Let’s not mince words: Darth Vader is one of the best fictional characters ever created (after Batman!) so it’s with great anticipation that New York Times best-selling novelist Adam Christopher (“Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith“) heads back to the galaxy far, far away to deliver a macabre new Sith Lord tale in “Star Wars: Master of Evil.“
Arriving on Nov. 11, 2025, courtesy of Random House Worlds, this 384-page hardback takes place after the events of “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” where a freshly forged Darth Vader seeks out the arcane secrets of life and death under the enveloping gaze of Emperor Palpatine.
The official synopsis reads: “In the wake of Emperor Palpatine’s rise to power, the true nature of his most sinister enforcer remains a mystery. Darth Vader is a dominant yet illusive figure: the shadow cast by a malignant Imperial regime, unknowable to even its top officials. But as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld — the power to conquer death itself.
“On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.
“Vader is determined to follow this vision, even if it means defying his master’s orders. Yet he finds the Emperor suspiciously supportive of his mission, even sending Vader to the Diso system to investigate rumors of a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead. At his side are a cadre of the Emperor’s scarlet-robed Royal Guard, led by Colonel Halland Goth — a decorated soldier with a very personal interest in Vader’s mission.”
Exclusive excerpt from “Star Wars: Master of Evil”:
Colonel Halland Goth, an honored member of the Emperor’s personal guard, has been contacted by the Imperial Security Bureau to observe and report on the Emperor’s strange new enforcer, Darth Vader. Now on assignment, Goth meets Vader for the first time and finds the experience … unsettling.
Colonel Goth took a deep breath and focused his attention on the Emperor, sitting on his throne before the huge window of the office. The room was silent, save for the heavy, mechanized breathing of the huge man in black armor standing to one side of the throne dais.
Lord Vader himself. The man Goth was supposed to watch. But here, in his actual, physical presence, Goth could do nothing but stand to attention and swallow as he fought to control the almost visceral reaction he had to the imposing figure.
Goth might not have known who Vader was, but he had seen him before, just … not this close. It had been at the celebration marking the eradication of the Jedi Order, where the lightsabers of the traitors had been burned. From afar, he’d glimpsed this nightmare in black standing by the Emperor’s side, watching the proceedings from a high balcony overlooking the steps of the Jedi Temple. Now, up close, Goth was impressed not just by the technology of the man’s suit but also by the design itself, the skull-like mask and flared neck protector clearly designed to instill fear in those who dared to face him, the exaggerated volume of the mechanical respirator another feature that would impress, if not terrify.
As his nerves began to settle, Goth allowed himself a tight smile, trying very hard to keep the expression as neutral as possible. But he was pleased to be part of this, whatever it was. Fear was how the new Empire kept control. Not terror, as such. Nor indeed austerity or hardship or punitive measures — although each had its place, he knew that — but fear. People responded to fear, and they responded well. He had seen that himself when accompanying the Emperor as a Royal Guard. The full ceremonial uniform he and his men normally wore, with its elongated cowl-like mask and enveloping red cloak, was designed not just for pomp and circumstance but also to elicit a certain kind of reaction from those who saw it.
Oh yes, appearances were everything in the new order.
There was the sound of footsteps entering the office. Still standing to attention, eyes front, Goth waited patiently, wondering who the newcomer was, not aware that anyone else had been invited to the briefing. An Imperial adviser perhaps, one of the slightly odd old men who seemed to have the Emperor’s ear from time to time.
Goth realized who it would be just as the newcomer came into his field of vision, and he found his mood deflating a little.
ISB supervisor Desler walked in and bowed low to the Emperor before turning and, quite casually, glancing over the Royal Guard. Goth’s gaze met the supervisor’s piercing blue eyes, and once again he was caught by the fire he saw within them.
Then the supervisor smiled, and Goth realized that the fire he had seen was starlight glinting off ice.
Desler moved to stand beside the Emperor’s throne and stayed there, hands clasped behind her back. The way she had just walked in, the way she had made herself part of the proceedings without saying a word … Goth wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the ISB, the way they seemed to think they were not part of the regular hierarchy, apparently free to wander around the buildings and facilities of the Federal District, going about their own business without much regard for the rest of the military apparatus. Of course, the Emperor had invited her — Goth’s new mission had come from the throne, after all — but still. It was unsettling. The ISB was clearly a powerful entity.
Then it occurred to him: the ISB … or COMPNOR?
It was Lord Vader who broke the silence in the Emperor’s office.
“I need no bodyguard.”
His voice was deep and resonant — enhanced, of course, by the vocalizer built into the impressive mask. When he spoke, the sound of the mechanical respirator continued uninterrupted. Interesting, thought Goth, as his eyes fell on the square control panel on the front of the man’s chest. Red and green lights shone brightly, as they did on his belt, among a series of switches and buttons.
Life support?
“That is not your decision to make, Lord Vader,” said the Emperor calmly.
There was confirmation, from the Emperor’s own lips. Lord Vader — one of Palpatine’s advisers? Part of his inner circle, certainly. But … that suit. Goth looked at it again. Not just armor, not just a ceremonial demonstration of the Empire’s might. There was more to it. He listened carefully for a moment to Vader’s steady respiration, his eyes falling again to the lights on the chest panel —
And then Vader turned, his long cloak swirling as, without another word, he left the office and the Emperor’s presence. Goth allowed himself to break out of line for just a moment — he was the ranking officer in the room, after all — and watched him go, then turned back to the Emperor.
The Emperor waved a hand. “You are now under Lord Vader’s command,” he said. “Accompany him to Diso. You have your orders. Go.”
Goth snapped to attention, then gave the Emperor a deep bow. As he stood, he saw Desler move closer to the Emperor, the thumb and forefinger of her right hand playing with a signet ring on her left.
Goth straightened and presented the supervisor with his full attention. Desler smirked and gave him a small nod, which Goth returned. Then Goth turned on his heel and marched out, his Royal Guard sweeping in silently behind.
In the lobby outside the office, Goth ordered the guards to return to barracks and prepare for departure. As they filed away, Goth turned to look back into the Emperor’s office. He caught a glimpse of the ISB supervisor talking closely with the Emperor just before the doors to the office slid closed.
Clearing his throat, he headed back to his quarters to prepare for the mission, absentmindedly rubbing his chest with one hand. Stepping into an empty turbolift, he started coughing and didn’t stop until he stepped out one hundred levels below.
Reprinted from “Star Wars: Master of Evil” by Adam Christopher. © 2025 by Lucasfilm Ltd. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.