Book Review - Darth Plagueis - James Luceno

Darth Plagueis is set in the Star Wars Universe, opening with a scene many of us Star Wars fans have hear about, and many meme enjoyers have heard. The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, his death at the hands of his apprentice. That is the beginning, if you believe in reading Prologues. If you don’t, we open with Darth Plagueis and his lesser-known master, Darth Tenebrous, landing on a planet on a mission that is to start a chain of events that lead to the Skywalker Trilogy as we know it.

The story is about Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, their rise to power as Hego Damask and Palpatine, their manipulation of galaxy wide events in their civilian forms, and their manipulation through the force as Sith Lords determined to bypass the Rule of Two.

Hego Damask, is a Muun. Tall, humanoid, and pale, with elongated, hairless heads, Muuns are known for their banking greed, and the Damasks are a wealthy clan, with their finger’s in many pies, Hego Damask is a genius when it comes to investments, though he knows that the galaxy “does not move on credits alone”. Indeed, he was taught that the galaxy moved through the Force, particularly the Dark side of the Force, and he is about to make his riskiest investment yet.

Palpatine is a human, a teenage boy who’s frothing with talent and psychopathy, though you wouldn’t know to look at the ginger youth. How he becomes the calm, collected, gentle-faced politician the galaxies knew in 32 BBY, you’ll just have to read this book to find out. While the book is named “Darth Plagueis” I found Palpatine the more fascinating of the two, potentially because I knew him as an established villain thanks to my love of the world of Star Wars. He’s a real villain, whose only motivation is ambition and only hardships are a wealthy family who “don’t get him”. The lack of a background to feel bad for fits his person and honestly makes him more despicable in my mind.

It’s a relentless dive into the world of the Sith, guiding fans to an understand the Rule of Two, and the origins of well known and beloved characters, including Jabba the Hutt, Padme Amidala, Darth Maul, and Count Dooku. It may also bring to light the origins of Anakin’s miracle birth.

I enjoyed the depth that James Luceno went into the workings of the Force through Midi-chlorians, and the workings of politics and the Republic, the dedication to explaining how the Senate collapsed into the place of degeneracy it was in at the start of the Prequels. Also, looking at the galaxy through the lens of the Sith was fascinating, as the Dark Side of the force isn’t as well documented or understood as the Light. Star Wars Lore was respected, well researched and expanded in this story. Luceno kept me guessing the whole way through, mainly because I know how things end up. There are constant hints at the future, and we see the chess pieces moving, but the full play isn’t revealed until the very end. It’s a web of suspense to keep me guessing and propelled me into devouring this book.

Prepare for the beginning to feel highbrow, a choice I believe was made to reflect the character being introduced. This tone becomes easier to understand as you read it, and it is well worth the excitement when pieces begin being moved into place for the Skywalker Saga to begin, pieces that I knew, names I recognised, characters I’ve loved (and hated) since I was first introduced to that galaxy far, far, away. This was when the questions set up during the whole book started to reveal their answers, it was a very, very satisfying ending that matched up to the Phantom Menace in such a brilliant way.

I’d recommend this book to two very different types of Star Wars fans. Firstly, those like me, who have a slight obsession with this universe and want to learn more about the villains who kickstarted the Prequels. I would also recommend this to new fans of star wars with questions about the force. This book has my second favourite descriptors of the force, after Into the Void, and my favourite explanations of the way Midi-Chlorians work. If that is something you want to learn about, then I highly recommend both Darth Plagueis and Into the Void.

If I see James Luceno’s name on another book for the Star Wars Universe, I will definitely be picking it up, and if I see his name outside of that galaxy, I would definitely be tempted to read those books.

- L. Hunt

[1] Jen Wilkin, None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different from Us (and Why That’s a Good Thing), (Crossway, 2016), p. 139

 None Like Him - Jen Wilkin on Ten of Those