LTOTS: Paragon, Savior, Purgatory, Sentinel, Pantheon

Ok so it's only been two days since my last post but I finished the series (well the free ones anyway). I'm probably going to go ahead and pay the $4.99 to get the ending.

Let me just say, I am impressed with this series. Jinglehimer-Schmidt did a great job and was better than I expected. I am excited to read other books that he wrote.

Paragon: This is told from a Sith woman, Sheelah's, point of view. She was married to the tribe leader's brother before the leader killed him and took her as his own. This is 15 years after they land on Kesh. They have made the Keshiri people submissive and Sheelah is in charge of purging the tribe from all those she deems unfit to uphold the standards that she set for the tribe. She wants the tribe to be beautiful and strong so anyone with the wrong skin color or deformities has got to go. She ends up killing a bunch of these Sith. These Sith also started poisoning the Keshiri people and the woman from the second book catches on and plots an overthrow.

Savior: Sheelah plots to overthrow her husband (Korsin) at the same time that the Keshiri are plotting to overthrow the Sith. Korsin succeeds in killing Sheelah's son, his stepson, but not before he is mortally wounded. His daughter takes over the thrown and banishes her mother, Sheelah. Adari, a Keshiri from the second book, leads a revolt but fails and ends up on a secluded beach. We never hear about her again.

Purgatory and Sentinel: These two novellas follow the story of Ori and Jelph a millennial after the Sith landed on Kesh. The tribe is strong and flourishing. Ori is the daughter of a Sith High Lord and Jelph is a slave. Ori and her mother get framed for attempted assassination and Ori runs away to safety with Jelph. When he goes on a hunting expedition, she is visited by the new High Lords and her lightsaber is taken. In an act of rage she starts to tear apart Jelph's barn and discovers he is hiding a starfighter. She runs off to tell the High Lords and regain her place in Sith scoiety. Jelph returns and it is revealed that he is a Jedi. Dum Dum Dum!!!! He accidentally landed on Kesh and discovered the Sith. He was fixing his starfighter to return to the galaxy. He runs after Ori but is too late. She has already told the Lords and they discover the starfighter. The High Lord tries to take off in it and blows it up. Jelph and Ori run away to the jungle on Kesh and we don't hear about them again.

Pantheon: The last e-book that was free. It is another millennial after the starfighter blew up. The Sith have started to destroy themselves with all of the in-fighting for power. There are multiple sects fighting for power. Eight days before Testament Day, when Korsin's last will and testament is read aloud, leaders from many sects come to the temple and try to convince Hilts, the dude who keeps all the records, to change the testament to support one or another faction. He can't because it is a recorded hologram. He plays the Hologram for the leaders of the factions and then they discover that there is a recording underneath that was never supposed to be seen. It is from the original Sith Lord that sent Korsin and the Sith on the mission that led them to crash land on Kesh. The tribe realizes that they are not the only tribe, but a lost tribe, once made of slaves. This leads to total destruction, with the tribe trying to kill everyone and themselves. In order to save the tribe, Hilts decides to go to the Omen, the ship Korsin and crew came in on and see if there is "power behind the throne" as Korsin said in his testament that can save the tribe.

Of course this is not the end. I am excited to read how this series ends, if Miller brings back in the people that ran away or were stranded. I don't think so but I would be interested to find out how he is going to end this. So far I like what I have read and am excited to read Knight Errant that he also wrote. I'll keep you posted.

UPDATE: The eighth book and finale are not due out until July 2012!! This is no bueno

LTOTS: Precipice and Skyborn

Well since these are super short, I was able to read two between yesterday and this morning. (I have a lot of time on the Metro).

Precipice starts the series with a group of Sith and humans that crash land on some God-forsaken planet and don't know how to get home. All carry red lightsabers and are force-sensitive but, fun-fact, that does not mean they are Sith Lords. As stated in my previous post, Sith were actually red-skinned people that the Dark Lords named their "religion" after as a counter to the Jedi. I am not sure where we are in the history of that act. I think the Dark Lords may have already taken the name of the Sith and created the religion but it is not clear. It mentions Sith Lords but according to Wookieepedia Sith Lords and Dark Lords are different so I'm at a loss.

Skyborn tells the story of the crash landing from the point of view of a native of the planet the Sith landed on (Kesh). The natives believe that these people are their gods and have come to live with them. In actuality, the Sith are just trying to find the necessary materials to rebuild their ship and leave Kesh.

I thought is was a good idea to approach the story from different points of view. It rounds out the story and gives depth to the characters. I am intrigued so far and looking forward to reading the remaining 5 novellas. I hope that we find out more about the Sith and how this piece of history unfolds but I am worried that I am going to have to rely on Wookieepedia or go to comic books and that is a line into nerdom that I am not willing to cross.

CHARACTERS
Book #1: Precipice

Yaru Korsin

• Human male
• Served under Sith Naga Sadow during the Great Hyperspace War
• Crash landed on Kesh while trying to carry Lignan crystals from Phaegon III to Kirrek
• Killed half-brother Devore
• Married Seelah
• Created and was leader of the Lost Tribe
• Purged Kesh of the red-skinned Sith
• Ambushed by his step-son but prevailed
• Passed his legacy on to his daughter
• Died on Kesh

Gloyd

• Houk male
• Gunnery officer on the Omen
• Killed by the Sabers during Seelah’s revolt

Korsin Senior

• Yaru and Devore’s father
• Previous Captain of the Omen (ship)

Jedi Saes Rrogon

• Kaleesh male
• Jedi turned Sith during The Great Hyperspace War
• Killed by his former master while on a mission for Naga Sadow

Phaegon III

• Planet
• Its largest moon was the source of Lignan ore
• Naga Sadow sent Korsin and Rrogon to gather the ore during the Great Hyperspace War

Devore Korsin

• Human male
• Officer on the Omen
• Brother to Yaru
• Married to Seelah
• Battled Yaru for position of leadership after the crash on Kesh and was defeated in a lightsaber duel that sent him over a cliff

Dark Lord Marka Ragnos

• Claimed title Dark Lord of the Sith and controlled the Sith Empire
• Lived for over 100 years
• Pitted adversaries against each other
• Died shortly before The Great Hyperspace War and Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh fought over his throne
• Lived as a force ghost after his death trapped in his tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban
• Almost brought back to life and then defeated by Jedi Jaden Korr

Seelah Korsin

• Human female
• Slave to Sith Lord Ludo Kressh
• Married Devore and Yaru
• Conspired against Yaru
• Forced into seclusion by her daughter Nida

Lohjoy

• Ho’din female
• Died aboard the crash of the Omen

Boyle Marcom

• Human male
• Navigation officer on the Omen
• Confronted and killed by Devore

Jariad Korsin

• Human male
• Son of Devore and Seelah
• One of the first High Lords of the Tribe
• Tried to assassinate Yaru
• Killed by his half sister Nida by being thrown over a cliff

Tapani Empire

• Located in the Colonies
• United under Shey Tapani
• Made up of 7 provinces

Dark Lord Naga Sadow

• Human male
• Dark Side Magician
• Homeworld: Ziost
• Fought Ludo Kressh for Ragnos’ throne
• Took over the first Sith Empire
• Fought the Galactic Republic
• Defeated by the galactic Republic and having killed Kressh, he fled to Yavin 4 where he hoped to rebuild the Empire
• His spirit was found by Freedon Nadd, who learned everything and then destroyed him

Ravilan Wroth

• Sith male
• Quartermaster on the Omen
• The Red Sith had not been surviving and Wroth wanted them off world so he staged a plague in one of the towns on Kesh and killed all the inhabitants
• Seelah discovered he was behind the plot and had all of the Red Sith killed
• Killed by Jariad Korsin

Massassi

• Subspecies of the ancient Sith
• Native to Korriban
• Fearsome, loyal, and formidable warriors only lived to serve their masters

Great Hyperspace War

• Fought between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire in 5,000 BBY
• Focused on three Republic worlds, Primus Goluud, and Korriban
• The Republic annihilated the Sith Empire and forced Sadow to exile himself to Yavin 4

Kirrek

• Planet in the Empress Teta system
• Site of two important battles: in the Unification War and the Great Hyperspace War
• Highly advanced population that thrived off of the abundant plant life

Book #2 Skyborn

Adari Vaal

• Keshiri female
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Geologist and because of that branded as a heretic going against the Keshiri religion
• Sought refuge with the Lost Tribe of the Sith
• Awarded with vast knowledge and a place of importance in the Keshiri society
• Attempted to kill the Sith and failed
• Took Uvak riders with her over the mountain to another part of Kesh and was assumed lost forever

Izri Dazh

• Keshiri male
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Member of Kesh’s ruling Neshtovar
• Believed that Korsin and his followers were the gods of the Skyborn
• Died believing his faith was affirmed

Ravilian Wroth

• See “Precipice”

Keshiri

• Near-Human sentient species native to the planet Kesh
• Pale purple skin and silver hair
• Religion focused on the Skyborn and put that above technological advancement
• Could not reproduce with humans
• Served the Sith for thousands of years
• Eventually gained equality with the Sith and traveled off-world around 41 ABY in the newly formed Sith Armada

Kesh

• Remote planet located in Wild Space
• Homeworld of the Keshiri species
• Mountainous and covered mostly in sand with at least one major ocean

Neshtovar

• Self-proclaimed Sons of the Skyborn on Kesh
• Keshiri uvak-riders that served as the intermediates between the Keshiri and the Skyborn
• Highly sought after mates
• Served as the governing body of Kesh

Uvak

• Large membranous-winged reptavian species with sharp beaks
• Used by the Neshtovar of Kesh
• Used by the Lost Tribe of the Sith for transportation

Tahv

• Known as the City of Glass
• Capital settlement of Kesh
• The Sith conquered the city and used it as the center for art
• Fell into decay during infighting
• By 41 ABY only the wealthiest lived in the city
• It was destroyed in 44 ABY

Eulyn

• Keshiri female
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Adari Vaal’s mother

Ori Garran

• Keshiri male
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Sent his children to learn from Adari
• Attended Adari’s trial but did not stand up for her

Wertram Garran

• Keshiri female
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Ori’s daughter who studied under Adari

Gloyd

• See “Precipice”

Hestus

• Sith male
• Translator for Korsin and the Keshiri
• Executed in 4,985 BBY by order of Yaru Korsin

Devore Korsin

• See “Precipice”

Jariad Korsin

• See “Precipice”

Seelah Korsin

• See “Precipice”

Yaru Korsin

• See “Precipice”

Finn Vaal

• Keshiri male
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Son of Shari and Adari Vaal
• Died while working on a scaffold that collapsed

Tona Vaal

• Keshiri male
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Youngest son of Adari
• Killed by the Sith when his mother revolted

Zhari Vaal

• Keshiri male
• Homeworld: Kesh
• Member of the ruling Neshtovar
• Married to Adari
• Killed by his Uvak when he dropped into the ocean

Lost Tribe of the Sith

This is a Old Republic Era E-Book series of 7+ mini novels or novellas if you would. I got mine for free from iBooks. You can also buy the complete set here for $7.99 print or $4.99 Kindle. (Don't have a Kindle? Don't Worry! There is an app for that...Kindle app).

This series is as far back as you can go, chronologically, (so far) hence why I am starting with these.

So far John Jackson Miller (aka John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt) has written 7 books in the series, but the eighth one and the EPIC CONCLUSION is available in the collected stories. I'm hoping that the ending will be available on iBooks by the time I finish the seventh one so I don't have to pay $4.99. The book titles are as follows:

1. Precipice
2. Skyborn
3. Paragon
4. Savior
5. Purgatory
6. Sentinel
7. Pantheon

They are about 30 pages long apiece and I'm already confused. This series occurs 25,000 years before A New Hope. I'm starting with Precipice and am already learning so much! Apparently the Sith are not just dark lords of the underworld as we once believed. No, no. They were once a species that the Dark Lords named themselves after. Who knew? Oh yeah, and their skin is red. No big deal. That's not weird.

The book moves pretty good so far but there is a lot of talk about mechanical stuff and reactors and things I will never understand. I'm just trying to figure out who the characters are and the damn plot line, John! GAH!

The Daunting Menace

This blog will follow my quest to complete the entire series of Star Wars books.

If you have stumbled across my other blog, "Do Or Do Not: There is No Try," you will know that I am an extreme Star Wars nerd. Throughout my desire to become one with the Force, I am deigning myself with the task of reading all of the Star Wars books in order (or as orderly as I can get since a lot are still being written and published).

For those of you have attempted to complete this, you will understand that this is no easy task and that the mounds of information concerning this overall story line is daunting. Therefore this blog is not only a resource for those that are going to travel along with me, but also a way to keep it all straight in my head.

I will be referencing Wookieepedia quite a bit, but if you see something that does not match up with what you know please correct me. I will never judge your nerdiness because let's face it, I am writing a blog about reading books based on 6 movies.

OK, here we go...