Lucasfilm has announced the ultimate anniversary edition of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

, the best Star Wars story ever told. “This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker,” Matt Stover revealed in his epic novelization of George Lucas’ movie, released almost a month before the film itself. It’s an unforgettable read, a deep introspective look at the characters, and it’s impossible to overestimate that story’s impact.

Now, Lucasfilm has officially announced that a 20th anniversary edition of Revenge of the SIth will release on October 14, priced $60.

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Tom Hoeler, Editorial Director of Fiction and Special Projects for Random House World, described this stunning new edition to Collider:

“We couldn’t be more excited to publish this incredible deluxe edition of the Revenge of the Sith novelization. It has been thrilling to work with author Matthew Stover and Lucasfilm to create a fully annotated edition that gives readers unprecedented insight to the creation of this masterpiece. Across nearly 50 years of Star Wars books, it stands alone, and even among film novelizations its approach to adapting characters and story from screen to page is unique. Two decades later, this novelization is as essential, enduring, and influential – on readers and creators – as it has ever been. Bringing the book back to hardcover in a stunning deluxe keepsake edition is a perfect way to celebrate 20 years of Revenge of the Sith.”

The new edition comes with over 150 annotations from legendary Star Wars author Matt Stover, who worked closely with George Lucas himself, and it should therefore provide a unique glimpse into the story behind the story. It features an acetate jacket with foil stamping, a paper over-board book case, gilded and stained edges, illustrated full-color end papers, and a red satin ribbon market.

Pre-order from Barnes & Noble

Revenge Of The Sith’s Novelization Will Always Mean So Much To Fans

An Incredible Well-Written Story

“You did it.

You killed her.

You killed her because, finally, when you could have saved her, when you could have gone away with her, when you could have been thinking about her, you were thinking about yourself…

It is in this blazing moment that you finally understand the trap of the dark side, the final cruelty of the Sith —

Because now yourself is all you will ever have.

And you rage and scream and reach through the Force to crush the shadow who has destroyed you, but you are so far less now than what you were. You are more than half machine, you are like a painter gone blind, a composer gone deaf, you can remember where the power was but the power you can touch is only a memory, and so with all your world-destroying fury it is only droids around you that implode, and equipment, and the table on which you were strapped shatters, and in the end, you cannot touch the shadow.

In the end, you do not even want to.

In the end, the shadow is all you have left.

Because the shadow understands you, the shadow forgives you, the shadow gathers you unto itself-

And within your furnace heart, you burn in your own flame.This is how it feels to be Anakin Skywalker.

Forever…”

Do you feel a chill reading those words? I first read them before I’d even read the movie, because the novelization of Revenge of the Sith actually came out first. It’s a dark, chilling tale, truly getting into the minds of its heroes and villains, allowing you to understand the story of Anakin Skywalker’s fall in such a powerful, visceral way. I was part of the Jedi Council forums at the time, and I remember talking about the novelization with Stover himself.

This is undeniably the ultimate edition of Revenge of the Sith. It’s the best way of celebrating the anniversary – not just of the movie itself, but of the epic saga surrounding it. The whole design looks absolutely spellbinding, and this is something every collector will prize.

Source: Collider