
I actually read it in conjunction with two other books: Crosscurrent and Riptide by Paul S. Kemp. Between them they told the story of the catastrophic space battle that caused the Sith dreadnought Omen to be hurled through space to the uncharted planet of Kesh and what happened to the Lost Sith during their isolation there. We see the intricacies of an abandoned people who are used to dominating all that they survey when they are marooned on an apparently resourceless planet. We watch how they gradually eliminate unwanted elements of their own culture and subdue the indigenous people until, finally, a new civilisation evolves which, although definitely Dark Side in nature, is a civilisation of culture and beauty – a thousand miles away from the likes of Darths Sidious, Vader, Caedus et al.
It is a classic “What If…?” scenario.
Certain things really appealed to me. The first was the characters which Miller built. They came across as memorable and believable and set a good grounding for the likes of Aaron Allston and Christie Golden to build upon. The other thing which really made me smile was that lack of metal ore on the planet. This was genius! All too often I get the feeling that characters in books get a far too easy ride of it. They get stranded somewhere and they just cobble something together. It always feels like a bit of a cop out to me. However, here on Kesh, the Sith had to depend on the resources that the planet provided and that meant working with the natives and eventually drawing them into the Tribe. I loved the way that glass became the main resource of choice for manufacturing tools and materials over the precious metals which were scavenged from the derelict Omen. It showed an ingenious race developing over 5000 years until they encountered Ship in the Fate series and were brought back to the galaxy at large.
If I have one criticism it’s that I wanted more, more, more. 5000 years is a long time to cover in one book and, at times, the jumps between stories left me wondering what had happened in the intervening years. But then, is that really a bad thing? Sometimes a little mystery can really whet the appetite, leaving the reader hungry for more.
So, if you are a fan of the Star Wars universe, get out there and read this book. I would especially suggest you read it 1) before you start the Fate of the Jedi series as it really does give that needed back story, and 2) before Disney let Abrams loose on the franchise and he reboots the lot into some sort of corny force dream (or whatever they are planning).
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