David's Review of Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader

5/5 Rancors - In Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader James Luceno tells an excellent story that I very much enjoyed reading. He takes us from immediately after Revenge of the Sith through Darth Vader's formative stages in his new role as the enforcer for Darth Sidious. Along the way Vader deals with some Jedi who escaped Order 66, and he establishes himself as an extremely powerful force in the Empire.

All of that is well and good, but Mr. Luceno also delves into some extremely interesting questions, many of which had not occurred to me before reading this book. How much trouble does Anakin Skywalker have in adapting to his new role as Darth Vader? What does he need to do in order to make an impression in the various realms of the Empire and how will he be accepted? How difficult is it for Vader to function as an instrument of terror within the confines of the black suit and all of the artificial body parts? Can he overcome the death of Padme, especially after Sidious pins the blame for her death squarely on Vader? How long will it be before he becomes proficient in the Sith dark arts and use of the Force? Can he trust Sidious? Does he even want to trust Sidious or should he just bide his time, improve his skills, and then kill his master as Sidious once did to Darth Plagieus? Fascinating stuff.

We also are treated to a wonderful look at Bail Organa's moment of near-terror when Vader shows up on Alderaan and decides he wants to meet Bail's wife Breha. The main problem is that at that moment Breha is walking around the palace holding baby Leia. Would Vader sense that his child was nearby? R2-D2 has a great sequence in the palace at the same time. R2 is one of the very few entities that understand who all the players actually are and what has happened in the recent past. He is such a good character throughout the Star Wars saga, and this episode only enhances my opinion of him.

Finally we get to the time when Obi-Wan on Tatooine learns from watching HoloNet that Darth Vader exists, that Anakin somehow survived the fight on Mustafar, and that Luke may not be as safe on the desert planet as he thought. He relies on the sudden voice of our old friend Qui-Gon for counseling and reassurance as the book ends. Also near the end of the book we have one of my very favorite pieces of advice in Star Wars. A stranger says to Obi-Wan: "Take care of yourself. These desert wastes aren't as remote as you may think they are." Good advice for the rest of the saga.