Customer Reviews

Dark Lords of the Sith (Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This interesting book is the second book in the Knights of the Old Republic series. The series is a collection of graphic novels that takes the reader to the Old Republic, thousands of years before the events of The Phantom Menace.

In this graphic novel we are introduced to Exar Kun, a Jedi whose fascination with the ancient Sith teachings is leading him towards the dark-side. Also, with the ascension of a pair of Sith magicians to the throne of The Empress Teta system, the Republic is moving towards war. Ulic Qel-Droma thinks that he can destroy the menace single-handed, and avoid a bloody showdown between the Sith and the Republic, but what will be the cost?

My twelve-year-old son is a big Star Wars fan, and he picked up this series so that he could keep on learning about the Star Wars universe. Overall, we found this to be a great book. The illustration work is very good, and the story is gripping. We enjoyed the action and the many different creatures and races that are the hallmark of Star Wars.

Yep, we both enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to you. We highly recommend the entire Tales of the Jedi series!

Once again the nonstop thrilling actions and adventures of the jedi knights continues in its stunning glory. Here we have the oppertunity to understand how a jedi knight is seduced to the dark side of the force. Exar Kun, a young jedi knight in training has defied his jedi master by reading his holocran which contains forbidden knowledge of the dark power, particularly battle events and their outcome. Kun motivated by his curiousity of the dark side power, is taken advantage of by the spirit of the ancient fallen jedi Freedon Nad, who incidently brought the power of the Sith to Onderon, will quickly begin Kun's descent down the path of the dark side, by showing Kun the secrets of the Sith on Korriban and then on Yavin 4.

Amist the main battle yet to come there is a pinch of romance here too.

The sound effects and voice dictions are superbly well done. I highly recommend the audio version for a good long drive.

The ending is totaly climatic leaving you with a cliff hanger.

This is the Tales of the Jedi story arc at an early stage, and in my opinion its best. The writing, while not great, is steady and constant. The art by Chris Gosset also helped make the comic, and his prescence in the last issue is sorely missed. The story is pretty good, especially for one that mishmeshes as much as this does. They do form an interesting parallel nonetheless, one enhanced by Goesset's artwork.

As I said, this is probably the strongest of the TotJ series. Its storyline is the best defined by far, and Gosset's art is very effective. The follow-up is a bit dissapointing, as is the rest of the series in my opinion. Still ,its a nice history lesson and a view into the ancient Jedi. Reccomended.

Well, no one else has reviewed this yet, and I figured it was about time. IMHO, Full Cast Audio Dramas such as this one, are the only way to do comics! I really enjoy all the characters, Nomi in particular. There's something about her voice that just brings the character to life. I highly recomend this Audio Drama to all STAR WARS fans out there, especially those who don't normally like reading comics.

Except issue 6. I think Kevin Anderson wrote this one, with the corny lines "HE HAS A SITH AMULET! THEY'RE DEADLY!" and "I wonder who that man is? I feel like I will learn much from him!" and "Dace is dead! I told him." The Jedi in the final issue seem to be Supermen, unfallable. The story shows a young Jedi turn to the Dark Side because of the death of his master and another Jedi, Exar Kun turn to the Dark Side because he was just plain dumb. No really, he was. His Jedi Master told him not to go looking into The Sith because he is too young. Maybe he should have listened to the crab Master, I mean he IS A MASTER right? The art is good, except for issue 6. I don't know what happened, but issue 6 can not be part of the series. It is just awful, awful writing and art. The lightsabers are blue sticks. Seriously, they put NO effect into them at all. The coloring is poor on everything too. When it shows lasers or effects, its just 2 colors and not a variety of colors.

If you're like me, you love it when the overwhelming power of the Dark Side is seething at every corner in the storywriting. If that's the case, then this book will make you go, "yyyyeeeeaaaahhhh!" It is an incredible setup for The Sith War, the next book in the series. If you watched The Empire Strikes Back (and who didn't) and you want to know more about why Yoda and Obi-Wan worried about Luke being turned to the Dark Side when trying to confront it, this contains a perfect example of a similar young Jedi who suffered that very fate. If you read this, I doubt you'll be able to resist picking up The Sith War. It leaves you on the edge of your seat saying, "Ooh! What happens next?" A definite must-read.

This audio book translation of a comic is just terrible. I'm surprised I didn't get in an accident as I kept rolling my eyes as this story got worse and worse. I didn't understand the characters motivations, the lines were all cliches and the book started and ended in the middle of the story. I wish it had been a little more clearly labeled to avoid that last complaint.

Anyway, I was hoping for an exciting addition to the Star Wars universe. Instead, I got two hours of pulp fiction at its worst. Maybe this is better in its comic book form, where the pictures help fill out the action and comic books stories, by nature, seem to always continue from one issue to the next. But, as an audiobook, it just wasn't very good.

Even though Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson are two different scriptwriters you have to admire how the two worked together and crossovered two expanded universe Sith Lords from their respective scripts into being connected. And considering that it actually seemed to work and that EU fans liked it so much that further EU-related material refer to happenings that Veitch and Anderson scripted together and can reimagine it in a more shades of grey style scriptwriting, I'm giving this the highest rating.

Interesting enough the story of how the two Sith came to be and how their paths crossed started with the evil spirit of the Sith Lord Freedon Nadd who after abandoning his minions on Onderon managed to influence two nobles to start their own Sith cult who they named the Krath and through them turn one of his adversaries Ulic Qel-Droma to the Dark Side after bad circumstance caused Ulic to try to infiltrate the Krath and bring the cult down from within. Nadd's final attempt at monstermaking, after setting the stage with Aleema and Satal Keto and Ulic Qel-Droma, was Exar Kun, a renegade Jedi apprentice who in true Lovecraft style delved into things man was not meant to know by conductiong his own archaeological research into the Sith. Ironically enough Nadd's monstermaking turned to be his own undoing when his last student Exar Kun turned the tables on him and after a while reorganized a new Sith Order with Nadd's remaining students. While the Tales of the Jedi stories are meant to be centred on the Jedi in the Star Wars universe with themes concerning chivalry, evil sorcerers, fallen knights, hubris, temptation and descent to darkness and other stuff and that later scriptwriters interpret TOTJ-era and its aftermath in other ways and giving non-force users more screentime it did set the stage for much of the expanded universe.

One thing in particular that I enjoyed here was Hugh Fleming's impressive cover art.

This is the best of the Tales of the Jedi series. Before you read it, you should at least read the first volume, titled simply Tales of the Jedi (sometimes with the subtitle Knights of the Old Republic, but that name now belongs to a video game series and a new monthly comic). It would also be good to read the short TotJ: The Freedon Nadd Uprising. The Golden Age of the Sith and the Fall of the Sith Empire predate this volume in the story chronology, but aren't necessary for understanding Dark Lords. (In fact, they should probably be avoided.)

Why is this the best? Veitch and Anderson's writing plays off each other, presenting the best of each and compensating for their weaknesses. The art in the first five chapters is fantastic, as are Dave Dorman's covers. The early TotJ stories have just enough implied backstory to hint at the larger world but it never leaves the reader confused. Korriban is one of my favorite Star Wars locations, and it was created here in crisp detail with millennia of history only hinted at.

What is lacking? The art in the sixth chapter is not so hot. The narration can be a bit comic-booky. Veitch was not involved in the subsequent volumes of TotJ, which are hit-and-miss. The Sith War is ultimately disappointing, but the Redemption of Ulic Qel-Droma was a fine coda to the series.

Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith is the best Star Wars comic. It details how Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma join the Dark Side. My favorite parts are when Exar battled Master Vodo, Sylvar, Crado and Ulic. The writing and art in issue 6 are terrible. Cay Qel-Droma talks like a hillbilly in issue 6. He says things like, "Me an' Toq are usin' the Force to hold him." The art detierorated as the story progessed. The first issues had great art. Those are the only flaws. I recommend all the Tales of the Jedi series.