Darth Bane: Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #2) by Drew Karpyshyn

Darth Bane: Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #2) Reviews

• 
  Khurram

  This is sequel to Path of Destruction: A Novel of the Old Republic (Star Wars: Darth Bane) it continues immediately after the first book and then jumps 10 years. The book follows Bane's apprentice from an innocent 10 year old to claim her own Darth title. Zannah can be even more cold blooded then her master. This book is enjoyable and it is a credit to the author that he finished this book in 6 months. This book is the second step in the 1000 year plan that became Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Star Wars (Random House Hardcover)). In the first book Bane showed some humanity when he felt remorse and even crippling guilt over his first force murders, but Zannah does not seem to have a conscience at all. As a reader I was drawn into Zannah's point of view. During the book Bane makes himself nie-indestructible which presents an interesting problem to his apprentice who is destined to kill her master.
• 
  Markus

  "There must only be two, No more and no less."
  - Darth Bane
  
  Rule of Two is a wonderful continuation to this amazing saga. Ten years have passed since the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, and Zannah's apprenticeship under Bane has been blooming for years, hidden in the shadows. The Jedi believe the Sith extinct, but a state visit from the Supreme Chancellor has the potential to unshroud the mysteries of the Dark Side.
  
  This second book of the Bane trilogy is probably the weakest one, but it does have what is hands down the best lightsaber duel in Star Wars history. And that is probably its biggest strength.
• 
  Crystal Starr Light

  "Darth Zannah, you are my apprentice. The heir to my legacy"
  After greatly enjoying Star Wars. Darth Bane - Path of Destruction (PoD), I delved into part two.
  Bane begins his training of his heir, Zannah, in the Dark Arts and continues to add confusion to the Republic and the Jedi Order. Can't really expand more on it than that, to be honest.
  
  What I Liked:
  One of the best things about this book is how it deals with such an under-explored area: the Sith. I enjoyed reading more about Bane, what happened immediately after the events in PoD, and seeing Zannah grow in the Dark Side.
  Speaking of Zannah, she was one of those few female characters in the Star Wars universe (particularly recently) that I truly enjoyed without wanting to cry "MARY SUE!" after each scene she was in. I felt Karpyshyn did a superb job writing her as a child, balancing between her extreme skill for the Force and her naiveté. Also, I loved learning in flashbacks about her training and how they tied in to the current events (e.g. her first mission to draw the neek towards her was a great highlight and was perfectly placed with her mission to draw Kel into a confrontation with the Republic). She is a cunning woman, but yearning still for emotions, leading her to relationships with men, such as Kel. I enjoyed this view, showing that Sith cannot get all their fulfillment solely from the Dark Side.
  Karpyshyn did, in my opinion, a good job moving from Bane's point of view to Zannah's. In PoD, Bane did most of the narrating; here, it is Zannah. We still see inside Bane's mind, which is great, but I do enjoy seeing the events from the apprentice who will carry on the legacy.
  I also enjoyed the numerous Sith vs Jedi arguments in this book. I felt that they really brought both Orders to a new level of understanding, one that can't be shown in a movie or explained in most other books.
  The pacing is quick. The characters don't spend much time sitting back, chattin' up the situation. They are out there, doing something. Yes, they have deep conversations, but they are perfectly blended into the surroundings so you don't feel like all they do is talk or they stop to talk about politics in a middle of a battle scene.
  Karpyshyn also outdoes himself in the lightsaber duels. The latter one is particularly brilliant with five Jedi against two Sith. Won't tell you how that turns out, though I am sure you can guess.
  
  What I Did Not Like:
  I spent six years in college studying physics, chemistry, and engineering. I say this, because one of the biggest problems I have with this book is the following scene: Bane flies on a reptilian avian from the moon, Dxun to the planet, Onderon. Yes, you heard me, from a moon to a planet. Across the reaches of space. With only the Dark Side to encase him in a bubble of oxygen.
  What the...??? Where do people come UP with these ideas? I like to think that I can turn my brain off and enjoy things, but this is too much!!
  First off, does anyone know the density of the atmosphere in the Earth's upper layers? A cursory check will show that the ionosphere is not very dense...much less than the troposphere, where we live. For our daring duo, this means that FLIGHT would be nearly impossible for a reptilian bird! Flight for a bird is contingent on having a higher pressure on the underside of the wing than on the upperside. Since birds fly by flapping their wings and do not have an external fuel source (which is how rockets are able to fly), they would flap furiously and fall like dead flies. Not to mention, that this layer is "where many atoms are ionized (have gained or lost electrons so they have a net electrical charge)." If this is true on other Earth like planets (and at this point, we can't confirm or deny, but it seems to be more typical than not), then our riding duo are breathing IONS!!! This is crazy, you can't breathe ions!!! I don't care what weird Dark Side shield Bane puts around him (and note that it's only after they "leave the atmosphere" of Dxun that he does this!), that's gonna hurt!!
  Okay, so the next point is: so let's say the planets are pretty darn close to each other (like they fudge in the book). Okay...if that's true, how do the gravitational powers inherent in both planets keep from ripping everything to shreds? Technically, no life should be on either planet, not if they get this close to each other, as the moon will pull at the planet and vice versa.
  Tidal waves here on Earth show a very small idea of what gravitational forces can do. Now imagine that the moon is close to the size of the Earth (as it stands, it is approximately 1/4 of the diameter and 1/10 the surface area) and both are rotating about their combined center of gravity (the combined center of gravity of Earth and moon lies within the Earth's diameter, ensuring that the Moon orbits the Earth). We got some damn nasty tidal forces at work, that would have ensured that no flora and fauna would have made this their home. Not to mention, I have no clue how Dxun would get such a highly elliptical orbit to be INSIDE Onderon at its perigee and far away at its apogee. Add to that heap of incredibility the fact that the two planets are near the same size. They ought to be orbiting around their combined center of gravity (like Pluto and Charon), not around Onderon. Something is going wrong in this galaxy...
  Okay, back to Rule of Two. Bane and avian went INTO vacuum (since there apparently was a wee bit of space--har har--between the two). So now we have the problem of traveling through space with absolutely NO external fuel drive in addition to NO oxygen and pressure (but we'll say that somehow Bane can accumulate enough of both to last him...well, don't want to spoil the surprise). So do Bane and avian spend the next 5 years floating to Onderon? Because it took the Apollo crafts THREE DAYS to reach the moon, traveling at about 3,000 meters per second and the distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,403 km. Even given that Dxun and Onderon are closer than this, it would take Bane days traveling at a modest 60 mph (based on Earth birds of course) and this DOESN'T include that Bane can't accelerate or decelerate. FURTHERMORE, he is pointed haphazardly at Onderon, which means he could, quite possibly, MISS the planet all together!
  And FURTHERMORE, how can he keep enough oxygen and pressure in his bubble to sustain him and his ride all this way?? People use a lot of oxygen, particularly when working. A human takes in about 500 cm3 in one breath with anywhere between 10 and 20 breaths a minute if there is no movement! So in one minute, if Bane is completely at rest, he is using 5000 cm3! This is no small area! I would love to see how he keeps enough oxygen in his bubble for TWO beings, one that is (or was) flying, how he keeps from his body fluids flying out of every orifice as he hits vacuum (does his bubble also provide pressure?), and how they continue to MOVE after they leave the atmosphere! I mean, they will have leftover momentum/inertia, but if Bane thinks that by flapping, the reptilian bird will still fly, he has NO KNOWLEDGE of Newton's Laws of Physics, particularly the third.
  I will admit, as soon as I read this scene, I simultaneously wanted to laugh my a$$ off and throw this book at the wall. I can suspend a lot of belief--I read Star Wars for God's sake!--but this is more than I can handle. There are a million other things seen in the movies that never happen in real life. Laser bolts being dodged, hyperspace, sounds in space...the list is endless. I can handle those. But this? Nuh uh. No way.
  Nit Pick Section
  1.The character of Johun. I understand why he is there: to contrast with the Sith. However, I found his character bland and really treads that Marty Stu line (i.e. sneaking onto the planet despite orders and being, in one sense, promoted for it). A far more interesting character to have seen would have been Farfalla.
  2.Zannah is described as the prerequisite stunningly attractive woman (though this isn't too hard to stomach, as she would need to be in good physical shape anyway).
  
  Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
  Language is Star Wars typical.
  Bane mentions that Githany was his lover. Zannah takes her own lover, Kel. They share a bed and a few kisses, but their relations are restricted to that.
  Violence is the heavy portion. A reptilian avian rips out the throat of another. Bane goes on killing sprees, as does his young prodigy. One body is cut into pieces. And Karpyshyn doesn't hold back on the gory description.
  
  Overall:
  Minus a serious scientific faux pas that made me question all subsequent science related events in this book, this is an amazing novel. It beautifully expands on what began in Path of Destruction and carries it to the next level. Highly recommended for those who enjoyed the first.
• 
  Dexcell

  Solid sequel. This book definitely has one of the best final duels in all of Star Wars. I'm always sad to see Jouhan killed though, I thought he was a pretty solid Jedi. This book felt faster then I remember as well.
  
  Reading the Bane books makes me sad for how awful his Revan book was. That one would've easily been on the same level as these. Ah well.
• 
  Michael

  Another 4-star read.
  
  This was certainly much darker than the first book but you would expect that with it being about the Dark side of the Force.
  
  What I like most about this author's work is that he is one of the few who has perfected the art of giving you a good ending without leaving you hanging. What I mean by that is that you could read each of these books as a standalone; even though they are part of a trilogy you could stop reading at the end of this book and still feel content. Having said that I will go straight on to read the concluding part of the trilogy lol.
  
  Thanks for reading.
• 
  Scott Rhee

  If the Star Wars movies had been directed by Sam Peckinpah or Quentin Tarantino, the resulting films would resemble Drew Karpyshyn’s Darth Bane trilogy.
  
  Book Two, “Rule of Two”, would be a hard “R” rating not only for graphic violence but also for tone and atmosphere. These are dark fucking novels, and children should definitely not read them.
  
  Within the pages of this novel, an entire family is murdered (small children included), one by one, their bodies stuffed in a cargo hold. A gang of marauding bandits are slaughtered. An entire shipload of Jedi Knights are assassinated. A person is literally chopped into human sushi by a lightsaber, alive. Then there is the planet of flesh-eating human-droid cyborg zombies. I won’t even mention the Force-eating parasitic creatures that dig under the skin.
  
  I note these strictly to warn potential readers: this is not your average Star Wars novel. This is a late-‘70s Grindhouse sci-fi-horror slasher that is not afraid to spill gallons of blood within a beloved familiar context.
  
  I loved it.
  
  It’s not often one reads a book where the momentum is completely sustained by an anti-hero as unlikable and vicious as Darth Bane. Indeed, Karpyshyn succeeds in not only maintaining my interest but actually making me want more.
  
  Maybe it’s because it is so antithetical to what Star Wars stands for and what fans expect. It literally overturns every expectation on every page. The closest thing I can compare it to is the movie “Logan”, a brilliant film that flips the script of every “X-Men” movie before it—-hell, every superhero film—-by making the bad guys win. Nobody is safe in that movie, especially the heroes.
  
  Darth Bane is an incredibly fascinating character, not necessarily because he is so evil. He fascinates because he has a fully-developed and logical rationale and philosophy for why he embraces the Dark Side. It is both exhilarating and horrifying to behold.
  
  I look forward to—-but am also girding my loins for—-the third and final book in this series.
  
• 
  Sud666

  It seems that "Rule of Two" is book two. No worries I am familiar with Darth Bane and his early days. This takes place after Kaan's Dark Brotherhood was wiped out after the Thought Bomb on Russan. While the cover is off putting since Bane looks like a KISS groupie striking a pose and Zannah his apprentice, who looks like an angry gnome. Ignore the cover.
  
  First off I'd like to point out the character of Zannah. Without a wiff of SJW tropes, she has truly fit my image of a "strong female character". She's ruthless, lethal and merciless. At the age of 10 she kills a family trying to save her, so that she could go to Bane to learn the Dark Side. She's ten. *sigh* If I ever had spawned and had a daughter..I'd want her.
  
  This is the story of how Bane came up with the idea of the Rule of Two. A Master to embody the Force and an Apprentice to covet that power, only to be gotten by removing the master and then repeating the process again with their own apprentice. Freaking awesome! To Bane being a Sith Lord wasn't enough. Kaan's Brotherhood was full of Lords. But he wanted to be a "Darth". That's what the title means. DARK Lord of the Sith. This is a great primer on the ins and outs of the Dark Side without the mewling judgements of the hubristic Jedi. The orbalisk armor of Bane is an interesting concept (one only a Sith would utuilize) and we also learn how Bane created holocrons.
  
  The best part if the epic duel where 5 Jedi (3 Masters and 2 Knights) go to assassinate Bane. Awesome fight! But since there is a book three..I think we know how the fight went. :) If you love Star Wars (real Star Wars, not Disney's SJW Wars) then you will love this book. I do like my Sith Lords.
• 
  Malum

  This trilogy is still going strong in volume 2. One thing that I like about it is that every character is interesting (in fact, a few are almost more interesting than Bane himself). There is never a moment when the book moves on to another character's perspective that I am disappointed.
• 
  Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)

  3.5 stars
  This is a good follow up novel, but I didn't find the specifics of the plot as interesting as the first book in the trilogy.
• 
  John McDermott

  Fun (and violent! ) Star Wars entertainment. Excellent light sabre duel at the end. Darth Bane is my new favourite Sith Lord !!
• 
  Andrés

  First, there should be more stars that have something to say about bad books, because out of the five-star system above, only one says that I "didn't like it." Well, just as there are degrees of "liking" there are degrees of "not liking" and this one would probably be at the bottom of the latter.
  
  The first book, "Path of Destruction" was actually pretty good. The best part of that book was probably reading about Bane's training in Korriban, and how he went from a despised trainee to a cunning warrior. Plus, it's a unique opportunity to see how Bane comes up with the new vision for the Sith as opposed to the Brotherhood of Darkness. There can be no brotherhood in the Sith, it's a ludicrous thought, and Bane knows this. There can be only two.
  
  This paves the way for "Rule of Two." So many things went wrong with this one that I don't know where to begin. Let me start by saying I don't mind bad guys. In fact, Thrawn is probably my all-time favorite bad guy up there with Palpi and Vader. That's perhaps my point, BAD GUYS CAN BE SMART TOO. There's no need to cheapen their actions by making the good guys seem even dumber. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens in Book 2: THE JEDI ARE MORONS. There's nothing to it, every one of their actions seal their fate, you can see it coming from light years away. A couple of tips:
  
  1) If you're a Jedi about to undertake some sort of secret, and unsanctioned, mission, LEAVE A FAILSAFE to alert the Council to your actions in case you never get to see the light of day again.
  
  2) If there's a battle going on in a room and you want to try your hand at battle meditation, FIND A DIFFERENT ROOM, preferably one far, far away from the main battle. I'm sure walls won't dampen your psychic powers. If they do, find a different line of work.
  
  3) A person waving around a lightsaber like a raving lunatic is not likely to be, nor to have ever been, a Sith. Most probably, he or she is just deranged and you can most certainly force push him out of the way or any of the dozens of non-lethal actions a Jedi can undertake.
  
  And I'm just mentioning a few. Bane is nowhere near the Sith I wanted him to be, but the Jedi are irrevocably, unabashedly, unbelievably, stupid. And don't give me any of that, "It's because they don't want to believe the Sith could have returned" crap, because even if I didn't want to believe an asteroid was about to hit my homeworld, chances are I would once I see it plummeting through the atmosphere.
  
  Enough with the Jedi, let's talk about Zannah. I probably hate her character, there's nothing about her that screams, "I really am a Sith, you know?" I've seen stronger female characters in Mara Jade, Ysanne Isard, and Admiral Daala to mention a few. I hope somewhere along the way comes some sort of better disciple, I'll take anything at this point. Give me a Chiss, please!
  
  In short, the plot behind this book, among others, was about hiding from the Jedi. The new Sith need to operate in secrecy if they're to survive and overthrow the Jedi. There's nothing wrong with that, Palpi's plot was nothing short of amazing, particularly that he could've pulled it off without a hitch, but, hey, it's Palpatine. Bane and Zannah blunder through the entire length of Book 2 and have no-one but the Force to thank for the dimwittedness of their pursuers.
  
  As you can expect, I'm extremely reluctant to move on to "Dynasty of Evil." In my experience, books that get worse after the first one tend to follow that trend into new and uncharted territories. Unfortunately, I'll probably read it just to give Karpyshyn a chance to prove me wrong. Fat chance of that, I think.
  
  PS: Just because you can kill with the Force doesn't make you a Sith. Sith who favour more subtle approaches are number one in my book.
• 
  Brett Wyman

  INTRODUCTION
  Karpyshyn managed to pack so much into this book. Very fast paced but still manages to develop its characters through the various events and expand on the Sith lore. Excellent sequel to Path of Destruction.
  
  After the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, the Army of the Light are convinced that the Sith have all been eliminated in the thought bomb unleashed by Kaan. But Padawan Johun never believed it and rightfully so, as Bane and Zannah were rebuilding the Sith by enacting the Rule of Two.
  
  CHARACTERS
  No time was wasted on Zannah's training. She did not get an in-depth origin story like Bane did in Path of Destruction, but she didn't need one like that. At the start, she is 10 years old and then we skip ahead a decade over her training. Then we learn about her training as she recalls parts of her training to help her fulfil certain tasks in the present day. We get to see her practice what Bane was preaching. She progressively becomes more competent, but she still makes mistakes. She faces various forms of adversity in her personal life, on her missions, and from her training. I love her character.
  
  Meanwhile, aside from training his apprentice and sending her on missions, Bane is trying to map out a gameplan for Sith survival and the eventual takedown of the Jedi/Republic. He becomes obsessed with creating his own holocron to cement his legacy. In my review of Path of Destruction, I compared his performance issues to Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 2. Without spoiling anything, Rule of Two Bane is like Tobey Maguire in Spiderman 3 and I'll leave it at that.
  
  Johun was our POV into the Jedi and the Republic. His relentless obsession with the Sith led to one of the greatest battles in Star Wars.
  
  WORLDBUILDING
  In terms of worldbuilding, we see the aftermath of the Thought Bomb. The Ruusan Reformation Act was set in place to demilitarize the Jedi. The Rule of Two and the Thought Bomb combined really changed galactic politics. We learn about former very powerful Sith lords as Bane tries to undo the damage done by Kaan's brotherhood by embodying all the power he can.
  
  COVER ART
  I don't know if I ever encountered such hideous cover art in my life (I am referring to the original art). Bane looks like a mime and all his facial features are gone. It makes my eyes burn. On the bright side, the Essential Legends Collection edition has a new cover.
  
  
  
  VERDICT
  Karpyshyn had 6 months to get this book on the shelf and he absolutely nailed it. It is an excellent sequel to Path of Destruction and Zannah, the one who is supposed to crave the power, really shined. An epic page-turner.
  5 stars!!!
• 
  Mogsy (MMOGC)

  3.5 stars, but I rounded up. A good read, though not as well told as the first book. I liked book one for Drew's impressive handling of Darth Bane's transition from a miner to a Sith lord. Rule of Two was more about the story of Zannah's own transition to become Darth Bane's apprentice, but I didn't find her journey nearly as dramatic, since we do skip ahead 10 years in the novel from the time Bane first takes her on.
  
  The ending, however, was superb. It's one of those where you know that something awful's going to happen but you just can't wait to see how things play out, and when they do you think to yourself, "Wow, I totally saw that coming but dammit, it's still so awesome." Like most Star Wars books, the plot is completely predictable but Drew Karpyshyn always does such a good job of tying everything together nicely and making it all make sense, so I just learn to go with it. That said, you have to be willing to root for the "bad guys" to really enjoy the story, but then again, if you're picking up a Darth Bane book you probably already knew this well before you even cracked the cover.
  
  Reading this, I also inevitably thought about combat in the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, especially when reading about the different force and lightsaber abilities used by the characters when they fight independently or in groups. This novel takes place way after the setting of SWTOR, but considering Drew's background in video games and the influence of BioWare's Knights of the Old Republic RPG, I can't help but think many of the abilities I read about and their mechanics will make it into the MMO.
• 
  Ron

  Good story, but predictable and juvenile. As I mentioned for the first book of this series, it's video game origins are readily apparent.
  
  Avoids the usual fan fiction limitations by including none of "the usual [Star Wars] suspects" by being set longer ago than even "long,long ago."
  
  Speaking of which . . . it's interesting how the technology of the Star Wars galaxy seems frozen. There's no appreciable improvement in anything--medicine, weapons, transportation--in the thousands of years spanned by the SW stories.
  
• 
  DarkHeraldMage

  While I enjoyed this book, and particularly its audiobook version, I think it falls a bit short of the first book in the series. I liked seeing a bit more of the almost willful blindness of the Jedi and how their complacency gets started, something we see in full force in the Skywalker time period much more, but this book didn't do as much to explore the Master/Apprentice relationship of the Sith as I'd hoped, so I'm hopeful the third book will really dig into that and show more of one of the most well known Sith Lords in Star Wars history.
• 
  Nate

  The second entry in Karpyshyn’s Darth Bane trilogy kept me turning the pages, but like its predecessor, seemed like it didn’t live up to its potentially-awesome potential. Bane is a seriously neat character, but the novels themselves just never seem to rise to the challenge. I had really hoped that with the coming-of-age stuff completely out of the way we’d ditch the YA vibe the first one had and get into some deeper, darker territory. Well, these novels certainly are dark for Star Wars books, but the plot continued to be shallow and undercooked.
  
  I don’t know if I’m spoiled by Timothy Zahn or what, but that same YA feel remained...it’s weird, because these books are pretty goddamn violent for Star Wars but they just seem aimed at impatient, angsty teenagers. Once the overarching plot of the novel was revealed it was utterly predictable. Even the most gullible, clueless motherfucker had to know Johun was gonna get carved into big pieces of meat at the end. I’m gonna finish the trilogy ‘cause I already bought the third one but at this point I’m not expecting great things. One last thing, what the fuck is up with the total lack of technological progress in these books? Everything is the exact same as it is literally over a thousand years later when the movies start. It’s kind of bizarre.
• 
  Robert

  It's official: I liked "Rule of Two" considerably better than its predecessor, probably because (ironically) it features a lot less Darth Bane and a lot more action and development of secondary characters like Zannah, Johun Othone, and so forth.
  
  For a Star Wars novel it goes to some pretty dark places, but I guess that's to be expected when dealing with a book primarily focussed on the dastardly Sith.
  
  I'm looking forward to seeing how Bane and Zannah's relationship develops into the deadly cat-and-mouse we all know must be to come!
• 
  Stephen

  3.0 stars. A good, if predicable, follow up to
  Path of Destruction that continues the story of Darth Bane and his creation of the current "Rule of Two" among the Sith. A fun, fast read that was perfect for when I was in the mood for something light to read.
• 
  julia ☆ [owls reads]

  I didn't like Rule of Two. I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the plot, I didn't like the characters and I specially didn't like how Karpyshyn decided to write Zannah. I might give the third book a try just to see how the series ends, but this one was a major disappointment to me.
• 
  Michael

  This book contains the best light saber battle I have read.
• 
  Joshua Greer

  Definitely the middle book of this trilogy. Enjoyable for some sections when talking about how different creations happened, completely creepy in others when talking about the Orbalisks.
• 
  D

  Drew did an excellent job at overlapping character arcs - a solid mix of perspective and emotion. He also mixed in a good deal of lore, which immerses you in the story.
  
  I gave it three stars because while I thought it was a strong EU novel, I just didn't love it. The middle book of a trilogy is, in my opinion, is the most difficult to write. The balance of keeping the reader interested and advancing the overall plot is a tricky dance.
  
  I'm onto the third book now and hope it ends on a strong note.
• 
  Amy

  This book was gonna be 2 stars bc i was scared of where Zannah’s story was going. So so so glad she’s allowed to just BE EVIL. Too many female villains get this bullshit treatment of “oh she’s not actually evil, she’s just been at the mercy of evil influences (usually men) her whole life, this isn’t really her). Like nah bitch, she’s fucking merciless. She is evil incarnate and I LOVE IT.
• 
  Andre Lazar

  This book is actually an improvement on the first book in the series. The new main character, Zannah, is the apprentice that Darth Bane took at the end of the first book, and unlike Bane, she has some depth and complexity. While he is purely powered by white male rage and the angst of not being recognized as the alpha male he thinks he is, she experiences doubt, makes difficult choices, and outmaneuvers her opponents. Her character actually develops, and it's clear that there are more difficult choices ahead of her in the third and final book in this series.
  
  That said, Zannah's character design suffers from two major failings. The first is that she, like apparently everyone else in this series, is a very attractive human. Somehow the casting directors for the CW decided to make a Star Wars fanfiction. This isn't the biggest deal, but it just made me roll my eyes several times throughout the book. The second and larger problem I have with this author's version of the Sith, which is further detailed in her powers. Zannah is apparently a Sith sorcerer. She can apparently use dark energies to fuck with her opponent's heads. I'M NOT HERE TO READ A LOW GRADE FANTASY NOVEL LIGHTLY DISGUISED AS STAR WARS FANFICTION. ENOUGH WITH "ARMY OF THE LIGHT" AND "SITH SORCERERS". IT'S LAZY, UNINTERESTING, AND HAS BEEN DONE BETTER BY OTHERS.
  
  Also, Darth Bane being infested with a colony of crabs that eat his flesh and give him an impenetrable armor and increased strength in the force? Are you fucking kidding me? That's the best you can do?
  
  I'm still going to read the third book in this series, 1. because apparently I hate myself and 2. I want to see Darth Bane die and make way for more interesting Sith characters.
• 
  Pete Eisenhauer

  Just as good as the first of the Darth Bane books. I like the author's style. He does an excellent job of humanizing characters that would likely be stereotypical one-dimensional "bad guys" on the big screen. It was a glimpse into the mindset and the viewpoint of the Dark-Siders. It offers an intriguing alternative philosophy of the nature of the Force, filling in some of the gaps left between the cryptic quotes of Darth Sidious, Darth Maul, and Darth Vader. You will be hard-pressed to consider the Sith as 100% evil after reading, but rather will see them as humans with many of the same motivations and thought-processes of the Jedi, even if the experiences and the paths they follow to power are quite different.
• 
  Andrew Obrigewitsch

  This was alright. I started losing some interest toward the end, but it is probably still one of the better Star Wars books.
• 
  Jacqueline

  Ah...is it wrong of me to say, I wish I lived in the world created by 'STARWARS'?
• 
  Harsimar

  Rule of Two - the second book in the Darth Bane trilogy is not as good as the first one, but is a quick, fun read nonetheless.
  
  I think my major problem with this book is the fact that the plot feels a bit stale. The story in Path of Destruction felt like it needed to be told and had consequences. Rule of Two feels more like a generic second part of a trilogy- not exactly filler, but nothing too special either.
  
  Drew's writing though is strong throughout. Rarely does the book feel boring. There's also plenty of action and thrills; the lightsaber fight at the end being a major highlight. Bane's struggle with the orbalisks and him figuring out Holocrons was another highlight for me. But unlike the first one, there aren't too many other events here that I'd fondly remember.
  
  The characters are all well-written. I enjoyed reading about all of them, except Zannah who's actually the heart of the novel. Her character for some reason, I just didn't like. Her motivations for joining Bane seemed a bit too rushed considering she was a 10 year old at that time. Maybe it's just me, but I wasn't such a huge fan of Zannah.
  
  The Jedi perspective that we got here of Joshun was also very enjoyable to read. I wish there had been more focus on Bane and his plan on getting the Sith back to rule, but sadly that wasn't the case.
  
  I heard that the author just had 6 months to complete the book and considering that, it was a job well done. I enjoyed reading Rule of Two, it's a good continuation to the trilogy (despite it leaving a little more to be desired) and I'm pretty excited to read the final book in the story!
  
  

  Equality is a lie,” Bane told her. “A myth to appease the masses. Simply look around and you will see the lie for what it is! There are those with power, those with the strength and will to lead. And there are those meant to follow—those incapable of anything but servitude and a meager, worthless existence. “Equality is a perversion of the natural order!” he continued, his voice rising as he shared the fundamental truth that lay at the core of his beliefs. “It binds the strong to the weak. They become anchors that drag the exceptional down to mediocrity. Individuals destined and deserving of greatness have it denied them. They suffer for the sake of keeping them even with their inferiors.

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• 
  szara

  I enjoyed the first installment in the series much more – the Sith academy and the power games between the students were something much more up my alley, and, well, you can't have much of that with only two Sith remaining. In general, Bane became less intriguing as a character after he became too overpowered by the end of the first book. I did enjoy the Sith lore, though, I am glad we didn't stop learning more of it when the academy was eradicated. Also, what are these Jedi POV doing in my Sith book? I wasn't a fan of these chapters, this is not what I came here for. At least these books are quite quick reads, I like Karpyshyn's writing style and pacing. I hope the third book will captivate me more than this one. I recommend the audiobook very much, Johnathan Davis is excellent.
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  Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind)

  Coyer Summer Bash
  
  Since I got the Libby App I have been listening to a lot of audio books. And Star Wars audio books are the best! This is the second book in the Darth Bane trilogy. This is a Legends book meaning it doesn't fit into the new canon books that have been released since the sale of the franchise to Disney. Ban is the darkside user who decides that for the Sith to survive their must only be two of them in existence. Bane has a young apprentice named Zanna and in this volume we see her continue to learn the ways of the Sith and all the sacrafices it entails. The audio narrator for this book is fantastic, there is also some really great audio effects in this volume. I'm so excited for the finale of this series.