REVIEW: Lords of the Sith by Paul S Kemp

Lords of the Sith by Paul S Kemp
Publishing information: Kindle
Publisher: Del Rey; 28 April 2015
ISBN: 978-0345511447
ASIN: B00MKZ3VUY
Series
Copy: Provided by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.

“It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.”

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor’s chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters—and the truest measure of Vader’s allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now.

On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as “spice,” an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources—by political power or firepower—and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done.

For Syndulla and Isval, it’s the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet’s surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries."

Now that Disney has purchased the Star Wars franchise, many things that were canon are no longer apart of the official Star Wars Universe. With that in mind, Lords of the Sith, is one of the first few books that are officially canon. Taking place a few years after events in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the Empire has grown strong and is squeezing the planets under its control to bow to the will of Emperor Palpatine. Those that don't, must face the awesome power of Lord Vader. That is where the story begins as a small group of individuals have created a group that no longer wishes to adhere to Palpatine's rule.

Cham Syndulla has gathered many resources to attack the Empire's outpost on Ryloth. He is a brilliant tactician and has a great vision of what the universe would be like without the Empire's suffocating grasp on his planet. When his group has a chance to end the Emperor's rein he takes the opportunity by the horns. His rebel group attacks the star destroyer carrying Vader and Palpatine and can end the duo's regime by killing them when their escape craft crashes on the planet.

Emperor Palpatine is ruthless in the novel, he lives up to his reputation. One thing that bothered me was that he didn't want others to know his true power and went to great lengths to hide it even though the majority of people where his personal guard who were sworn to obey him and only received their position because of their unwavering dedication to him. If they were so trustworthy, why did he need to hide his power. Those that were seeing it weren't going to live long enough to tell anyone about it anyway, so his concern didn't make much sense to me.

Darth Vader is never really portrayed right in the last couple of books I read where he was the central character. He is mostly machine and yet he is always depicted as quite nimble, which goes against everything I think of when I think of the Sith Lord. Another thing that bothered me about his character was that Kemp continuously refers to Vader's rage as his main driving force and it gets old after awhile. I imagine that while the suit sustains him, he is constantly in pain and he uses that pain to channel the force. I don't need to be reminded of this every time he uses his power to do something within the force.

One thing I did like was the way in which the Emperor is always one step ahead of Darth Vader and that he can tell when Vader is either off-task or contemplating turning on his master. He is constantly probing his apprentice. I did find it a little odd how Vader would admit his was plotting his mentor's demise but the way in which Palpatine took it in stride was always interesting.

Lords of the Sith is a fairly decent novel. It shows just how connected and dependent Darth Vader was to Darth Sideous. It also shows the spark that would one day begin a rebellion that would eventually lead to the deaths of both Sith Lords. I would have liked to have seen a cameo by someone who would become a leader in the Rebel Alliance, such as Mon Mothma or Garm Bel Iblis but it doesn't. While Lords of the Sith is a great way to gain a better understanding of the relationship between the two Sith Lords, it doesn't really give you any other insights beyond that. With the Star Wars canon being re-written it would have been nice to gain a bit more information to use for the upcoming movie. Recommended.

Overall 7.5/10