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Lords of the Sith: Star Wars Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
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)
- Listening Length10 hours and 56 minutes
- Audible release dateApril 28, 2015
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB00VRSEEAG
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 10 hours and 56 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Paul S. Kemp |
Narrator | Jonathan Davis |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | April 28, 2015 |
Publisher | Random House Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B00VRSEEAG |
Best Sellers Rank | #11,686 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #296 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #455 in Adventure Science Fiction #773 in Space Operas |
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers say the book is great for Star Wars fans and a good addition to the new canon. They also find the writing quality well-written and the content fascinating. Readers describe the characters as engaging and thoughtful. They describe the content as powerful, executed to near-perfection, and interesting. Customers also describe the book as incredible, gritty, and effectively narrated. Opinions are mixed on the plot, with some finding it plenty of good action and mentioning a great foreshadow of the early rebellion, while others say it's not the best.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book incredible, with a good main plot, and interesting. They also say it's written with surprising depth, and is masterfully paced and executed. Readers also mention that the book is gritty and effectively narrated.
"...The book is masterfully paced, wonderfully executed, and does a great job of giving depth to not just Vader, but to every perspective character and..." Read more
"...The new character, Isval, was an interesting read, and you do understand where she comes from, though her motivations do essentially boil down to “..." Read more
"...This book also includes a wonderful little short story called Orientation by another of my favorites, John Jackson Miller, featuring a young Rae..." Read more
"...So, in short, this was a good book and an entertaining read into one of the many seeds of a galaxy-wide rebellion, but it left me wanting more...." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book well written, masterfully paced, and easy to read. They also say the Empire's Big Two is elaborate and well told. Readers also mention the introductory sequence is amazing and the story is not overly complex.
"...The book is masterfully paced, wonderfully executed, and does a great job of giving depth to not just Vader, but to every perspective character and..." Read more
"...Vader’s introductory sequence in amazing and one thing that is repeated throughout the book is that people are terrified of Vader, and everything in..." Read more
"...Paul S Kemp writes Sith brilliantly, showing their power, cruelty and inner demons...." Read more
"...The things Vader and especially Palpatine are capable of are overly exaggerated. Vader is the "black knight" in armor with magic at his hand...." Read more
Customers find the book fascinating and great to showcase the relationship between Palpatine and Vader. They also say the rebel characters and their motivations are well established and never feel contrived. Readers also say it holds their attention throughout and creates a sense of urgency.
"...most of us have seen the Original Trilogy, it's a thrill-packed, truly intriguing, and intense story, that made it hard for me to put down!" Read more
"...Kemp has written a story that is thrilling and interesting. My only gripe is that there are a few moments that take the reader out of the story...." Read more
"...They couldn’t be more different, but Mr. Kemp did a great job of building their relationship over the course of the book...." Read more
"...The rebel characters and their motivations are well established and never felt "contrived" to steer the plot in the desired direction...." Read more
Customers find the characters engaging, and the relationship with Vader well represented. They also say the book is gripping and thoughtful.
"...The character of Belkor was alright. I didn’t exactly find him compelling or really sympathize too much with him...." Read more
"...As usual, he is spot on and his Vader and Emperor voices are incredible...." Read more
"...It gets bogged down with other characters that are uninteresting and slow the story way down. Waaaaaay false advertising. Reader beware." Read more
"...The action is rather constant and the characters are engaging. What I enjoyed most was the interaction between Sidious and Vader...." Read more
Customers find the content powerful, excellent, and impressive. They also say the book is a good introduction to the idea of the rebellion against the Empire. Readers also say it helps with knowing things about the Disney XD TV show Star Wars Rebels. They say the author makes good use of the downtime in between to flesh out the characters.
"...The Emperor is handled with a master's care. The Rebels work well enough you truly want to root for them and hope they can pull of the world they..." Read more
"...and the Emperor were portrayed, and in that regard, it was executed to near-perfection...." Read more
"...Paul S Kemp writes Sith brilliantly, showing their power, cruelty and inner demons...." Read more
"...of the Dark Side of the Forces are portrayed in Lords of the Sith and powerful, dangerous, and very much in command, even when it appears outwardly..." Read more
Customers find the book a great addition to their collection and a nice addition to the sith lore. They also say the future of Star Wars looks bright and the book is a compliment to both trilogies.
"...This is by far the best Star Wars book released under the new Canon. I was starting to worry...." Read more
"...The way they're portrayed in the book is a great compliment to both trilogies without really relying on or the other too much...." Read more
"...Either way, this is an interesting book for its unique approach to Star Wars, especially for any Sith or Vader fans out there." Read more
"...All in all this is a great addition to the Star Wars timeline and a welcome return to the universe to Paul S. Kemp!" Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the plot. Some find the book has plenty of good action, character development, and story. They also say it moves along at a good clip. However, others say the overall plot isn't the best, it lets down the suspense, and it's predictable. They mention the book lacks in how predictable it is and the crude prose permeates the novel.
"...This doesn't take away from the book, but it does kill some of the tension." Read more
"...The story starts fast and continues steadily throughout the rest of the book; there was no part where I was bored, though there were some parts I..." Read more
"...a few interesting scenes toward the very end of the book, but it's way too brief and that's about it...." Read more
"...The action is rather constant and the characters are engaging. What I enjoyed most was the interaction between Sidious and Vader...." Read more
Customers find the book boring and lacking in entertainment value. They also mention that the dynamic between Vader and the Twi'lek rebels is uninteresting and boring.
"...It gets bogged down with other characters that are uninteresting and slow the story way down. Waaaaaay false advertising. Reader beware." Read more
"...I think he was over used and actually completely unnecessary after he was used to confirm the arrival of our Lords of the Sith...." Read more
"...Only... Isval is both not very interesting and kind of unlikeable as a character...." Read more
"...dialog between Vader and the Emperor end up being the least interesting parts of the book...." Read more
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Paul Kemp has written a masterful story from the perspective of Star Wars most iconic villain of all time. Vader is a force of nature and depicted rightfully so here. Against him and the Emperor is a group of Twi'lek rebels who are pulling out all the stops to strike the figurative head off the serpent and take both Vader and the Emperor down.
The book is masterfully paced, wonderfully executed, and does a great job of giving depth to not just Vader, but to every perspective character and numerous side/major characters in the book as well. You get the full scope of humanity across a half dozen characters, and every single one gives the impression that you are just catching them at the brief moment in their very interesting lives when all their fates are briefly intertwined.
Lords of the Sith is a compelling read and one that is hard to put down. It does true justice to the character of Darth Vader while serving as a wonderful bridge from Anakin Skywalker in Episode III to Darth Vader in Episode IV. The Emperor is handled with a master's care. The Rebels work well enough you truly want to root for them and hope they can pull of the world they are striving for.
The only down side? The placement of the book in the chronology of the universe means you know what has to happen by the end. This doesn't take away from the book, but it does kill some of the tension.
After Paul Kemp’s excellent Deceived I was pretty hopeful about Lords of the Sith, and for the most part, my expectations were met. I personally feel that it wasn’t as good as Deceived, but any book that I can read in one continuous sitting is one that I will always recommend, especially for Star Wars fans. For context before reading, I knew almost nothing going into this other than that it was about Vader and the Emperor. And that Cham Syndulla was included in some capacity. Details about the plot itself were unknown. I’ll be breaking this review down into several sections:
Plot:
I think that one thing Kemp excels in is the portrayal of one major event that takes place only in the course of a few days. He did it in Deceived and does it here for the majority of the book, barring some set-up in the beginning. The story starts fast and continues steadily throughout the rest of the book; there was no part where I was bored, though there were some parts I would have left out in favor of more Vader/Emperor scenes.
There are roughly three different perspectives that all converge into one massive event. The Resistance/Free Ryloth plotline, several Imperials in charge of Ryloth itself, and of course, Vader and the Emperor. Out of those, I’d easily say that the ones focusing on the Imperial characters are the weakest while anything with Vader and the Emperor is easily the best. The rebel plotline was alright, but I found it hard to really get invested since I in no way expected them to succeed. When writing a story with characters like Vader and Syndulla, as well as setting it between the movies, it’s really hard to write stakes that seem plausible for everyone outside the story. To his credit, Kemp does his best, but there were several predictions I made early in the book, namely which characters were going to die, and all but one came true. It’s predictable, but the journey is entertaining enough to forgive it for the most part.
Of course, the reason I really picked this up was to see how well Vader and the Emperor were portrayed, and in that regard, it was executed to near-perfection. Vader’s introductory sequence in amazing and one thing that is repeated throughout the book is that people are terrified of Vader, and everything in the book backs that up completely. It was awesome to witness just how powerful the two Sith are, and Vader isn’t the only one given a chance to shine. The Emperor has quite a few scenes where he demonstrates his power, and with the implication that what was displayed isn’t even his full power. So yeah, Sith stuff was easily the best part of book.
I was also wondering how Kemp would set up a plausible threat to both Vader and the Emperor, and the actual execution was pretty well done. It was plausible, though at no point did I feel that either of them were in any real danger, and I’m certain that was the intention. There are some questions I had with certain plot points though, one side-plot I was certain was going to show up either at the end or middle was dropped completely and one of the decisions a character makes at the end seemed more for shock value than an actual intelligent decision. A new character POV was also introduced roughly halfway into the book, which I wasn’t really interested in to begin with, and honestly seemed to just divert time away from more interesting stuff. It wasn’t bad per-se, but it was easily the weakest part of the book for me.
Characters:
To their credit, the two major characters in the Resistance are pretty good characters in their own way. You get a much better look into who Cham is and what he believes in, as he wages a war for the freedom of his planet. You empathize with him, especially later into the book, and at this point I would say he embodies the ideal “Freedom fighter.” The new character, Isval, was an interesting read, and you do understand where she comes from, though her motivations do essentially boil down to “kill Imperials.” She does have something of an arc, but it only shows up really close to the end, and doesn’t feel particularly earned; almost it was either to have some sort of redemption arc, or to make a final scene more impactful. I was somewhat disappointed by that; not every morally questionably character needs to turn “good” just because they’re on the “good” side.
The character of Belkor was alright. I didn’t exactly find him compelling or really sympathize too much with him. The only reason I was hoping things would turn out alright for him was because I liked his rival character less. But he wasn’t a wasted character, and did contribute a lot to the overall plot, which is an important point.
Vader and the Emperor are on point and completely in character. You get a much better look a Vader in this book, how he’s changed since donning the iconic suit. His relationship with the Emperor is done in nailed Sith style. If you’re familiar with how the Sith operate, then there’s very little new information here but it’s still neat to actually read through interactions between the two of them. The Emperor is the Emperor, most of his dialogue is exactly what you’d expect from him; enigmatic, manipulating and cliché. Honestly, that’s all I wanted and I definitely got that. I’m not sure if it was intended or not, but I always had the feeling that the Emperor knew quite a lot about what was going to happen, as he wasn’t rattled at all by anything that happened in the story.
Technical stuff: Not really much to say here. There were a few odd instances of stuff being capitalized when it shouldn’t have been or vice-versa. There was also a misspelled word (That I saw). Most people probably won’t spot them, but since I do a lot of writing and editing, stuff like that stands out more to me.
Conclusion: A solid novel, worth buying if you like Star Wars for sure. If you just want to see Vader and the Emperor wrecking some rebels, you’ll enjoy this immensely. If you want a well-written novel, you’ll also enjoy this as well. If you’re expecting any major twists or surprises, you’ll be disappointed. But the lack of surprise doesn’t negate that this was a book I enjoyed immensely.
This book also includes a wonderful little short story called Orientation by another of my favorites, John Jackson Miller, featuring a young Rae Sloane.
Top reviews from other countries
Reviewed in Brazil on April 16, 2023
Even though the reader knows that Vader and Palpatine will survive this assassination attempt from the Free Ryloth movement to appear in the later movies, Paul S. Kemp manages to create a genuine sense of tension and excitement throughout the novel by focusing on the more ‘expendable’ supporting characters such as Isval, Moff Delian Mors and Belkor Dray; whose fates are not cast in stone. Kemp keeps the action moving throughout, introducing new complications and dangers for Cham, Isval and the Free Ryloth fighters to overcome. The sequence aboard the Star Destroyer is amazingly tense, as Vader personally hunts down our protagonists with the same unrelenting zeal witnessed in those closing moments of Rogue One.
The relationship between Vader and Palpatine is explored, primarily from Vader’s perspective, as the apprentice Sith Lord attempts to quash memories of his past on Ryloth, which can be seen in episodes from The Clone Wars TV series. Kemp does a fantastic job at capturing Palpatine’s enigmatic and Machiavellian behaviour as he manipulates events and tests Vader’s strength and loyalty. His dialogue throughout is extremely reminiscent of Ian McDiarmid’s portrayal of Palpatine, and evokes the sinister nature of the character. I also enjoyed how Kemp described the relationship between the two Sith Lords as symbiotic – kept in balance through a desire of power and dominance. While his Vader is portrayed as an unstoppable killing machine, there are some brief hints of humanity displayed during his private thoughts foreshadowing the eventual redemption arc to come.
The most striking thing about the novel is the pace and urgency of events after the Free Ryloth initiate their attack on Vader and Palpatine. The constant improvised plans and attempts to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat make for a compelling read and Kemp fills his narrative with plenty of twists and turns, most notably in the storyline of Belkor Dray and Delian Mors – two opposing forces within the Imperial Army. Tonally, the book felt similar to Rogue One - capturing the spirit of the heist movie genre and applying it to the Star Wars universe. The constant shifts in objective makes “Lords of the Sith” evocative of a Coen Brothers movie, as our heroes find themselves regularly adapting to events in order to survive. I just loved how tangled the plot became, particularly the sequences with Belkor Dray whose fate was dictated largely by the actions of others.
While the book’s cover implies a heavy focus on Vader and Palpatine, the novel actually spends the majority of its time with Cham Syndulla and his Free Ryloth movement, establishing them as the precursor to the Rebellion – plot threads that would later be picked up on in the Star Wars: Rebels series, featuring Syndulla’s daughter Hera. While I haven’t actually dipped my toe into the animated Star Wars universe yet; my introduction to these supporting characters have piqued my interest and made me reconsider my decision to bypass those shows. Kemp fills his novel with plenty of continuity references, fleshing out Ryloth and the various alien creatures that inhabit it. The Ryloth Insurgency, as described in this novel, is an important historical event in the new Star Wars continuity, and Kemp does a great job at laying the foundations for future stories set between Episodes III & IV.
On its own, “Lords of the Sith” is a tremendously fun read that showcases just how badass Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine are. Paul S. Kemp has fun unleashing the true nature of the Dark Side of the Force in one particular underground sequence during a battle with hundreds of Lyleks. Relentlessly fast-paced and with a grim inevitability to the plot, “Lords of the Sith” captures the same desperation against overwhelming odds that was seen in Rogue One, highlighting the brutal realities of the Rebellion and the high body count that precedes Luke Skywalker’s “one in a million” shot against the Death Star.
When I started, I actually expected the book to be rather toned down because of apprehensions I had about the whole Disney thing. But I was wrong. This book is quite dark and mature. In the end, I think this book is a good first read for any young adult or adult Star Wars fans who are just getting into to the new "Disney canon" expanded universe. It is also not a bad choice for new fans who want to go beyond the movies and animated series and really get into Star Wars.
I do have complaints about this book however. There seem to be quite a few grammar errors here and there and one plot hole regarding the Emperor's Royal Guards (which I won't get into because of spoilers). Another complaint is that the book kept me up late at night because I kept on reading and did not stop. Curse this book for messing with my sleep!