Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Drew Karpyshyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

“Two there should be; no more, no less.
One to embody the power, the other to crave it.”
–Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel, a cortosis miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him.
As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. But the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, he must defy the most sacred traditions and reject all he has been taught. It is a trial by fire in which he must surrender fully to the dark side–and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.

“A solid space adventure [that] charts the evolution of an antihero almost as chilling as Darth Vader.”
–Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Drew Karpyshyn is a fantasy and science fiction novelist and an award-winning writer/designer for the computer game company BioWare, where he was lead writer on the popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. He lives in Canada’s hinterlands of the Great White North with his loving wife, Jen, and their cat.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: LucasBooks (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345477375
• ISBN-13: 978-0345477378
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Movie Tie-Ins
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Adventure
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

More About the Author

Drew Karpyshyn is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Darth Bane: Rule of Two, Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and the Mass Effect novels Revelation and Ascension, as well as several other fantasy and science fiction novels. He is also an award-winning writer/designer for the computer game company BioWare, where he was lead writer on Mass Effect and the blockbuster Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game. He lives in Canada's hinterlands with his wife, Jen, and their cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best star wars book in sometime, July 23, 2007

By 

A. Longano "Ajl" (NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you want to read 2 star wars books this year you should "Rise of the Dark Lord" about Vader and this one. The author for this book is the one that wrote the story for "Knights of the Old Republic" = a Great game that you must play! The Knights time period (1000's years before new hope episode IV)is ripe with great history and it is a shame Lucas & Co. have not decided to use all the great options they have in order to make a movie or TV show from this time period.
I always wondered where the adage given in "Phantom Menace" Came from for the sith apprentice and Master and now I know. I did not make much sense that there could only be 2 true Sith= Master/Apprentice But this clarifies and explains the foundation = created by the character Bane - that became the golden rule for the sith. Add in Tons of action- jedi vs sith, sith vs sith, battles of all sorts, also add in well developed characters, and a story that is fast paced while still giving great details on the history that makes up the Star Wars myth and you have a excellent Book that is much fun to read. Highly Recommended!
May the force be with you.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good fictional realism..., August 17, 2007

By 

108Dragons "raiden" (San Marcos TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an excellent insight into the basis of the dark side. Very well written, moves along, and very enjoyable. Hard to believe that this author isn't an established novelist. The descriptions are excellent and the style gives you a sense that your in the mind of someone that is undergoing transformation. I'm not sure why that 1 star reviewer is so bent out of shape with the violence. He mentions Vader as a likeable "antihero". I distinctly remember in one of the movies Anakin slaughtering mercilessly the younglings or toddler/child jedi off camera. In the fictional SW world, the sith are evil, and that's what evil does. All and all a worthwhile read and definitely not a waste of time. If only the movie scripts were written this well...

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Part of the Series, July 29, 2007

By 

Baruch Spinoza "Michael" (Centennial, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Easily one of the very best Star Wars books. This is the first book that looks at the dark side through its own lenses and filters rather than through the Jedi. As humans, we struggle with determining the nature of evil. Why does it exist and why does it continue. This book grapples with some of those issues in ways that are less superficial and nonsensical than many other stories have treated the topic. It provides a historical context for the Sith while making them much more 3 dimensional. Drew Karpyshyn is to be commended for writing an intelligent yet fun to read Star Wars book... which is better than many of them.