The Wrath of Darth Maul by Ryder Windham details the life of Darth Maul from when he was just a kid up to the point of his demise in the Phantom Menace. If you’re looking to get a bit more background into this infamous Star Wars character and how he became to be how he is, look no further than The Wrath of Darth Maul. The book is just the right length, doesn’t stray away from Darth Maul himself and written by someone who truly knows the Star Wars universe. The story reads and feels like it could hit the big screen and become a successful movie.

“You are different because you are stronger.”

Darth Sidious

Just who is Darth Maul? Why does he have so much hatred and anger, especially towards the Jedi order? What is Darth Sidious role in turning Maul into who he was to become? All of these questions will be answered and then some. Although I admit that Maul’s anger and hatred angle isn’t all that original, it does make you feel for the guy. Just a bit. What’s a bit more interesting to me is reading about Darth Sidious and his brutal methods of teaching young Maul from an early age. It seems that having to play the part of Senator Palpatine in public forces him to quell his inner anger when things don’t go his way. He is only able to be his full self when training his apprentice.

“He will know fear. And I will make him hate me.”

Darth Maul

A large portion of book goes about the life of Maul and this is to be expected and one of the main reasons why you are reading it in the first place. Towards the end, we journey with Maul and Sidious during the events of the Phantom Menace when the Neimodians erected the blockade and invasion of the planet Naboo. Finally, we get to see what Darth Maul’s thoughts are during these events which we don’t get to witness in the movie The Phantom Menace. Most interesting of all is of course when he fights with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in one of the most memorable Star Wars fight scene. This later section alone makes it a must read for all the Star Wars geeks out there that must study every single detail and character in this diverse universe.