What I liked: The book provided quality insight and interactions between Anakin and Obi-Wan. As the story progresses, you get a real sense of the brotherly relationship that the movies tried to present. Luceno also does an excellent job describing Jedi combat, something I've noticed other authors tend to struggle with. Luceno said when writing a Star Wars novel that connects with a film, he begins by "asking myself when and where the full story began", then imagining younger versions of the characters from the films. [3] In the earliest outlines, the book was to build upon the opening crawl of Revenge of the Sith, particularly by depicting the off-screen kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine. [6] The starting point for Labyrinth of Evil was a line of dialogue from Revenge of the Sith in which Obi-Wan Kenobi briefly mentions to Anakin Skywalker "that business on Cato Neimoidia", an event from their past which is not further elaborated upon in the film. [3] [7] Luceno called that line "the springboard for exploring Obi-Wan and Anakin's friendship". [3] Labyrinth of Evil was originally planned to include the death of Asajj Ventress, an antagonist from other Star Wars works whose story arc had remained unresolved by that point, but it was ultimately excluded from the final novel. [6] His liquefying brain notwithstanding, Dyne found a moment to be astonished, because he recognized the man instantly. … As the Jedi suspected, the Sith had managed to infiltrate the highest levels of the Republic government. Corrected two inaccurate lightsaber ignition sounds during the opening sequence. Obi-Wan and Anakin's sabers must match their ANH and ESB sounds.

oh my god this is so good. hals pacing is incredible, perfectly cutting through this story (that originally was bloated not just on a scene to scene basis but in the construction of individual scenes themselves). this is all the more impressive because of the integration of the deleted padmé subplot: singlehandedly making her an actual character in this movie. excellent stuff. No coarse language. No sexual situations. This is Star Wars during the Clone Wars--expect Star Wars type of violence (lightsabers, blasters, war, etc.). Awesome by Analysis: Thanks to his brain being technologically enhanced, Grievous manages to copy a few of Mace's Vaapad techniques during the Battle of Coruscant.Foregone Conclusion: The Jedi will fail to capture Sidious or learn his identity until Episode III. The tragedy of the book lies in seeing just how close they come to nabbing him.

Surprisingly enough, I found this pre-movie novel to be both well-written and quite engaging. I would have liked there to have been more character and motivational development, but unfortunately, it seems that Separatist and Sith characters are never flushed out, as they must be portrayed as evil and corrupt as possible (which I don't agree with at all, but it's canon and I cannot change that). However, Labyrinth of Evil is more audacious and intricate than most of the Star Wars prequel novels, and I believe it to be because of James Luceno's fluid writing, which is not difficult to read but still contains the subtlety you'd find in a good novel. Big Fancy Castle: Nute Gunray's fortress on Cato Neimoidia gives off this vibe. Besides being huge, opulent, and full of rare treasures (the reason Gunray returned to his homeworld in the first place), it sits on top of an enormous warren where fungi are grown, both as food for larval Neimoidians and as a valuable export. Currently on chapter 36. So far the additional editing is very seamless. I have some notes on what I feel can be approved on. After Yoda’s brief and only use of his lightsaber in the whole trilogy, removed the scene where Anakin ignites his saber on a roomful of children. By cutting this, Anakin’s slip toward depravity can be seen as a little more gradual. Plus my version of the trilogy does away with the idea that Jedi are harvested as infants and raised in a cult environment. The term “youngling” doesn’t appear in these edits.Can I get a copy of this? I’m re-reading the ROTS novel now and would love to see a canonized Labyrinth of Evil! Verdict: Although it’s obvious that Lucas changed his mind about the point at which Grievous would make his entrance into the narrative, there are no overt contradictions. Encyclopedic prose Trimmed Grievous’ lunge that Obi-Wan does not react to. It betrays the chasm between the CGI and live elements. Nute Gunray continues to be a sniveling coward, but I enjoyed that Sidious’s plans began to unravel because of the stupidity of those he surrounded himself with. Sidious has the ability to foresee possible futures, and that helps him with his schemes, but he can’t foresee that the incompetent Neimodians will leave behind this very important mech chair, that it won’t self-destruct because of Anakin’s technical skills, and that the Jedi will start to home in on his true identity. In the end, the problem with any story set in the prequel era -- be it movie, novel, episode of The Clone Wars, or even Labyrinth of Evil -- is that no matter how much insight into the saga it may provide or suspense it attempts to generate, it is invariably and unavoidably an exercise in inevitability; regardless of how many new details we get, we all know where this story's going! While I definitely appreciate that Luceno's Labyrinth makes Lucas' prequels a more coherent narrative (no easy feat), it doesn't make them any more necessary or gratifying.