The Phantom Menace
In barren desert lands and seedy spaceports... in vast underwater cities and in the blackest depths of space... unfolds a tale of good and evil, of myth and magic, of innocence and power. At last the saga that captured the imagination of millions turns back in time to reveal its cloaked origins – the start of a legend –the story of STAR WARS. Based on the screenplay by George Lucas, this novel by master storyteller Terry Brooks probes the depths of one of the greatest tales of our time, providing rich detail and insight into the minds and motives of the characters – and shedding bold new light on Lucas' brilliant creation.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believed dead is stirring. Even the Jedi are caught by surprise, their attentions focused on the political unrest between the Trade Federation and the Republic. Now the dark side of the Force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancient Jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy.
On the desert world of Tatooine, far from the concerns of the Republic, a slave boy works by day and dreams by night – of being a Jedi Knight and one day traveling the stars to worlds he's only heard of in stories... of finding a way to win freedom from enslavement for himself and his beloved mother. His only hope lies in his extraordinary instincts and his strange gift for understanding the "rightness" of things, talents that allow him to be one of the best pod racers on the planet.
In another part of the galaxy, the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, young Obi-Wan Kenobi, are charged with the protection of Amidala, the young Queen of Naboo, as she seeks to end the siege of her planet by Trade Federation warships. It is this quest that brings Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and the Queen's beautiful young handmaiden to the sand-swept streets of Tatooine and the shop where the slave boy Anakin Skywalker toils and dreams. And it is this unexpected meeting that marks the beginning of the drama that will become legend...
Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks was born in Illinois in 1944, where he spent a great deal of his childhood and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park, the very same park that would eventually become the setting for his bestselling Word & Void trilogy. He went to college and received his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in English Literature, and he received his graduate degree from the School of Law at Washington & Lee University.
A writer since high school, he wrote many stories within the genres of science fiction, western, fiction, and non-fiction, until one semester early in his college years he was given The Lord of the Rings to read. That moment changed Terry's life forever, because in Tolkien's great work he found all the elements needed to fully explore his writing combined in one genre.
Star Wars: Episode I
Star Wars: Episode I consists of 1 total books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Main series Star Wars
Book Reviews
In my opinion The Phantom Menace is a book, which Terry Brooks should never have written. The movie (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace) was a bad movie and I didn't like it at all - it was a big disappointment. I honestly don't understand why they had to make a book of it. This book is a bit better than the movie, but not much. I can't recommend this book. I can only say that you should read other books by Terry Brooks. They're much better and more interesting than this book.