Star Wars: Lords Of The Sith
Star Wars Galaxies……. The Star Wars themed MMO role-playing online game. I spent countless hours on this game with numerous friends for several years. Why did I bring this up? Because Lords of The Sith brought back so many of those memories while reading it. It was a freaking blast! I personally favored the space aspect of the game and this book made me yearn for those old days of being in my personalized Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, also known as the Jedi Starfighter, in deep space doing a little PvP. Such good times! But I digress….
Be prepared to wear a bib for this one folks! This book has a spectacular story line that if you really pay attention, you’ll see just how well it’s going to connect to other avenues (books, TV, and movies). I couldn’t put this book down, I kept it with me when I went to work and read it when I got home every day. It will truly grab you by the shirt, slap you in the face once for good measure to make sure you’re paying attention, then pull you right in for a loving embrace. Yes, I could have been more graphic, but I was told to “tone it down a bit”.
I plan to point out a couple of key individuals throughout my review because I feel that they need to be for various reasons, and because when I had a discussion about this book with another person they failed to see some connections. Once again, as I will state in all of my reviews, I’m not going to give most of the plot details away. You need to pick this one up. So, let’s get started.
The story begins with a detailed description of Darth Vader and the relationship he has with his suit of armor. I’m uncertain if there has been any better portrayals of this marriage between man and machine when it comes to Vader in the past. Very Refreshing! We’re getting so much more detail about so many of our beloved characters in these new books recently that I’m overjoyed at all the badass possibilities we’re going to encounter with the future releases that are going to tie the old movies to the new. Crap! Slow down Goody… back on track!
Most of the story and I mean to say 99% of it takes place on Ryloth or within the Ryloth System. This of course being the home planet of the Twi’leks, you know those dudes and gals with the massive head tails (which some people find fascinating or a bit provocative, i’m of course pleading the 5th here). A group of Twi’lek rebels (not associated with any other faction group off planet) is and has been doing some serious damage throughout the planet and its system over a sustained period and its attacking more and more attention. So much so that the Emperor himself feels the need to explore the issues personally with his apprentice Darth Vader. Now, it should be pointed out here that at this point in the Star Wars timeline, Vader is what the entire universe might call… a bit of a myth. Most people know of him, but they don’t really “know” him. He’s this mysterious huge guy who wears black armor, is feared by 99.9% of all Imperial officers (probably because of all the throat hugs he gives), he’s capable to doing impossible feats, he wears this menacing helmet/mask combo, and let’s be honest… he even sounds creepy. He sounds like a heavy breathing prank caller.
Another brilliant move by the author was to involve the affair between Master and Apprentice. This dynamic is probed in many aspects from beginning to end of this tale. We see it where it involves Vader and the Emperor, between some of the rebel faction personnel, and betwixt other Imperial officers as well. We see how those who obey are rewarded and those who fail are dealt with. For some, it’s an internal struggle more than an external one and you see how it drives the person to perform foolishly. This is such a complex and simple relationship and it’s done perfectly!
We meet early on the leader of the rebel faction, and it’s none other than Cham Syndulla! We first met him in the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was a resistance fighter in a couple of episodes involving Mace Windu, which is really neat. To give him further depth and importance, he just so happens to be the father of Hera Syndulla, who is in the current TV show Star Wars: Rebels over on Disney! See, I told you this book was making connections to other avenues, and this is just one of many you’ll be able to find.
During a heated space battle, the Emperor and Vader and separated from the main Imperial forces and forced to crash-land on Ryloth. During their “sabbatical” on planet the book almost becomes what I would describe as a Marvel Mash-up where two of your favorite powerful villains team up to unleash a serious can of whoop-ass on anyone who dares to cross their path. We see for the very first time just how good Darth Sidious is with a saber and what else he is capable of doing through the force. If you thought you knew how scary good he was before, get ready for a refresher.
We also get a unique look into the mind of Vader to see just how his anger drives him and how he thinks. And of course, his action sequences either with the Emperor or while he’s piloting are expertly written. To read how Vader can come unleashed with that powerful fury is incredible.
And finally, we also get an inside look into the mind of a former Twi’lek slave turned freedom fighter. We’re shown just how deep the scares can get with someone who’s been treated so horrible and of course just how far their willing to go to get that mental freedom back. This part of the story is so dark but done so well. There are a couple new characters written into this story that I found…… interesting. I was going to mention them but I have since decided against it. They deserve their proper introductions by the author.
My Assessment
Get it! Seriously, run now, get to your local book store and buy it. Why are you still reading?! Go get it, lol! I really don’t have any poor or negative comments to give here. I’ve been wracking my brain and rereading sections to find something negative to report to you. The only issue I can come up…. maybe the ending was a tad rushed? Lucasfilm could take this book and make a great movie! It’s packed full with all kinds of great writing! Paul Kemp did a superb job with this one.
As far as tie-ins…. this book has so many. I believe this will be one of the building blocks for future stories.
So, this of course is one man’s opinion. Let me know what you think, lets discuss! CHEERS!!
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