Darth Bane: Path of Destruction - Drew Karpyshyn

I am a Star Wars fangirl. I admit that. I have almost all Star Wars novels and other assorted books. I love the Star Wars world, and especially the fight between Sith and Jedi.

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction is set about 1000 years before the events of the classic trilogy, about 3000 years after Revan saved the Republic in the KOTOR game.

Dessel is a miner on Apatros. Due to a killing of a Republic soldier, Dessel must run. He joins the Sith army and his potential in the Force is seen by one of the Dark Lords, Kopecz. He is taken in the Academy at Korriban, and there he takes the name of Bane and learns the ways of the Dark Side. Bane will be the destroyer of the Sith, but also the builder of a new Sith era. But for the rest, it's better to read the book.

As a whole, the book is one of the best in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, with good characters. You believe Bane, and you want him to succeed despite him being a Sith Lord. You want him to have his revenge, you want him to end the war and start his new rule. Except for Bane, there was also another Sith Lord I very much liked in this book: Kas'im, Bane's main instructor. And I would love to have even a short story about this Dark Lord, and how he became part of the Brotherhood of Darkness.

As for the writing, Drew Karpyshyn does well for a newbie writer. He has his problems, but I think that they are mostly associated with his writing for games rather than anything else. His action scenes were well described, well done, and were some of the best written parts of the book. Also, the chapters when Bane is on Ambria are also well written.

Some parts though needed to be a bit refined. Some of the dialogue seemed like it was written for games, it is too short, and at times, I was left with the impression that there were more things that should have been said. There were some chapters, especially when Bane is at the Academy on Korriban which needed something more. Too short? Too little detail? There was a bit of the "game" writing in that, which is not always bad, but needed a bit more colour, and more detail.

All in all, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was one of those people who played KOTOR at least 5-6 times in a row, and I love the Old Republic, and the whole Jedi vs.Sith adventure. I wish I had the time to play the online Star Wars The Old Republic game, but with my very limited time and my unreliable net connection at times, it's not very possible for the present.

London and Durham here I come!

Well, it's almost time for me to start packing. It's vacation time. However, this year I am going to spend some of my vacation time doing Physics Experiments. I have registered for the Open University course SXR207 - Physics By Experiment. This is the last year they are giving this course, since the curriculum and the degrees are changing. But, I do not care much about that, I'll be able to transfer my credits to the new degrees anyway, so no problem there.

I will start my journey on Friday morning, from Athens to London. I'll be staying in London for one night, and I already have registered at a hotel for the night. I know London a bit, been there a number of times, and I love it. I love London, especially shopping in London. However, I wish that you guys did not get the Olympic games. It will NOT be any fun, believe me. I've been through the Olympics stuff in Athens in 2004 and it was painful to say the least.

On Saturday, 31st July, in the morning, I'll get up early and get the train to Durham. I've never been to Durham,. and frankly, I don't even know where exactly it is. Always good to see a new place. I hope I'll have some time to see a bit of the town, and any historical monuments or buildings they have, even if it's just a quick tour. I would like to be able to walk a bit around town and see what it has to offer. I know I have one afternoon off, so, if I am not too tired, I'll get to check the town.

Return to London, on Friday the 6th of August, after the end of the residential course. And back to Athens on Saturday the 7th of August. A short but very interesting holiday for me.

I'll get photos from Durham, especially the University. I love English Universities, especially since I did my MSc. in one.