Darth Plagueis is a novel that is a mix of Canon and Legends in the Star Wars Universe. It was one of three novels that the same author wrote close in time, only one of which (Tarkin) was brought in as Canon after the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm. But that novel refers to events in this one, so some of what is in this novel is Canon.
The novel is in part about Darth Sideous' master, Darth Plagueis, who, like Sideous hid in plain sight. In the case of Plaguies, he was a Munn banker named Hego Damask. He takes on Sheev Palpatine as an apprentice and the two live out under the "rule of two" plotting to take down the Jedi. The novel is as much an origin story for Palpatine as it is about Darth Plagueis. It is set mostly before, but partly during the events of The Phantom Menace. It opens with the murder of Plagueis by Sideous and then flashes back 35 years to chronicle the rise of both Plagueis and Sideous. Then it ends during the events of The Phantom Menace. One notable change that has been made in canon versus this novel, in the book, Sideous takes Maul as an apprentice before he kills Plagueis. That has been retconned in canon (according to Wookiepedia anyway) so that Sideous kills Plagueis earlier in time before Maul becomes his apprentice.
Overall, the book is very well-written and has a nice blend of action and the same kind of political intrigue, scheming, and backbiting we saw in The Phantom Menace. We do get some insight into Plagueis' powers and his quest for immortality, and we see just how ruthless Palpatine was, even when he was younger and less powerful. Even though it is a legends novel, it is definitely worth reading.
The novel is in part about Darth Sideous' master, Darth Plagueis, who, like Sideous hid in plain sight. In the case of Plaguies, he was a Munn banker named Hego Damask. He takes on Sheev Palpatine as an apprentice and the two live out under the "rule of two" plotting to take down the Jedi. The novel is as much an origin story for Palpatine as it is about Darth Plagueis. It is set mostly before, but partly during the events of The Phantom Menace. It opens with the murder of Plagueis by Sideous and then flashes back 35 years to chronicle the rise of both Plagueis and Sideous. Then it ends during the events of The Phantom Menace. One notable change that has been made in canon versus this novel, in the book, Sideous takes Maul as an apprentice before he kills Plagueis. That has been retconned in canon (according to Wookiepedia anyway) so that Sideous kills Plagueis earlier in time before Maul becomes his apprentice.
Overall, the book is very well-written and has a nice blend of action and the same kind of political intrigue, scheming, and backbiting we saw in The Phantom Menace. We do get some insight into Plagueis' powers and his quest for immortality, and we see just how ruthless Palpatine was, even when he was younger and less powerful. Even though it is a legends novel, it is definitely worth reading.
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