The book Lords of the Sith is the BEST Star Wars book I have ever read. (Okay it is the first Star Wars book I have ever read, but it makes me wonder why haven’t I read more before.)
I can thank the folks over at TheMarySue.com for pointing this book, and a bunch of other cool stuff, out to me. So hey, Thanks!
Normally, I hate books that bounce between characters every other chapter, but in this one I didn’t mind it so much. Except for that one time when I had to actually back up and re-read some things because I got lost.
This has a compelling story, that I believe is set between the Clone Wars and the new Rebels series (which I recently watched and got so hooked on — I didn’t want to get wrapped up in it. I really didn’t, but I digress).
Even though from the beginning we know the rebels (or in this case the Ryloth freedom fighters as there is no rebellion as of yet) are going to fail. Their goal in the book is to hunt down and kill Darth Vader and the Emperor (yeah, we all know who actually does do that and it isn’t a bunch of Twi’leks. But boy was I really starting to root for them and hope they could actually pull it off.
Like I said you wind up having to keep several stories straight, Vader & the Emperor, Cham and his Twi’lek rebels, Moff Mors (the Imperial in charge of Ryloth and the first LGBQT character in the Star Wars cannon) and Belkor (The Imperial traitor). So you can see why I got lost for a bit. Even with these challenges I found this book to be well worth the read.
So got pick up your copy of Star Wars Lords of the Sith by Paul S Kemp.
From the publishers (Del-Rey)
“It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.”
Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now.
On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done.
For Syndulla and Isval, it’s the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet’s surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries.