I can imagine a future civilization, one much greater than ours, sifting through the ancient ruins of the Smithsonian, marveling at our mythical history, as we did at Ur in Chaldea. If they should happen upon the designs of Star Wars, will they wonder, as we did when we first gazed upon the ziggurats -- did these ancient people know more than they let on?

The quality of The Art of Attack of the Clones is that good. It brings another sublime level to the expanding Star Wars saga and it easily outpaces its precursor, The Art of The Phantom Menace. While Art of TPM was strong, it lacked that something, that oomph that makes something good, great. The colors, imagery, and imagination were there, but the spirit was fleeting. And all those pages devoted to the development of a naked Jar Jar Binks were a bit unsettling. However, The Art of AOTC, like its predecessor, has an engraved hardback cover, and its arrangement inside (and out) is remarkably dramatic.

In Art of AOTC, we see more of everything: more of Coruscant, more of Tipoca City, more of Geonosis, more of the Sith, more of Padme ... *Ahem*.

The primary artists here are Doug Chiang, Iain McCaig, Dermot Power and Edwin Nativdad. Their images are extraordinary. They no longer fear of breaking through the wall of acceptance for Star Wars fans as they did with Episode I. They have outdone themselves.

The layout of Coruscant is distinctly Metropolis-like, (somehow, it also reminded me of Philadelphia) with a touch of intended Blade Runner. Like Fritz Lang's Metropolis, we see the literal dark underbelly of Coruscant, for the sun never reaches the ground, where the scummy, villainous creatures scurry about without fear of being exposed to the light.

The Coruscant nightclub is where it's at. One thing that seems to never change is the allure of bared skin, human or otherwise. The more skin that shows, the better. The skin-baring costumes designed for the nightclub seem less exotic and more earthbound, however. One thing that can be noticed about the prequels is that they seem more decadent, more sexual, and more corrupt. In the original trilogy, decadence was never truly explored, as it seemed to dwell only within the dark confines of the Mos Eisely cantina and Jabba's palace. The Galaxy has given itself over to debauchery. The nightclub is an example of this, the Galaxy's licentiousness. This is the Rome of Caligula; the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar.

Still, in the midst of this wantonness, there is beauty. Padme Amidala has grown, and the artists are determined to show it. Gone are the saggy, billowy clothes that "obscure size, shape, and age" from Episode I. Padme is no longer a girl, but a sudden, promising woman with the powers of enchantment that will soon reduce Anakin Skywalker to a grinning fool. She is no longer wrapped in garments but rather lusciously contained in them.

In the initial sketches, we are treated to another dimension of Amidala -- one free of restraint, a person who could exist in our time. She is flagrantly -- and dangerously -- sensual.

The layout of the Jedi temple is explored, but it seems rather ordinary for such an important structure. In the sketches it seems more of a glorified warehouse than a grand basilica of the Force. Perhaps this is the way of the Jedi, in simplicity and efficiency, a place of veneration -- not the storehouse of precious materials.

The wind and sea swept world of Kamino is another simple but awe inspiring design. It harkens back to the gaseous world of Bespin, as the few beams of light that escape through the clouds cannot hope to penetrate the murky depths. Tipoca City is the home of the expert cloners, the Kaminoans, and of Jango Fett, the bounty hunter.

The Kaminoans are strange beings, but curiously familiar. They seem to be based on every alien sighting in the past forty years; a bizarre amalgamation of Whitley Striber's nightmarish Communion and Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind and A.I.. Their eyes are gentle yet eerie ... their faces are those who see all, who know all.

The evolution of the Clonetrooper armor is enthralling. The basic Stormtrooper helmet was modified, from a Japanese helm to a mushroom type cap, with enlarged breathing apparatus. Some sketches are truly breathtaking, but were considered by Lucas to be too good. The designs make the plastoid armor of the Imperial Stormtroopers obsolete, and had to be abandoned for less flashy and clunkier metal armor.

Jango Fett is housed on Tipoca City. His apartment was originally designed to be much larger -- spacious, but with the air of a college dormitory. This was later amended to what is seen in the film. The elder Fett, of course, is a recreation of Boba Fett's armor prototype, with minor differences. The artists themselves were confused, referring to Jango repeatedly by his cloned son's name. Fett's Mandalorian armor origin is not revealed here, unfortunately. The mystery continues ...

There is no mention, other than a few passing references, to visionary artist Ralph McQuarrie, and nothing of designer Joe Johnston, both of whom are responsible for Boba Fett's look. There is no real exploration of Slave One, other than to the point cockpit displays. (A detailed look at Slave One can be found in AOTC Incredible Cross Sections).

The oasis of the Tusken Raiders is another bizarre put satisfying design, especially the garb of the female Tuskens. The nomadic Bedouin of northern Iraq are shown here to have a direct influence on the costumes, right down to the slotted headpiece and crescent jangles. Again, the designs have a basis in this world, only to be made foreign and strange, yet recognizable.

The barren and treacherous landscape of Geonosis is that of Mars. The creatures that reside there are once again both alien and familiar. A large dinosaur-like creature, a massif, was a creature designed to attack Obi-Wan on the rocky slopes. Obi-Wan's physicality and strength was also drawn, as he is shown scaling a rock tower and in the tunnels of Geonosis, arachnid "crablike" creatures were also drawn climbing into Artoo-Deetoo's dome. Alas, these scenes were deleted in the filming process, and there is no indication that these sketches made it past the initial stage.

The Geonosisans' body structure remained constant through most of the preliminary sketches, periodically becoming less of a grasshopper and more like a locust, then a combination of locust, wasp, and grasshopper. It was agreed to recycle the idea that the battle 'droids resemble their creators, and the Geonosisan heads are drawn to reflect this.

The sketches of the 'droid factory show a hellish environment: red and white hot areas amongst endless machinery. "Soft, living flesh doesn't belong here," says designer Ryan Church.

The designs of the Super battle 'droid went from a modified battle 'droid to a mammoth Robocop type "Annihilator 'droid," an idea that was ultimately dropped.

Another concept that was championed by the artists but dropped by Lucas was the running idea of a "Sith Witch." An idea of Iain McCaig since before TPM, it was explored until the final stages when Lucas decided to create the character of Count Dooku. The female Sith were drawn as alternate 'flip-side' versions of Amidala, a temptress with the look of a Gorgon. The other sketches of the Sith Witch range from enigmatic to horrific, from solid to spry, from young to elderly. They do not, however, approach the shock generated by McCaig's first blood-haired Sith witch from the Art of TPM. In the end, none of the Sith witches were chosen and despite the artist's protests, Count Dooku was created.

Dooku's mutation from female to male is evident in age and sex. He was originally conceived as either Captain Nemo-type or as a Scottish clannish warrior.

The evolution of the arena creatures, the Acklay, the Nexu, and the Reek is another throwback to Ray Harryhausen ethics. Once again, the creation of such creatures is grounded in zoology. The Acklay is based on a bug's view of what a mantis must look like up close and personal. The Nexu is a "hybrid of human and feline energy," according to designer Robert Barnes. The Reek is an outlandish amalgamation of a triceratops, a rhinoceros, and the Minotaur.

I could go on and on, but I would deprive the reader of mystery and anticipation. The book is beyond words, better than its predecessor and almost on a par with the original Art of Trilogy books (and in some parts outdoes them). Fans must also realize they may get a glimpse or two of spoilers, as some designs have been abandoned only to be revisited. (The Art of TPM gave us our first view of the airwhas and of Artoo's rocket propulsion, but were never incorporated into Phantom Menace.)

The Art of Attack of the Clones is a stunning triumph, a milestone in the progression of the Star Wars Saga. This handsomely illustrated volume has its place on any shelf. Get it before it goes to paperback, or you'll be sorry you didn't.