Dark Lord: Star Wars Legends cover art

Dark Lord: Star Wars Legends

The Rise of Darth Vader

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Dark Lord: Star Wars Legends

By: James Luceno
Narrated by: Marc Thompson
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 Anakin Skywalker–the Chosen One–is dead. In his place rises Darth Vader, who now hunts what Jedi survived the desctruction of their temple on Coruscant.

From the site of Anakin Skywalker’s last stand–on the molten surface of the planet Mustafar, where he sought to destroy his friend and former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi–a fearsome specter in black has risen. Once the most powerful Knight ever known to the Jedi Order, he is now a disciple of the dark side, a lord of the dreaded Sith, and the avenging right hand of the galaxy’s ruthless new Emperor. Seduced, deranged, and destroyed by the machinations of the Dark Lord Sidious, Anakin Skywalker is dead . . . and Darth Vader lives.

Word of the events that created him–the Jedi Council’s failed mutiny against Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, the self-crowned Emperor’s retaliatory command to exterminate the Jedi Order, and Anakin’s massacre of his comrades and Masters in the Jedi Temple–has yet to reach all quarters. On the Outer Rim world of Murkhana, Jedi Masters Roan Shryne and Bol Chatak and Padawan Olee Starstone are leading a charge on a Separatist stronghold, unaware that the tide, red with Jedi blood, has turned suddenly against them.

When the three narrowly elude execution–and become the desperate prey in a hunt across space–it’s neither clone soldiers, nor the newly deployed stormtroopers, nor even the wrath of the power-hungry Emperor himself they must fear most. The deadliest threat rests in the hideously swift and lethal crimson lightsaber of Darth Vader–behind whose brooding mask lies a shattered heart, a poisoned soul, and a cunning, twisted mind hell-bent on vengeance.

For the handful of scattered Jedi, survival is imperative if the light side of the Force is to be protected and the galaxy somehow, someday reclaimed. Yet more important still is the well-being of the twin infants, Leia and Luke Skywalker, the children of Anakin and his doomed bride, Padmé Amidala. Separated after Padmé’s death, they must be made safe at all costs, lest the hope they represent for the future be turned to horror by the new Sith regime–and the unspeakable power of the dark side. Adventure Genre Fiction Military Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Science Fiction Space Opera Star Wars Heartfelt Bounty Hunter Interstellar
All stars
Most relevant
Between Vader himself and the novel’s Jedi lead, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader delivers on the epic pain dealt by Anakin Skywalker in the final days of the Clone Wars - to himself, the Jedi, and the Galaxy - but without becoming gratuitous or tiresome. Dark Lord bridges Revenge of the Sith and the Dark Times period before A New Hope, shedding light on the early weeks of the Galactic Empire. Character work is solid, its original characters effortlessly likeable, and the legacy characters featured are well portrayed.

I would recommend this book to a Star Wars fan hungry for more Star Wars, but by no means is this book a lynchpin novel of the Legends continuity like Luceno’s Darth Plagueis. It is best enjoyed as fanservice for Vader, allowing fans of the character to follow closely his early steps along his dark journey, supported by a cast of characters whose fates are predictable but satisfying.

I continue to enjoy Marc Thompson’s narration who brings vivacity to the Galaxy Far Far Away with his range of voices which will be familiar to regular listeners. Credit must also be given to the production team who weave in classic movie sounds and music to elevate the action and drama.

Delicious Angst

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is okay but not what I expected. The scenes with Vader are really good, but when we follow the others, it is not the best or the most interesting, especially the first part. I recognize that it is to build up the Jedi of the story, but I am more interested in Vader than in them.

Then, there is the audio mixing. The narrator is my favorite; I love his works, but the audio team botched the mixing. The effects are many times louder than him, making it hard to hear the book.

Buy it only if you can get it for cheap.

Meh.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story. Must hear for star wars fans. Love Palpatine voice in this audio book.

Great story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
while it wasn’t the best novel it’s so much better than all of the disney cannon

just proves legends stories still better than disney

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Vader is unleashed on a galaxy reeling from the Clone Wars and the advent of the Empire.

Cons-
- Cringey Wookiee impressions by narrator instead of just using Wookiee sound clips.
-Roan Shryne poorly described despite him being the main protagonist.
-lightsaber duel audio becomes repetitive over time
- narrator’s voice is so low sometimes I have to strain and turn up my headphones or speakers up to max to pick them up.

Pros
-Aside from the Wookiee roars, Marc Thompson is an excellent audiobook narrator, doing an incredible job for all characters and especially so for Vader both in and out of the suit as his pained Anakin alter-ego.
- Fun and engaging story of Jedi struggling to survive a galaxy that has turned against them and allying themselves with smugglers.
- Cameos include Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, C-3P0 and R2-D2, Chewbacca and Tarful and Obi Wan.
- Compelling story of Vader coming to terms with his new identity as Vader as he hunts down the Jedi survivors and begins to usher the Dark Times era between III and IV.

Overall, 4.5/5. Highly recommend for Vader fans.

A classic Legends novel about Vader almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews