sem orelhas e com folhas finas, requer cuidado durante o manuseio para manter em bom estado.

    Edição em português da Aleph: Star Wars. Darth Plagueis
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Disney authors learn from this book
    Reviewed in India on December 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I'll divide this review in two parts. The second part may contain some vague spoilers. The author James Luceno is a fan favourite, he and Timothy Zahn are some of the best Star Wars authors out their. James has certainly done his research on the sith. The book is divided in three or four parts. The first part contains information on Plagueis and his master. The second part explains how Plagueis along with the IBC[Intergalactic Banking Clan] exploit Outer Rim worlds and one of these worlds is Naboo in which a election for the planet is happening. It explains how he and the trade federation exploit Naboo for it's plasma, you also meet Palpatine in this part, we also get to meet dooku and sifo dyas in this part. This part ends with Palpatine's apprenticeship to Plagueis . The third part is certainly the most interesting in the book, it explains Palpatine's training, his political career, this part also explains how the republic is crumbling and the jedi just running doing errands for the chancellor. This part also explains the corruption of the senate and sets up the background of the Seperatist Crisis. The fourth part is in the background of the phantom menace and explains how Sidious manipulated the senate into voting him as the chancellor. Ultimately the book ends with plagueis death at the hands of sidious . It's a pretty awesome book and a must read. We meet dooku, sifo dyas, plagueis, maul and know about some new characters like komari vosa, what are you waiting for buy this book.
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  • sp004
    5.0 out of 5 stars Quasi die Hintergrundgeschichte zu der "Dark Lord Trilogy"
    Reviewed in Germany on May 15, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Es hat lange gedauert, bevor James Luceno endlich die Freigabe bekommen hat, mit diesem Buch gewissermaßen die Vorgeschichte zu der "Dark Lord Trilogy" (der literarischen Verarbeitung der Zeit direkt vor, während und nach den ersten drei Episoden) zu veröffentlichen. Leider geschah das gefühlt "zu spät", denn inzwischen ist beinahe das komplette Extended Universe von Disney als "nicht kanonisch" eingeordnet worden. Schade, wirklich schade. Obwohl dieses Buch dazu zu einer "Star Wars Legend" wird und man nicht mehr davon ausgehen kann, dass der Plagueis aus der Doppel-Trilogie auch der Plagueis aus dem Buch ist (von Palpatine ganz zu schweigen), so ist dieses Buch von James Luceno dennoch das Lesen wert. Warum? Weil Luceno so virtuos und schlüssig das Leben von Plagueis und Palpatine aufarbeitet, dass man wirklich das Gefühl hat "ja, so könnte es gewesen sein". Sehr großes Kino, wirklich. :-)
    "Darth Plagueis" übrigens taucht in den Filmen ja nur als Randfigur auf - so randwärtig, dass man sich manchmal fragt, wer oder was diese Gestalt überhaupt gewesen ist. Plagueis ist dabei nur ein Name von vielen. Er teilt dabei das Schicksal solcher Figuren wie Darth Bane, Mace Windu, Boba Fett und Mara Jade, die im Extended Universe eine wichtigere Rolle gespielt haben als (wenn überhaupt) in der Doppel-Trilogie: Sie alle machen Star Wars erst zu dem, was wir heute kennen und sehr viel von dem was z.B. in "The Clone Wars" gezeigt wird, stammt von Autoren wie James Luceno, die sich um ein konsistentes, intelligentes Universum bemüht haben, das erklär- und erfühlbar wird.
    "Darth Plagueis" selbst ist ein hervorragend geschriebenes, sehr ins Detail politischer Intrigen einsteigendes Buch, das sogar mich als absoluten Star Wars Nerd immer wieder mit neuen Einsichten überrascht hat und gekonnt an der einen oder anderen Stelle Handlungsstränge aufgreift und "Aha"-Erlebnisse provoziert, wo man sie überhaupt nicht erwartet hätte. So wird endlich klar, was der Bankenklan mit Palpatine am Hut hat, wie Anakin gezeugt worden sein könnte ... und und und ... - ich will nicht spoilern -- obwohl es nicht-kanonisch geworden ist, deckt "Darth Plagueis" wie eine große "finale" Offenbarung all das auf, was Leuten wie mir sogar nach der exzellenten "Dark Lord" Trilogie immer noch an offenen Fragen geblieben war. Umso trauriger bin ich, dass Disney auch diesen Teil des Extended Universe geopfert hat -- wenngleich man sagen muss, dass George Lucas selber einmal gesagt hat, dass er sich mit dem Extended Universe nicht beschäftigt und das das "Geschichten anderer Leute" seien. Für Fans von Star Wars und vor allem für Fans dessen, was das Extended Universe daraus gemacht hat, ist "Darth Plagueis" jedenfalls definitiv ein Must-Read; immer noch.
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  • Darth Vader
    5.0 out of 5 stars 謎に包まれたダース・プレイガスの意外な一面が分かります‼
    Reviewed in Japan on June 19, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    ダースプレイガスはエピソードIIIで言及される限りではかなり以前に死亡していたように描かれていましたが、本書を読むと、パルパティーンが議長になるためにヌートガンレイの通商連合によるナブー封鎖やダースモールの訓練、ティラナス卿(Duke伯爵)のジェダイ・オーダー離脱などエピソードI,IIに直結する出来事に対してかなり関与していることが分かります！
    そうするとダースプレイガスがエピソードVIIの最高指導者スノーくであるという噂は本当なのかも！？
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  • Spence
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for Star Wars fans
    Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great book! Plageuis is a great villain, and seeing how he indoctrinated Palpatine, and his eventual fall, is interesting. Adds context to the prequels that makes them more compelling.
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