Book Review
Star Wars: Darth Bane - Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn
January 21, 2008
Consider the Star Wars universe a thousand years before the birth of Darth Vader. In spite of the vision of the concept, the events set during this time have tremendous bearing on those set during both movie trilogies. Such have been the revelations made in the two Darth Bane novels written by Drew Karpyshyn.
The release of the first Darth Bane novel in 2006 was a refreshing addition to the Star Wars galaxy by many SW fans. It was a complete shift in velocity; away from the continuing adventures of the Skywalker heritage and from the escalating universe of the Clone Wars era.
Karpyshyn guides fans further back in the timeline of the Star Wars galaxy - an exploration of how one of the most fearsome Sith Lords remade the order following the dark ways. The sequel, Rule of Two, maintains that legacy in further depth.
The second Darth Bane book picks up immediately from where the first had left off, at the point during which Bane chooses his apprentice: a young girl named Rain, who eventually becomes Darth Zannah. The account breezes over Zannah's first lessons and trials with Darth Bane, and then hurdles a decade into the future, exploring her journey into mastery of the dark side of the Force.
While the Sith Order was fairly much positioned in hiding by Bane, this novel is not without its action. Karpyshyn effectively intertwines a Jedi vs. Sith confrontation into the story, with plot mechanisms that embark on establishing themselves from the very outset of the book. More significant to fans, on the other hand, is the delicate details of the mental and emotional journeys of the Sith Master and Apprentice; and how the dark side deforms their vision and power.
If the debut Bane novel established the explanations behind the beginnings of the Rule of Two, the second one solidifies and substantiates it. This strengthening of the concept aids in pushing the character of Zannah into a motivating contrast to Bane's development in the previous book. While the expansion of philosophies of Bane came from his resistance against and distaste towards the prior order of the Sith; Zannah's development is by far a different experience - being the first learner rising under the Rule of Two that would eventually provide Palpatine and Vader the strength to control the galaxy.
Yet, the story, like its predecessor, provides to be a challenging read at times; fans are used to considering the dark lords representing the antagonist of a tale. In the Bane novels, the Sith are propelled into the position of a central character; almost the negative image of the traditional hero's journey from primordial mythology. With this in mind, the evil nature of the characters only shows in some very selective scenes; because as the reader, one begins to see a more human side to both Bane and Zannah.
Karpyshyn faced some challenges with this particular book. The original Bane book was an opportunity to mainly unite ground that had previously been covered in other media; as well as expand into the mental depths of the rising Sith Lord. With the sequel, he had only several months to piece together a story line that had a limited range of background material already covered in the Star Wars galaxy. Though it is possible that some of the content could have suffered from the tight closing date the writing was made under, this is barely noticeable in the way the novel flows.
Having said all that however, the story might as well have been titled Darth Zannah: Rule of Two. The character progress of Bane in this story is somewhat limited in places, and explores more of the intimate thinking and conflict felt by Zannah, as she journeys her way through being a Sith apprentice, and confronting demons (and old friends) from her past.
Conceivably the strongest aspect of this novel is Karpyshyn's depiction of fighting and battles. The novelist approaches each action scene differently, providing a wide range of methods and perspectives for each battle; including one that is only described in its aftermath, rather than for the duration of the battle itself. This type of writing for this scene is deliberate as it is a vital scene and key turning point in the journey of Zannah.
Essentially, Darth Bane: Rule of Two helps to solidify the lore of the Sith in the Star Wars cosmos, and explores the darkness therein. One would hope that the crews behind the Star Wars books keep following this path with more novels on the lineage of Sith Lords (after Bane's establishment of the Rule of Two) - it would certainly help link several of the Expanded Universe and aspects of the films together. Perhaps we might find out how exactly it is that Yoda is aware that the Sith follow a rule of two? Maybe we could see more exploration into the character of Darth Vectivus mentioned in the Legacy of the Force progression?
One could also wish that at some point, the publishing crew at some point come back to their sanity and renew work on the abandoned Darth Plagueis novel that was started by James Luceno. The idea would fit perfectly in the lineage begun by Drew Karpyshyn in his two Darth Bane stories.
Overall, Rule of Two is not only a pleasing read; it is a page turner. One cannot help but delve deeper and further into the novel as Karpyshyn makes further revelations into the crucial era of the new beginning of the Sith - events and decisions that would have major aspect of the Star Wars saga 1000 years later when Palpatine begins his tyrannical rule of the universe with the Galactic Empire.
Yet, the story, like 
