Oh boy! I'm excited about this one. Cloak of Deception, by James Luceno really digs into the meat of the story before The Phantom Menace. This book is the first must read. While I do recommend other books, the story of the prequels is incomplete - we don't see enough of the machinations of Palpatine and the Sith, and this book supplies much need context and an excellent foundation future exploration of the Fall of the Republic and the Rise of Empire.

We hit up our twelfth book, and our first in the Fall of the Republic era featuring Darth Maul as he goes into a prison to acquire a weapon and get into a ton of fights in this story by Joe Schreiber. We go over the plot and look at some seeds planted for future plot points, including some interactions between Darth Plageuis and his apprentice, Darth Sidious.

Come back next week for Cloak of Deception, by the master of history, James Luceno.

We return for the third and final book in the Darth Bane series by Drew Karpyshyn. This is the last book in the greater chronology written by Drew, but if you're interested in more of his work, I can heartily recommend Knights of the Old Republic as well as the earlier Mass Effect games. He's also written for many other games and created many other novels, but I haven't read them personally as of yet.

In any case, this episode is shorter, as Dynasty of Evil is a payoff for the build-up of the first two. While I discuss the plot and some character interactions, a lot of the philosophy and character development has been covered thoroughly by the first two stories.

Join us next week as we cover Maul: Lockdown. We're deviating from the path prescribed in the front of the books, and waiting to read Darth Plagueis as it encompasses a broader span of time. The next three books - Maul: Lockdown, Cloak of Deception, and Maul: Shadowhunter - all take place during the story of Darth Plagueis, and by reading them first, it's easier to refer to those moments when they come up spoiler-free in Darth Plagueis.

We dive back into Darth Bane with the second book in the trilogy covering his character's history and philosophy. This episode, we look at how he trains his apprentice Zannah, as well as evaluating Jedi and Sith philosophy, as we have so often before.

This book, of course, has some references to previous stories, but mostly finishes setting the foundation for the ultimate conclusion of the series, and the development of the modern order of Sith.

Check back in next week for Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil and the conclusion of the storyline.

And we're back with our first trilogy! The Darth Bane series follows the genesis of the modern Sith Order, which guides Emperor Palpatine and his various apprentices during the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War. In this first book, we follow the rise of Darth Bane who develops the Rule of Two during his rise to power. I talk a lot about the development of this new philosophy and compare with previously ideas shared by other characters. I also cover the prophecy of the Sith'Ari as well as touching upon the training methods of the sith and how the Jedi still have a stick up their butts.

Next week is Darth Bane: Rule of Two, also by Drew Karpyshyn, and we'll really get into the finer points of this new Sith Order.

As mentioned, you can check out the Sabacc deck by Vyseri Art.

This week's discussion focuses on a standalone story of a Jedi Knight fighting for survival in the remnants of the Sith Empire, and their constant infighting. This is the second book we've read by John Jackson Miller, the other being our second episode "Lost Tribe of the Sith".

I discuss the plot and a few references, as always, but I also talk about Sith political structure and ideology - as opposed to their philosophy of power and the Force, and touch upon the guiding behaviors of the Jedi.

Join me next week as I rant about Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, by Drew Karpyshyn.

This episode covers the last of the books tied to The Old Republic MMO, following the story of Theron Shan, the son of Grand Master of the Jedi Order Satele Shan. I dig into the impact of close familial relationships with the Jedi as well as talk about the Jedi Gnost Dural and some ethical considerations that arise from his actions.

We'll see you next week for Knight Errant by John Jackson Miller.

Please excuse any audio-errors - editing was done on a flight.

Join us in a deep dive into the characters of the Old Republic, and see what happens when Empire and Republic, Jedi and Sith, Mandalorian and smuggler are all forced by the circumstances to work together.

Today we talk about one of the few cross-genre Star Wars novels. Red Harvest is a zombie/horror book, in addition to being set within the Star Wars Universe. It presents an interesting premise and one that we revisit in a few thousand years.

Be sure to give us a follow @Jedi_Archive or reach out via email with [email protected]. Tune in next week for The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance.

This book introduces us to the time of the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. It's closely tied to the cinematic of the same name, Deceived. Also mentioned are Return and Hope.

Be sure to give us a follow @Jedi_Archive or reach out via email with [email protected]. Tune in next week for Red Harvest.