[ Star Wars Books ]
Page updated: 1st June 2008

Search[][][]

[Home]
[Release Schedule]
[Timeline]
[The Old Republic]
[Rise of the Empire]
[The Clone Wars]
[The Rebellion]
[The New Republic]
[The New Jedi Order]
[The Legacy of the Force]
[Infinities]
[Reference Books]
[Book Reviews]
[Articles and Features]
[Shop4...]
[Updates]
[Contact]
[Links]
[Affiliates]
[Help]
 
[The Old Republic]
Events that occur between 5,000 to 1,000 years before the Battle of Yavin.

[ cover image ]

Available from:

[amazon.com]

[amazon.co.uk]

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
PAPERBACK NOVEL (2006)
Drew Karpyshyn
Del Rey
Also published as Hardback Novel
Synopsis:
The Sith were in shambles. In-fighting among their ranks allowed the Jedi to thwart their dark plans. One last battle to end an era resulted in the extinction of the Sith. Or so it was believed. One Dark Lord survived. From the ashes emerged Darth Bane, the lone Sith who was able to foresee the inevitable doom of the misguided order, and learn from this costly lesson. He forged a new order of secretive Sith, plotting from the shadows, carefully rebuilding power a generation at a time for centuries until the revenge of the Sith could finally be achieved.
Who was this Dark Lord? What events forged the man who would split from the Sith ranks and entirely redefine the order?
Chronology:
This story occurs approximately 1000 years before the Battle of Yavin.
Related Stories (in chronological order):

Story Reviews:
Review by Mark, UK, 2006:
"To me it seemed that the authors only exposure to Star Wars beyond the films was the game Knights of the Old Republic. The worst example of this is Bane learning Vaapad, even though it wasn't created by Mace Windu until centuries later [see Shatterpoint]. The character of Revan is also very different to the one which we learn about in Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. Is this really the sort of writer that we want writing our novels? Star Wars has taken on a life of it's own with a vast and detailed history. Ignoring this is not the way forward and will lead to further conflicting storylines.
"Don't get me wrong- the story was good and seeing the Sith side of things is a welcome change, but glaring faults like this affect the enjoyment of the reader. Hopefully any future novels by Mr Karpshyn will be a little more informed."
Rating:
2 / 5
Review by S-Ash, UK, 2006:
"When a Star Wars novel's most frequently recurring word is 'corpses' it quickly becomes apparent that you're not dealing with the cozy continuing adventures of the family Skywalker here. Instead, Path of Destruction treads a much darker path, taking place in an Old Republic ruled by the Sith, in an atmosphere of almost unrelenting gloom. Our 'hero' is Dessel, a young labourer stuck on a desolate mining colony with his abusive father. Des dreams of another life, but is too poor to follow his dreams until a card game gets out of control and he finds a way out...
"That's only the beginning for Des, though. His story works almost as an exact inversion of Luke Skywalker's character arc. From his humble beginnings on a desert planet, stuck with a family he hates, a simple twist of fate takes Des across the universe, encountering a variety of bizarre characters, and throughout it's hard not to picture Mark Hamill on every page.
"That's not a criticism - the real strength of Path of Destruction is seeing Luke's story played out along a similar but more insidious path. There's a real darkness here, with passages such as, 'He relished their suffering and despair; even now he could sense it rising up like a stench from the broken corpses scattered about the valley', frequently appearing.
"Reading half like a William Gibson novel - the anti-hero lead is classic Gibson - and Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, this is as actively cool as Star Wars gets. making you long for a Sith film."
Rating:
4 / 5
Review by Mark, UK, 2007:
"My first Star Wars book, I thought I'd start from the beginning. It was awesome, can't wait for the next one."
Rating:
5 / 5
Review by Pee-W, UK, 2008:
"Path of Destruction charts the evolution of an antihero almost as chilling as Darth Vader. A thousand years before the Republic's collapse and Emperor Palpatine's rise to power, Des, the young Force-gifted son of an abusive miner, wins big in a high stakes game with some Republic soldiers, but kills a sore loser. To avoid imprisonment, Des joins the Sith's Brotherhood of Darkness that's battling the Jedi's Army of Light. Des becomes Lord Bane after his abilities earn him a place at the Sith Academy on the planet Korriban. Determined to excel, Bane secretly trains with the devious Githany, former Jedi turned Sith, but after she betrays him, he decides to fly solo and delve deeper into the Sith past.
"The intensity lets up on occasion, but on the whole the author delivers a solid space adventure sure to satisfy the faithful."
Rating:
4 / 5
Do you agree or disagree with these reviews? Do you think that they have missed the point? Then why not review this story yourself? Click here.
[ www.swbooks.co.uk ]

Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact | Print this page