Darth Bane - Path of Destruction

This book really surprised me. I recall reading a very poor review of this book somewhere online. So, I passed it over many times at the library. But, after reading most of the Star Wars books that the Lynn library has available, I had very few other options. Darth Bane starts out with a great 'underdog' type story. I could really relate to alot of the protagonists feelings, emotions, and experiences as he worked grueling shifts in the cortosis mines of Atrapos. Brought up by an alcoholic, abusive father, Des (soon to become Darth Bane) is determined to make a better life for himself. When his father dies, which we find out later in the book is a significant event, Des takes over his debts. With no way to pay the enormous debts back, Des turns to playing Sabaac and Pizak at the local bar. When a pazaak match turns into a fierce standoff between Republic soldiers and local miners, Des unexpectedly finds a quick way off planet. But, he must agree to join the ranks of the Sith and the Brotherhood of Darkness.

This book has a lot of interesting history on the Sith and the Darkside of the Force. The reader learns about Darkside Lightning, Thought bombs, Force Crush, Protective Shields (Force Armor), and several different lightsaber forms. The book is very well researched and promises to have something for any Star Wars fan. I found it fasinating reading a story from the Sith perspective. The lightsaber material in this book is the best I've seen yet. It contains interesting facts about lightsaber dueling techniques, including why some Sith and Jedi find it difficult to face an opponent who wields the double-edge saber. Also mentioned are lightsaber cyrstals, grips, and the energy-blades themselves. It's probably the most in depth writing on the subject from any Star Wars book I've read. I also love the intimate descriptions of offensive Force Powers. There's generous use of the infamous and popular Force Lightning. Bane also uses Force Crush on a couple of occasions which is described in an intellegent and ruthless manner.

One complaint that I have about this book is it's too short. At under 350 pages, it barely has enough time to introduce the characters, locations, and the story before it's all over. At some points the story seems a bit rushed. Mostly in the Valley of the Dark Lords section where Bane travels to try and discover some long lost, hidden power from ancient Lords. But, remarkably, the characters are very well rounded and have tremendous depth. Karpyshyn has a slick, comprehensive writing style that doesn't try to dazzle the reader with overly complicated words or sophisticated grammer. He simply tells the story; and for that I am grateful. I can't count how many times I've stumbled through an authors attempts at being fancy: complex sentences, difficult grammer, foreign words that I need to grab a dictionary to find the meaning. So, it's enlightening that this novel is written in a straighfoward, easy to understand style. That's not saying that it is elementary or simple in any way. It is an intellegent book and moves at a brilliant pace. This was a good break from the NJO novels which I've been reading lately. I love the NJO series, but like I've read in online forums, the series has started to slack off since Star by Star. I liked Destiny's Way. But, the latest book that I'm reading from that series, Remnant, just isn't holding my attention like some of the earlier ones did.

Overall, I have to say Darth Bane: Path of Destruction is an excellent book with a unique view on Force Powers, lightsaber techniques and forms, and with spectacular insight into the Sith and the Darkside of the Force. 4.5/5

-RaySildur