Drew Karpyshyn

3.5

This is my first audio book since listening to Danny, Champion of The World when I was like 6.

I like Star Wars, and I've always wanted to believe that there was some quality EU (expanded universe) fiction out there that would be worth my while. The first book in the Darth Bane trilogy isn't exactly what I'd call "quality", but I certainly enjoyed it much more than I expected to.
There's clunky prose, cringe worthy dialogue and some annoyingly underdeveloped characters, but I still found it to be a lot of fun.
If I had read this rather than listened to it then I possibly wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. What I listened to was an unabridged version that was also bordering on being a dramatisation. Despite the narrator having some extremely annoying quirks, the whole experience is definitely increased tenfold by the addition of classic Star Wars sound effects and the music of John Williams. Light saber duels in particular were a lot of fun. I normally dislike action in books since the writing is never really able to keep up with the pace of what is meant to be going on. Having the sound of 2 people clashing lightsabers, however, while the highlights of the battle are narrated to you is sometimes pretty awesome!

Although the majority of the story was fairly predictable, I did actually find myself caught up in some of the character relationships and I was happy to see that every qualm I had with the inner workings of the Sith, the main character also shared.
It's also quite fun (as well as confusing) to be rooting for the dark side, as well as learning more about the history of the sith.

All in all, I found it a drag to begin with, but quickly became sucked in. It's a fun ride on audio book, but I can't imagine I would have liked it as much if I'd read the book on its own. The ending was also a bit weak... (Thought Bomb? Come on...)… (mais)

There’s no canon like the old canon, I’ve decided. After having read a dozen or so books in the growing new canon Star Wars collective, I have sadly deduced that they aren’t that great. Most of them are mediocre at best, with only a few standing out as somewhat decent. I am, of course, not giving up on them, but I’ve decided that I just need a little break from the new canon. There are so many old canon novels on my bookshelves that I haven’t read yet, so I figured now’s the time.

I’ve wanted to read Drew Karpyshyn’s trilogy featuring Darth Bane for a long time, but the one thing stopping me was the fact that I didn’t really like Karpyshyn’s only other contribution to the SWEU, “Revan”, a novel set in the Old Republic. Apparently, that novel (and, I think, a video game character based on it) has gained cult status among SWEU fanatics. I don’t play video games, so it didn’t interest me much. I thought the novel was Meh and read like a video game, i.e. boring.

Maybe the fact that my expectations were low going into “Path of Destruction” was what helped, but I actually really enjoyed the novel. It is fast-paced, action-packed, and the characters are well-developed. Things that tend to be missing from some of the new canon novels I have read.

The evolution of the anti-hero Bane is a fascinating one. Raised on a rough mining planet, abused by a heartless drunk of a father and shown little to no compassion or affection, Bane’s path toward becoming a Sith is somewhat inevitable. When he finds himself on the run for the murder of a Republic officer, Bane escapes off-planet and becomes a part of an army called the Brotherhood of Darkness, led by Sith Masters in the continuous war against the Republic and the Jedi Knights protecting it. (This novel is set during the Old Republic.)

A Force-sensitive, Bane is hand-picked by a Sith Master to attend an academy for young Sith. It is there that he learns to hone his Force abilities. Very quickly, he starts to overcome even his Masters. Against the wishes of his masters, Bane sneaks into the ancient library and studies the forbidden Sith scrolls. It is there that he learns of the accounts of Revan, one of the most powerful Sith Lords in history. He vows to become the most powerful Sith Lord ever. To do so will involve mass murder on a phenomenal scale.

It’s weird to enjoy a novel about a truly evil character, but the story of Bane is nevertheless gripping. One almost roots for Bane to succeed, partly because there are few other likable characters anyway. Even the few Jedi in the novel are douche-bags.

In the SWEU old canon timeline, this trilogy is a must-read, if only because it explains why, a hundred years later during the era of Skywalker, there are only two Sith Lords that can ever exist at any given time, by design.… (mais)