ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Book Review: Star Wars Darth Bane: Path Of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn

Updated on March 28, 2020
Overlordsays profile image

LJ Milan is a fan of science fiction since his elementary school. And he loves sharing gems he finds along the way.

Artist John Jude Palencar
Artist John Jude Palencar | Source

Synopsis

This novel brings us the story set a thousand years before the fall of the Republic. In that there were as many Sith's as there were Jedi's. And they were in constant war with each other. Until one Sith Lord created the Brotherhood of Darkness. In hopes of finally defeating the Jedi Knights and the Republic.

The story introduces us to a man named Dessel. Who works at Apatros Mines, hoping to finally pay off his fathers and his debts. When he kills the soldier of the Republic after a card game, he's forced to flee. His only option is the army of Brotherhood of Darkness.

He quickly rises through the ranks. But after one insubordination he's arrested and brought to the Sith Lord. Sensing that the Dark Side is strong with him. Sith Lord sends him to Sith Academy on Korriban.

My Review

Before we begin I have to tell you that this novel was published almost 14 years ago. In that time it was considered canon. But since Disney acquired the franchise it fall to Legends category. This novel is the first one in the trilogy of Darth Bane.

In this novel Drew Karpyshyn brings us the story we yearned for. It is the story about a villain of epic proportions. Darth Bane is one of the defining members of the Siths.

"All soldiers felt the same thing going into the battle, whether they admit it or not, fear. Fear of failure, fear of dying, fear of watching their friends die, fear of being wounded and living out the rest of their days crippled or maimed. The fear was always there, and it would devour you if you let it."

— Path of Destruction

This book is of slower pace. The author leads us into the story slowly. He reveals us the Sith world layer by layer. And that was the correct decision. If it was faster, we would have lost all those important information that are necessary for this universe. Because the author masterfully builds on the world created by George Lucas.

In this book we follow the main character through his harshest years. From his humble beginnings as a miner. Where he's basically a slave. Without hope of better existence or a brighter future. To his grueling education and training on Korriban.


The power of the dark side. The heat of passion and emotion. I can feel it in you, as well. Burning beneath the surface. Burning like your anger. It makes you strong

— Path of Destruction


This first novel is an excellent foundation for the entire trilogy. The author describes and exemplifies the world of the Sith in a virtuous way. His depiction of the Sith Lords is something fans of Star Wars have been waiting for years.

He shows us all the inner workings and petty bickering of the Sith. Nothing is left to our imagination. The author did a great job painting us the picture of universe we weren't privy to before.

Equality is a myth to protect the weak. Some of us are strong in the Force, others are not. Only a fool believes otherwise.

— Path of Destruction

I love how deeply philosophical this book actually is. It introduces us to the core philosophy of the Siths. And, let me tell you, Drew Karpyshyn knocked it out of the park in delivering that philosophy to us. And what's best, he did it in a way it's easy to understand.

In this novel we see how Bane came to embody that philosophy. More and more he yearns to unlocking every aspect of it. He s thirsty for all that knowledge. Ironically, that's what fueled his disgust for Brotherhood of Darkness.

The dark side is emotion, Bane. Anger, hate, love, lust. These are what make us strong, Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Your passion is still there, Bane. Seek it out. Reclaim it.

— Path of Destruction

It's important to understand that Bane doesn't see himself as evil. Rather than that, he sees the universe as evil. Throughout a book he is honest with his feelings. Whatever they may be. And finally he stays true to them and himself.

Honor is a fool's prize. Glory is of no use to the dead.

— Path to Destruction

Bane in itself is a man created by a cruel world/universe. It's not a defense, but rather a statement. He was born in a cruel and harsh universe. All he had left is to seek power. So, he can finally know peace.

After all the knowledge he accumulated, Bane has come to the only one possible solution. He doesn't even stops to think is he right? He is that sure of his conviction. At the end his will to destroy the Brotherhood of Darkness is on par with some of the Jedi's.

Any Master who instructs more than one apprentice in the ways of the dark side is a fool.

— Path of Destruction


This book is fantastic piece of art. But t is also a social commentary on a our world itself. That's what should be the main point of any good science fiction. Be that a book, movie or tv show.

If you are a fan of Star Wars or space operas, this book is a must read. But I recommend this novel to everyone, not just the fans. I think everyone will find something that will appeal him in this book. Rare are the books that can achieve that. This one does that in a glorious way.

5 stars for Darth Bane Path of Destruction

© 2020 LJ Milan

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)