When we last saw Darth Bane (as portrayed by Drew Karpyshyn) in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction (see my review at http://blogs.starwars.com/jedivans-viewpoint/36), he had tricked all the other Sith Lords into destroying themselves so that he could rebuild the Sith slowly using his rule of two. As he himself put it, "Two there should be; no more, no less. One to embody the power, the other to crave it." As Darth Bane: Rule of Two begins, he makes his plans to begin teaching his new apprentice, Zannah. He also makes an interesting discovery among the remnants of the Sith Lord's camp - a discovery that will take him to Dxun, one of Onderon's moons. There he will find something that will give him great power, but at a terrible price that will come back to haunt him by the end of the book.

Meanwhile, Zannah has challenges of her own. It seems her cousin, Darovit, has also survived. Eventually she she must decide which is greater, her ties to family, or her loyalty to Darth Bane. To paraphrase the Bible, "No Sith apprentice can serve two masters." (No Jedi apprentice can, either, but that's another story: i.e., the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. ) But first, she must pass Darth Bane's first test: she must get to Onderon without him.

Drew Karpyshyn once again gives us a great story. He also gives us more insight to the Russan Reformations and the first Chancellor Valorum (which are mentioned in Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology - see my review at http://blogs.starwars.com/jedivans-viewpoint/1). He also gives a glimpse of how the Jedi Order is fairing at what is essentially the formation of the Republic. (Again, see Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology.) And, he seamlessly weaves the events of Kevin J. Anderson's short story "Bane of the Sith" into his narrative as well. (The original short story can be accessed by Hyperspace members at http://www.starwars.com/hyperspace/member/fiction/f20040319/index.html.)

Once again Drew Karpyshyn's characters are well-developed, but it's really Zannah who steals the show. With Zannah, we have - dare I say it? - almost a slightly kinder, gentler Sith than Darth Bane. Oh, she can be ruthless, but her ruthlessness almost seems to be tempered by a little kindness. Neither she nor Bane kill unless they have to, but whereas Bane doesn't seem to allow any emotion to show, Zannah, by contrast seems to be saying, "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you". The irony is that by seeming to be kinder, Zannah is, in her own way, almost more cruel than Bane at times. This makes for an interesting contrast and it's this dynamic between the two Sith that drives the book. Indeed, when Bane becomes seriously injured towards the end of the book, it's unclear as to whether Zannah will let him die and find a Sith apprentice of her own or save him. It's unclear, that is, until she actually makes her choice. Credit must be given to Drew Karpyshyn for driving Zannah through the gauntlet he creates for her. Darth Bane: Path of Destruction showcased Bane. It's only fitting that Darth Bane: Rule of Two showcases Zannah. Final rating: **** (on a scale of 0-4 stars).