The Book of Anger was the first volume of Emperor Palpatine's Dark Side Compendium, which discussed the initial surrender to the dark side and the exercise of the will over the energies of the Force for destructive ends. Some of the teachings of The Book of Anger were originally part of Palpatine's early Sith manifesto Absolute Power.
The Book of Anger covered Palpatine's view that the Force could be harnessed through emotion, and that anger was the most potent emotion to control the Force. It also included Palpatine's techniques for harnessing and controlling one's anger in the most efficient ways. Finally, it included Sith teachings merged with political theories Palpatine developed while he was Senator of Naboo.
This book evolved from several sources. Many secrets were revealed by fallen Jedi, while other ancient secrets were obtained from stolen Holocrons. Archaic magical concepts that were known and used by the most primitive peoples in the galaxy were the final source of the book.
The book revealed that Palpatine considered the Force to be sensed and moved by emotions from the very center of the body, and mediated from the lower vital centers of the being. The Emperor believed it could act with the destructive power of a storm and the savagery of a beast. Palpatine considered Anger as the most potent catalyst to this kind of destructive power; when channeled through the "vital gate" in the center of the body, Anger becomes Rage, and can unleash absolutely unstoppable potency throughout the body.
However, Palpatine knew anger was a two-edged sword. He therefore mentioned the importance of a fine intelligence standing watch over anger. A proper balance among intelligence and anger would grant one the aggression that can kill with precision, crush cartilage from afar, or as Palpatine claimed, murder opponents from a great distance.
Palpatine also recorded the origin of his most powerful ability, Force storms, in a section titled On The Origin Of Force Storms. However, he confessed in the Book that even he was not able to completely control such a destructive phenomenon once he had triggered its onset.
The original copy of the Book emanated a strong Dark Side energy, and gave a powerful Force control for the owner.
By the time of the Fel Empire, information of The Book of Anger was employed in the creation of synthetic crystals for the lightsabers employed by the Imperial Knights.
- Dark Empire endnotes
- Dark Empire Sourcebook
- The Dark Side Sourcebook
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
- Legacy Era Campaign Guide
- Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: Updated and Expanded