Book 34: Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno
Labyrinth of Evil is the prequel novel that immediately precedes Revenge of the Sith. Luceno has definitely improved as an author from when he first began writing in the Star Wars universe with the New Jedi Order. I found this one to be a nice, easy read, and it provided a great deal of background for General Grievous, the Droid general with a living brain that randomly appears out of nowhere in the Clone Wars cartoons and Revenge of the Sith. I was actually quite disappointed that it didn't explain the hacking smoker's cough he has in the movie, since the book literally ended with a "To be continued..." as Obi-wan and Anakin hopped into their starfighters and jumped toward the battle over Coruscant. But it did explain why Obi-wan's Indiana Jones moment was so successful.
The book was also a good look into Anakin's further slide to the Dark Side. It was a little frustrating watching Obi-wan be so freaking blind - Anakin's turn was so preventable it's pathetic - but if he doesn't turn, we don't get the Original Trilogy, so I guess there's little to be done to avoid making it feel contrived, because, well, it is contrived.
I've read the Revenge of the Sith novelization already, so the next book in line for me is The Rise of Darth Vader.
The book was also a good look into Anakin's further slide to the Dark Side. It was a little frustrating watching Obi-wan be so freaking blind - Anakin's turn was so preventable it's pathetic - but if he doesn't turn, we don't get the Original Trilogy, so I guess there's little to be done to avoid making it feel contrived, because, well, it is contrived.
I've read the Revenge of the Sith novelization already, so the next book in line for me is The Rise of Darth Vader.