7. Dark Lord: The Rise Of Darth Vader
While "Labyrinth of Evil" expands on the events before "Revenge of the Sith," "Dark Lord" follows up on events happening immediately afterward. For those who wanted to see more of the newly cybernetic Darth Vader, this is the book for you. We've seen Darth Vader in the original trilogy, but this book shows us how Vader deals with the damage to his body and his attempt to shed the identity of Anakin Skywalker completely. This book isn't just about Vader, however. The story also focuses on a group of Jedi who escaped Order 66 after their clone regiment refused to kill them. On the run from the newly established Empire, Jedi Masters Roan Shryne, Bol Chatak, and Jedi Padawan Olee Starstone flee from the Empire and try to figure out what happened to their Jedi comrades, all the while avoiding the Emperor's new right-hand man: Darth Vader. Although Episode III showed us how Anakin succumbed to the dark side, we never saw how he adjusted to becoming a Sith Lord and obtaining the reputation as the fearful monstrosity that was seen by the events of "A New Hope." "Dark Lord" shows him taking those first steps. We also get cameos from characters like Bail Organa, Chewbacca and Obi-Wan Kenobi and learn how they are adjusting to life under the Empire. This book, "Labyrinth of Evil," and the Episode III novelization make up the "Dark Lord" trilogy, which follows Anakin from the last days of the Clone Wars to his transformation into Darth Vader, completing the immersion from war hero to feared Imperial enforcer.