There was an organic soldier who so admired the cool logic of the droids—and wanted so much to mirror their infallibility, strength, and power—that he took to replacing parts of his own organic body with a series of carefully crafted mechanical components.
roid-like and reptilian, menacing and maniacal, a fierce fighter in lightsaber combat but with a respiratory system like a chainsmoker, General Grievous burst onto the Star Wars scene in Revenge of the Sith in a storm of twirling blades. George Lucas called the CIS general "an alien in a droid shell." Known for his collection of lightsabers from the Jedi he’s slain, he’s able to go toe-to-toe in a saber duel against even the best of the Jedi swordsmen. And he’s not even Force-sensitive! A character developed by George Lucas as a layer of complexity in the conflict of the Clone Wars and a secondary villain for Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous is a bold choice in every way. In many ways a prototype for the life-prolonging technology that would sustain Darth Vader, Grievous is a little rougher around the edges—clanky and raspy, unhinged and sinister.
While his introduction for the majority of fans was in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, he first premiered in Gendy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars microseries (2004) as a Separatist General more than capable of matching up against the Republic’s Jedi generals. He’s more machine than. . . well, whatever he once was. Not afraid of fleeing the scene when the odds aren’t in his favor, Grievous is a mustache-twirling nod to villains of the serials of old that George Lucas so loved—with a cape over the shoulder and everything.
His history, however, is explored in bits and pieces across the Expanded Universe. In fact, his sordid backstory is what makes him so compellingly mysterious. The Revenge of the Sith novelization says that he remembered joy, frustration, grief, and sorrow, but his experience of emotion was long lost along with his organic body, and the recently released Myths and Fables story “The Droid with a Heart” tells a tall-tale of his downfall. Whether these stories are derived from George Lucas's original fully-fledged backstory that never quite saw the light of day, involving him being rejected by the Jedi, may forever be a mystery.
Then comes his garish appearance. The recent Age of Republic one-shot shows what he might once have looked like in a memory, Clone Wars concept art pictures him almost like a Star-Wars dinosaur, and Hasbro even produced a “Pre-cyborg Grievous” action figure in 2007. For those truly dedicated to knowing everything about the droid general as possible, Unknown Soldier: The Story of General Grievous from Star Wars Insider 86 tells the Legends of his backstory, but Canon has taken a few more liberties. Whatever he used to look like, he eventually came to be visually striking in his bone-white armor with an extra set of limbs when he needs to battle or scamper away. His rotten flesh is visible under the surface and his chilling eyes, slit like a snake, pierce the viewer’s soul.
He’s a character rife for more expansive storytelling in the years to come, but for now you can add these tales to your collection.
Coming Soon
Our team is hard at work building out this collection. Stay tuned!
Books in this Collection
Age Of Republic: General Greivous
General Grievous
This tale of treachery and genocide leads up to the events of the record-breaking blockbuster Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Before his short battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars supervillain took on an entire alien species!
On a rescue mission to Vandos, Padawan Flynn Kybo and his master T'chooka D'oon come face-to-face with General Grievous, one of the leaders of the Separatist army. After Grievous kills Master D'oon, Kybo goes to the Jedi Council with a plan to take the depraved general out immediately. But when the council rebukes his plans for vengeance, Kybo decides to take matters in his own hands. Seeking out others who feel the same as himself, he sets out to stop the Separatist killing machine before more Jedi lives are lost. Meanwhile, Grievous hijacks a transport ship, and its precious cargo may give him a horrible advantage over the Jedi that they would never expect. For now, his sights are on the planet Gentes—and on taking its Ugnaught population and mining facilities as trophies of war!
Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 2
Labyrinth of Evil
Darth Sidious has expertly hidden his existence from the Jedi for many years. In Labyrinth of Evil, his elusiveness shines towards the end of the Clone Wars as his identity is being chased by Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
While Anakin and Obi Wan are occupied with their intense mission, Count Dooku and General Grievous work on setting their master's next plans into motion. Author James Luceno uses this opportunity to offer us the backstories of these two villains before foreshadowing Anakin's fall to the dark side.
The war that erupted in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is nearing its boiling point, as the dauntless Separatist forces continue their assault on the teetering Republic–and the diabolical triumvirate of Count Dooku, General Grievous, and their Master, Darth Sidious, fine-tune their strategy for conquest. In Episode III Revenge of the Sith the fates of key players on both sides of the conflict will be sealed. But first, crucial events that pave the way to that time of reckoning unfold in a labyrinth of evil. . . .
Capturing Trade Federation Viceroy–and Separatist Councilmember–Nute Gunray is the mission that brings Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, with a squad of clones in tow, to Neimoidia. But the treacherous ally of the Sith proves as slippery as ever, evading his Jedi pursuers even as they narrowly avoid deadly disaster. Still, their daring efforts yield an unexpected prize: a unique holotransceiver that bears intelligence capable of leading the Republic forces to their ultimate quarry, the ever-elusive Darth Sidious.
Swiftly taking up the chase, Anakin and Obi-Wan follow clues from the droid factories of Charros IV to the far-flung worlds of the Outer Rim . . . every step bringing them closer to pinpointing the location of the Sith Lord–whom they suspect has been manipulating every aspect of the Separatist rebellion. Yet somehow, in the escalating galaxy-wide chess game of strikes, counterstrikes, ambushes, sabotage, and retaliations, Sidious stays constantly one move ahead.
Then the trail takes a shocking turn. For Sidious and his minions have set in motion a ruthlessly orchestrated campaign to divide and overwhelm the Jedi forces–and bring the Republic to its knees.
Myths & Fables
Myths & Fables
A canon short story collection written by George Mann and illustrated by Grant Griffin. It comprises a number of in-universe stories, and it is part of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge media project.
A Target-exclusive edition containing three new stories was released on August 30, 2020. and an additional three new stories were released on October 7 2020 in the exclusive Galaxy's Edge edition
Beautifully illustrated, this unique treasury of in-world space tales takes readers to the far reaches of the Star Wars universe…including to the remote outer rim world of Batuu from Galaxy's. Edge.
Short Stories
- The Knight & the Dragon
- The Droid with a Heart
- Vengeful Waves
- The Wanderer
- The Black Spire
- Gaze of Stone
- The Witch & the Wookiee
- The Dark Wraith
- Chasing Ghosts
- The Sleeping Eye (Target-exclusive edition)
- The Leviathan (Target-exclusive edition)
- The Golden One (Target-exclusive edition)
- An Unwilling Apprentice (Galaxy's Edge edition)
- The Silent Circle (Galaxy's Edge edition)
- The Skiff & the Galleons (Galaxy's Edge edition)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Every Star Wars movie has an accompanying novelization, but none so impressive as Revenge of the Sith. While it expertly tells the story of the film, it also manages to add to it in unexpected ways. Not only is it the best novelization, it’s a fantastic work of fiction in and of itself.
Matthew Stover outdoes himself in this novelization by painting Obi Wan, Anakin, and the rest of the Jedi as glorified super heroes in the eyes of the common man in the Star Wars universe. Somehow, this raises the stakes of one of the most intense episodes of the saga and makes Anakin’s ultimate fate even more impactful.
The turning point for the entire Star Wars saga is at hand
After years of civil war, the Separatists have battered the already faltering Republic nearly to the point of collapse. On Coruscant, the Senate watches anxiously as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine aggressively strips away more and more constitutional liberties in the name of safeguarding the Republic. Yoda, Mace Windu, and their fellow Masters grapple with the Chancellor’ s disturbing move to assume control of the Jedi Council. And Anakin Skywalker, the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring balance to the Force, is increasingly consumed by his fear that his secret love, Senator Padmé Amidala, will die.
As the combat escalates across the galaxy, the stage is set for an explosive endgame: Obi-Wan undertakes a perilous mission to destroy the dreaded Separatist military leader General Grievous. Palpatine, eager to secure even greater control, subtly influences public opinion to turn against the Jedi. And a conflicted Anakin–tormented by unspeakable visions– edges dangerously closer to the brink of a galaxy-shaping decision. It remains only for Darth Sidious, whose shadow looms ever larger, to strike the final staggering blow against the Republic . . . and to ordain a fearsome new Sith Lord: Darth Vader.
Dark Disciple
Asajj Ventress did not deserve the pain she endured as a child, but she endured it all the same. While most know her as the relentless, hardened Sith apprentice who will stop at nothing to please her master, there’s a much less sinister side to her -- one that may even be capable of falling in love.
There were many stories originally meant to complete The Clone Wars that never got their chance to be told. But Ventress’s journey deserved a proper ending, and it got exactly that. In this story of love, loss, and triumph, watch as the villain you thought you knew transforms into a celebrated hero of the Republic.
The only way to bring down the Sith’s most dangerous warrior may be to join forces with the dark side.
In the war for control of the galaxy between the armies of the dark side and the Republic, former Jedi Master turned ruthless Sith Lord Count Dooku has grown ever more brutal in his tactics. Despite the powers of the Jedi and the military prowess of their clone army, the sheer number of fatalities is taking a terrible toll. And when Dooku orders the massacre of a flotilla of helpless refugees, the Jedi Council feels it has no choice but to take drastic action: targeting the man responsible for so many war atrocities, Count Dooku himself.
But the ever-elusive Dooku is dangerous prey for even the most skilled hunter. So the Council makes the bold decision to bring both sides of the Force’s power to bear—pairing brash Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos with infamous one-time Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress. Though Jedi distrust for the cunning killer who once served at Dooku’s side still runs deep, Ventress’s hatred for her former master runs deeper. She’s more than willing to lend her copious talents as a bounty hunter—and assassin—to Vos’s quest.
Together, Ventress and Vos are the best hope for eliminating Dooku—as long as the emerging feelings between them don’t compromise their mission. But Ventress is determined to have her retribution and at last let go of her dark Sith past. Balancing the complicated emotions she feels for Vos with the fury of her warrior’s spirit, she resolves to claim victory on all fronts—a vow that will be mercilessly tested by her deadly enemy . . . and her own doubt.
