The ruthless warlord Thrawn may have found the firepower needed to take a bite out of the New Republic, leaving Luke, Leia, Hans, and Chewbacca up against more than they bargained for.

The nineteen-year-old apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi is an enigma to the Jedi Council, and a challenge to his Jedi Master. When an attempt on Senator Padme Amidala's life brings them together for the first time in ten years, it is clear that time has not dulled Anakin's intense feelings for the beautiful diplomat.

Based on the screenplay of the movie, Star Wars: Episode III, the novel brings the epic full circle, revealing at last just how the young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, became the most evil villain in the galaxy, Darth Vader, and father to Luke and Leia.

Marriage has not changed Han and Leia much - they still bicker and banter with each other, but now they have something new to disagree on: whether to have children. Han wouldn't mind being a father, but Leia is terrified that whatever turned her own father into Darth Vader might be genetic, and she can't risk giving birth to a monster.

The Confederacy is trying to get its hands on some very special battle droids, and the Republic is determined to stop them, so Obi- Wan Kenobi is sent to the planet Ord Cestus, manufacturer of the droids. His mission: diplomacy.

In the midst of the Clone Wars, Master Mace Windu returns to his Separatist-occupied homeworld, where his former Padawan, Depa Billaba, has been working as an undercover agent.