Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) Mass Market Paperback – June 26, 2007

Great Read. Love this story about the Sith Lord Darth Bane. Im actually reading the second part right now. Im enjoying these Star Wars stories. I am a big Star Wars fan. May the Force be with you !!!

This book explains how Darth Bane becomes Darth Bane. It opens your mind to the Sith & how you should always learn from the past.

I've only read 6 of the expanded universe novels, the Thrawn trilogy and now the Darth Bane trilogy. I started with the Thrawn series as it seemed to come the most highly recommended of all the star wars novels. I read the trilogy, and was sorely disappointed. The story was grand and epic, and the entire universe is at stake again, but the characters were boring and flat. The characters from the movies like Luke, Han, Lei, etc, were just shadows of the movies, with no new character development, often repeating their iconic lines from the movies with sort of a wink and a nod to the reader. A lot of the plot devices from the Thrawn trilogy were cheap and lazy. The only remotely interesting character was Mara Jade, and she was poorly executed most of the time. I thought to myself, if this is the best the best of the star wars books, then we are in trouble.I searched out a different story, hoping it would redeem the poor effort of the Thrawn series, and I decided to give the first novel of the Darth Bane series a shot. I always though the dark side of the force was lacking in depth from the movies, and I wanted to see if anyone was capable of giving that angle new life. I'm very pleased to report that the Darth Bane trilogy is far more compelling, and is overall a really great story. In contrast to the Thrawn trilogy, the physical scope of the novel is far more narrow. The galaxy is not in any immediate danger after the conclusion of the first novel, and there are no clone armies threatening to destroy the republic and there is no death star blowing up planets. This trilogy is all about the small first steps the Sith will take to the eventual galactic domination that culminates in episode III, and thus the action is far more focused and localized to discrete areas of the Star Wars galaxy. Bravo to the author for not falling into the trap of bigger is better.I won't launch into an exhaustive review, but suffice to say, the main characters are very dynamic and interesting. Bane is obviously the main focus of the novels, and getting to see the transformation that he undergoes really gives you a better sense of what Yoda and the crew were fighting against. From the movies, you sometimes get the sense the dark side of the force is just lightning bolts and intimidating names. This series really delves into the philosophy of the Sith, and how it is so different from the Jedi, and gives you a better idea of what powers the dark side offers, besides silly lightning bolts. The story moves at a great pace, and the story itself falls into place without the need to rely on the cheap plot devices that I detested in the Thrawn trilogy. This is a far more subtle and nuanced trilogy.I'm giving the trilogy a 5 because the characters are very compelling and the story feels like a cornerstone to the whole Star Wars universe. It's not perfect, of course, but it's a very strong trilogy that is definitely worth a read.

Although not considered canon, the start of this trilogy is worth everyone's attention if you are a Star Wars fan. Set 1000 years before Episode 1 of the movies, the age old battle between the Dark side and that of the Light still rages. Lord Kaan, a Sith Lord, has united the other Sith into what he has coined the Brotherhood of Darkness where all Dark Lords are considered equals, the term "Darth" has been removed from the language, and united they stand as a front against the Jedi. Into this plot, Dessel a giant of a man works in the mines on a desolate planet, Apatros, to mine for cortosis. He was raised by an abusive father that died of a heart attack and left his debt to Dessel and little else. Consistently beleaguered by a hard life and harder coworkers, Dess seems trapped on this planet but has every intention to pay off his debt and leave. Strong in the Force, though unknowing of such, an opportunity arrives in the form of violence to escape the planet and join the Empire against the Republic and he does so, willingly, forever taking the name of Bane.And thus Bane's story begins. Tenacious, manipulative, strong, and talented, Bane trains under the Dark Lords for a time, but when he stumbles in using the Force he must fight off his own inner demons to fully give himself over to the passions, the emotions, and the inclinations the Dark Side demands. Struggling against his fellow students, he delves into other walks of life that teach about the way of the Force, and continues to become an unstoppable tidal wave. Rife with action, internal and external struggle, the novel is made for a quick read.Although many of the events are highly predictable in the way Bane's origins are developed, Karpyshyn does throw a few curve balls at us that keeps us on our toes, and more than once I was surprised by a choice of action he let Bane enact. Well written and concise, I was never distracted by the unfolding of the story by a poorly written set of words, and for that I am super thankful. I also took great pleasure in seeing how the author molded a sort of grayness into the way the Jedi and Sith raged against each other, both seemingly unknowing about what in the world they were sacrificing all their time, lives, and energy for. Bane, however, once he gets his footing has a singular purpose and tenaciously moves himself towards that purpose without fail.Even though the trilogy isn't considered canon at this point, it is too good of a story to ignore for a Star Wars junkie and ought to be considered for some pretty awesome reading.