Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 2) by Drew Karpyshyn
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Book Reviews of Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 2)
Book Review: Fantastic Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a Christmas present for my son. I did not read the book.Book Review: Not quite as strong as the first
Summary: 4 Stars
Drew Karpyshyn faced a huge challenge in writing a sequel to the powerful Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1). Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 2) works as a sequel, but doesn't have quite the same emotional power. For one thing, Bane himself is no longer the center of attention. Instead, most of the book follows Zannah, Bane's apprentice. She's a strong character on her own, but we still never really get much backstory to her. I feel like we never find out what makes her tick, aside from a few unguarded moments.
Meanwhile, a young Jedi Johun hears rumors of a Sith and tries to track them down. There's nothing wrong with this subplot. Johun himself seems like a decent character. It just seems much more like the regular Star Wars fare, unlike Path of Destruction, which focused almost exclusively on the Sith. It does answer the question though of why the Jedi seemed to naively believe the Sith were wiped out.
Bane himself faces an interesting dilemma. Karpyshyn found a creative way to give Bane a weakness - and prevent Bane from becoming a stale character - without making him seem weak. Bane is attacked by parasitic crustaceans called orbalisks. While they feed on his Dark Side energy, they also amplify his strength and protect his body. The question then becomes whether the creatures provide more benefit than harm. It's a neat way to backpedal from Path of Destruction, where Bane seemed a bit too omnipotent.
One irreconcilable problem I had with Rule of Two is that dubious science. At one point, Bane simply takes a winged reptile and flies from one moon to another. The bodies, Dxum and Onderon, are described as being mere kilometers away, far two close for any real moons or planetary bodies. In real life, these two would have collided into each other long ago. That seems a bit lazy and I had expected more from Karpyshyn, whose Bane novels are otherwise some of the best in the Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Book Review: Star Wars: Darth Bane #2: Rule of Two
Summary: 4 Stars
Star Wars: Darth Bane #2: Rule of Two, by Drew Karpyshyn
"Rule of Two" continues the story of Darth Bane and his apprentice, Zannah. Mentioned briefly at the end of the previous novel, Bane found Zannah on Ruusan after the detonation of the thought bomb that destroyed all Sith and Jedi left on the planet. Merely a child, Zannah had been recruited by the Jedi to fight in the war, but before she could even land on the planet her shuttle crashed. Zannah was saved by a bouncer, one of the native animal species on Ruusan. Bane came across her minutes after she killed two Jedi with the Force, and he was impressed by the strength of her connection to the Dark Side.
Fast forward a decade. Zannah is now an adult, and Bane's eyes and ears for the outside world. He often sends her on missions such as the one described in "Rule of Two," where she encourages an anti-Republic group to kidnap a prominent political figure. Bane knows that the key tools of the Sith are deception and secrecy, and he has spent the last decade putting plans into place for the day when the Sith can over throw the Republic and the Jedi.
"Rule of Two" is more Zannah's story than Bane's, as it follows her own awakening in the Dark Side. The beginning of the novel focuses on her first task as Bane's apprentice - finding a way off Ruusan - and the rest follows her first attempt to overthrow Bane and then a journey to Coruscant to the home of their enemy - the Jedi Temple.
My chief complaint with this book is that it mainly sets the stage for the next Darth Bane novel, and it doesn't feel like a lot happens. So it is best to read it just before "Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil" to get the full effect. Otherwise, it is another enjoyable Star Wars book, that fills in more history of the Sith and the Old Republic.
4/5.
Book Review: Incredible writing
Summary: 4 Stars
The thing I loved most about this book is Drew K.'s writing. He has an amazing ability to weave a story that makes his books very hard to put down and always leaves you surprised at the end.
The only downside about this book is that it is a bit gruesome and dark in parts. I would let my young son read many Star Wars books, but not this one. I understand that Darth Bane and the Sith are evil, and some may argue that it's necessary to be this graphic when you're portraying evil. So I'm not sure how strong of a criticism I want to make of this. Drew clearly shows how Bane and his apprentice are self serving to the extreme and how this manifests itself into evil acts, but this does make the book very dark sometimes.
It's difficult to read books that center around the bad guy because they can seem hopeless, and that was a problem I had with the first Darth Bane novel. In this one, however, there are heroes to cheer for, and there are good guys that you hope will succeed.
Another thing to note is that I also think that Drew K. does an excellent job of showing how people can slip into evil, even though they did not start as an evil person nor did they try to become evil. This is not to excuse their actions, but it's interesting how well he can explain them. It's similar to how you can see Anakin slipping into evil in Revenge of the Sith. I actually think Drew K. does a better job, but it may be because it's easier to get inside of a character's head in a book than in a movie.
So overall, this is another well written story from Drew K. I would steer younger readers and the squeamish away from it however.
Book Review: Destiny
Summary: 4 Stars
The second book picks up right were the first one does. Bane has succeeded in destroying the brotherhood of darkness and claimed the titled of Sith lord for himself. He's also found his new apprentice, a young girl known as Rain. She's powerful in the force and hasn't yet been corrupted by the teachings of the Jedi. Bane leaves her behind at the begging to let her find her own way to him, trusting that the force would guide him and his new apprentice. After all if she wasn't worthy enough to be his apprentice, then she would die and the force would lead him to another.
Bane goes to the jungle world of Duxan, while Rain struggles to survive . On Duxan Bane discovers an ancient Sith tomb that will forever transform him. This is a great sequel to the first book. Anyone picking this one up really needs to read the first one. And who said the dark side wasn't stronger?