Grey Warden

This is the conclusion to the Darth Bane Trilogy, fleshing out the legendary "Rule of Two" that the Sith are governed by. The first novel was compelling for breaking into this unexplored territory with some intelligence, but the second suffered from the sophomore jinx. This one is a return to form as a fun, solid read.

** SPOILER ALERTS**

Bane, older and slowing down from the extremes he's pushed himself to, is also concerned that his Dark Side apprentice Zannah hasn't sought to take him down, despite what she's been taught. Finding her unworthy he seeks to extend his own life, at least long enough to give him time to find a replacement for her. He learns of an ancient Sith Lord who did exactly that via Essence Transfer (Fistandantilus, anyone?) and seeks out an ancient Sith holocron to learn the technique.

Zannah, it seems, was biding her time- unsure of whether Bane was truly weak or trying to bait her into making a move. Her paranoia will be her undoing.

The daughter of Caleb the healer, Serra, makes a return. Serra turns out to be Force Sensitive, and is surrounded by a cloud of grief and anger over the deaths of first her father, and now her husband, both murdered. She wonders if she'd been stronger she could've protected them.

Lucia, her friend, bodyguard and confidant, also comes back. She's an ex-member of the Gloom Walkers Unit in the Sith Army- and former friend of Bane when he was known as Des.

The murder of rebellious workers on a mining planet also claims the life of a Jedi on an unrelated mission, attracting unwanted attention, including that of the Sith. The killer is known as the Huntress- an assassin who uses the Force, but is untrained in its ways. She displays precognitive abilities and is unsettled by the visions of Bane she sees. Set Harth, a Dark Jedi on the trail of the Jedi who was killed, enters the mix and runs afoul of Zannah in her investigation. He just wants to have fun, but the lure of power intrigues him. This gives us three potential apprentices for whoever ultimately holds the Sith Lord title. Nice!

Serra learns Bane is out there and hires the Huntress to find him. Zannah recruits Set as her apprentice as she seeks to kill her master. Bane is captured and brought to Serra to answer for the death of her father- painfully. Zannah pursues, now fuelled with the anger of a perceived betrayal by Bane, but is plagued by uncertainty as to whether or not Set is a worthy apprentice. Through the Force, Huntress realizes for some reason this is where she needs to be, and awaits the outcome of events.

Lucia conspires to help her former friend Bane, who seeks his own vengeance upon Serra. Lucia attempts to bargain for Serra's life, but Zannah's arrival puts an end to that. Set and Huntress play a deadly cat-and-mouse game while Serra also seeks to escape even as Bane and Zannah duel it out. Weakened and unprepared, Bane ends their fight prematurely, but both know it's only a matter of time. Regaining his strength, Bane contacts Zannah to settle things.

Zannah and Bane clash in a location with no small amount of symbolism attached to it. Both focus on their strengths and seek to exploit the other's weaknesses, all to good effect. Physically beaten by Bane, Zannah plays her trump card and forces him into a desperate gambit that only one will survive.

I gotta admit- I wasn't expecting a lot from this story, but was pleasantly surprised. Elements are nicely woven together to instill dramatic effect, and there's enough angst and layers of subtlety to give it good depth. I was even content not to dwell upon who the new apprentice would be, letting the story happen. It's a good ending to the trilogy, with an epilogue that's open enough that I wouldn't mind a fourth book- just to see what happens...