“Lost Tribe of the Sith” by John Jackson Miller
I suppose now is as good of a time as any for my true reading habits to be revealed.
For those who are unaware, I am a huge fan of “Star Wars.” I have seen all the movies and as many of the shows as I can tolerate.
It was only a matter of time until this obsession spread into the realm of books, and when I visited the Wikipedia page to discover the entirety of the “Star Wars” literary canon, one of the first books in the timeline to appear was John Jackson Miller’s “Lost Tribe of the Sith.” The next day, I bought the collected stories.
Miller’s novel is actually a collection of short stories detailing the history of Kesh, a planet with no contact to the rest of the galaxy, after a tribe of Sith crash land there. The timeline takes place over 2,000 years with time jumps every couple of chapters; admittedly, this format is both jolting and endearing.
Miller, in true Star Wars fashion, is very matter of fact in his storytelling and there were moments of great emotional depth that I wished had been explored more. Nevertheless, I would say that the “Lost Tribe of the Sith” borders on perfection, not only in terms of Star Wars lore but also as a novel in its own right.
Miller’s style stands out from other writers of science fiction due to his surprising use of prose – it becomes exciting to read not only for the plot, but also for the way in which events are written.
Admittedly, the relation to the actual world of Star Wars is… understated. The isolation of Kesh from the rest of the universe does not really necessitate Miller’s collection as required reading. Nevertheless, the addition of certain elements of the Star Wars canon did add to its appeal, and the world inhabited by the characters, however small, was truly a pleasure to discover.
The stories themselves were fantastic. Each one was from the perspective of a different character, and it made everything feel very reminiscent of “Dune” and “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Instead of focusing on action, the focus was on politics, which was refreshing.
There is nothing quite like reading about a faction of Sith plotting against each other: it is like reading about multiple Cersei Lannisters coming together and showing off their lightsabers not to fight, but to display their power. Even the characters who are heinously evil are a pleasure to read.
I was a fan of Seelah, in particular, as she was the kind of villain that was so easy to love and hate. The stories only get better as the reader continues.
As the world developed, collapsing and rebuilding itself, it felt like reading actual historical fiction. Nothing here is too outlandish; Miller’s approach is very down-to-Earth for such a renowned science fiction franchise.
My only true complaint is that the ending story, “Pandemonium,” was rushed. The last two chapters desperately needed to be fleshed out, and I would have believed the ending much more.
Other than this minor criticism, though, there is a lot to love about “Lost Tribe of the Sith.”
Now, I’ll try to hold off on buying the other “Star Wars” books, but I doubt I’ll be successful.
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