Books So... is the Darth Bane trilogy any good?

I know this is a double post, but idc.

Is it silly? I mean, that was always my thinking, but maybe it's not about substance.

In the PT, the dark side is growing (a quote from the AOTC script) and clouding the Jedi's sight. It's out of balance.

So maybe it's about tipping the balance of the Force toward the dark side. Which is exactly what the rule of two ends up accomplishing.

If the dark side can grow, presumably it can wither, it can (and will) be diluted by a bunch of weak Sith who don't know how to use it to its utmost, whose philosophy isn't conducive to making the dark side grow more powerful.

No? Just asking questions, here.

 

Short answer: the imbalance is an allegory for the nominally symbiotic republic being corrupt to the core and fracturing into civil war. The imbalance is disharmony. This is toward the dark side since there's war going on and people dying, and evil people that are personally slanted toward the dark side having power over the masses.

If we consider the Force a substance, that is the cause of the dark side being "out of balance." More Sith won't "diminish" the dark side through "using it up" like its a finite resource like water. Inversely, it isn't favoring the Sith in the prequels because the Jedi are "using up" the light side (not that they "use" the light side).

 

Found "Path Of Destruction" by chance in the library yesterday and since then I've hardly been able to put it down........well except to go on Arkham Knight

 

You could have read the book in the time it takes to download the Arkham Knight 3.6GB update file!

 

Trilogy is leagues better.

Though of course, to me, its also collected in the better format.

 

Ah, thank you for the clarification - I think we do agree. I think JvS portrayed Bane's philosophy as believing that the dark side is a reservoir of energy and that the more open valves the lower the pressure. I agree with DM that the concept is silly for an infinite energy field that unifies the universe. PoD retconned this to have Bane believe that the Sith's weakness in numbers is that they are forced to choose between cooperation and infighting. This is a concept that is much less silly, and the best rationale in my opinion to have a Rule of Two. Of course, by the next book Bane is all about being killed by his apprentice so that the Sith as an order can get stronger. Suffice it to say that his change in philosophy really impacted my ability to enjoy the sequels as much as the first book.

 

I'd disagree. JVS had him looking like a tank, and certainly brutally capable, but he was also a thinker, too. He was philosophical and intelligent, though he wasn't given many opportunities to plot. But one of his insights was that the infighting of the Sith, represented by Kaan's revolt against him, was self-destructive, and the realization that he could channel that competitiveness into a constructive format was key to the rule of two. Though it could have been written out more clearly, true.

As for the Force dilution, I disagree with it but I don't think what Bane was on about was purely the Force as a finite resource. It's not that there's only so mich Force to use, but more about the Will of the Force. Too many people all trying to bend the Force to their will, to master it, makes it harder for anybody to actually channel the Force in a big way, to harness it on a cosmic scale the way the Sith tried when they threw it out of balance. I have a problem with it as how the metaphysics of the Force actually work, but I think it makes sense in terms of how the Sith often think about the Force and the way they see their interactions with it on a cosmic scale.

 

What do you mean with "better format"?

 

Novels>Comics

 

That's more or less my understanding of the situation.

The guy's not saying "the dark side is a fossil fuel and we're running out" but, rather, "Guys, your radio chatter is interfering with my own commands and preventing the dark side from responding as powerfully as it otherwise could. We need to be singing from the same hymn sheet or you need to get gone."

 

kids these days

*sigh*

 

Novels are for adults, like me.

 

We will have to agree to disagree that novels by their very nature are superior to comics

 

Unless we're talking about The Crystal Star.

 

That's fine, said at the jump that it was an opinion. Obviously not everyone is going to agree. Just happens to be the format that I prefer above all others.

 

EDIT: Ops, wrong thread

 

Why are we having a novel vs comic war..both are great, even though I haven't read any Star Wars comics :\

 

Go and fix this mistake right now!

 

I want to read the Jedi vs Sith and Tales of the Jedi. It's hard to find

 

This post killed Shmi

 

Jedi vs. Sith is on Marvel's app. I hope they add TOTJ soon. The portion of TOTJ that follows Ulic and Nomi before they meet is on Marvel Unlimited.

 

Thanks! I'd like to read novels/comics on the ancient Sith. Especially Marka Ragnos and Naga Sadow

 

SMH the fact we never got a novel about Freedon Nadd and various other Sith kills me a little every time I think about it.

 

I'm convinced.

Wait do people actually like Freedon Nadd? He was such a failure even his ghost got killed.

 

I like his name

one of my many handles at the SWTOR boards was "FreedonsNadds"