Master of Evil

No. I am your father!

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"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now, I am the master."
"Only a master of evil, Darth."

―Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope^[4]

Master of Evil is an upcoming Star Wars hardcover canon novel to be written by Adam Christopher that will be published by Random House Worlds on November 11, 2025 alongside an audiobook version.^[2] Prior to its title reveal, it was codenamed "Nauset Lighthouse" on Random House's website.^[5] The book was first teased as "Master of Evil" via a listing on Random House Worlds' website^[2] before receiving a formal reveal on April 10, 2025, via StarWars.com ahead of Celebration 2025.^[1]

The novel is focused upon the dark journey of the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the time between Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope. The story features Vader on the haunting quest to overcome death itself,^[1] a power first promised to him by his Sith Master Darth Sidious when he first fell to the dark side of the Force.^[6] The book is notable for being the first Vader-focused novel in ten years after 2015 saw the release of Lords of the Sith.^[7] Christopher described the novel as "a journey to the dark side"^[8] and a big deal for him personally.^[9] The novel's title has its roots in A New Hope, within which Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi rebuke's Vader's claim of having become a "master" by decrying him as having only become "a master of evil."^[4]

Publisher's summary[]

After Revenge of the Sith, a newly forged Darth Vader hunts for the secrets of life and death under the watchful eye of Emperor Palpatine.

In the wake of Emperor Palpatine's rise to power, the true nature of his most sinister enforcer remains a mystery. Darth Vader is a dominant yet illusive figure: the shadow cast by a malignant Imperial regime, unknowable to even its top officials. But even as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld—the power to conquer death itself.

On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.

Vader is determined to follow this vision, even if it means defying his master's orders. Yet he finds the Emperor suspiciously supportive of his mission, even sending Vader to the Diso system to investigate rumors of a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead. At his side are a cadre of the Emperor's scarlet-robed Royal Guard, led by Colonel Halland Goth—a decorated soldier with a very personal interest in Vader’s mission.

Even as the Emperor's true motivations reveal themselves, Vader falls deeper into obsession. His journey takes him far across the galaxy, chasing rumors and phantoms. But no matter how far he travels, he cannot escape the shadows within his own soul. Haunted by the echoes of his past, Vader circles the true resolution to his quest: only once all weakness is purged can he become a master of evil.