Name: Todd Luallen's review of Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp
Item: Lords of the Sith
Rating: 3
Author: Todd Luallen

Paul S. Kemp

Includes the short story Orientation (pages 341-352) by John Jackson Miller.

Lords of the Sith

Todd Luallen

The characters and action are excellent, and I enjoyed reading for those reasons, but there is one flaw that I couldn't find my way to overlook. I thought the depiction of Vader and the Emperor was far too powerful. From reading many of the reviews this is probably what a lot of readers liked about the book, so I may be in the minority in my opinion. But in all the movies and books I've seen and read, I've never seen Force wielding power as portrayed by Kemp in Lords of the Sith. I don't want to write any spoilers, so I'll stay vague in my critique. I know Darth Vader is a powerful force, and I know that the Emperor was arguably even more powerful (at the time of this book), but Yoda was likely even more powerful than either of them, and he STRAINED when lifting Luke's X-wing. He certainly would not have been moving ships around while they are still flying in an attack. IF Vader was capable of moving fighters while in flight, why would he have bothered with using his targeting weapons while flying in the Death Star canyon scenes in ANH? Why not just use the Force to push the X-Wings into the walls of the Death Star? 

Even if you decide that the use of the Force in the previous movies and other book canon is inconsistent, at least it could be argued that a villain or antagonist needs a weakness of some sort. In this book, Vader and the Emperor are without weakness, and as a result, you KNOW the protagonist has no chance...and so you read the book just to see how completely the protagonists will be defeated.

It may be argued that the protagonists of this book were indeed Lord Vader and the Emperor, because the title of the book is Lords of the Sith. But I struggle to identify with any so-called protagonist that willingly kills women, children, elderly, and other obvious non-combatant innocents. 


You know when going into the book that Vader and the Emperor are going to live, because obviously they don't die until Episode VI. But that doesn't mean they can't get injured, or hurt in some way. I get it, Vader is way more powerful than a guy with a blaster. But what about a guy with something like a fighter? Or 20 people with blasters all firing on him at the same time from different angles? Isn't that a tough thing to deal with? Even for Vader! And I don't think showing him breath heavy after a fight is enough to show weakness.

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. âeoeIt appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted.âe Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperorâe(tm)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 Mastersâe"and the truest measure of Vaderâe(tm)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 âeoespice,âe 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 resourcesâe"by political power or firepowerâe"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, itâe(tm)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 planetâe(tm)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.

Michael Stuckey

I don't usually read Star Wars books. This story was really cool. Sheds light on the mind of one of the greatest villains of all time. This story would have been a great story arc for one of the tv shows. #imanerd

Jane Krauss

What an interesting perspective. Seeing the Sith point of view is one aspect of the grand narrative that I have wanted for a long time, and now that I can read this book, I had some high expectations. 
I very much enjoyed the character development of the Twi'lek peoples and their connection to Rebels. I loved seeing the dynamic between Vader and Palpatine. 

Finally, some recognition of time zones in Star Wars.

Roc &
Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp

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