Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (Paperback)

The powers that be certainly found an illustrious author to transform George Lucas' screenplay and story into novelized form. I've been a fan of Terry Brooks ever since reading The Sword of Shannara as a child, and Brooks has done a thoroughly professional job with this novel. Everything that happened in the film is described with great discernment, the furious action of intense scenes such as the battle between Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul is vividly rendered, the moments of light humor are translated expertly to the page, and the emotional aspects of the plot, especially those concerning Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, are drawn in tender yet meaningful strokes. This is truly a commendable and faithful novelization of the film.

Unfortunately, the problems of Lucas' story are also faithfully captured in this novelized retelling. These characters just do not fire the imagination in the way Luke, Han, Leia, and Darth Vader did. I consider only two of these characters to be truly strong ones: Anakin and Padme, and unfortunately, events of the future serve to diminish them in different ways. I love Padme, though, and she is every bit the future mother of Luke and Leia, a queen and a fighter who will risk anything for her people. That being said, I must say that Anakin (and I swear I will never get used to the future Darth Vader being referred to as "Annie") isn't everything I thought he should be. He's an extraordinary child, of course, thanks to all those midi-chlorians coursing through his blood, but I do not think his background as we learn it here provides for an acceptable future embrace of the dark side. So much is made here by the Jedi Council - and Yoda in particular - of the dangers represented by the child's anger, but I don't see such anger in a slave boy who loves his mother dearly and seems to get by pretty well indeed on his own. It may be wrong of me to criticize a story based on incongruities I see arising in a later installment, but I just don't think George Lucas (and thus, by implication, Terry Brooks) satisfactorily showed me how this dear, brave boy will soon become the exasperating young man we see in Episode Two.

The only other thing I would say about this perfectly satisfactory novelization is the fact that it really adds nothing to the film itself. Oftentimes, a novelization will add depth or better understanding to the film it is based upon, but that really isn't the case here. Questions I had about the movie (the true essence of Senator Palpatine, for example) were not threshed out in the book. In terms of refreshing my own memory of the story in preparation for the upcoming theatrical release of Revenge of the Sith, I could have saved myself some time and merely watched the film again.

The book is very much like the film it's based on in that, whilst being an enjoyable story, it lacks any real depth either of plot or emotion. Where Brooks has been allowed to add his own touches is where you find this books best scenes, particularly of note are several scenes involving Anakin before he meets the Jedi, the best of which involves him saving an injured Tusken Raider (not quite what he does to them in Episode II eh?). Also added is a little bit of insight into the structure of the Sith Order, telling of how the Sith Lord Darth Bane created the rule that there could only ever be two Sith in the shadows at one time.

However, the fact that the book has things not in the film swings the other way. Only the most talented of authors and imaginative of readers could recreate the wonderful visual element of the film and I'm afraid that this isn't really the case here. The film's biggest pro factor was it's special effects, be it the awesomely dynamic podrace or the wonderful spectacle of twirling lightsabers in the final duel. Obviously, being a book, this novel has none of this eye candy and suffers for that fact.

Things to look out for

1) The most energetic Sith Lord ever

2) The Jedi Council (which includes Mace Windu and Yoda)

3) Lightsabres galore and Droids getting chopped to bits by them

4) The origin of Emperor Palpatine

5) Background about the Sith and the Jedi