Precipice (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #1)

Title: Precipice (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #1)

Author: John Jackson Miller

Published in: 2009

Date read: 19th March 2013

Score: 4/5

Genre: Science fiction, Fantasy

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Precipice" by John Jackson Miller is the first novella in his "Lost Tribe of the Sith" series (part of Star Wars Legends). Set around 5,000 years before A New Hope, it provides the origin story for the isolated Sith faction.

The story unfolds during the chaotic Great Hyperspace War (also known as the Sith War of Naga Sadow). A Sith mining ship, the Omen, is on a crucial mission, transporting vital war materials for the Sith Empire. However, it's ambushed by a lone, determined Jedi Knight.

During the fierce space battle, the Omen sustains heavy damage. In a desperate manoeuvre to escape the Jedi attack, Commander Yaru Korsin orders an uncontrolled, blind hyperspace jump. This catastrophic jump propels the Omen far beyond the known galaxy, into an uncharted and isolated region of space.

The ship eventually crash-lands on an unknown, remote planet later named Kesh. With no hyper lanes, no contact with the Sith Empire, and no way back, the surviving Sith find themselves utterly marooned. Their grand ambitions of galactic conquest are abruptly replaced by the stark reality of survival.

Upon Kesh, they encounter the indigenous Keshiri, a primitive, purple-skinned sentient species. The Keshiri possess an ancient prophecy of "Skyborn" coming from the stars. The stranded Sith, true to their nature, immediately recognize the opportunity to exploit this belief. Yaru Korsin and his followers cleverly manipulate the Keshiri, posing as divine beings to establish their dominion over the unsuspecting populace.

"Precipice" sets the stage for the millennia-long isolation and evolution of this unique "Lost Tribe of the Sith," detailing the initial crash and their ruthless subjugation of the Keshiri, laying the groundwork for a distinct Sith society far removed from the broader galactic conflicts. It's a tale of desperate survival and the inherent Sith drive to dominate, even when utterly stranded.

Comments:
This was something new and I was really hooked by it. I loved delving into the Sith before the more widely known structure of the modern films. Very interesting and entertaining.

Books that we've read by John Jackson Miller (8):
Skyborn (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #2) (2009), Precipice (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #1) (2009), Paragon (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #3) (2010), Purgatory (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #5) (2010), Savior (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #4) (2010), Knight Errant (Star Wars) (2011), Sentinel (Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith, #6) (2011), Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories (2012)