Path of Destruction

A Novel of the Old Republic

By: Drew Karpyshyn

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Once the Sith order teemed with followers. But their rivalries divided them in endless battles for supremacy - until one dark lord at last united the Sith in the quest to enslave the galaxy and exterminate the Jedi. Yet it would fall to another, far more powerful than the entire Brotherhood of Darkness, to ultimately realize the full potential of the Sith and wield the awesome power of the dark side as never before.

Since childhood, Dessel has known only the abuse of his hateful father and the dangerous, soul-crushing labor of a cortosis miner. Deep in the tunnels of the desolate planet Apatros, endlessly excavating the rare mineral valued throughout the galaxy, Dessel dreams of the day he can escape - a day he fears may never come. But when a high-stakes card game ends in deadly violence, Dessel suddenly finds himself a wanted man.

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel 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, he is destined for a far greater role in the ultimate Sith plan for the galaxy - if he can prove himself truly worthy.

As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side at the feet of its greatest masters, Dessel embraces his new Sith identity: Bane. However the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, one must fully surrender to the dark side through a trial by fire that Bane, for all his unquenchable fury and lust for power, may not be strong enough to endure... especially since deception, treachery, and murder run rampant among the Sith disciples, and utter ruthlessness alone is the key to survival.

Only by defying the most sacred traditions, rejecting all he has been taught, and drawing upon the long-forgotten wisdom of the very first Sith can Bane hope to triumph - and forge from the ashes of that which he must destroy a new era of absolute dark power.

©2012 Drew Karpyshyn (P)2012 Random House Audio

Great introduction to a menacing sith lord

Path of Destruction is very good book. Karpyshyn introducing us to a sith lord as strong as vader but also one with a story as interesting as the original trilogy. This book is dark and menacing without the happy side of the stories may other starwars novels try to convey.

Through passion I gain strength

If you could sum up Path of Destruction in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, educational, passionate.

What other book might you compare Path of Destruction to and why?

I can only really compare it to Darth Plagueis. No other book has inspired so much of the interest in the dark side in comparison. Between these two it will be a thoroughly enjoyable education in the dark side. They both give it so much more depth then 'it is evil, don't', as well as show why the Jedi are held in such contempt. I'm inclined to agree with them...

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a phenomenal listen, he brings such life to each of the characters its like listening to a movie. The only real issue I hear is all the Twi'lek (there are 3!) all sound the same, making me forget who was who from time to time, which is not a good thing as they are all very different.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, once started it was hard to put down. If I didn't have to work I don't think I would have.

Any additional comments?

What are you reading my review for still?!?! Listen to it!! Its amazing!!

Great listen for any occasion

I listen to this audio book on my drive to and from work and it was amazing. The story and narrator worked great together it was as if this book was written for him. The story would wake me up and keep me invested for the whole time of my two hour commute. I was so happy to see that Jonathan Davis narrated the other two books in the Darth Bane series and I picked both of them up. I highly recommend this book and the series even if you are not that big of a star wars fan this book does not seem to overwhelming with trying to build a whole galaxy it focus on what is important and stays true.

I Just Binged An Audio Book

This is the type of Star Wars story that I feel needs to be future of the movie franchise. I was so sucked in that I binged the entire book. I loved the perspective from dark side since it is rarely covered in such depth in tv/movie mediums. Refreshing to break away from the bubble gummy perspective the current content portrays. The attention to detail was awesome, from sith lore to light saber combat tactics to character development. Especially the light saber battles, they should be epic and in this book they were. I felt like I just watched part 1 of an epic movie trilogy. Can’t wait to knock out book 2.

A True Sith Tale.

Jonathan Davis truly brings life and death and destruction to your ears in this thrilling adventure of a novel, to say the least. The audio effects and music brought atmosphere and the change of voice for each individual character is phenomenal. For a few moments however, I would forget I was listening to a Star Wars novel, as it did seem to get very dark at times. Then I’d remember ‘this is a SITH origin story’ haha. Overall, great book and highly recommended.

Side note: This is my first Star Wars novel, and for some of you it may be an odd place to start however I came across this randomly and was instantly hooked. I’ve already purchased the second in the trilogy and can’t wait to start that, soon after I’ll get the third!

Phenomenal

On of the BEST stories I’ve ever had the pleasure listening to.


P.S. Funniest thing ever was hearing Bane saying “Are you ready to feel the power” in the most rockstar way ever.

Old Repubblic

What did you love best about Path of Destruction?

Bane is pure evil, in this audiobook you can understand the true meaning of the dark side.Awesome narration of J.Davis.You must buy it....

Which scene was your favorite?

When he found the holocube of RAVEN you understand the RULE of the DARK SIDE

So well told!

This is such a good story! A mature story and I love all 3 books. Jonathan Davis is great again!

Amazing book with amazing audio performance

Finished it within one sitting. Amazing book with amazing story. This is my third time reading it

a must for all Sith and old republic fans.

great read. the author is incredibly descriptive, giving a perfect picture of the invisible force.