Dynasty of Evil

Karpyshyn (the writer on the excellent videogames Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect) has an excellent grasp on the viewpoint of the followers of the dark side of the Force, and can make even Sith Lords into sympathetic characters. In the conclusion of the Darth Bane trilogy, the Dark Lord of the Sith, having taken the trouble to eliminate all other Sith and establish the Rule of Two— that there is, at a given time, only one Sith master and one apprentice who will surpass and destroy him— is dubious as to whether his apprentice Darth Zannah is going to be able to be a proper successor to him, and seeks out dark rituals of immortality so the mantle of Sith succession will not fall on unworthy shoulders.

In show more addition to bringing in some of Darth Bane’s ties established in the earlier books, he also provides a Dark Jedi and a wild-talent dark side assassin for contrast to the more formal philosophy of the Sith. I strongly recommend this trilogy for anyone who needs to create competent, believable villains for their stories and games: none of the characters are mad, cackling evil-for-evil’s-sake; they are all heroes in their own minds. show less

Star Wars: Darth Bane #3: Dynasty of Evil, by Drew Karpyshyn

"Dynasty of Evil" is, in my opinion, the best book in the Darth Bane series. This book picks up the story of Bane and his apprentice, Zannah, about a decade after the previous book. Bane is highly disappointed in Zannah because she has not yet followed his Rule of Two by challenging and beating him for the role of Sith Master. He believes that she is biding her time until he weakens from age, and this goes against his beliefs - if Zannah ousts him from his position by waiting, she will not be strong enough to continue the Sith order. And then everything Bane has worked for will fall.

But what is Bane to do? He is aging faster than normal due to his use of the Dark Side and his show more ordeal with orbalisk armor, and doesn't have the time left in his life to train another apprentice. Then, in an ancient scroll, he finds mention of Darth Andeddu, a Sith who discovered a way to extend his life indefinitely. This is Bane's answer - if he can find Andeddu's Holocron, his Sith Order will survive.

However, Bane can't set off to find the Holocron without sending Zannah away as well, to divert her attention from him. Although Zannah hasn't yet challenged him, Bane isn't sure who would survive in a fight between the two; he can't risk dying before finding the secret of immortality. So he sends his apprentice to Doan, an insignificant mining planet, and also the site of a Jedi's murder. On Doan Zannah finds the trail of a Dark Jedi, one who she believes could have the potential to be her own apprentice.

It's best to read the other two Darth Bane novels before "Dynasty of Evil," as Karpyshyn brings back characters from the first novel, "Path of Destruction," and winds them into a twisting plot. His writing is the best it's been yet, with the exception of a few passages that needed better proofreading. At first I couldn't believe the coincidences of so many characters meeting again, but as the novel went on, I understood how it all worked in a bigger context, and I wasn't in disbelief anymore.

I rushed through this book, eager to see how everything would end, and continued until I finished it (even though I had a pretty bad headache). "Dynasty of Evil" kept my attention from beginning to end, and as I said in the beginning, I think this is the best Darth Bane book. Karpyshyn keeps the plot just unpredictable enough that you're unsure who will be victorious, and the ending is a surprise.

5/5. show less

4.5 stars

Like a Sith Lord, I foresaw the most probable ending to this book at the start and still loved it.

This is the last of the trilogy, and well, all the books are pretty good. This one focuses on Darth Bane as he searches for holocron with instructions to have eternal life while doubting if Zannah, his apprentice, would ever challenge him. Zannah goes in search of an apprentice before challenging Darth Bane. In the meantime, Princess Serra is hell-bent on revenge when she finds out Darth Bane killed her father. (luckily, we don't get a surprise twist in finding out Darth Bane is really her father).

Thoroughly entertaining.

It's been twenty years since Darth Bane slaughtered every other Sith in the galaxy and took young Zannah under his wings to train her to be his successor one day – if she proves worthy. For the longest time, he was more than certain about her ability to become Sith Lord one day but after twenty years as her Master, he is becoming quite uncertain. She seems to be quite content with her role as the student and appears to have no plans to challenge him soon. Worried about the faith of the Sith and starting to run out of time if he's to take on a new apprentice, he decides to track down knowledge on how to make himself immortal.

But unknown to her Master, Zannah is planning her confrontation – and chooses an apprentice for herself. He's show more hot-blooded and too proud but she senses enough potential for her to take him under her wings. However, her plans are stumped not only by Bane's new quest; but by the daughter of one of his victims more than ten years ago finds out about her father's brutal end and vows to find her father's killer and revenge his death.

It isn't the best book of the trilogy but definitely not the worst. I truly enjoyed the storyline in this one; all the action was chaotic but exciting in a way the middle book never quite managed to capture. Darth Bane is such an interesting character, so I definitely enjoyed the fact that his storyline was a big chunk of the book even though Zannah is given much more space in this novel than the first two.

Reading Karpyshyn's books is always a blessing as he loves to babble on about lightsabers and different fighting techniques which is right up my alley. In a way, that made me sad to know the trilogy was coming to an end; I haven't played The Knights of the Old Republic and his only other Star Wars books are based on a future after that particular game.

More than anything, I will miss Karpyshyn's contribution to the Star Wars universe with his fantastic writing that manages to keep me spellbound even though I'm actually quite terrible with science – a subject that definitely comes up more in the books than in the actual films. It's been a good ride. Thanks. show less

This was a really good ending to the trilogy, though it did leave some small openings (one has to wonder if another follow-up work or two is in the pipeline). Overall, it was a good tale of the event that was bound to happen" Bane and Zannah's confrontation to carry on the Sith legacy. I think my favorite character on this one was The Huntress. Least favorite? The dark jedi. About 3/4 into it before the final stretch the narrative did slow down a bit, but the overall tale was good enough to give it the five stars. It was interesting to read Bane worried his apprentice has not challenged him after all this time (it has been 20 years or so they have been together by now) while it seems Zannah may be content to remain second, or she is show more really bidding her time. Overall, this was a very good trilogy in the Star Wars series. The kind of work that they could make into movies and likely have better stuff than the pap Lucas put out with the "new" trilogy. Also, if you like reading about the Sith and their philosophy, this series has to be read.

I also find that I enjoy these kind of novels set way back in the Star Wars universe because you can get new stories. The "more recent" stuff, close to the films, you just know how things have to turn out. As a disclosure note, I have not read much of the stuff set after the films (other than the Thrawn trilogy, which I did enjoy). But overall, liking this Old Republic stuff, especially the way old like this series. show less

Probably the weakest novel of the Bane trilogy and the least interesting, but still gives a great conclusion to the series. The book delves deeper into Bane’s obsession with gaining power and his quest to complete his own holocron. You also continue to follow Zannah in her progress as an apprentice and her skills as a Sith Witch. The story becomes a bit slow around the middle of the novel but leads to eventual payoff at the end. The final battle of this installment wraps up at building tension and overall relationship between Bane and Zannah. It also ends on a note worthy of the Bane series, which is the continuation of the Rule of Two and the Sith Dynasty that continues for a millennium.

The conclusion of the Bane trilogy begins with a parting. After years of Rain not challenging Bane, his trust in her dedication to Sith ideals falters, and he ventures back to the inner core in search of a Sith holocron whose maker is said to have uncovered the secret to eternal life. Rain meanwhile continues to deliberate over Bane’s actions-- is his tremor real, or designed to make her attack him too soon? Is he signaling that it is time for her to claim mastery of the Sith, or is this another test of her patience? Finally deciding that the next time they meet, they will fight for supremacy of the Sith, she begins a quest to find a future apprentice-- something she has been unable to find despite searches in the past. As both Sith show more move slowly towards a final confrontation, their pasts return to haunt them in the form of a princess searching for vengeance and a bodyguard who served with Des in the Gloom Walkers. show less