James Luceno

Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise? I thought not. It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you…But it is a story James Luceno would tell you.

As one of the very first Star Wars books I read, James Luceno’s Darth Plagueis was a great introduction to Star Wars novels. When I read this book,I was still very new to the EU, and I knew practically nothing about Star Wars outside of the movies and shows, so jumping into this book was an entirely new experience. And needless to say, it was a great experience.

I loved reading about the relationship between Plagueis and Palpatine: it gave a lot of insight on both characters as well as their interactions with each other. At the time, I only knew Darth Plagueis from what Palpatine had said about him in Revenge of the Sith, so it was really fun to learn more about him and fully understand his “tragedy.” And of course I knew Palpatine, but oddly enough, I had never thought about his backstory. I absolutely loved his story in this book.

The irony of this story is one of my favorite things about this novel. Plagueis’s decision to attempt to live forever with his apprentice is actually what killed him. I’m a big fan of irony, so seeing Plagueis try to cheat death while knowing how his story would end was pure enjoyment.

I also really enjoyed all the philosophical aspects. I won’t get into it, but this book is full of interesting, thought-provoking philosophy.

This book is on the slower side, but I don’t mind at all. I love the slow build up and all the politics. I’m glad it took the time to show us the perspective of the Sith, Plagueis’s fall, and Palpatine’s rise. I like how this story is the last half of Plagueis’s life and builds to his end while it is more or less the beginning for Palpatine. The fact that the story begins with Plagueis killing his master and ends with him being killed by his apprentice is oddly satisfying. “It’s like poetry, It rhymes.”

I recommend Darth Plagueis to every Star Wars fan. It’s one of those EU books that I want EVERYONE to read. It’s one of the most well written Star Wars books I’ve read, and it adds so much to this amazing universe. 5/5 stars🌟

In a way, Darth Plagueis started my EU journey, a journey that will not end anytime soon. So thank you, James Luceno, for introducing me to the wonderful world of Star Wars books.

If you're a fan of Star Wars novels, you've probably heard of James Luceno. I've read a few of of his novels—first Tarkin, then Catalyst, and I'm just now starting Cloak of Deception—but so far I've found his writing style to be...meh. I much prefer some of the stuff by Timothy Zahn and Claudia Gray.

The question I pose is this; what's your favorite novel by James Luceno, and what do you think of his work on the whole? I'm interested to read Labyrinth of Evil one of these days, but I'm reluctant because he's the author.

(Something tells me Ajj's gonna find this and give her opinion of Darth Plagueis... I am prepared, LOL.)

Jonathan Davis does a fine job with the voice work on James Luceno's - Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, that's probably the highlight of the audiobook. Unfortunately I didn't find the story as interesting and engaging as Luceno's other works. It was a quick listen however so if you're interested in more Death Star weapon and energy details than you can shake a stick at this one's for you. Just don't expect the same pacing and excitement that Rogue One has and you won't be disappointed.

I'd love to see a book that elaborates more upon the creation of the First Order after the Aftermath trilogy, and more specifically about Snoke, written by James Luceno. His previous works, Tarkin & Catalyst, are two of my favorite canon Star Wars books. He seems to do very well with origin stories, and I think he could do a very good job in explaining Snokes existence in tandem with Palpatine and his rise to power.