As a huge Star Wars fan that has been very disappointed with the past 4-5 years of books, I have to say that Darth Plagueis by Luceno is the best and most meaningful (as in, how it ties into the movie storyline) novel, well, perhaps ever.

This novel, along with Cloak of Deception, give you the perfect background and lead in to EI and the entire movie storyline). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Here is a link to a review that hits the nail on the head:

Darth Plagueis is the most revelatory Star Wars novel since…well, since A.C. Crispin’s Rebel Dawn. I’ve read every Star Wars novel ever released, and none match the sheer amount of background information established here. What makes this even more remarkable is that much of it is information I never thought would see the light of day. We learn the identities of the two generations of Sith preceding Emperor Palpatine. We learn how the young Palpatine was seduced to the dark side, how Plagueis came to manipulate midi-chlorines to create and influence life, and how Sidious came to possess Maul. How and when the balance of the Force began to tip toward the dark side, and how the seeds were planted for the clone army. How the Sith’s machinations in many of the stories leading up to and including The Phantom Menace came about, and how they are all interconnected.

Some of the above is bound to be controversial, particularly the timing and circumstances of Plagueis’s ultimate demise, but it is undeniably compelling. Luceno weaves a grand tale of deceit and treachery that spans almost forty years, from Plagueis’s inauguration as a Sith Master to his death at his apprentice’s hands.

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