Path of Destruction (Star Wars Legends: Darth Bane #1)

by Drew Karpyshyn

Overview

This essential Star Wars Legends novel is the first in a trilogy chronicling the rise of the fearsome Sith lord Darth Bane.
 
“A solid space adventure [that] charts the evolution of an antihero almost as chilling as Darth Vader.”—Publishers Weekly

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel, a cortosis miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him.

As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. But the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, he must defy the most sacred traditions and reject all he has been taught. It is a trial by fire in which he must surrender fully to the dark side—and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345477378
Publisher:	Random House Worlds
Publication date:	06/26/2007
Series:	Star Wars: Darth Bane Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	286,215
Product dimensions:	4.11(w) x 6.88(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Drew Karpyshyn is the New York Times bestselling author of Children of Fire, The Scorched Earth, and Chaos Unleashed, as well as the Star Wars: The Old Republic novels Revan and Annihilation, and the Star Wars: Darth Bane trilogy: Path of Destruction, Rule of Two, and Dynasty of Evil. He also wrote the acclaimed Mass Effect series of novels and worked as a writer/designer on numerous award-winning videogames. After spending most of his life in Canada, he finally grew tired of the long, cold winters and headed south in search of a climate more conducive to year-round golf. Drew Karpyshyn now lives in Texas with his wife, Jennifer, and their pets.

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Excerpted from "Path of Destruction: Star Wars Legends (Darth Bane)"
by .
Copyright © 2007 Drew Karpyshyn.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

In the latest Star Wars novel, Karpyshyn (Temple Hill) charts the evolution of an antihero almost as chilling as Darth Vader. "A thousand years before the Republic's collapse and Emperor Palpatine's rise to power," Des, the young "Force"-gifted son of an abusive miner, wins big in a high stakes game with some Republic soldiers, but kills a sore loser. To avoid imprisonment, Des joins the Sith's Brotherhood of Darkness that's battling the Jedi's Army of Light. Des becomes Lord Bane after his abilities earn him a place at the Sith Academy on the planet Korriban. Determined to excel, Bane secretly trains with the devious Githany, former Jedi turned Sith, but after she betrays him, he decides to fly solo and delve deeper into the Sith past. The intensity lets up on occasion, but on the whole the author delivers a solid space adventure sure to satisfy the Star Wars faithful. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Long before the rise of Emperor Palpatine's Galactic Empire, the fate of the Republic rested on the outcome of the ongoing conflict between the Jedi Knights and the Brotherhood of the Sith. In an era when users of the Force's Dark Side were almost as numerous as those who adhered only to the Light Side, one Sith lord initiated his rise to power and forever changed the destiny of the Sith Brotherhood. Fantasy/sf author and video game designer Karpyshyn brings the expert knowledge of the Old Republic gained from his work on the video game, Star WarsR: Knights of the Old Republic, to this somber story of one of the greatest villains in the prehistory of the world of Star WarsR. Filling in another historical era in film director George Lucas's most popular world, the first (but presumably not the last) novel set during the Old Republic belongs in most sf and YA collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Adult/High School-Yoda introduced the world to the Rule of Two-"Always two there are-no more-no less. A master and an apprentice"-but it was left to Karpyshyn to refine it, flesh it out, and explain it. He takes Darth Bane from his former life as Dessel, a cortosis miner on Apatros, through a circuitous route to fulfill his destiny as a Sith'ari, the Sith version of the Jedi's chosen one. Taking his father's derogatory term for him proudly as his reborn name, Bane makes the code of the Sith his own. He gravitates to the library and learns as much or more from the scrolls and manuals than from his lessons. He develops the belief that he can find a key to the ancient powers of the Rakata, the first servants of the dark side. When he finds what he is looking for, all of the knowledge of the dark side becomes his. It is there that he develops the Rule of the Two-then all he has to do is bring down all the existing Sith and find the perfect disciple. If he were less, it would be impossible and there would be no story. This is an entertaining read, well written and consistent in its history. Readers new to the "Star Wars" series will like it, and fans won't be disappointed.-Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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