Lords of the Sith: Star Wars

By: Paul S. Kemp

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-seller.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.

"It appears things are as you suspected, Lord Vader. We are indeed hunted."

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, is just a memory. Darth Vader, newly anointed Sith Lord, is ascendant. The Emperor's chosen apprentice has swiftly proven his loyalty to the dark side. Still, the history of the Sith Order is one of duplicity, betrayal, and acolytes violently usurping their Masters - and the truest measure of Vader's allegiance has yet to be taken. Until now.

On Ryloth, a planet crucial to the growing Empire as a source of slave labor and the narcotic known as "spice", an aggressive resistance movement has arisen, led by Cham Syndulla, an idealistic freedom fighter, and Isval, a vengeful former slave. But Emperor Palpatine means to control the embattled world and its precious resources - by political power or firepower - and he will be neither intimidated nor denied. Accompanied by his merciless disciple, Darth Vader, he sets out on a rare personal mission to ensure his will is done.

For Syndulla and Isval, it's the opportunity to strike at the very heart of the ruthless dictatorship sweeping the galaxy. And for the Emperor and Darth Vader, Ryloth becomes more than just a matter of putting down an insurrection: When an ambush sends them crashing to the planet's surface, where inhospitable terrain and an army of resistance fighters await them, they will find their relationship tested as never before. With only their lightsabers, the dark side of the Force, and each other to depend on, the two Sith must decide if the brutal bond they share will make them victorious allies or lethal adversaries.

Praise for Lords of the Sith:

“A compelling tale [that] gives us new insight into the relationship between Darth Vader and his master, Emperor Palpatine.” (New York Daily News)

“Endlessly fascinating...a tale [that is] not just compelling but completely thrilling.” (Big Shiny Robot)

“The best novel so far in this new era of official canon Star Wars stories.” (IGN)

“Packed with action...hard to put down.” (Seattle Geekly)

©2015 Paul S. Kemp (P)2015 Random House Audio

Lords of the Sith, Really Great or Really...Meh.

If you could sum up Lords of the Sith: Star Wars in three words, what would they be?

A Good Book

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

In order to make the story more enjoyable I would have spent more time on the Master and Apprentice dynamic of Sith. This is called Lords of the Sith after all and I feel as though the author doesn't spend enough time on Vader and Palpatine's relationship. Also the relationship between Cham and Isval while decently fleshed out it would have been nice to make it more intimate so when the end occurred you felt a little more for them and their loss.

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

Palpatine was great, so was Vader. Cham was intensely performed as was Belacor. (sp?)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sith Just Got Real!

Good naration, lacking sith story.

With the book being titled "Lords of the Sith" you think it would mostly be about...Sith. The parts with Vader and the Emperor were good, but rarely happen compared to the amount of content about a pre-rebellion resistance cell.

Great naration and sound effects though.

Fans of the Dark Lords, rejoice!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I have a few friends who really enjoy reading the exploits of Sith characters so they would consume this book quite fast. In fact, I already recommended this book to one person in particular. He told me that having Rogue One's Vader levels of morbid awesomeness across a whole book was magnificent.

What other book might you compare Lords of the Sith: Star Wars to and why?

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived. It involved the aftermath of a major and unprecedented Sith victory against the Jedi order (even though Palpatine's victory was far more complete), it featured a powerful Sith cyborg with a warrior psyche and it even had a Twi'lek with an important role. Not quite the same tale, though

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Davis – was your favorite?

For the already established characters, Emperor Palpatine/Darth Sidious. I felt that Jonathan Davis nailed his impression of the incredibly important movie character. For a character created for the novel, Imperial Colonel Belkor Dray. The tone of voice really matched his wide range of emotions quite well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed when Cham Syndula blackmailed the imperial traitor. The way the leader of the Free Ryloth movement demonstrated just how many steps ahead he was from the traitor was thoroughly entertaining.

I didn't cried when Vader obeyed Sidious order at the Twi'lek village but I got legitimately upset. I think the audiobook version made it even more haunting than just reading it would have been. Well played, Mark Thompson and Paul S. Kemp. You really got me invested in the story.

Any additional comments?

This story was a bit weird, in retrospective. Here we have a couple of diabolically evil people that have a lot of "screen time" getting themselves in dangerous situations but because we have seen the movies we know every step of the way that they won't be killed, no matter how hard we root for the good rebels to win. That was an interesting and different experience, all things considered.

Vader at his best!

Vader at his best👌👍 you really get a good look at the conflict inside him(you were right about me, tell your sister you were right) Anakin is still in there only forgotten.

Good, but could’ve been better.

Everything with Vader and Palpatine was fantastic! The Imperial office politics was also very good. Unfortunately the story overall suffered from a lack of challenge to Vader and Palpatine. Neither of them were ever in any danger by even the slightest stretch of imagination which, unfortunately sucks a lot of gravity out of the plot. It’s more a story of Vader and Palpatine slaughtering things just for the Hell of it. The story would’ve benefited from at least an Order 66 Survivor or Force-sensitive being to really test Vader. Other than that it was good overall. The production quality was good with the exception of a few moments where the background sounds drowned out or detracted from the narrative.

EVERYTHING I WISHED FOR

Where does Lords of the Sith: Star Wars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

IT IS RANKED NUMBER 1

Who was your favorite character and why?

OF COURSE DARTH VADER

Which scene was your favorite?

VADER AND THE EMPEROR SITING AT THE CAMP SITE IN FRONT OF THE CAMP FIRE

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

IT MADE ME FULL OF JOY TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE REALTIONSHIP OF VADER AND HIS MASTER

Any additional comments?

IM A HUGE VADER FAN AND THIS IS WHAT I HAVE ALWASY WISHED FOR. SEEING VADER STRUGGLE WITH HIS PAST, HAVING THOUGHTS OF KILLING HIS MASTER, AND HOW THE EMPEROR TREATS VADER

A great star wars story

Good narration. Sound effects just right and not too forced. Great listen instant classic for any fan

Great Star Wars book.

This book was great. reader did a great job. a highly recommended book to read.

best star wars book

amazing book vader and palpatine deadliest duo in star wars. vader was like the termimator.

A good story read perfectly

As Star Wars has my complete attn. lately. This book was good enough to keep it there. Jonathan Davis is very good at his job. The story was above average. .