Karpyshyn's meditations on the nature of the force and the conflicting ideologies of the Jedi and Sith continue in another edge of the seat Darth Bane novel: 'Rule of Two.'

His body infected by parasitic force augmenting arachnids, Bane continues training Darth Zannah in the ways of the force. Meanwhile, the Jedi are bombarded with an onslaught of intelligence from various corners of the galaxy that the Sith have survived. The high council dismisses this information as being fanciful paranoid claims even though veteran warrior and maverick Jedi Knight Johun Othone, Bane's nemesis, argues otherwise.

In compliance with his radical doctrine of there ever being two Sith, Bane continues his hunt for ancient Sith archives in order to solidify his legacy. He deputes Zannah to unearth any archival material on how he can rid himself of the suffocating arachnids latched thereon.

While the Sith duo involve themselves in pursuing their aims, Othone comes across Zannah's cousin and failed Jedi Darovit who confirms his worst fears, the Sith are still alive. Zannah, in the meantime, has infiltrated the Jedi temple to acquire a cure for Bane's parasitic woes and also chances upon Darovit with whom she suddenly escapes.

Darovit's escape after his testimony to the Jedi that their feared nemesis is alive convinces the Jedi High Council to dispatch two strike forces to finish off Bane. In the first round Bane and Zannah slay all their opponents including Othone. In the process however Bane's Sith lightning is suddenly redirected against him literally roasting him. This also has the added advantage of weakening the parasitic armor plaguing him which falls off after inserting subatomic toxins in his bloodstream.

Landing at the legendary healer Caleb's door, Zannah spins a tale of betrayal and deceit to have Bane healed while she prepares to confront the second Jedi strike force. At the end, this Jedi strike team happens upon a heavily mutilated corpse and suddenly chance upon an enraged lightsaber wielder who they cut down after considerable effort. They report back to the council that it seems that the Sith Lord had healed himself, slaughtered his apprentice in a fit of rage and then succumbed to whatever madness was afflicting him.

Bane and Zannah, meanwhile, shelter underneath the Jedis' very feet and watch them depart. They hurry past Caleb's remains and Darovit's corpse lacerated with multiple lightsaber wounds. The duo escape with Bane confessing that Zannah will indeed be the end of him.

With such a bloodcurdling tale, what more could one want from Karpyshyn? The twist at the end is worth reading the entire book. May the Dark side of the Force be with you! ( )

Like a light saber battle, the action is lightning fast This book focuses mostly on Darth Bane who goes Indiana Jones in search lost Sith knowledge from Sith Holocrons. Zannah, his new Sith apprentice, struggles with her past and conscience to become a worthy Sith apprentice. I struggled with the third storyline with Johun, the Jedi who still believed some Sith survived. It was weakest part of the story.

I really enjoyed this book and learning about the Sith. I really could have seen this book delving deeper into the Sith philosophy, Darth Bane's haunting by the past Sith masters, or maybe more about this Supreme Chancellor.

The light saber battles, especially the one with five Jedi masters against 2 Sith, invigorating. Much better than the pathetic battle of Palpatine and Mace Windu.

I look forward to seeing the final book of the trilogy.





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I have read a few of the Star Wars expanded fiction stuff. To be honest I am a big fan of Karyshyn's stuff. He has worked on Halo books as well as on the expanded universe for Mass Effect as well. This I a good intro into why there are only two sith, ever. Yet there is no reason to read it unless you are a fan of the Old Republic before the movies take place. ( )

7 stars: Good

From the back cover: As the last surviving Sith, Darth Bane promulgated a harsh new directive: The Rule of Two. Determined to put this policy into action, , Darth Bane thinks he has found the perfect apprentice. Zannah, though young, possesses an instinctive link to the dark side that rivals his own. Under Darth Bane's tutelage, she will become essential in his quest to destroy the Jedi and dominate the galaxy. But there is one who is determined to stop Darth Bane: Johun Othone, Padawan to Master Lord Hoth, who died at Bane's hands in the Sith War. Though the rest of the Jedi scoff at him, Johun's belief that there are surviving Sith is unshakable. But not even Johun could forsee the astonishing new knowledge and power that Darth Bane discovers through Force - induced visions - power that will alter him in ways he could never have imagined.

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I read this book about 6 months ago, and except for the highest level plot elements, I've found it reasonably forgettable. Bane encounters Zannah as a naive 10 year old, whose family he had just destroyed. She is drawn to his power, and wants that same power for herself. Bane also gets attacked by the hard shelled creatures that bind to him and make him impervious, but ultimately will grow around him until he is fully covered. They go back and kill various people on the planet. Its ok. An important part of the canon, but in the end...not memorable to me.

A few quotes I liked:

"You will forever look back on this day as one of great joy, but also one of great sorrow." Farfalla told him, offering one final piece of advice. "It will help you to remember that, in life, the two are often closely linked."

"The Jedi do not need symbols to inspire them." "Farfalla reminded him.
"But the rest of the Republic does." Johun countered. "Symbols give power to ideas. they speak to the hearts and minds of the average person, they help transform abstract values and beliefs into reality." ( )

If you liked Path of Destruction, you will like this one. It continues right where the previous book left off. The strong suit of the series is on the character development and on seeing how the Sith come to be One Master/One Apprentice. Actually, if one looks closely at what Bane is doing, he really is planting the seeds for the eventual fall of the Jedi we see in the Clone Wars films, which in terms of timelines, happens about a 1000 years later or so. Patience is one of the Sith's weapons. Also interesting is the relationship between and Zannah, Bane's apprentice. They argue; they get angry at each other; they are playing against each other even as they depend on each other. In the end, readers can see that Bane chose his apprentice well, but I won't give the ending away here. Meanwhile, the Jedi come to believe that indeed the Sith are gone, showing the high costs of complacency.

As I have stated before in other reviews, I am not what people would call a "hardcore" Star Wars fan. I do enjoy the films (Classic more than new), and some of the fiction, but I don't lose sleep over very minor detail. So I do have a bit of a hard time with people who have been very negative on this series: either they are getting their Star Wars underoos in a bunch, or they just take themselves too seriously as if reading a little fluff (I have no problem calling this fluff; it is fun reading) would somehow soil their aspirations. Overall, the book was good entertainment. And it lays the ground quite well for what comes later in the Star Wars universe; for that alone, it is worth reading. But it is a pretty good tale too. I am definitely looking for the next one. ( )