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Star Wars: Darth Bane Rule of Two Book Review

Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two, was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Drew Karpyshyn. This novel is the tenth event on the Legends novel timeline. This tale takes place during the Old Republic Era, it also counts as book two, in the Darth Bane trilogy. It takes place 990 years before A New Hope.

SUMMARY

Darth Bane has completed his task in destroying the Brotherhood of Darkness. The Sith army is done, and the quest to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy has begun. Darth Bane has acquired his apprentice after successfully wiping out the Sith. The Sith Order has been reformed to its origins, with Bane’s apprentice, the rule of two has been reinstated. One with the power, another to crave it.

Bane discovers a book with the tomb location of an ancient Sith, Freedon Nadd, and will seek it out with the hope of finding a holocron. The holocron is a device that captures the essence of its creator, used to pass on knowledge. Bane will go alone, leaving behind his apprentice. In this quest, Bane becomes the host of a strange parasite called an Orbalisk that feeds on the dark side, but produces an enzyme that produces strength and increases the flow of the dark side. These hard shelled parasites cannot be removed. However, their exoskeleton is an incredible armor.

Zannah is left on Ruusan by herself as Bane begins his research. She must find a way to meet up with him on another world. This serves as her first test by Bane. As time jumps forward, Zannah is still learning the ways of the Sith, while a link from her past tempts her to turn from the dark side. The time for her to seek out her on apprentice is near. Through her own adventures, she has infiltrated a rebellious cell against the Republic. It is through this group she discovers a force sensitive who she may find useful.

The rebel cell attacks a government official who is guarded by the Jedi named Johun. Johun eventually discovers that the Sith are actually still in the galaxy. He will gather other Jedi to meet Bane and Zannah in a clash of lightsabers.

CHARACTERS

This book has a handful of great characters once again. In my review of Path of Destruction, I did not mention Bane in this section. In this review, I’ll talk about Bane, Zannah, Johun, and Darovit.

Bane: He has become so powerful, yet still craves more and more dark side energy. As the Master, he works tirelessly, nonstop at gaining more understanding of the Sith. With this knowledge, he will pass on all he learns to his apprentice, so that the order will remain true to its origins.

Zannah: Her power in sorcery is incredible. She can twist her opponents mind, turning their fears against them, driving them mad. She’s on the prowl for an apprentice, it has been quite a challenge to find the right candidate. She’s loyal to her master, absorbing as much knowledge and skill she can before she will eventually dismantle Darth Bane from his position.

Johun: He was the padawan of Jedi Master Hoth. He served with his master in the fight against the Sith, as a Jedi soldier in the Army of Light. Johun can be temperamental at times, causing others to remind him often, to take it easy. He’s brave yet vengeful, and will find his way to be face to face with the Sith.

Darovit: The temptation of Zannah. He’s the link to her past, to her childhood. He’s persistent in his pleading to Zannah, to go back to the light. He constantly refers to her as her former name, Rain. He went by the name of Tomcat in his youth. His failure as a Jedi padawan led to darkness, but he quickly abandoned the Sith and returned to the light. Will his quest to turn Zannah from the dark side be complete? Get this book and read it to find out.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The Rule of Two is an excellent continuation in the Darth Bane trilogy. I’m just as thrilled with this read as I was with Path of Destruction! In this book we’re introduced to a new cast of characters and revisiting some from the previous book.

Bane has some nasty stuff going on with those parasites for sure. The imagery described for the Orbalisk and what they do is disturbing and disgusting. Karpyshyn does an incredible job at tying in new characters to the story and revisiting previous themes or locations. It reminded me of what George Lucas said about the Star Wars films, “it’s like poetry.”

The climax of the book had me on edge, the drama and thrills can cause chaotic reading and rereading. Darth Bane’s views on equality are pretty much real world politically incorrect, I love it. Bane’s quote on equality is so spot on, I had to copy it down in a notebook. That also goes to show that the dialogue in this book, is legit.

 

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Darth Bane – Rule of Two? Yes, it’s a must, it’s book two of a trilogy!

RATING

I give this book an A+. It continues the brilliant tale of how one character changed the destiny of the Sith, and shapes his apprentice.


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