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Darth Bane, the first and only true Dark Lord of the Sith, has acquired much knowledge, power and strength over the decades. But the Dark Side energy that feeds his thirst for control is slowly destroying his battered frame. As he continues to lose faith in his apprentice, Darth Zannah, Bane finds he must look for either a new apprentice, or a way to prolong his life…

Drew Karpyshyn's Star Wars: Darth Bane - Dynasty of Evil, is the perfect end to the Darth Bane trilogy which began a few years ago with Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction. The outcast, abused miner Dessel from the backwater planet of Apatros has grown to become the most powerful, feared and mystery entity in the galaxy. He has eliminated all rival Sith, established the now-famous Rule of Two and convinced the Jedi that he himself has been defeated and killed, so Bane now bides his time and waits for his eventual revenge, even though it may come centuries from now.

Living a recluse's life under the guise of an eccentric, wealthy collector, Bane scours the galaxy for any remaining Sith artifacts that will give him any advantage in unlocking new or lost powers to fulfill his mission. But though his soul is strong with hate and rage, the years of battle and the scars from the dark orbalisk creatures he once wore as armor have made his physical body weak and he fears that his apprentice, Darth Zannah does not have the desire to challenge and beat him in battle, continuing the Rule of Two.

As Bane goes on a secret mission to find the Sith Holocron of Darth Andeddu, the Immortal God-King of Prakith, in hopes of extending his life, or finding a vessel to hold his energy, Zannah continues her quest to find an apprentice, which she feels she needs before she can challenge Bane for the mantle of Sith Lord. Zannah's search brings her up against a Dark Jedi named Set Harth and a mysterious Force-sensitive Iktochi assassin known only as the Huntress. Meanwhile, Bane himself is pursued by Princess Serra, daughter of a healer he murdered decades ago and her bodyguard Lucia, who has an old connection to Bane's former life.

The Darth Bane books continue to give a wonderfully new point of view to the Star Wars Expanded Universe, seeing things through the eyes of the Sith. This time out, there are no actual Jedi to deal with (as they all believe the Sith have been wiped out) and the adventure really is the culmination of the two novels that preceded it. While this is a definite conclusion to the Darth Bane origin story, enough questions are left open that it will be interesting to see how the Sith legacy will grow and change to reach fruition as it did in Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Science fiction enthusiast David Maddox has been many things, including Star Trek characters and the Riddler in a Batman stunt show. He holds a degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University, and has written several articles for various SF sites as well as the Star Wars Insider and the Star Trek Communicator. He spends his time working on screenplays and stories while acting on stage, screen and television. He can sometimes be seen giving tours at Universal Studios Hollywood and occasionally playing Norman Bates. Really.