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Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
- Narrated by: Daniel Davis
- Series: Star Wars: Legends
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
- Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction
Non-member price: $43.73
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Publisher's Summary
He was the most powerful Sith lord who ever lived... but could he be the only one who never died?
“Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying." -Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master - but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power... over life and death.
Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.
Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination - and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?
What listeners say about Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gav
- 26-06-2019
I loved it
Ties everything pre-Episode 1 brilliantly. Highly recommended. It makes me want to delve deeper into the stories of the Sith. Well done.
2 people found this helpful
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- stephen
- 18-06-2019
great intro for the series
great insight into how the emperor came to be very very very good and stuff
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 21-05-2019
to truly understand the force
loved it, for anyone interested in everything that was happening behind the phantom menace, this is the book for you. I truly hope they turn this into a tv show
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 13-01-2021
worth it in the end.
takes a long time to become interesting, has many plot threads that are seemingly irelevant but are critical to the story, they happen so quikly its hard to understand what and why it occurred. still a worthwhile listen and the voice work for plagues is very good.
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- Matthew
- 06-01-2021
Awesome story, best audiobook production ever!
Loved it, story and performance. Can't believe Niles from the Nanny narrates it. Best legends book I have read too, Damask is my fav sith.
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- Quinn
- 03-12-2020
Absolutely Amazing!
To put it simply, just read the title of this review, for detail, read on... This is fantastically written book, the vocabulary is so out there, and makes you imagine every little detail in every little scenario. This Story details exactly how the plan for the fall of the Republic is formed. Through Darth Sidious’s Master, Darth Plagueis, the story is told. The Narrator, Daniel Davis, is absolutely fantastic, the best Narrator I’ve heard, every single character is easily differentiated thanks to his voice acting skills, sometimes you cannot even tell it’s him doing it, I had to check if there were others also voicing characters. I cannot stress enough that this book is so worth your time to listen to, I do a lot of hours driving and managed to finish this book within 5 days and it made my trips so much more bearable.
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-11-2020
Peace is a lie - There is only passion
Palpatine at his best! Phenomenal from the start! Gunray and young Palpatine were kinda whiny
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- Rob
- 19-11-2020
So impressed
I came to sci fi via alien v predator novels so I'm brand new to thss but it was excellent I loved it. Made me appreciate the awful movies so much more. Such great narration! Awesome characters I'm now checking out what's next in the star wars catalogue hopefully it's as good as this (spoiler it won't be) definitely worth your time
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- Anonymous User
- 16-11-2020
Starwars at its finest.
if you like star wars this is for you, great back story and lead up to the events of the phantom menace, plus many more parts of that story that align.
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-10-2020
Fantastic Accompaniment to the Prequel Trilogy
Great narration. Has music, ambient noise and sound effects. Darth Sidious prequel story as well.
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- kalei
- 09-11-2012
See Episodes I-III in a whole new light!!!
If you were like me and thought that Star Wars episodes I-III were ruled by special effects and the music of John Williams rather than an epic story with epic characters, then you need to read/hear this book! You will come to understand the nature and history of the Bannite Sith Order, and the masterful and ruthless subterfuge that resulted in the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi order.
All of the characters from episodes I-III are given greater depth and texture than could be conveyed in the roughly 8 hours of film in the movies. Emperor Palpatine will no longer be just a stooped,gravelly-voiced shadow hidden in a cowl to you after this, Darth Maul will be more than a silent, scowling killer wielding an exotic weapon, Count Dooku will no longer seem like Saruman in a cape and boots. The mystery of the death of Jedi Master Sifo Diyas will puzzle you the same way it puzzled the Jedi Council.
And you will understand that Anakin Skywalker was destined for greatness, but NOT in the way that the Jedi imagined when they accepted him for training.
110 people found this helpful
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- Terryn
- 08-06-2012
Great prequel to The Phantom Menace
Would you listen to Star Wars: Darth Plagueis again? Why?
I would listen to this again. The story was great. It gave a lot of background to what happened in Episode 1, The Phantom Menace, but it was also a great story in itself. It was interesting to hear the story told with the Sith being the main protagonists, to see what their motivations are. Although the book is titled "Darth Plagueis", it is really about both Plagueis and Sidious. It shows how Plagueis became a Sith Lord, how he tried to unlock the secrets of life (which is important in Episode 3), and how he recruited Palpatine to be his apprentice. It shows why Naboo and Tatooine were critical in Sith plot. I highly recommend it.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Star Wars: Darth Plagueis?
Memorable moments were when Plagueis met Palpatine, when Palpatine feel to the dark side, and when Plagueis was surprised by events even though he thought he had everything under control.
Have you listened to any of Daniel Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This is my first Daniel Davis performance, and I thought it was excellent. Of course, Lucasfilm does a good job on all the Star Wars audio.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Episode 0: The Dark Side Emerges
Any additional comments?
I think George Lucas should make a movie from this book. I don't understand why he hasn't made any more movies given the volume of expanded universe books. He runs the risk of the general public "moving on" and forgetting about Star Wars. This would make a great "Episode 0" because of its tie to the prequel movies. Then he should make films from Zahn's Outbound Flight and Thrawn trilogy.
37 people found this helpful
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- J. Whitney
- 31-08-2013
Easily the best Star Wars audio production
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I've already told many friends about this audio book, both for the story and the excellent performance of mister Davis.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Star Wars: Darth Plagueis?
Definitely the climax at the final chapter, and Palpatine's revelation of his intentions towards Plagueis and
Which scene was your favorite?
The aftermath of the Grans' assassination attempt on the Sith Lords, a turning point which really defines the motivations and goals of both of the main characters, loaded with all the violence we wouldn't get to see on the screen of a PG movie.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, however 14 hours is a long time. I listened to it for about an hour at bed time nightly as I do with all my other audio books, but multiple nights I had skipped a good night's rest just because I became so involved with the story I stayed up to listen for 3-4 hours instead.
Any additional comments?
As a fan of the Audible full scale productions of many of the Star Wars novels (especially Drew Karpyshyn and Jonathan Davis' work), this one is my favorite. While I'd enjoy this as one of the planned six films announced by Disney, I think it may be too mature and dense to be made well in to a two hour film. James Luceno does really well at expanding both the known and obfuscated details of the characters and the motivations which drive them. I particularly enjoyed some of the philosophy of the Dark Side of the Force and moral relativism presented in the novel. For those listeners/readers who aren't of the morbid opinion that the Sith are actually the heroes of the ongoing saga during the era in which the six films occur with the greater good of the galaxy in mind like myself, this book tells the story from their point of view and makes sure to separate the concepts of darkness and evil as entirely different and not necessarily connected ideologies very well.
While most of the Star Wars expanded universe books are well told stories and great pulp fiction, I think this one in particular stands apart, and would have been used as a good example of ethical relativism, and the struggle for spiritual balance (whether it be skewed towards one direction or another) that even Joseph Campbell would have mentioned as noteworthy. Characters and stories like these are our modern day mythology, and serves the same purpose, both as something to make us think about the world around us, and as entertainment. Darth Plagueis has appealed to both the literature scholar and dime novel fan in me, and should not be overlooked as anything less legitimate than many of the books we praise as classic literature dealing with human nature and ethics due to its backdrop as sci-fi/fantasy setting or serial backdrop.
My two cents being thrown it, I should probably mention my day job for the last half decade was watching television at a broadcasting facility all day.
46 people found this helpful
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- oblivion7
- 27-02-2012
Easily worth 10 stars!
Not only does the pace and power of Luceno's story turn SW:TPM into a movie that makes sense (it's my least favorite), but the choice of Daniel Davis was absolutely brilliant. The depth and smoothness of his voice was the crown of perfection; he has the right touch of magnificent malevolence needed for a Sith-based story. I hope that if Random House decides to make the Darth Bane stories available on audio, they choose Mr. Davis as the reader. And thanks to James Luceno (ok, and George Lucas) for filling in all the unanswered questions about Palpatine, Dooku and the so-called "rule of two" among other things. I would highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys SW history.
23 people found this helpful
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- Mark Andre Haumont
- 20-11-2018
Spell bounding
I feel like this story told a lot of background to the Sith Lords. The narration made me feel quite literally as though I was listening to a movie, which I greatly appreciated. Darth Plagueis unravels many unanswered mysteries that enshrouded Darth Sidious's role in the early stories/movies. Thank you James Luceno and Daniel Davis for this work of art. I highly recommend this book to any Star Wars follower and fan.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mike Naka
- 09-07-2012
couldn't stop listening
Any additional comments?
let me first say, this is my first star wars book. i'm a huge star wars fan and saw star wars 33 times as a kid. i have enjoyed the movies, even the last 3.
all i have to say is that this book is instrumental to understanding what the 6 movies are about. i can't say it enough...this book adds so much depth to the story and answers so many questions- why invade nabooo? why did count doku leave the jedi? where did darth maul come from? who was darth plagueis?
wow...this book was soooo much better than i thought.
george lucas should make this into a movie. well maybe not. lucas makes movies too kid friendly, e.g. ewoks and jar jar. we would need christopher nolan. think darker like the batman reboot.
this book is darker than the movies. being in my 30's, i got just as much a thrill listening to this story as i did seeing the original star wars.
the narration is excellent. there are some sound effects, and they add to the listening.
the story is complex, but i enjoyed understanding how the dark side, the sith, amassed power and influence throughout the galaxy.
one of the things i most enjoyed was the insight into the way the sith think. the history and influence of the major sith lords adds another layer of enrichment to the overall story. i found myself rewinding and re-listening to darth plagueis explaining the sith's understanding of the force to palpatine.
in the movies, i didn't really like palpatine. this book has changed my mind about him. this book does an awesome job building and revealing who he is and why he does what he does. this book adds a new dimension to that character. he is a schemer, and you get drawn into his machinations. this book covers palpatine from uncomfortable child to new apprentice to sith lord and does it in a way that's utterly irresistible. i just kept wanting to listen.
29 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-2019
Thick plotted story
Pretty long, and a ton of plot and detail. But it really fills in the gap leading up through the Phantom Menace. Bridging the plot and master plan started by Darth Bane all the way through to Sidious.
2 people found this helpful
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- Jim Hutchins
- 08-08-2019
a true masterpiece
this is a truly marvelous story. it is tightly woven and incredibly densely packed. not one word is wasted.
2 people found this helpful
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- Brian silva
- 08-08-2019
great insight
loved it, great insight into how the Emperor truly came to power. Also how powerful Plagueis really was.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 07-08-2019
100% satisfied
The narrator was amazing. i've been searching for this book for ever. truely an amazing listen.
2 people found this helpful
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- James
- 26-03-2019
One of the best!
Other than the Bane trilogy this is the best Star Wars audiobook yet. Truly amazing.
6 people found this helpful
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- Jel
- 15-06-2020
The rise of Emperor Palpatine
I struggled with the book but the audiobook was excellent and very well narrated. The story is essentially the rise of the Emperor (Palpatine) and includes many nuggets not known by me before (ie: how Maul came on to the scene). The book is set years before Episode 1 and progresses through to the end of 'A Phantom Menace.' Characters you'll hear about other than the Emperor who you'll know: Count Dooku, Maul, Obi Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padmé Amidala, Mace Windu, Jabba the Hutt, the Trade Federation as well as others I'm sure. If you followed the Star Wars saga including the prequels this is a great addition and is of interest.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jonny
- 06-07-2019
just fantastic
Epic story and narration. I wad blown away and fascinated to learn more of the backdrop of the movies.
3 people found this helpful
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- Will Stent
- 16-10-2020
Great dive into Plagueis and Palpatine
A great read that ties together a lot of events before The Phantom Menace. Seeing the rise and development of Palpatine is a great ride, but I found Luceno's dive into Plagueis, his history and his motivation to change the direction of the Sith to be the real highlight of the book. Overall it's great, however some of the sections of speech, particularly from Plagueis, do go on (I imagine for several pages). At times it feels like Luceno is trying to cram as much explanation into a single speech, to explain his train of thought directly to the reader. These sections can feel a drag, and do take the reader/listener out of the drama of the story and more into a lecture, but thankfully this only happens a few times. The narration and sound effects are fantastic. I mostly enjoy the narration of Star Wars staples Marc Thompson and Jonathan Davis, however I do find they can be a bit overly-theatrical at times. Daniel Davis, however, is spot on all the time through the book, and I wish he did more narration in general. His voice is low, dark and swells when needed. It suits the characters and tone of the book perfectly.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 30-09-2020
amazing
how is this no cannon. would make an amazing film or series. the tie ins are so clever.
1 person found this helpful
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- Mike1689
- 22-08-2020
excellent
I read the book and in my head I had visions and sounds of how I'd imagine they sounded like Plagueis speaking and his actions and this audio book brought it all to life. Both the actual book and this audio version deserve full marks A*** .
1 person found this helpful
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- karl holme
- 21-08-2020
awesome
tragic that this isn't canon anymore but a quality listen nonetheless. may the force be with you.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 15-08-2020
One of the best
Darth Plagueis is easily in the top five SW novels ever written, and a joy for any student of the old Expanded Universe.
1 person found this helpful
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- S. Rogers
- 30-07-2020
Makes the prequels much better!
Excellent background to the prequel movies, really good backstory to tie the missing pieces together.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 27-07-2020
Amazing look into the rise of the Sith
Really enjoyed this book. The narration is great and fits the mood of the book perfectly. The story is gripping and I enjoyed that fact that it starts with Plagueis as an apprentice before introducing a young palpo. It’s a very dark tail and focuses more on politics than lightsaber battles (although there are afew) but still maintains a relatively fast pace. Highly recommend!!
1 person found this helpful
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