Synopsis In the New York Times bestseller Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Drew Karpyshyn painted a gripping portrait of a young man’s journey from innocence to evil. That man was Darth Bane, a twisted genius whose iron will, fierce ambition, and strength in the dark side of the Force made him a natural leader among the Sith -- until his radical embrace of an all-but-forgotten wisdom drove him to destroy his own order . . . and create it anew from the ashes. As the last surviving Sith, Darth Bane promulgated a harsh new directive: the Rule of Two. Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it. Now Darth Bane is ready to put his policy into action, and he thinks he has found the key element that will make his triumph complete: a student to train in the ways of the dark side. Though she is young, Zannah possesses an instinctive link to the dark side that rivals his own. With his guidance, she will become essential in his quest to destroy the Jedi and dominate the galaxy. But there is one who is determined to stop Darth Bane: Johun Othone, Padawan to Jedi Master Lord Hoth, who died at Bane’s hands in the last great Sith War. Though the rest of the Jedi scoff at him, Joshua’s belief that there are surviving Sith on the loose is unshakeable. As Johun continues his dogged pursuit of the man who killed his master, Zannah, faced unexpectedly with a figure from her past, begins to question her embrace of the dark side. And Darth Bane is led by Force-induced visions to a moon where he will acquire astonishing new knowledge and power -- power that will alter him in ways he could never have imagined. . . .
Charlotte Mini-Con! Now in its incredible FOURTH decade, the original Charlotte Mini-Con is the event that gave birth not only to Heroes Convention, but to Heroes Aren't Hard To Find itself! The 2008 Charlotte Mini-Con will be held on Saturday, January 19 in the Palmer Building at Fireman's Hall, which is located at the corner of E. 5th and E. 7thjust a few blocks away from Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. Not only will you get a roomful of dealers from around the Southeast, but there will be loads of special guests on hands, including: J. CHRIS CAMPBELL (Zig Zag, Wide Awake Press) DAVE JOHNSON (100 Bullets, Superman: Red Son) BUDD ROOT (Cavewoman) ANDY SMITH (52, World War III, Klaw) ROB ULLMAN (Grand Gestures, Project: Superior) ETHAN VAN SCIVER (Green Lantern: Rebirth, Superman/Batman) Don't miss HeroesCon's older (but smaller) brother: the Charlotte Minicon! Saturday, January 19! Admission is a suggested $3 donation to the MS Society. Charlotte MiniCon
link Sith Rules: An Interview with Drew Karpyshyn December 20, 2007 Masters and Apprentices Rule of Two is the second novel featuring Darth Bane, the legendary Sith master who introduced the rule that subsequently defined the history of the Sith: "Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it." Is this just a darkly twisted version of the Jedi-Padawan relationship, or is there more to it? There is definitely a parallel between the Master-apprentice and Jedi-Padawan relationships, in that you have a mentor passing on teachings, knowledge and wisdom to a student. However, the Jedi use this relationship as a way to prepare individuals for a life of service by teaching obedience to a greater authority, whether it be a Padawan's Master, the Jedi Council, or the Force itself. In contrast, the Sith see the Master-apprentice relationship as the first step in a journey that will free the individual from all service. The ultimate purpose of the Rule of Two is to have the student surpass and replace the teacher... something the Jedi most certainly do not encourage. You've fleshed out Bane considerably since he appeared in the Dark Horse comics Jedi vs. Sith series. How has your take on Bane changed from your original conception in the course of writing these novels? Like many who first met Bane in the comics, I saw him as a larger-than-life figure. In some ways he seemed to be the embodiment of the dark side itself; a monster who was pure evil. However, when I went to write the novels I began to wonder how such a being came into existence. Obviously he wasn't born as a monster, and as I explored and played around with his back-story, I realized that -- on many levels -- Bane could actually be a character people could identify with. He's just doing what he feels is necessary to survive, and I think he brings an interesting perspective to the morality of the whole light side--dark side argument. You've said before that you don't consider the philosophy of the dark side to be inherently evil. Yet if that's the case, why does it always lead to betrayal and treachery and murder, as it does in Rule of Two and elsewhere? Why does it always corrupt individuals, from Bane to Vader to Jacen Solo? The dark side is a philosophy that celebrates the power of the individual, which on its own isn't necessarily bad. The problem comes when this philosophy is pushed to extremes, resulting in a lack of respect for the rights and lives of others. However, at least in Bane's era, followers of the dark side don't have any choice but to be extremist in their actions. The Jedi are fanatical about trying to wipe out the followers of the dark side, so the only way for the Sith to survive is to meet their enemies with the same level of fanaticism. If the Jedi were more moderate and tolerant of those who follow the dark side, Bane might have evolved into something very different . . . but that wouldn't necessarily make for a good story. Jada note: highlighting because if you haven't finished or read the book these next two paragraph contain some spoilers One of the main plot threads in Rule of Two concerns Bane's choice of an apprentice: the young girl Zannah, who develops into an intriguing character in her own right. If anything, she is more frightening than Bane! Tell us about her. Zannah appeared as a young girl in the same Dark Horse series that introduced us to Darth Bane. She's interesting because, although she's incredibly strong in the Force, her power manifests itself in a very different way than her Master's. She lacks his physical size and strength, so she's forced to rely more on her wits and cunning. Like Bane, she didn't start out planning to be evil. She's been dealt some tough hands in life, and she does what she has to in order to survive. This is especially important later in the book as she must decide what path she wants to follow, and I'm hoping readers will be able to identify with her internal conflict. Where did you get the idea for the orbalisks, the symbiotic parasites that Bane uses to enhance his physical and Force-related abilities? The orbalisks were part of the established lore around Bane. As I looked into them I saw an interesting parallel in their relationship with Bane and Bane's relationship with Zannah. The orbalisks augment Bane's power and protect him against lightsabers and other weapons, but they also force him to live in constant, agonizing pain, and there is the chance that they will one day be the cause of his destruction. Zannah could say the same thing about her Master: he makes her strong, but he also causes pain and suffering and it is very likely he will one day be the cause of her death . . . unless she proves strong enough to kill him instead. Games and Novels How do the Jedi of Bane's time differ from the Jedi of Vader's day? What about the Sith? I think the Jedi of Bane's time are weary and exhausted. They've been fighting the Sith for so long that they just want the battle to be over, so it's hard for them to accept that the Sith might still survive after the Battles of Ruusan. They're simply tired of fighting, and that makes them vulnerable to complacency. By the time of the movies, this complacency has become full-blown malaise, making the Jedi ripe for their fall. In contrast, the Sith are reinventing themselves during Bane's time. They are solidifying their power and building their strength so they can defeat their enemies, and the movies show the culmination of this process. You're a novelist who has also worked as a computer game designer. Do you think these two forms are ultimately going to merge? Will we ever see a game with the complexity of a novel? Or a novel with all the choices of a game? And if so, how close are we now? I think games and novels offer two very different experiences, and I don't see any reason to try and bring the two together. Games are all about the player being an active participant and controlling the action, whereas novels put readers into the role of a witness to the action. Neither is inherently better than the other, and I think each provides something that is unique. A good analogy for me is the difference between playing a sport and watching it on TV. You can love watching your favorite NBA team, and you can love playing basketball with your friends, but you get something different from each experience. Having said that, I think you're still going to see an evolution in the storytelling in games. Books have been around for centuries; authors have worked out all sorts of techniques to tell a great story in a novel. Games have only been around for a few decades, and we're just beginning to incorporate the kind of subtlety and complexity you'd see in other art forms like books, movies, or TV. Jada note: next part could be considered a spoiler What is the significance of Holocrons, and why is the creation of one so important to Darth Bane? Both the Jedi and the Sith use Holocrons as a way to transfer not just the knowledge but also the personality of an individual down to future generations. Bane understands that recording his ideas and thoughts for future Sith is important, but it pales in comparison to creating a Holocron. Transferring facts and knowledge to someone is easy; transferring wisdom and true understanding is much harder. You learn a lot more from a good teacher than you do from reading a textbook by yourself. The incredibly advanced technologies of a Holocron are a way to allow Bane to continue as a teacher even after he is long dead. What's next for the Sith? I can't really answer that yet, but I'm hoping fans are interested enough that Lucasfilm will want to continue exploring the Sith line of succession established by Bane all the way down to Sidious and Vader. What other projects are you working on, in terms of both writing and gaming? I've always got a number of projects on the go. We just finished the Xbox 360 game Mass Effect last month, and I've already started working on the story, character, and dialog for Mass Effect 2. I'm also hard at work on a second Mass Effect novel coming out in spring of 2008 to go along with Mass Effect: Revelation, released last year. After that I'll be putting the final touches on an original fantasy trilogy I've been working on so I can start trying to find a publisher. And, like most writers, I've got a couple of screenplays that I'm kicking around, too.
Drew Karpyshyn Interview with JM! Here it is…The Interview with Drew Karpyshyn! The below questions where generated by the membership at JM, and I would like to thank everyone who submitted a question for Drew. This interview is our second interview with someone connected with Star Wars, and I can assure you all there are a many more exciting interviews on the way. Make sure you stay posted to find out who is coming to Jedi-Masters next! Lastly, I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone on Jedi-Masters, in thanking Drew for allowing this chance to ask him some questions. Anyway I hope you all enjoy the interview! 1. What are your inspirations? One of my earliest inspirations is Episode IV - it was released when I was about 7, so it was a very powerful formative influence on me. As I grew up, I also delved into the works of many fantasy, sci-fi and horror authors (Stephen King, Tolkein, Donaldson, Eddings, and later on Guy Gavriel Kay, George R. Martin and Neil Gaiman). And of course, as a geeky teenager growing up in the 1980’s I played a lot of D&D. 2. What are your thoughts on the growing fandom? I think it’s great that Star Wars is continuing to grow. Twenty years ago, everyone was sure the original trilogy would be the end, but Star Wars never seemed to fade or grow old. That led to the EU materials, including the novels and games I’ve lucky enough to work on. And that, in turn, led to more movies… which brought in a whole new generation of fans. And because Star Wars is such a massive universe, with so much still to explore, I think fans are going to continue to be drawn in for many years to come. Jada note: might be a spoiler! 3. Will there be a 3rd Darth Bane book? I hope so, but there’s nothing official yet. Ultimately it’s up to Del Rey and Lucas, so I’ll just cross my fingers and hope the sales of Rule of Two are good enough to justify another sequel. 4. Whats it like working at Bioware? It’s a great company, with fantastic perks. Everyone here shares the same interests and hobbies (we’re all geeks and proud of it!), they bring in free breakfast every morning (bagels, cinnamon buns, yogurt, fruit, eggs… it’s pretty impressive), and they’re very generous with their bonuses and benefits. But it’s still a job. We work a full day (with flex hours), and when a deadline approaches we can work some serious overtime. But if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it. 5. You had the job of defining the Rule of Two. Was that a difficult task creating how Darth Bane would discover it and implement it? I’ll be honest: the Rule of Two has so much importance in the Star Wars universe I was afraid of screwing it up. I spent a lot of time trying to decide the best way for Bane to discover it, but I did have some help along the way. The Jedi vs Sith comic series showed the end result of Bane’s machinations, and I knew if I went in a bad direction my editors at Lucas and Del Rey would guide me back on track. Fortunately, I think everything worked out in a way that satisified most fans. 6. All the Star Wars material you have written has been set within the Old Republic, what other era’s would you like to explore? I actually like the Old Republic the best… maybe because there’s only a few of us working in that era. Everything set during or after the movies has to build on this immense library of material, and as a newer writer I think it would be easy for me to get lost in the shuffle. But the Old Republic is largely unexplored, and it offers such great opportunities to build on things mentioned in or alluded to in the movies. 7. When can Mass Effect fans expect from their first taste of Ascension? Mass Effect: Ascension will set up the second game in the same way Revelation set up the first game. It won’t focus on Shepard (that’s *your* story as the player), but it will introduce some new characters and themes that will figure prominently in the second game. I also bring back Kahlee Sanders from the first novel, and I’ll take a closer look at biotics and one of the alien species you got to meet in Mass Effect. 8. Is Mass Effect serving as a tester for KOTOR III? Are Bioware seeing which ideas work and which don’t? Mass Effect is it’s own original setting, and all the work we’re doing on it is focuse on telling a great story in the universe we created. Obviously we’ll continue to learn and improve our craft, but these improvements will be seen in the sequels to Mass Effect. 9. As an author do you ever see yourself in the characters you create for your novels? Sometimes I see certain aspects of myself in them, or certain qualities I wish I had. But usually my characters are a chance for me to explore attitudes, values and beliefs that I don’t have in my normal, everyday life. 10. When writing your novels do you like to just concentrate on oneproject at a time or write them simultaneously? I prefer to work on one project at a time whenever possible - it helps me stay focused on the tone and feel of a specific setting or story. However, there have been times when my schedule has forced me to work on multiple projects at once. 11. Which of the Star Wars films is your favourite and why? I like Empire the best. It seems darker than the other films, more serious and “substantial”, if that makes sense. The actors have great chemistry in the film, and t has the amazing twist when we learn Vader is Luke’s father. That may be one of the most memorable moments in movie history. 12. How did you get Bane? Was he a personal character you wanted to write about or is there in the Star Wars literary circle a list to choose from? I actually chose Bane because I was interested in exploring the mysterious, shadowy figure hanging around the fringes of the action in the Dark Horse comics. Obviously my choice had to be approved by Lucas and Del Rey, and it was made easier by the fact he was alreay a mythical figure in the SW universe. But it’s not like they gave me a ballot and had me check off a box.
MrEBeast posted:I just finished it last night, I enjoyed it, but it could have been better at the end. Aaron
eagle-eye posted:well, i wasn't at the book club, however it was nice to meet everyone at the con.I have got to hang out with you guys more often.
eagle-eye posted:david... but my friends call me ..... david
