Lords of the Sith Review
Vader, to many, is the most feared villain of all time. His ruthlessness and power were key aspects within the original trilogy. The prequels gave a backstory to Vader’s upbringing and Jedi history. But apart from the later addition of Rogue One, the Star Wars movies haven’t fully been able to showcase Darth Vader at his most powerful and fierce. But Paul S. Kemp’s novel, Lords of the Sith, does this brilliantly, while also providing an insight into Vader’s thoughts and his relationship with the Emperor.
Set in a time before Rebels, this story revolves around the Free Ryloth Movement. Lead protagonist Cham Syndulla (father of Hera) and Isval work together in order to free Ryloth from its Imperial control. They have created a small movement of rebels who are willing to go against the formidable Empire. They attack the Perilous, knowing that Vader and the Emperor are on board, hoping to strike a severe blow to the Empire. But Vader and his Master escape, only to be hunted down by Cham and his small team of rebels.
Kemp does a brilliant job of writing an action packed novel full of tense fighting. In fact, the whole novel focuses on the events on the Perilous and on Ryloth, which makes for a very exciting read. Kemp describes Vader’s power in detail, with significant impact at the beginning when Cham hears Vader choking one of his team over a comlink. It’s a truly terrifying display of power, added to by reading through the narrator focusing on Cham’s reaction and sense of helplessness.
Cham and Isval are incredibly well rounded characters too. Each are given a great depth and have distinctive characteristics. Around half of the novel is from their point of view, which could be seen as a disappointment to those who just want to see Vader at his most powerful, but each character is so compelling that their scenes become vital reading. Plus with the quick paced action in the novel, no character’s section lasts for too long.
Vader’s thoughts are presented in a really intriguing way too. We see how Vader pushes down his feelings of loss into hatred and anger. At times his thoughts slip to his past life, with mentions of Padme, Obi Wan and Ahsoka. At one point he event contemplates not saving the Emperor, which Palpatine feels, and makes Vader pay for…
Lords of the Sith is a brilliant novel for many reasons. Vader’s power, insights to the Emperor’s abilities and Vader’s thoughts and emotions. But the action makes this one of the greatest canon Star Wars novels written. It’s a thrilling story with many twists and turns, and most importantly: a great hero facing a powerful and dangerous villain. Lords of the Sith is the second best canon novel in our opinion, just behind Lost Stars.