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Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary #4
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - The Visual Dictionary
The Barnes & Noble Review
From Anakin Skywalker to Yoda, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith -- The Visual Dictionary includes a plethora of pictures and diagrams that describe and explain every minute detail of the important characters and creatures from the Star Wars: Episode III motion picture.
With more than 30 characters featured -- Count Dooku, Padme Amidala, Mace Windu, Darth Sidious, et al. -- each entry includes annotated photographs and stills from the film, as well as interesting factoids, such as where Count Dooku's tunics are made and what exactly is in Obi-Wan's utility belt! For example, the two-page spread on the alien warlord General Grievous includes not only pictures of the nightmarish cyborg in action but also diagrams explaining how he can dislocate his shoulders and split his arms in two in order to wield four light sabers at the same time; detailed schematics of his energy staff and blaster (the Blastech Custom DT-57 Annihilator); and a brief history of how and why he became transformed into a cyborg.
With Jedi knights, battle droids, alien cyborgs, clone troopers, and exotic technology and weaponry galore, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith -- The Visual Dictionary is an absolute feast for the eyes. This book will be cherished by Star Wars fans of all ages. Paul Goat Allen
From Anakin Skywalker to Yoda, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith -- The Visual Dictionary includes a plethora of pictures and diagrams that describe and explain every minute detail of the important characters and creatures from the Star Wars: Episode III motion picture.
With more than 30 characters featured -- Count Dooku, Padme Amidala, Mace Windu, Darth Sidious, et al. -- each entry includes annotated photographs and stills from the film, as well as interesting factoids, such as where Count Dooku's tunics are made and what exactly is in Obi-Wan's utility belt! For example, the two-page spread on the alien warlord General Grievous includes not only pictures of the nightmarish cyborg in action but also diagrams explaining how he can dislocate his shoulders and split his arms in two in order to wield four light sabers at the same time; detailed schematics of his energy staff and blaster (the Blastech Custom DT-57 Annihilator); and a brief history of how and why he became transformed into a cyborg.
With Jedi knights, battle droids, alien cyborgs, clone troopers, and exotic technology and weaponry galore, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith -- The Visual Dictionary is an absolute feast for the eyes. This book will be cherished by Star Wars fans of all ages. Paul Goat Allen
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
6 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
James Luceno
118 books1,062 followersJames Luceno is a New York Times bestselling author, best known for his novels and reference books connected with the Star Wars franchise and the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and novelisations of the Robotech animated television series. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and youngest child.
He has co-written many books with Brian Daley as Jack McKinney.
He has co-written many books with Brian Daley as Jack McKinney.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 31, 2016
I probably shouldn't be putting a date finished on this because I'm going to be purchasing these and likely perusing them with my son for a good long time. This is yet another incredible resource that stimulates my child's creativity and imagination by giving him a detailed look at Episode III and all of it's amazing characters. This was his favorite book of the series.
February 19, 2020
I'd always assumed the Star Wars visual dictionaries were probably just someone making up details to explain props and costumes from the movies. I'm more interested in the real movie-making information, not explanations of how fictional spaceships work. However, I recently read the visual dictionary for The Rise of Skywalker, and I enjoyed it a lot. There was much more story information than I'd expected, and it helped make more sense of the movie. So I went to the public library and grabbed all the other SW visual dictionaries they have.
Unfortunately, the volume covering Revenge of the Sith is not nearly as good as the one for The Rise of Skywalker. In fact, it's what I'd previously assumed: someone making up details about props and costumes. And for the most part, the details aren't anything more than what any of us who know the movies well could have written.
For me, it's a reminder of how much I dislike the prequels. That era made SW much smaller and more limited than it should have been. The only connections that can be made are to other things that appeared in the movies, which is suffocatingly narrow. The visual guide's author, James Luceno, is a good writer, but this book is not good writing. There are a distracting number of typos, and he seems kind of uninterested in what he's writing.
My favorite part of this book is on page 9, a full-page photo of Anakin Skywalker in an intense action pose. Some previous library patron drew an arrow to his face, with the word "Cute?"
Unfortunately, the volume covering Revenge of the Sith is not nearly as good as the one for The Rise of Skywalker. In fact, it's what I'd previously assumed: someone making up details about props and costumes. And for the most part, the details aren't anything more than what any of us who know the movies well could have written.
For me, it's a reminder of how much I dislike the prequels. That era made SW much smaller and more limited than it should have been. The only connections that can be made are to other things that appeared in the movies, which is suffocatingly narrow. The visual guide's author, James Luceno, is a good writer, but this book is not good writing. There are a distracting number of typos, and he seems kind of uninterested in what he's writing.
My favorite part of this book is on page 9, a full-page photo of Anakin Skywalker in an intense action pose. Some previous library patron drew an arrow to his face, with the word "Cute?"
May 19, 2024
(Read in 2005, review from 2024)
By the time of Revenge of the Sith came out I was starting to age out of the Star Wars Visual Dictionaries and Incredible Cross Section books and didn't read their Revenge of the Sith entries as much. Still they remain enjoyable.
By the time of Revenge of the Sith came out I was starting to age out of the Star Wars Visual Dictionaries and Incredible Cross Section books and didn't read their Revenge of the Sith entries as much. Still they remain enjoyable.
December 29, 2015
It says its a Star Wars book but it doesn't seem to have anything to do with star wars. Theres no Han solo, no Jawas, no TIE fighters. Nothing one would recognize from the Star Wars movies. Theres some guy dressed like Obi Wan Kenobi on the cover but he's a lot younger than Obi Wan.
There are plenty of robots and critters all over the book though so if you like those definitely check this book out. I can't really reccomend it to a star wars fan though. Luckily I am a robot fan so I did enjoy the book. The robot on the cover is pretty cool. My only complaint about it is it has lizard eyes. So which is it a robot or a lizard man? They really need to make up their minds about this stuff.
The best part is the title is a really nice shiny metallic blue. I really think more books need titles like this. The spine also has the title done in gorgeous shiny metallic blue. That alone should secure this book a place on your shelf. Not since "star wars visual dictionary attack of the clones" have I seen such a handsome book.
Overall I give it 4 cover critters out of 5
There are plenty of robots and critters all over the book though so if you like those definitely check this book out. I can't really reccomend it to a star wars fan though. Luckily I am a robot fan so I did enjoy the book. The robot on the cover is pretty cool. My only complaint about it is it has lizard eyes. So which is it a robot or a lizard man? They really need to make up their minds about this stuff.
The best part is the title is a really nice shiny metallic blue. I really think more books need titles like this. The spine also has the title done in gorgeous shiny metallic blue. That alone should secure this book a place on your shelf. Not since "star wars visual dictionary attack of the clones" have I seen such a handsome book.
Overall I give it 4 cover critters out of 5
May 19, 2023
"Absolutely loved it." - 5 out of 5 star rating.
I absolutely love these Visual Dictionary Star Wars books.
Best paired with re-watching the associated film upon reading for sure. I literally have the end of Revenge of the Sith running in the background as I type this, greatly enhancing the enjoyment factor of reading this book page by page.
Looking forward to diving into my next one: Episodes 4, 5, and 6 all wrapped inside of one hardcover!
I absolutely love these Visual Dictionary Star Wars books.
Best paired with re-watching the associated film upon reading for sure. I literally have the end of Revenge of the Sith running in the background as I type this, greatly enhancing the enjoyment factor of reading this book page by page.
Looking forward to diving into my next one: Episodes 4, 5, and 6 all wrapped inside of one hardcover!
May 6, 2015
This book shows the absolute genius imaginations of those involved in setting up these alternative world and reality films.
February 21, 2020
The Star Wars visual dictionaries were always those external media tie-ins that I regarded as weird when I was a kid. Unlike DK Books's encyclopedias on fossils, or ancient Egypt, nothing about Star Wars was real. So my question was, "Why would they make a encyclopedia book about things that weren't real?"
It's a weird frame of mind that kept me away from these books up until now. And before then, the crowded page design always daunted me. It was like a visual and textual overload, but I understand they were simply mirroring the almost disharmonious layout of DK's real-world Encyclopedias.
That said, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary was a fairly stark, but informative read that full of information that is now largely outdated (for instance, Obi-Wan Kenobi's childhood crush, Siri Tachi being his only [secret] sweetheart. God, I miss Siri).
Now that I'm a full-fledged adult, I kinda like the page layout. Keeps your eyes moving, gets you invested (positively) in the visual blueprints that splash across the pages. A lot of the stuff here makes me wonder how the brainstorming sessions to assign meaning or definition to objects went over at LucasFilm. Was it fun or a general headache?
If you're into lore, world-building, and largely superfluous information that has no tangible effect on the films you watch, check out this book. Heck, check out the other visual dictionaries for Star Wars. They're fun and very brief (when you dedicate yourself to it anyway).
It's a weird frame of mind that kept me away from these books up until now. And before then, the crowded page design always daunted me. It was like a visual and textual overload, but I understand they were simply mirroring the almost disharmonious layout of DK's real-world Encyclopedias.
That said, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary was a fairly stark, but informative read that full of information that is now largely outdated (for instance, Obi-Wan Kenobi's childhood crush, Siri Tachi being his only [secret] sweetheart. God, I miss Siri).
Now that I'm a full-fledged adult, I kinda like the page layout. Keeps your eyes moving, gets you invested (positively) in the visual blueprints that splash across the pages. A lot of the stuff here makes me wonder how the brainstorming sessions to assign meaning or definition to objects went over at LucasFilm. Was it fun or a general headache?
If you're into lore, world-building, and largely superfluous information that has no tangible effect on the films you watch, check out this book. Heck, check out the other visual dictionaries for Star Wars. They're fun and very brief (when you dedicate yourself to it anyway).
January 8, 2020
This was definitely worth a re-read!
As it's the companion to my favourite Star Wars film, it goes without saying that this is my favourite Visual Dictionary, but it really is interesting.
First of all, the analysis of General Grievous was exceptionally detailed, especially since the film came out before the Clone Wars TV series. Readers were able to see under Grievous' helmet, and see the creature he had once been before complete cybernetic construction and upgrades.
Additionally, the focus on the Jedi was not a surprise, but a standout of the dictionary. As a huge fan of the Jedi, those pages are still the first ones I rush to when I pick up the book. There really is such a world of information that every time you read it again, there's stuff that you realise you missed.
10/10
As it's the companion to my favourite Star Wars film, it goes without saying that this is my favourite Visual Dictionary, but it really is interesting.
First of all, the analysis of General Grievous was exceptionally detailed, especially since the film came out before the Clone Wars TV series. Readers were able to see under Grievous' helmet, and see the creature he had once been before complete cybernetic construction and upgrades.
Additionally, the focus on the Jedi was not a surprise, but a standout of the dictionary. As a huge fan of the Jedi, those pages are still the first ones I rush to when I pick up the book. There really is such a world of information that every time you read it again, there's stuff that you realise you missed.
10/10
Read
September 4, 2020This visual dictionary by James Luceno has high-quality stunning photographs detailing the features of the characters and wonders of Episode III. It is packed with so many pictures that have parts pointing to it and details about the characters, creatures, weapons, droids and technology in Episode III. This is a great book to read and own.
May 23, 2017
I still own this book, to this day. I have so many wonderful memories with it.
One of the things I remember best were obsessing over all of the information given about lightsabers, here (even though I could have gotten that out of EU novels). This was a piece of my childhood I'll never forget.
One of the things I remember best were obsessing over all of the information given about lightsabers, here (even though I could have gotten that out of EU novels). This was a piece of my childhood I'll never forget.
March 4, 2025
Not much substance here - mostly obvious information with little depth. Luceno does sneak in a few nods to prequel-era Expanded Universe books, but overall, it didn’t add much to my understanding of the movie. Definitely not a must-read.
January 1, 2020
One of my favorite kinds of Star Wars reference books!
January 6, 2022
if you like star war this is a good way to get more knowledge and is a fun thing to read the descriptions
May 8, 2025
10/10 Fantastic information
March 13, 2010
I bought this as my Disney World present at Hollywood Studios in the Tattooine Traders gift shop right outside the Star Tours ride that I rode like fifty five million times. I love this book because it gives you a complete view of background things like you really don't see in the movies, only a teeny tiny bit. There are the natives of Utapau,instead of Pa'un.
January 14, 2015
Well it only took me a little over 6 months to read a little over 60 pages, that's like 10 pages a month. This book is still 5.0 out 5.0 because of the picture and the huge amounts of information. I did find this book interesting although I did show it but I can say I took my time in order to enjoy this book.
Read
December 2, 2010This book is a book that tells you what happens to the light side the force gets coverd in darkness when Anakin Skywalker turss to the dark side of the force with anger and hatred. I give this book 4 and a half stars.
January 8, 2008
Not a star wars fan but the pictures and infos are pretty interesting and made me learn more about star wars. [oh my cousins, always making me read star wars books]
March 29, 2008
Great Reference to Episode III!
February 25, 2011
Cool pictures. :D
December 16, 2013
this is a book that is a descriptive resource of information about the people, characters, cultures, and creatures of the worlds of Star Wars.
June 17, 2013
i read this in the library, it explains stuff in the starwars saga.
July 19, 2014
My 9 year old son loved this book. He seems to have developed somewhat of a fascination for everything star wars.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews