Science Fiction
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Darth Plagueis: Star Wars Legends
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This essential Star Wars Legends novel chronicles the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, and the origins of the saga's most enduring evil-the malevolent Sith master Palpatine.
"The best Star Wars publication to date . . . [James] Luceno takes Darth Plagueis down the dark path and never looks back."-Newsday
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires; losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. When the time is right, he destroys his Master-and vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis's chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination-and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?
"Luceno draws on his storytelling skill and prodigious knowledge of the [Star Wars] world . . . to craft a complex tale of ambition and desire."-Library Journal
"The best Star Wars publication to date . . . [James] Luceno takes Darth Plagueis down the dark path and never looks back."-Newsday
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires; losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. When the time is right, he destroys his Master-and vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis's chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination-and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?
"Luceno draws on his storytelling skill and prodigious knowledge of the [Star Wars] world . . . to craft a complex tale of ambition and desire."-Library Journal
Readers Top Reviews
Chris FrostJack
I bought this book because I wanted to know the Plagueis backstory since Revenge of the Sith, and given that it was a New York Times bestseller I was expecting a fantastic book. Yet it's very slow paced, the first few chapters were just about him getting off a planet. Time is wasted on being overly vocal about irrelevancies, unnecessarily flamboyant with the English language and when you actually get to a part with a degree of interest, it's over in a short paragraph. On the whole it reads more like a lot of padding around very little content. I'm very disappointed and hoped for more.
Go AwayChris Fros
It’s a really well written book. Not so much about lightsabre-y Jedi fightin’ action but more about the politics (on Naboo and in the Senate) not to mention the dirty dealings of trade federation and banking clan as they exploit outer rim worlds via their corrupt governments. If you’re interested in Darths Plagueis’ and Sidious’ back stories then you this is very much the story for you. It also provides a bunch of historical material on the Sith more generally which brings much needed depth to the ancient enemy of the Jedi. About half way through the novel I even found myself rooting for Darths Plague & Sid. I shared in the frustration about a system weighed down by a corrupt and self-serving political class turning its gears. I felt for the outer rim worlds forgotten by the core systems who dominated the senate. In short James Luceno’s excellently researched and written book has turned me into a separatist - I’m with Dooku - let’s Make the Republic Great Again.
EliasGo AwayChris
Supuse que no. No es una historia que cuenten los Jedi. Es una leyenda Sith. Darth Plagueis fue un señor oscuro de los Sith, tan poderoso y tan sabio que podía usar La Fuerza para influenciar los midiclorianos para crear vida... Él tenía tal conocimiento del lado oscuro que incluso podía evitar que aquellos a los que amaba murieran. Pero se volvió tan poderoso que lo único que temía era perder su poder, cosa que, eventualmente, sucedió. Desafortunadamente enseñó a su aprendiz todo lo que sabía y, entonces, su aprendiz lo asesinó mientras dormía. Es irónico, podía salvar a los demás de la muerte, pero no a él mismo. Este libro les contará la historia de Darth Plagueis, que está muy buena por cierto, sólo tengan en cuenta que es una novela escrita en inglés, y la escritura está densa y llena de figuras literarias en inglés, a mí me está costando trabajo leerla de manera fluída porque está llena de adornos en inglés. En sí la historia y la edición están muy bien, sólo es eso de que el inglés que utiliza está complicado.
S P MeadEliasGo A
This is a very good Star Wars novel, set before and during the events of the prequel trilogy. This book focuses on two Sith lords - namely Darth Plagueis and his apprentice Darth Sidious (aka Palpatine). Initially, the story explores the rise of Plagueis as a Sith Lord; and, later, it deals with the subsequent rise of his apprentice, who seeks to acquire unlimited power for himself. Throughout, these Dark Lords of the Sith put into motion their plan to conquer the Republic and enact the demise of the Jedi Order. As part of this, we discover lots of backstory concerning Palpatine - which, in the films, is often only hinted at. This book informs us of the insidious plots that underlie the events seen in both 'The Phantom Menace' and 'Attack of the Clones'. This is a well-written and entertaining novel, and one that adds a lot to the saga that is the prequel Star Wars universe. The Plagueis character is briefly mentioned in the films, and is here fleshed out in detail. He's a powerful Sith lord intent on mastering life and death. If this character interests you then I highly recommend this book. But, just to say, as this story focuses on the Sith so there's little or no Jedi action, and not much by way of space battles ... instead it's about plots developed over decades and their fruition as political plans. This might not interest all Star Wars fans.
EdzoS P MeadElias
As of this writing, “Star Wars: Darth Plagueis” (i.e., the book) has been a “Star Wars Legends” novel for eight years, meaning it is not part of the “new canon” established after Disney purchased Lucasfilm. But I think the Lucasfilm Story Group should reconsider this decision. Star Wars “author laureate” James Luceno has done an incredible job setting up the events and characters for the Prequel Trilogy (PT). Essentially, the book is a “PT primer,” and it's no minor undertaking. Darth Plagueis “the Wise” aims to execute the “Grand Plan,” which essentially means toppling the Jedi Order and the Republic and restoring the Sith to power in the galaxy. Simple, right? Heck, no, and Luceno expertly weaves a complex political and economic back story to bring events up to the film “Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (TPM), where the “taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.” Luceno also has a significant subplot involving the midi-chlorians and the Force. Plagueis is attempting to manipulate the former in order to extend his life, with the ultimate goal of being immortal. However, he knows that with every advance he makes, the Force exacts a penance. Thus, Luceno establishes some interesting differences between the Sith and the Jedi and how they use the Force. What's fun about the book is seeing how Luceno moves everything into place for the PT. Plagueis chooses Palpatine as his apprentice and grooms him for the chancellorship of the Republic, where Plagueis will quietly rule as his co-chair. Palpatine, as Sidious, finds the infant Maul on Dathomir and trains him as a Sith assassin. To get rid of the Jedi, they must first fracture the Republic, which means alienating the Outer Rim systems to the point of secession. When that happens, the Republic will need a fighting force, so they convince one wavering Jedi Master, Syfo-Dyas, of the need for a clone army from Kamino, and an order is placed in his name. Another Jedi Master, Dooku, is gradually disillusioned by and disaffected from the Order because of its unwavering support of the corrupt Republic Senate. Trade routes to the Outer Rim are taxed; the Trade Federation is angered and blockades Naboo, where its plasma export business is threatened; Chancellor Valorum is scandalized by false business contributions to the Trade Federation, thus ending his political career and opening the door for Palpatine's election. And you know the rest … That's a basic outline, but it's well told. The material involving the Force gets a little dense; some of the political machinations are not well developed and, thus, difficult to follow; and the last few chapters involving the events leading up to/involving TPM seemed rushed. But the book is truly a labor of love that, I daresay, Luceno intended as a way to better clarify the galactic events of the ...
Short Excerpt Teaser
PART ONE
Enlistment
67–65 Years Before the Battle of Yavin
1: THE UNDERWORLD
Forty-seven standard years before the harrowing reign of Emperor Palpatine, Bal'demnic was nothing more than an embryonic world in the Outer Rim's Auril sector, populated by reptilian sentients who expressed as little tolerance for outsiders as they did for one another. Decades later the planet would have a part to play in galactic events, its own wink of historical notoriety, but in those formative years that presaged the Republic's ineluctable slide into decadence and turmoil, Bal'demnic was of interest only to xenobiologists and cartographers. It might even have escaped the notice of Darth Plagueis, for whom remote worlds held a special allure, had his Master, Tenebrous, not discovered something special about the planet.
"Darth Bane would appreciate our efforts," the Sith Master was telling his apprentice as they stood side by side in the crystalline cave that had drawn them across the stars.
A Bith, Tenebrous was as tall as Plagueis and nearly as cadaverously thin. To human eyes, his bilious complexion might have made him appear as haggard as the pallid Muun, but in fact both beings were in robust health. Though they conversed in Basic, each was fluent in the other's native language.
"Darth Bane's early years," Plagueis said through his transpirator mask. "Carrying on the ancestral business, as it were."
Behind the faceplate of his own mask, Tenebrous's puckered lips twitched in disapproval. The breathing device looked absurdly small on his outsized cleft head, and the convexity of the mask made the flat disks of his lidless eyes look like close-set holes in his pinched face.
"Bane's seminal years," he corrected.
Plagueis weathered the gentle rebuke. He had been apprenticed to Tenebrous for as many years as the average human might live, and still Tenebrous never failed to find fault when he could.
"What more appropriate way for us to close the circle than by mimicking the Sith'ari's seminal efforts," Tenebrous continued. "We weave ourselves into the warp and weft of the tapestry he created."
Plagueis kept his thoughts to himself. The aptly named Darth Bane, who had redefined the Sith by limiting their number and operating from concealment, had mined cortosis as a youth on Apatros long before embracing the tenets of the dark side. In the thousand years since his death, Bane had become deified; the powers attributed to him, legendary. And indeed what more appropriate place for his disciples to complete the circle, Plagueis told himself, than in profound obscurity, deep within an escarpment that walled an azure expanse of Bal'demnic's Northern Sea.
The two Sith were outfitted in environment suits that protected them from scorching heat and noxious atmosphere. The cave was crosshatched by scores of enormous crystals that resembled glowing lances thrust every which way into a trick chest by a stage magician. A recent seismic event had tipped the landmass, emptying the labyrinthine cave system of mineral-rich waters, but the magma chamber that had kept the waters simmering for millions of years still heated the humid air to temperatures in excess of what even Tenebrous and Plagueis could endure unaided. Close at hand sat a stubby treddroid tasked with monitoring the progress of a mining probe that was sampling a rich vein of cortosis ore at the bottom of a deep shaft. A fabled ore, some called it-owing to its scarcity, but even more for its intrinsic ability to diminish the effectiveness of the Jedi lightsaber. For that reason, the Jedi Order had gone to great lengths to restrict mining and refinement of the ore. If not the bane of the Order's existence, cortosis was a kind of irritant, a challenge to their weapon's reputation for fearsome invincibility.
It was to Tenebrous's credit that the Sith had learned of Bal'demnic's rich lodes before the Jedi, who by means of an agreement with the Republic Senate had first claim to all discoveries, as they had with Adegan crystals and Force-sensitive younglings of all species. But Tenebrous and the generations of Sith Masters who had preceded him were privy to covert data gleaned by vast networks of informants the Senate and the Jedi knew nothing about, including mining survey teams and weapons manufacturers.
"Based on the data I am receiving," the treddroid intoned, "eighty-two percent of the ore is capable of being purified into weapons-grade cortosis shield."
Plagueis looked at Tenebrous, who returned a nod of satisfaction. "The percentage is consistent with what I was told to expect."
"By whom, Master?"
"Of no consequence," Tenebrous said.
Strewn about the super...
Enlistment
67–65 Years Before the Battle of Yavin
1: THE UNDERWORLD
Forty-seven standard years before the harrowing reign of Emperor Palpatine, Bal'demnic was nothing more than an embryonic world in the Outer Rim's Auril sector, populated by reptilian sentients who expressed as little tolerance for outsiders as they did for one another. Decades later the planet would have a part to play in galactic events, its own wink of historical notoriety, but in those formative years that presaged the Republic's ineluctable slide into decadence and turmoil, Bal'demnic was of interest only to xenobiologists and cartographers. It might even have escaped the notice of Darth Plagueis, for whom remote worlds held a special allure, had his Master, Tenebrous, not discovered something special about the planet.
"Darth Bane would appreciate our efforts," the Sith Master was telling his apprentice as they stood side by side in the crystalline cave that had drawn them across the stars.
A Bith, Tenebrous was as tall as Plagueis and nearly as cadaverously thin. To human eyes, his bilious complexion might have made him appear as haggard as the pallid Muun, but in fact both beings were in robust health. Though they conversed in Basic, each was fluent in the other's native language.
"Darth Bane's early years," Plagueis said through his transpirator mask. "Carrying on the ancestral business, as it were."
Behind the faceplate of his own mask, Tenebrous's puckered lips twitched in disapproval. The breathing device looked absurdly small on his outsized cleft head, and the convexity of the mask made the flat disks of his lidless eyes look like close-set holes in his pinched face.
"Bane's seminal years," he corrected.
Plagueis weathered the gentle rebuke. He had been apprenticed to Tenebrous for as many years as the average human might live, and still Tenebrous never failed to find fault when he could.
"What more appropriate way for us to close the circle than by mimicking the Sith'ari's seminal efforts," Tenebrous continued. "We weave ourselves into the warp and weft of the tapestry he created."
Plagueis kept his thoughts to himself. The aptly named Darth Bane, who had redefined the Sith by limiting their number and operating from concealment, had mined cortosis as a youth on Apatros long before embracing the tenets of the dark side. In the thousand years since his death, Bane had become deified; the powers attributed to him, legendary. And indeed what more appropriate place for his disciples to complete the circle, Plagueis told himself, than in profound obscurity, deep within an escarpment that walled an azure expanse of Bal'demnic's Northern Sea.
The two Sith were outfitted in environment suits that protected them from scorching heat and noxious atmosphere. The cave was crosshatched by scores of enormous crystals that resembled glowing lances thrust every which way into a trick chest by a stage magician. A recent seismic event had tipped the landmass, emptying the labyrinthine cave system of mineral-rich waters, but the magma chamber that had kept the waters simmering for millions of years still heated the humid air to temperatures in excess of what even Tenebrous and Plagueis could endure unaided. Close at hand sat a stubby treddroid tasked with monitoring the progress of a mining probe that was sampling a rich vein of cortosis ore at the bottom of a deep shaft. A fabled ore, some called it-owing to its scarcity, but even more for its intrinsic ability to diminish the effectiveness of the Jedi lightsaber. For that reason, the Jedi Order had gone to great lengths to restrict mining and refinement of the ore. If not the bane of the Order's existence, cortosis was a kind of irritant, a challenge to their weapon's reputation for fearsome invincibility.
It was to Tenebrous's credit that the Sith had learned of Bal'demnic's rich lodes before the Jedi, who by means of an agreement with the Republic Senate had first claim to all discoveries, as they had with Adegan crystals and Force-sensitive younglings of all species. But Tenebrous and the generations of Sith Masters who had preceded him were privy to covert data gleaned by vast networks of informants the Senate and the Jedi knew nothing about, including mining survey teams and weapons manufacturers.
"Based on the data I am receiving," the treddroid intoned, "eighty-two percent of the ore is capable of being purified into weapons-grade cortosis shield."
Plagueis looked at Tenebrous, who returned a nod of satisfaction. "The percentage is consistent with what I was told to expect."
"By whom, Master?"
"Of no consequence," Tenebrous said.
Strewn about the super...
