Welcome back to another Force Friday here at The Real World According To Sam! This week we are talking about a Star Wars Legends novel that I read back in February and showed in the Reading Round-Up for that month. Let's jump on in!
Knight Errant
Author: John Jackson Miller
Genre: Science Fiction
Year: 2011
Synopsis
A thousand years before Luke Skywalker, a generation before Darth Bane, in a galaxy far, far away...
The Republic is in crisis. The Sith roam unchecked, vying with one another to dominate the galaxy. But one lone Jedi, Kerra Holt, is determined to take down the Dark Lords. Her enemies are strange and many: Lord Daiman, who imagines himself the creator of the universe; Lord Odion, who intends to be its destroyer; the curious siblings Quillan and Dromika; the enigmatic Arkadia. So many warring Sith weaving a patchwork of brutality -- with only Kerra Holt to defend the innocents caught underfoot.
Sensing a sinister pattern in the chaos, Kerra embarks on a journey that will take her into fierce battles against even fiercer enemies. With one against so many, her only chance of success lies with forging alliances among those who serve her enemies -- including a mysterious Sith spy and a clever mercenary general. But will they be her adversaries or her salvation?
Review
Well, that's a lot to absorb, isn't it? The Republic is in crisis!! Okay, but when isn't it? That's nothing new to this franchise. So let's talk about what's new.
The Sith. They aren't new, per se. We know about them. A lot about them, at this point...or so we would think. John Jackson Miller has written a few Star Wars novels, including one that I read back in 2017, that was all about the Sith. There is a lot of interesting stuff to cover here. The Sith aren't the Sith as we know them. This book takes place in the time of the Old Republic. The Sith at this point are a group of people and not solely a master and apprentice within the galaxy. They are a culture and belief system, they are rivals and families, they are rulers of different planets using different ruling approaches. In a way, it is almost scarier to have multiple Sith, than just two, although the reach that two can have is rather impressive and terrifying.
Kerra Holt is a Jedi, but she isn't your traditional Jedi as we know them. She is more compulsive and is still very young. She has the basic principles of being a Jedi down, but she doesn't yet have the wisdom, all the virtues, and the patience of a lot of the Jedi we are most familiar with. She was separated from her parents as a result of a Sith invasion on her homeplanet, and was rescued by a Jedi who would become her Master. Her Master was interested in investigating the Grumani sector, which was also known as Sith space in some areas. This sector is in the Outer Rim and consists of many Sith controlled worlds. The main Sith to be concerned about at first are Daiman and Odion, who are brothers and rivals that are at odds with each other. One runs an area of space known as the Daimanate and the other runs an area known as the Odionate. I bet you can't guess which brother controls which part...
Anyway, breaking this down, Kerra Holt is the only Jedi who is active in this area of space and she is set on bringing all of these Sith down. She believes they have caused enough trouble for innocent people. During her fight against the Sith, Kerra comes into contact with a Bothan spy for the Sith, and a mercenary with a space ship. I thought having a Bothan spy was pretty interesting as a main supporting character since we haven't seen very many Bothans in the movies. I've not read about them in any of the books in the timeline up to this point. We do hear about Bothans in Return of the Jedi when Mon Mothma says that "Many Bothans died to bring us this information," when she was talking about receiving plans for the second Death Star (not the plans stolen in Rogue One, because that was the FIRST Death Star). However, to this day, we have yet to see any actual Bothans. They are known for being politicians and spies, and this is the first time I have ever read about an ACTUAL Bothan. We get the perspectives of both Kerra and the Bothan, named Narsk, as well as the mercenary, Rusher.
The thing about this book, is that is has a LOT going on. Some people will enjoy that, and clearly some people won't (based on other reviews I have read). The main complaint is that there are too many Sith, but that's what causes the main conflict and what is so interesting to me about this book. It is what sets this story apart from other Star Wars stories I've read so far and that we have seen on screen. We are used to having no more than maybe three Sith around at one time (Darth Sidious/Palpatine, Darth Tyrannus (Count Dooku), Darth Maul [technically killed in first movie, but see the Clone Wars animated series and more to see the real story there]). Having more than two or a developing third (Anakin/Darth Vader), seems really crazy. There is a master, who takes on an apprentice, and in time the apprentice kills the master, assuming the role, and the pattern continues. Here, we have three Sith at the minimum (maybe more hiding out that are relevant, but you won't catch me spilling), and they are antagonizing each other. Each thinks that their way of perceiving Sith ways and power is the best way, when all ways are very politically corrupt and deceitful. An interesting point in this book is the differences between each Sith's rule and methods of control. Daiman sees himself as the Creator of the universe and has people employed whose task is to write him into all the histories and make it seem like he is the reason for everything. It is very similar to George Orwell's novel, 1984, which I found particularly intriguing. Odion is known as a destroyer, and likes to be feared. They mirror each other and try to attain similar goals in different ways. I like the politics and conflict that they create, as well as seeing how it is all being controlled by external forces. It can be a bit convoluted, but I also thought having so many layers was fun.
There is plenty of action in this book, there is a lot of espionage and behind the scenes string pulling, and there is just a lot to take in. Something different about this book is that we do a lot of planet jumping. This hasn't happened to me in other Star Wars books I've read so far and reviewed. Usually there is a focus on one main world, with some other planets as minor stopping points. Here we visit numerous planets. I thought this was neat since the movies tend to do a lot of planet jumping. I thought this was especially fun since we are in a part of the Outer Rim that I haven't explored too much or seen much of in what media I've read and seen for this universe. It has a lot of potential and I would actually like this to be developed in canon, because it is interesting for sure. It changes up the dynamic from what we're used to.
Overall, I liked this book. I thought it was enjoyable, complex in its own regard considering it is a Star Wars novel, and I liked the characters well enough. I like the way they play off of each other. I liked exploring the Outer Rim, seeing new planets, and seeing how each Sith ruler chooses to portray themselves and dominate their individual domains. I give this book a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯ and a half. It's fun, it's different, and it broadens the world a bit, even if it isn't canon at this point. It isn't the best Star Wars novel I've read, but it certainly isn't the worst. This one might be a like or hate it kind of book, but it all depends on how you like your space opera.
Star Wars Legends
Reading Order
✅ Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void
➖ Crosscurrent
✅ Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories
✅ The Old Republic #2: Deceived
✅ Red Harvest
✅The Old Republic #3: Fatal Alliance
✅ The Old Republic #4: Annihilation
✅ Knight Errant
➖ Darth Bane #1: Path of Destruction
Thanks for tuning in to this installment from The Real World According to Sam, where I bring the books straight to your screen and even put in my own two cents on them.
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