Dynasty of Evil (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 3) Mass Market Paperback – September 28, 2010

Simon Goinard's reimagined cover art of the final entry in the trilogy effectively depicts the harsh, tragic beauty of the ruthless outcast, Darth Bane, & his deceitful Sith apprentice, Darth Zannah.When I first picked up 'Darth Bane : Dynasty of Evil' I confess I had very high expectations for the novel, which were founded almost completely upon the incontrovertible truth that the first two books in the trilogy, 'Path of Destruction' & 'Rule of Two' are so well-written & faithful to the Sith lore & heritage upon which they are grounded. Within Star Wars canon, the character of Darth Bane has such a dramatic impact on Sith ideology & its governing philosophies that it cannot be overemphasized. I think it was of the utmost importance when these books were being written that extra care was taken, to ensure that the tale of Darth Bane was told in a way that would do the character, the Sith, & most importantly the Star Wars mythology, proper justice. 'Darth Bane : Dynasty of Evil' most emphatically demonstrates that Drew Karpyshyn is well-versed in the skills necessary to successfully write compelling science-fiction & this final installment is a great way to bring the saga of Darth Bane to a close. I'll elaborate more thoroughly on why I feel that way, as this review proceeds.Looking at the way 'Dynasty of Evil' is written, I noticed that the author more or less maintained the same pacing & style which was established with the preceding two entries. Karpyshyn has a pretty direct, upfront way of narrating his stories. The characters are fairly straightforward, they're believable, & the dialogue doesn't come off as over-the-top. There's no literary metaphors or hidden plot details concealed in linguistic subtlety that you must pore over the same passage for fifteen minutes before you get what he's trying to explain, which I personally am grateful for. I don't mind writers who hide clever witticisms or plot information in their work, I'm just not very adept at picking up on them when I encounter them.There's a relatively small cast of main characters in this novel, & Karpyshyn has remained fairly consistent to that throughout the Darth Bane trilogy of books. Where he deviates slightly here from his formula is in that in 'Dynasty of Evil' the 3 or 4 new characters that are introduced, have entire chapters written from their perspectives, as opposed to just Bane & Zannah. The Iktotchi mercenary known as the Huntress is new to the plot, as is the Dark Jedi Set Harth. Another two female characters from the first two books in the trilogy also appear in 'Dynasty of Evil', one of them from 'Path of Destruction' the other from 'Rule of Two'. I won't tell you who they are, but I can say that I thought they were both well-depicted & integrated into the plot very effectively by Karpyshyn.I have always been intrigued by the villains in the stories I read, or in the movies I watch for as long as I can remember. I like the idea of different aspects of 'evil' eventually coming into conflict with one another, the mythology of Warcraft serving as a prime example with Illidan & Arthas representing disparate incarnations of humanity's uglier tendencies. The two factions were able to co-exist up to a point before their mutually exclusive interests rendered their subsequent conflict an inevitability. In 'Dynasty of Evil' there's a similar disparity which exists between followers of the Sith when compared to the Dark Jedi. Both of these are absolutely followers of the Dark Side of the Force but a Dark Jedi is a former Jedi who has a substantially different set of ideals & motivations that govern their behavior & conduct when compared to an actual Sith. Generally, a Dark Jedi has a very short-sided & materialistic mentality, they seek personal gain & material wealth at the detriment of any higher purpose or long-term priorities which might affect their social standing or govern their behavior & force them to adhere to a code that compromised their immediate desires for gratification. Set Harth is a prime example of a Dark Jedi. A Sith is a completely different 'beast' so to speak. Bane & his Sith apprentice Zannah care very little, practically nothing, for how they are perceived by the rest of civilization. Worldly possessions & social standing provide no satisfaction to true Sith, if anything, they merely weaken an individual who might otherwise be made stronger by foregoing them. Material wealth merely provides the means to an end, if indeed it is even necessary to acquire it. Social position is pursued only when such power as would be gained upon attaining it furthers the Sith prerogative.Karpyshyn's final installment in his Darth Bane trilogy takes place on a very intriguing group of planets in the Star Wars universe, many of them not appearing often in the mythology, either in the movies or in the literature. There was a particular element to Darth Bane, resulting from his relentless obsession with the acquisition of Sith knowledge above all else in his life, including his physical well-being, that rendered his ability to effectively dissimulate with the rest of society immensely challenging. He was left with no choice but to delegate many of the difficult social deceptions, which Sith excel at under normal circumstances, to his apprentice, Darth Zannah, while Bane was forced to skulk in primitive camps, eking out a meager, sub-human existence on the outskirts of remote, unsettled planets to avoid arousing suspicion. When 'Dynasty of Evil' picks up, the 'handicap' Bane had to endure has ceased to be a concern, which leads to his & Zannah's decision to purchase an opulent estate on the outskirts of Daplona, the capital city of the plentiful world Ciutric IV, orbited by its twin moons. Karpyshyn does a nice job of fleshing this part of the novel out for the reader, I think it accentuates the story well, particularly with regard to the choice of false identities Bane & Zannah adopt while residing on Ciutric IV. The politically-turbulent, industrial mining world of Doan is well-depicted by the author, & serves as a nice contrast to the resplendent tranquility of Citric. Karpyshyn is a veteran writer, adept at crafting effectively all types of settings for his stories. The work he does here is no different.The ancient Sith Lord Darth Andeddu plays a significant role in the narrative of 'Dynasty of Evil'. Born thousands of years before the events of the Bane trilogy, Andeddu was proclaimed 'God-King of Prakith' which Bane travels to throughout the course of this book. When Andeddu fell, knowledge of him was outlawed by the Jedi Order & the planet Prakith's location in the 'Deep Core' was deliberately cut off from known, regularly-used hyperspace routes. Also appearing is the infamous home-world of the Hutt species, Nal Hutta & its crime-infested Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shadaa.I've droned on with this review for quite long enough. I will say that 'Darth Bane : Dynasty of Evil' is most assuredly worth your time to pick up if you haven't already. It's well-written, engaging, & should meet your expectations as a worthy finale to the Darth Bane trilogy. 'Dynasty of Evil' serves as the capstone in the saga of the legendary Sith Lord Darth Bane, the enigmatic warrior who fought his way to a position of authority in the Sith Army, serving in the 'Gloom Walkers' under the supreme command of the Dark Lord Kaan before being sent to the Academy on the Sith planet Korriban to study under the instruction of Kas'im, Kopecz, & Qordis. Darth Bane eventually masterminded the 'Rule of Two' which governed the way Sith Lords & Apprentices trained in subsequent generations & permanently etched his signature on every man or woman in history who has claimed to be worthy of the title 'Darth'. He essentially revolutionized the very nature of Sith Order, for all time. Darth Bane & his apprentice, Darth Zannah, are beautifully imagined characters, appearing in a great trilogy, written by a talented writer.

I’m not a diehard Star Wars fan, but I have read the Thrawn trilogy and watched all the movies. The Bane trilogy is by far my favorite story of them all. One fight scene is a little disappointing and some off the writing is lame, but the series gets better with each. 4 stars for Path of Destruction, 5 for Rule of Two and Dynasty of Evil.

This is the conclusion to the Darth Bane Trilogy, fleshing out the legendary "Rule of Two" that the Sith are governed by. The first novel was compelling for breaking into this unexplored territory with some intelligence, but the second suffered from the sophomore jinx. This one is a return to form as a fun, solid read.** SPOILER ALERTS**Bane, older and slowing down from the extremes he's pushed himself to, is also concerned that his Dark Side apprentice Zannah hasn't sought to take him down, despite what she's been taught. Finding her unworthy he seeks to extend his own life, at least long enough to give him time to find a replacement for her. He learns of an ancient Sith Lord who did exactly that via Essence Transfer (Fistandantilus, anyone?) and seeks out an ancient Sith holocron to learn the technique.Zannah, it seems, was biding her time- unsure of whether Bane was truly weak or trying to bait her into making a move. Her paranoia will be her undoing.The daughter of Caleb the healer, Serra, makes a return. Serra turns out to be Force Sensitive, and is surrounded by a cloud of grief and anger over the deaths of first her father, and now her husband, both murdered. She wonders if she'd been stronger she could've protected them.Lucia, her friend, bodyguard and confidant, also comes back. She's an ex-member of the Gloom Walkers Unit in the Sith Army- and former friend of Bane when he was known as Des.The murder of rebellious workers on a mining planet also claims the life of a Jedi on an unrelated mission, attracting unwanted attention, including that of the Sith. The killer is known as the Huntress- an assassin who uses the Force, but is untrained in its ways. She displays precognitive abilities and is unsettled by the visions of Bane she sees. Set Harth, a Dark Jedi on the trail of the Jedi who was killed, enters the mix and runs afoul of Zannah in her investigation. He just wants to have fun, but the lure of power intrigues him. This gives us three potential apprentices for whoever ultimately holds the Sith Lord title. Nice!Serra learns Bane is out there and hires the Huntress to find him. Zannah recruits Set as her apprentice as she seeks to kill her master. Bane is captured and brought to Serra to answer for the death of her father- painfully. Zannah pursues, now fuelled with the anger of a perceived betrayal by Bane, but is plagued by uncertainty as to whether or not Set is a worthy apprentice. Through the Force, Huntress realizes for some reason this is where she needs to be, and awaits the outcome of events.Lucia conspires to help her former friend Bane, who seeks his own vengeance upon Serra. Lucia attempts to bargain for Serra's life, but Zannah's arrival puts an end to that. Set and Huntress play a deadly cat-and-mouse game while Serra also seeks to escape even as Bane and Zannah duel it out. Weakened and unprepared, Bane ends their fight prematurely, but both know it's only a matter of time. Regaining his strength, Bane contacts Zannah to settle things.Zannah and Bane clash in a location with no small amount of symbolism attached to it. Both focus on their strengths and seek to exploit the other's weaknesses, all to good effect. Physically beaten by Bane, Zannah plays her trump card and forces him into a desperate gambit that only one will survive.I gotta admit- I wasn't expecting a lot from this story, but was pleasantly surprised. Elements are nicely woven together to instill dramatic effect, and there's enough angst and layers of subtlety to give it good depth. I was even content not to dwell upon who the new apprentice would be, letting the story happen. It's a good ending to the trilogy, with an epilogue that's open enough that I wouldn't mind a fourth book- just to see what happens...

It was obvious where the series was going with the Rule of Two and all but it was still well done and threw up a few unexpected developments.This book is set another ten years after the first book, with Bane and Zannah still in the same master/apprentice relationship, though splits are beginning to show. Bane starts off still obsessed with finding more holocrons while Zannah is starting to look for an apprentice of her own. Into this mix are thrown two figures from Bane's past and a 'Dark Jedi', not a full blown Sith but a Jedi who's abandoned the Jedi teachings to focus on himself.I think the new characters in this book really made it. The novel is relatively evenly split between all of the POV's and the plot moves at a good pace. I had feared in the beginning that it was going to be another re-hash but after the first quarter or so all the threads started coming together towards a pretty climatic end.There's a few cracks beginning to show in Bane's perfection which is always more interesting to read about, while Zannah has to come to terms with what she needs to do. Serra and Lucia were both deeper than initially appeared and I really liked the edge that came to Serra especially as we learned more about her. Set was a cliche but I always have a soft spot for the lazy unscrupulous decadent type, brings back certain memories both real and imagined.As always I am struck by the Star Wars universe, while technically light hearted in tone can actually be quite dark and again brings up the devastation that civilisation can bring to planets. It's constantly referenced through the many books I've read in it now, how planets are completely destroyed in the search for materials and not always by the 'bad' guys. It's never a major part but can play minor points and I'm glad so many writers include it.Overall I really enjoyed this series. There was a good mix of action and introspection that I think was handled well, it could have been all action which can get repetitive sometimes. The character's, though always leaning towards cliche, were still interesting to read about and considering the vast majority of them were villains, I still found myself kind of rooting for them. It's no longer canon as such, but I think Bane is and there's not too much contradicting it so far so it's worth a read.

The Darth Bane series is the most enjoyable series of books I’ve read about the Star Wars universe. I give the series 5/5 stars on the whole. It follows Darth Bane, who started out as a miner in the first book Path of Destruction and surpassed all expectations and abilities to create what is called the Rule of Two: a rule intended to keep the Sith strong so that one day, as in the prequel trilogy of films, they would rise to fight the Jedi and take over the galaxy.However, Darth Bane’s current apprentice, Zannah, has not challenged him yet and the tremors in Bane’s left hand attest to infirmity and aging muscles, which is fatal in a warrior who relies primarily on martial prowess. The future of the Sith is at stake and Bane seeks the secret to eternal life, and a new apprentice, as a backup plan. Zannah mistakenly thinks her master wants her to be patient in challenging him, but also wonders if it is time. She actively thinks about recruiting a new apprentice.There are a few captivating additions to the series including a Iktotchi assassin who has visions of the future; healer Caleb’s daughter Serra who seeks justice for her murdered husband and father; a dark Jedi Set Harth whose reliance on escape and self-preservation make a contrast between him and the Sith.There was a touch too much background information at times, reminding us of what happened in earlier books, but it did give the reader a well-rounded understanding of the thoughts of each character. We see less of Bane in Dynasty of Evil and the chapters about each character were shorter than I would have liked.I must say the battles were well imagined and incredibly exciting. I reckon I was drooling when the Sith battled one another, anticipating how the battles would play out. With the background information sketched out previously, all the characters and situations came together in a clash that combined political reality with petty vengeance and brutal challenge/survival.Path of Destruction is still the best book, but I wouldn’t hesitate to read another in this series, if it was possible. Or maybe I’ll have to reread Drew Karpyshyn’s Mass Effect series again or other works he has written. There is a visual quality to his writing that I like.

This is the third and final instalment in the Darth Bane trilogy of ‘Star Wars’ novels. It’s an exciting and dramatic conclusion to this original epic adventure written by Drew Karpyshyn, set within the broader fictional universe created by George Lucas. The central protagonist of the story, who happens to be a villain, seeks to take those steps which bring him closer to conquering the galaxy. Set almost 1,000 years before the destruction of the Death Star – as seen in ‘A New Hope’ – the age-old war between the Jedi Order and the Sith Brotherhood is over … with the Jedi apparently successful. But Darth Bane has survived, and has secretly been developing his Force powers while setting into motion a plan for the ultimate victory of the Sith.This novel, alongside the two other instalments in the saga, presents one of the best Star Wars adventures that I’ve read. By enacting the Rule of Two, Bane and his apprentice – a young woman named Zannah – have covertly infiltrated the various power structures of the old Republic. Now, at the cusp of victory, Bane realises that he’s growing old and that his powers are starting to ebb. This causes him to suffer an existential crisis – for he wants to be the one who ruins the Jedi and establishes a new order of things based on Sith traditions. If he’s no longer capable of this, surely his apprentice ought to act – and kill him, so as to advance by means of the Rule of Two. But Zannah seemingly makes no move to do this, leading Bane to question whether she’s worthy. It’s in this context that Bane decides to master a long forgotten Force ability: to transfer his consciousness into a different body. With this new power, Bane could live-on indefinitely … Yet Zannah is ready to challenge Bane, and she’s become extremely powerful in the ways of Sith sorcery. And so the final confrontation ensues, determining the future of this dynasty of evil!To properly understand this novel, you’ll need to read books 1 and 2 in the series. Taken as a whole, this is a thrilling adventure that expands the Star Wars universe in new and exciting directions. And I’m left wanting more … questioning whether Bane’s legacy continues!

This book ties up many of the loose ends of the other books. This book has a slow build up to the final confrontation between Barth Bane and Darth Zannah. This book has as much action as the first book in the trilogy the second book was a lot slower. The fight between Bane & Zannah was epic. I like the fact that because of the physical differences and mastery of different aspects of the Dark side it is not just lightsaber battle to the death. Having said they I love lightsaber battles, and this book does not disappoint in that department. This book is action packed and the pages just seem to fly by. It is set out like a chess board getting all the pieces in place for the Checkmate. It is a good ending to the Bane trilogy, and how the legacy of the Sith continues till  Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith  and  Star Wars: Darth Plagues . Darth Bane also considers using clones and the essence transfer but runs out of time which Palpatine / Darth Sidious uses in  Star Wars: Dark Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse))  and  Star Wars: Dark Empire II (Star Wars): Dark Empire II (Star Wars)Star Wars: Revenge Of The SithStar Wars: Darth PlaguesStar Wars: Dark Empire (Star Wars (Dark Horse))Star Wars: Dark Empire II (Star Wars): Dark Empire II (Star Wars)

I really enjoyed this book. Though it wasn't a strong as the other two it did finish the trilogy reasonably well. All the way through you kept guessing who was going to be the new apprentice. It gave a nice insight into the minds of each character and what they were thinking and how they felt. This book was well put together. Over all it was a fast read, light and enjoyable.That said the ending I didn't like, that is why I gave it only 4 stars and not 5. I felt it had an X-files touch, in as much as it left it open as to what really might have happened. I like clear and desicive endings and I felt this didnt have that. (I am of course refereing to Darth Bane and Darth Zannah) I enjoy storeies left open for the next instalment, even on books that are part 3 of 3 etc, book IMO this was too open for my tastes.Refering to the last two pages of the book though, I did like that part. interesting setup for a future storey tie-in.