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Tales of the Jedi
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Vol. 6: The Sith War
Ulic Qel-Droma has spent a lifetime learning to control the Force. He wanted to be on the side of the good, a member of the Jedi elite. But it is not the Force one must control to become a Jedi; rather, one must learn to control oneself. Ulic Qel-Droma has tasted power, and now he cannot fight the dark hunger inside him . . . Set centuries before Luke Skywalker's birth, when the original Jedi Knights
illuminated a dark galaxy, these are the stories of some of those earliest heroes; these are the Tales of the Jedi. Written by Kevin J. Anderson, author of the Star Wars Jedi Academy novels. Don't miss this third volume of the Tales of the Jedi!
illuminated a dark galaxy, these are the stories of some of those earliest heroes; these are the Tales of the Jedi. Written by Kevin J. Anderson, author of the Star Wars Jedi Academy novels. Don't miss this third volume of the Tales of the Jedi!
152 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 1996
5 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Kevin J. Anderson
1,037 books3,102 followersYes, I have a lot of books, and if this is your first visit to my amazon author page, it can be a little overwhelming. If you are new to my work, let me recommend a few titles as good places to start. I love my Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series, humorous horror/mysteries, which begin with DEATH WARMED OVER. My steampunk fantasy adventures, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and CLOCKWORK LIVES, written with Neil Peart, legendary drummer from Rush, are two of my very favorite novels ever. And my magnum opus, the science fiction epic The Saga of Seven Suns, begins with HIDDEN EMPIRE. After you've tried those, I hope you'll check out some of my other series.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
I have written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and I'm the co-author of the Dune prequels. My original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity. I have also written several comic books including the Dark Horse Star Wars collection Tales of the Jedi written in collaboration with Tom Veitch, Predator titles (also for Dark Horse), and X-Files titles for Topps.
I serve as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest.
My wife is author Rebecca Moesta. We currently reside near Monument, Colorado.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 23, 2018
I am very impressed with this volume of Tales of the Jedi. Some of the others I have read recently really didn’t grab my attention much so I was wary going it. But, I was honestly blown away by the story – in fact, it is probably the best Star Wars graphic novel I have read so far.
Great story! Good action! Lots of suspense! All the Light Side vs Dark Side you could ask for!
The artwork in this series is still not my favorite. But, having a better storyline along with it makes it less distracting.
Truthfully, I have had this volume from the library for over 2 months. Because of my lack of enthusiasm after recent ones I really didn’t want to read this; I was worried about being disappointed. I am so thankful that this one was good. Now I cannot wait to get to the next volume!
Great story! Good action! Lots of suspense! All the Light Side vs Dark Side you could ask for!
The artwork in this series is still not my favorite. But, having a better storyline along with it makes it less distracting.
Truthfully, I have had this volume from the library for over 2 months. Because of my lack of enthusiasm after recent ones I really didn’t want to read this; I was worried about being disappointed. I am so thankful that this one was good. Now I cannot wait to get to the next volume!
December 31, 2019
Exar Kun has learned a great deal from the Sith. He has become one of the great Sith Lords. Exar and Qulic Qel-Droma, along with their Mandalorian troops decide to wage war on the Republic. Kun is able to gather a handful of younger Jedi Knights with the promise of great power and lore. He betrays them and infects them with the dark side. These fallen Jedi are then sent on assassination missions as they hunt down their Masters and kill them.
While this devastation is occurring, Ulic and Mandalore, the Mandalorian leader, launch an assault on the Republic. But Ulic is captured by the Jedi and held for trial. Mandalore escapes to gain assitance from Exar Kun. This leads to one of the great scenes in this story when Kun party-crashes the trial of Ulic in the Galactic Senate. There he fights his former master and using his dual-bladed lightsaber kills him and the Chancellor of the Republic. Rescuing Ulic, they then plan on assaulting Ossuss to raid the Jedi archives.
The destruction of entire worlds proceeds as Kun unleashes a holocaust that destroy's all life on Ossuss, thus granting him time to steal more Jedi secrets (since the world was being evacuated). Kun's body count of Jedi Masters rises as he kills of some of the more famous characters introduced in this series.
The final outcome- with Ulic begin cut off from the Force by Nomi Sunstrider and Exar being hunted down to his base on Yavin 4 is quite epic. Ulic fate, as well as Exar achieving apotheosis by becoming a Force spirit (in order to escape from the entire Jedi order which showed up on his doorstep-even a powerful Sith Lord will have trouble with thousands of Jedi) are the hallmarks of this story. Especially since Kun's diabolical influence will live on for millennia as he is now a Force spirit and will make appearances down the road in history as he will one day seek to corrupt more Jedi.
A truly dark and wonderful tale. Exar is certainly one of the greatest Sith Lords out there and this story shows why thousands of years after his "death", his name is still a byword to be feared since he is still quite a presence in the Force, especially centered on his homeworld of Yavin.
A great story for any Star Wars fan.
While this devastation is occurring, Ulic and Mandalore, the Mandalorian leader, launch an assault on the Republic. But Ulic is captured by the Jedi and held for trial. Mandalore escapes to gain assitance from Exar Kun. This leads to one of the great scenes in this story when Kun party-crashes the trial of Ulic in the Galactic Senate. There he fights his former master and using his dual-bladed lightsaber kills him and the Chancellor of the Republic. Rescuing Ulic, they then plan on assaulting Ossuss to raid the Jedi archives.
The destruction of entire worlds proceeds as Kun unleashes a holocaust that destroy's all life on Ossuss, thus granting him time to steal more Jedi secrets (since the world was being evacuated). Kun's body count of Jedi Masters rises as he kills of some of the more famous characters introduced in this series.
The final outcome- with Ulic begin cut off from the Force by Nomi Sunstrider and Exar being hunted down to his base on Yavin 4 is quite epic. Ulic fate, as well as Exar achieving apotheosis by becoming a Force spirit (in order to escape from the entire Jedi order which showed up on his doorstep-even a powerful Sith Lord will have trouble with thousands of Jedi) are the hallmarks of this story. Especially since Kun's diabolical influence will live on for millennia as he is now a Force spirit and will make appearances down the road in history as he will one day seek to corrupt more Jedi.
A truly dark and wonderful tale. Exar is certainly one of the greatest Sith Lords out there and this story shows why thousands of years after his "death", his name is still a byword to be feared since he is still quite a presence in the Force, especially centered on his homeworld of Yavin.
A great story for any Star Wars fan.
June 27, 2022
This was a good one!
Ulic and Exar Kun are preparing to go to a full blown war against the Republic and every Jedi there is. Nice plot and great story, unfortunately the dialogue sometimes is bad, mediocre at best sometimes and rushed. Other than that it's really interesting to see how the Sith work and how the Dark Side affects even the nicest person and how. Ulic wasn't interesting for me until this volume. Exar Kun was and still is, the end was absolutely amazing. Would definitely want to read more about Exar!
So, Jedis aside, that they think and act like dumbasses, the bad guys here are interesting and fun to read. Great ending too and I even felt sorry for the bad guys.. really well done and satisfying.
I really like how the characters connect with the story and how they mention stuff from years ago and whatnot, along with the chronological order and stories from other novels, short films etc.
On to the next one!
Ulic and Exar Kun are preparing to go to a full blown war against the Republic and every Jedi there is. Nice plot and great story, unfortunately the dialogue sometimes is bad, mediocre at best sometimes and rushed. Other than that it's really interesting to see how the Sith work and how the Dark Side affects even the nicest person and how. Ulic wasn't interesting for me until this volume. Exar Kun was and still is, the end was absolutely amazing. Would definitely want to read more about Exar!
So, Jedis aside, that they think and act like dumbasses, the bad guys here are interesting and fun to read. Great ending too and I even felt sorry for the bad guys.. really well done and satisfying.
I really like how the characters connect with the story and how they mention stuff from years ago and whatnot, along with the chronological order and stories from other novels, short films etc.
On to the next one!
October 13, 2016
As the stories of the ancient Jedi knights continue to unfold, Tom Veitch has fully passed the writing torch to Kevin J. Anderson, in order to continue to write sequels to Dark Empire (oh, you poor soul, Tom Veitch).
Despite feeling dated and having a ton of problems, I liked the last two volumes for Tales of the Jedi. The ancient setting, sweeping plots, and simple archetypal characters gave it a feel of a children' fairy tale. Even though I should have hated it due to the godawful writing, underdeveloped characters, and mostly mediocre art, I was oddly sucked in. I bloated the ratings for the last two reviews due to my selfish enjoyment for this series, and I definitely am going to read them again in the future, because they are truly guilty pleasures for me.
The Sith War is the first volume of this series that I can say is truly decent. I thought about upping the rating to 4 stars a couple of times before writing this review because of my selfish guilty pleasure enjoyment of this series as a whole, but it is still bogged down to at least some degree by basically all of the same problems I have had with this series from the beginning. Honestly, it's much like what Revenge of the Sith did with the prequel trilogy: it made huge improvements over the first two movies, but still has serious problems.
It is absolutely worth acknowledging the improvements that Kevin J. Anderson was able to make with The Sith War over The Collection and Dark Lords of the Sith, but I still would not consider it a truly great comic.
THE STORY: Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma have been completely won over by the Dark Side and are now the reigning Sith Lords. Dreaming to bring about a new Golden Age of the Sith, these two former jedi knights wage a bloody war to destroy the light side and conquer the Galactic Republic. It is up to Ulic's brother Cay Qel-Droma, Nomi Sunrider, Master Thon, and the other Jedi who still follow the light to stop them.
THE BAD: Even with Kevin J. Anderson taking the place of Tom Veitch, the writing, once again, is subpar. I may like that he has reduced the narration, but in it's place is excess character dialogue and hence the majority of the comic still suffers from "show don't tell".
The artwork is inconsistent. While some parts looked great (more on that later) the first half of the comic looked pretty mediocre.
Finally, and probably my biggest complaint that isn't similar to the last few volumes, was Exar Kun's character arc, and the way it played out was underwhelming.
THE GOOD: This is the best volume of Tales of the Jedi so far.
The art in the second half, when it counts the most, is great. The action is really fluid and this is the characters look the best they have ever looked.
Character growth! Real character development! FINALLY! This is the first time in the whole series where I actually want to follow the characters. Originally, I was just following the story and the lore because the characters were still bland and underdeveloped. But that has finally changed. Ulic Qel-Droma's character, by the end of this volume, really came together. It may have taken a while, especially for somebody who is supposed to be our main character, but I was finally emotionally invested in him, in that I finally want to follow him as a character rather than just follow the things he did. Nomi Sunrider is done even better. She has become stronger as a person and as a jedi, and it was great to see her growth.
And finally, the story. The story for this volume was fantastic. It was epic, it was intense. There were extremely high stakes, and I felt the weight of those stakes, especially how it affected the characters. During Dark Lords of the Sith, I rolled my eyes when Ulic decided he was going to infiltrate the Krath. I was like, "great, you guys are doing this Dark Side turn AGAIN???" Especially with Veitch behind it, and seeing how atrocious it ended up being when he put Luke Skywalker through it, I thought this plotline would be horrible and potentially ruin the entire series. But to my very pleasant surprise, the dark side arc of Ulic Qel-Droma was handled very well in this storyline. In Dark Empire, Luke's turn to the Dark Side feels more like a trashy tabloid headline and has no impact on the characters going forward, or even the story arc itself. Carrying over from Dark Lords of the Sith, Veitch and (probably especially) Anderson gave Ulic's initial turn some time to happen naturally. Then, they give some time in the story to explore how Ulic was effected. Finally, and most importantly, there was actual consequences for our characters. Both he AND his friends are changed by this experience.
Finally, I'll briefly touch on the inclusion of the mandalorians in this volume. They were badass. They looked cool. Most importantly, it was interesting to see the setup for the Dxun level in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, as well as what I think is the first time in Star Wars EU history seeing an army of Mandalorian warriors all at once.
THE CONCLUSION: I really want to give this a 4 stars to acknowledge how much this volume has improved upon the last, but it still has too many flaws in its writing and a good portion of the artwork. Even though I praised the development of Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, the other characters are still underdeveloped and forgettable. However, I got to say, the artwork in the second half of the book and especially the story were awesome. I can understand if for other people it may take too long to get to the good parts here, but for me, it was worth it.
Tales of the Jedi is still largely a guilty pleasure for me, but some parts of it are turning out to be great. Redemption is in the mail, and once I receive it I will read it and provide my thoughts on it.
Despite feeling dated and having a ton of problems, I liked the last two volumes for Tales of the Jedi. The ancient setting, sweeping plots, and simple archetypal characters gave it a feel of a children' fairy tale. Even though I should have hated it due to the godawful writing, underdeveloped characters, and mostly mediocre art, I was oddly sucked in. I bloated the ratings for the last two reviews due to my selfish enjoyment for this series, and I definitely am going to read them again in the future, because they are truly guilty pleasures for me.
The Sith War is the first volume of this series that I can say is truly decent. I thought about upping the rating to 4 stars a couple of times before writing this review because of my selfish guilty pleasure enjoyment of this series as a whole, but it is still bogged down to at least some degree by basically all of the same problems I have had with this series from the beginning. Honestly, it's much like what Revenge of the Sith did with the prequel trilogy: it made huge improvements over the first two movies, but still has serious problems.
It is absolutely worth acknowledging the improvements that Kevin J. Anderson was able to make with The Sith War over The Collection and Dark Lords of the Sith, but I still would not consider it a truly great comic.
THE STORY: Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma have been completely won over by the Dark Side and are now the reigning Sith Lords. Dreaming to bring about a new Golden Age of the Sith, these two former jedi knights wage a bloody war to destroy the light side and conquer the Galactic Republic. It is up to Ulic's brother Cay Qel-Droma, Nomi Sunrider, Master Thon, and the other Jedi who still follow the light to stop them.
THE BAD: Even with Kevin J. Anderson taking the place of Tom Veitch, the writing, once again, is subpar. I may like that he has reduced the narration, but in it's place is excess character dialogue and hence the majority of the comic still suffers from "show don't tell".
The artwork is inconsistent. While some parts looked great (more on that later) the first half of the comic looked pretty mediocre.
Finally, and probably my biggest complaint that isn't similar to the last few volumes, was Exar Kun's character arc, and the way it played out was underwhelming.
THE GOOD: This is the best volume of Tales of the Jedi so far.
The art in the second half, when it counts the most, is great. The action is really fluid and this is the characters look the best they have ever looked.
Character growth! Real character development! FINALLY! This is the first time in the whole series where I actually want to follow the characters. Originally, I was just following the story and the lore because the characters were still bland and underdeveloped. But that has finally changed. Ulic Qel-Droma's character, by the end of this volume, really came together. It may have taken a while, especially for somebody who is supposed to be our main character, but I was finally emotionally invested in him, in that I finally want to follow him as a character rather than just follow the things he did. Nomi Sunrider is done even better. She has become stronger as a person and as a jedi, and it was great to see her growth.
And finally, the story. The story for this volume was fantastic. It was epic, it was intense. There were extremely high stakes, and I felt the weight of those stakes, especially how it affected the characters. During Dark Lords of the Sith, I rolled my eyes when Ulic decided he was going to infiltrate the Krath. I was like, "great, you guys are doing this Dark Side turn AGAIN???" Especially with Veitch behind it, and seeing how atrocious it ended up being when he put Luke Skywalker through it, I thought this plotline would be horrible and potentially ruin the entire series. But to my very pleasant surprise, the dark side arc of Ulic Qel-Droma was handled very well in this storyline. In Dark Empire, Luke's turn to the Dark Side feels more like a trashy tabloid headline and has no impact on the characters going forward, or even the story arc itself. Carrying over from Dark Lords of the Sith, Veitch and (probably especially) Anderson gave Ulic's initial turn some time to happen naturally. Then, they give some time in the story to explore how Ulic was effected. Finally, and most importantly, there was actual consequences for our characters. Both he AND his friends are changed by this experience.
Finally, I'll briefly touch on the inclusion of the mandalorians in this volume. They were badass. They looked cool. Most importantly, it was interesting to see the setup for the Dxun level in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, as well as what I think is the first time in Star Wars EU history seeing an army of Mandalorian warriors all at once.
THE CONCLUSION: I really want to give this a 4 stars to acknowledge how much this volume has improved upon the last, but it still has too many flaws in its writing and a good portion of the artwork. Even though I praised the development of Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, the other characters are still underdeveloped and forgettable. However, I got to say, the artwork in the second half of the book and especially the story were awesome. I can understand if for other people it may take too long to get to the good parts here, but for me, it was worth it.
Tales of the Jedi is still largely a guilty pleasure for me, but some parts of it are turning out to be great. Redemption is in the mail, and once I receive it I will read it and provide my thoughts on it.
December 24, 2017
A very special Star Wars EU comic, since it is set in the Old Republic era and it heavily influenced plot points of the KotOR game series. It was a treat to read, however it was far from flawless. The drawing style was not good for my taste. Especially some of the frames were too... abstract(?) to appreciate the details of the scene. Plus, while the build-up was very good, I found the ending anticlimactic since it was done in just a couple pages.
November 21, 2024
Jako fan warto przeczytać by poznać ikone lore star wars, ale tak to to nie jest dobra seria. Przeciętna w najlepszym razie. One more to go !
March 2, 2016
The art is generally better than before and storytelling also improved a bit more, making this a truly "okay" comic. But that doesn't make it worth the effort to work your way through the three previous ones and the conclusion to the main story arc is not really satisfying either. The only reason to read it is to be very interested in the lore of the Knights of the Old Republic and wanting to know what's the actual deal with Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun.
December 9, 2014
Art was mediocre at best, over use of the same colors throughout the frame gets redundant. The storyline tended to drag on a bit at times as is the norm with the Tales of the Jedi storyline.
June 12, 2024
Took a while to finish this particular re-read; and then some, to care about jotting down these notes. As mentioned for other / earlier chapters, it did not have as impressive an impact as it did in the mid-90s (first contact; borrowed as separate issues from roommate) and/or early 2000s (Trade PaperBacks bought, 2nd reading). But it still is solid 4*/5* material!
This chapter, I was almost surprised to realise, did nothing in the way of artwork to annoy or even distract me, overall. The bad spells had past with previous instalments; and/or, I'd grown so accustomed to this style again, that I didn't mind.
Glad I finally took time (and also allowed myself the indulgence) to re-enjoy this! I seldomly relinquish the opportunity to read something new/other... so much still left to read... And yet, the beauty of these trade paperbacks, and the significant financial investment associated with them, helped me get over that -- partially. It still feels weird, at times, this "re-reading" -- and I'll probably not be doing it w/ novels. Except, perhaps, the second half of the ASO series. (A Space Odyssey -- 2061 & 3001, of which there are no films and which I haven't already read several times. Because in the past, I read so much & so fast, and didn't think about the finite time I had to choose material for, that I easily re-tread beaten paths -- and 2001 & 2010 were severely beaten.)
In any case -- having finished the series story arch proper, it was nice to now experience the ending while additionally (for me, for the first time) knowing how things eventually (EVENTUALLY...) turn out for "poor" Exar Kun, whom I always thought was... not an interesting bad guy per se, but rather, a 'quite-appealing-to-me-personally antagonist'. His story really is finished here, to any/all satisfaction required; but there *is* more to his future, and I've now read all that prior to this return to TotJ. Which may have instigated this re-reading stint, to begin with. Worth it!
Now, on to my very favourite part -- the ample-sized (another full TPB) epilogue/coda, "Redemption", which in & of itself lifts this saga to greater heights.
This chapter, I was almost surprised to realise, did nothing in the way of artwork to annoy or even distract me, overall. The bad spells had past with previous instalments; and/or, I'd grown so accustomed to this style again, that I didn't mind.
Glad I finally took time (and also allowed myself the indulgence) to re-enjoy this! I seldomly relinquish the opportunity to read something new/other... so much still left to read... And yet, the beauty of these trade paperbacks, and the significant financial investment associated with them, helped me get over that -- partially. It still feels weird, at times, this "re-reading" -- and I'll probably not be doing it w/ novels. Except, perhaps, the second half of the ASO series. (A Space Odyssey -- 2061 & 3001, of which there are no films and which I haven't already read several times. Because in the past, I read so much & so fast, and didn't think about the finite time I had to choose material for, that I easily re-tread beaten paths -- and 2001 & 2010 were severely beaten.)
In any case -- having finished the series story arch proper, it was nice to now experience the ending while additionally (for me, for the first time) knowing how things eventually (EVENTUALLY...) turn out for "poor" Exar Kun, whom I always thought was... not an interesting bad guy per se, but rather, a 'quite-appealing-to-me-personally antagonist'. His story really is finished here, to any/all satisfaction required; but there *is* more to his future, and I've now read all that prior to this return to TotJ. Which may have instigated this re-reading stint, to begin with. Worth it!
Now, on to my very favourite part -- the ample-sized (another full TPB) epilogue/coda, "Redemption", which in & of itself lifts this saga to greater heights.
May 21, 2020
So I should come clean on this, I'm currently trying to read everything I own going in order of fiction-nonfiction-Graphic Novel-Play. I'm only reading stuff I've not read. I've reached the point of all my Star Wars Graphic Novels (I used to be obbessed with the extended universe). So I've decided to go in order of the novels that I have. The reason I'm explaining all this other than being bored in this cornavirus time. Is that this is the only 'Old Republic' era graphic novel I have and I think it's number 6. I've only ever played Knights of the old republic one and that was on X-BOX. Back in the day when the X-Box one meant the first X-Box.
So that out of the way, despite reading the middle of the series. It's shite. This story was crap. I laugh at those that hark back to the pre-disney era as if it was golden. But its as bad as disney era. The story was like 80's sci-fi soap opera but heavy on the soap opera side of things. The art style was poor (sorry to who ever drew this) but its bland and feels cheap. Which is such a shame seeing as this is part of the appeal of reading a graphic novel of this old era of Star Wars. But all it does is highlight how stupid all this olden time era of fire and sticks also has huge space ships. Anyway. This only gets one star because after a lot of pointless dragonball z style drama, you the pacing gets pretty good when the big battle is about to happen, and the ending is pretty haunting and cool! But this doesn't save it and I'll be giving this one away to charity (after checking Ebay, I will update this to 3 stars if I get millions for this)
The lightsabers as stupid as they are - Look fucking cool - I've always like the tree bark staff look to them.
So that out of the way, despite reading the middle of the series. It's shite. This story was crap. I laugh at those that hark back to the pre-disney era as if it was golden. But its as bad as disney era. The story was like 80's sci-fi soap opera but heavy on the soap opera side of things. The art style was poor (sorry to who ever drew this) but its bland and feels cheap. Which is such a shame seeing as this is part of the appeal of reading a graphic novel of this old era of Star Wars. But all it does is highlight how stupid all this olden time era of fire and sticks also has huge space ships. Anyway. This only gets one star because after a lot of pointless dragonball z style drama, you the pacing gets pretty good when the big battle is about to happen, and the ending is pretty haunting and cool! But this doesn't save it and I'll be giving this one away to charity (after checking Ebay, I will update this to 3 stars if I get millions for this)
The lightsabers as stupid as they are - Look fucking cool - I've always like the tree bark staff look to them.
December 3, 2019
Ulic Qel-Droma has fallen to the temptations of Aleema Keto, Krath leader. He is now raiding distant outposts and shipbuilding docks of the Republic in order to better equip his army for a strike at its very heart - Coruscant. By a strike of luck he will come across the Mandalorians, mercenary nomads whom he will subjugate (in an exquisite feat of arms) and incorporate into his host.
As Ulic organizes the armed forces of the new Sith conflagration, Exar Kun seduces group of Jedi Knights and using trickery and deceit unleashes them against the Republic.
But there are wheels within wheels - while all parties position their forces against the Republic it is clear that only person Ulic can trust is Mandalore himself.
This is excellent story, packaged with great art (style reminds me of Elric of Melninbone earlier graphic novels, very thin and very elfish profiles but lots and lots of details on each and every panel). Although not as epic as art in first 3/4 of the previous book art is nevertheless excellent and truly helps reader to immerse into the story.
Jedi's will prevail in the end but at great cost, many falling on the space and ground battlefields while fighting the invaders and lots of Jedi worlds will end up devastated and lost forever. Whole star systems will end up shattered by the new Sith Lords.
And in the end Ulic is the most tragic actor in this drama. After losing everything including his own connection to the Force he is left only to ponder what could have been if he did not succumb to the lure of darkness.
Excellent conclusion to this story arc. Highly recommended to all Star Wars and SF/Fantasy fans.
As Ulic organizes the armed forces of the new Sith conflagration, Exar Kun seduces group of Jedi Knights and using trickery and deceit unleashes them against the Republic.
But there are wheels within wheels - while all parties position their forces against the Republic it is clear that only person Ulic can trust is Mandalore himself.
This is excellent story, packaged with great art (style reminds me of Elric of Melninbone earlier graphic novels, very thin and very elfish profiles but lots and lots of details on each and every panel). Although not as epic as art in first 3/4 of the previous book art is nevertheless excellent and truly helps reader to immerse into the story.
Jedi's will prevail in the end but at great cost, many falling on the space and ground battlefields while fighting the invaders and lots of Jedi worlds will end up devastated and lost forever. Whole star systems will end up shattered by the new Sith Lords.
And in the end Ulic is the most tragic actor in this drama. After losing everything including his own connection to the Force he is left only to ponder what could have been if he did not succumb to the lure of darkness.
Excellent conclusion to this story arc. Highly recommended to all Star Wars and SF/Fantasy fans.
September 12, 2025
I didn't expect this to be great literature, but I was disappointed anyway. It probably didn't help that I started with the last (?) volume in the series, but the dialogue and characters were so clumsy and ham-fisted that it was impossible for me to take this story seriously. I'd heard of Exar Kun before, and I was hoping his story, and the story of how the Dark Jadi became the Sith, would prove at least a little entertaining. Turns out the tale is fraught with so much cheesy '90s melodrama, fashion choices which have aged like milk, and exposition dumps that tell rather than show, that I found it impossible to care about any of the characters.
The only things worth noting about this comic is its significance to later developments within the canon: I believe this series introduced the Basilisks (semi-sentient mechanical Mandalorian war-mounts), and this volume in pretty sure marks the first appearance of a double-bladed lightsaber. But both inventions have been used elsewhere and to better effect by more talented writers. Save yourself some time and skip this one.
The only things worth noting about this comic is its significance to later developments within the canon: I believe this series introduced the Basilisks (semi-sentient mechanical Mandalorian war-mounts), and this volume in pretty sure marks the first appearance of a double-bladed lightsaber. But both inventions have been used elsewhere and to better effect by more talented writers. Save yourself some time and skip this one.
July 7, 2025
I came across this by chance and picked it up as a one-off read (by that I mean I have no plans to seek out anything else in the series) - but I quite liked it. I won't say too much about the story, except that it is basically an epic struggle of the Jedi order against an attempted Sith takeover of the galaxy. Although this sounds familiar, it does not actually repeat or rehash plot points and tropes from any of the more familiar SW media - it's largely a fresh story. It is set in a very ancient time, long before the period of the movies & shows, and this adds to the atmosphere and the uniqueness of the setting of this series. I loved the art too.
I think I could nitpick it if I tried, but I've enjoyed it and haven't got around to doing that. Definitely recommended for SW enthusiasts who want something beyond the more widely popular SW things.
I think I could nitpick it if I tried, but I've enjoyed it and haven't got around to doing that. Definitely recommended for SW enthusiasts who want something beyond the more widely popular SW things.
March 16, 2020
I give it a 8.5/10.
I'll admit that when I starting reading this story I was very disappointed. It was just upsetting to see how in a couple of pages the Mandalorians were introduced to the Star Wars universe, they conveniently attack the Sith and instantly get subjugated to them. It really made the Mandalorians look like clowns with no background.
But leaving that aside I think that a lot of things happen. Many characters get to shine in these series, Nomi, Ulic, Thon, Sylvar, Cay, Exar.... Wars everywhere.
Sure, so many things happen that it feels a little too rushed. It feels more like the argument, a summary of a real story. If you ask me this could've been a much longer book, and even its own TV show. I hope you're listening Disney TV.
Recommended for Star Wars fans.
I'll admit that when I starting reading this story I was very disappointed. It was just upsetting to see how in a couple of pages the Mandalorians were introduced to the Star Wars universe, they conveniently attack the Sith and instantly get subjugated to them. It really made the Mandalorians look like clowns with no background.
But leaving that aside I think that a lot of things happen. Many characters get to shine in these series, Nomi, Ulic, Thon, Sylvar, Cay, Exar.... Wars everywhere.
Sure, so many things happen that it feels a little too rushed. It feels more like the argument, a summary of a real story. If you ask me this could've been a much longer book, and even its own TV show. I hope you're listening Disney TV.
Recommended for Star Wars fans.
January 2, 2022
This collection of six Star Wars comics comes from 1996, so you know going in that it won't align with either the prequel or sequel trilogies, which would've been fine if that were the only thing.
Unfortunately, both the art and the writing just aren't all that great. There's *some* character development but not a lot over the course of 150+ pages. The plot was okay-ish. It's set in hundreds of years before Luke Skywalker is born, so all of the characters are new. Again, that's fine except none of the characters were all that interesting.
The art was what really stood out as being poor. The artist seemed unable to capture the movement and dynamism of a lightsaber battle or a skirmish in space.
Unfortunately, both the art and the writing just aren't all that great. There's *some* character development but not a lot over the course of 150+ pages. The plot was okay-ish. It's set in hundreds of years before Luke Skywalker is born, so all of the characters are new. Again, that's fine except none of the characters were all that interesting.
The art was what really stood out as being poor. The artist seemed unable to capture the movement and dynamism of a lightsaber battle or a skirmish in space.
September 9, 2020
So the story is much improved over the previous stories, although there are still parts that dragged for me and I was very ready for the story to end. It picked up some by the end, the characters got some more depth, and the plot was better developed and more interesting. Anderson is a far superior writer than Veitch, at least for this series, so hopefully the remaining stories are fleshed out and bring the arc to a satisfying conclusion.
Nomi and Ulic and Exar are all much more interesting characters and the evil use of the Massassi is built up very well. I'm finally curious to see the ultimate end-game for these characters, who were pretty boring before.
Nomi and Ulic and Exar are all much more interesting characters and the evil use of the Massassi is built up very well. I'm finally curious to see the ultimate end-game for these characters, who were pretty boring before.
March 27, 2019
Very 90s in good and bad ways. You get a pre prequel Star Wars universe that still had possibilities but the art and plot were average at best. Having missed the previous issues I didn’t have some of the background necessary to really get behind the betrayal at the centre of this story so it meant little to me. I did like the different alien Jedi but the mandalorians being predator knock offs was lame.
April 19, 2024
Same as the last book, though I like this ones art less. At least it has energy. This includes the first appearance of a double bladed lightsaber, way back in 1995, four years before Phantom Menace. Bloated but also epic and cool. The thing with Ulic and Cay at the end was a brave and very good storytelling decision. Lots of mandalorians and early lore about them. I like the final page with Exar Kun. Fun stuff.
February 3, 2021
The world building and artwork really carry this, the writing is sub par a lot of the time but not as bad as Dark Lords of the Sith. Hearing so much about Exar Kun and Nomi Sunrider in the EU and KOTOR I was let down, Exar was fun but not as impressive as I'd been led to believe and Sunrider is just awful and bland after her initial character arc.
May 4, 2022
After the rather disappointing previous story arc, The Sith War was a welcome change of pace with the Tales of the Jedi typical bombastic action on top of an entertaining story and finally some interesting characterization. Top this off with a surprisingly definitive ending and you're left with the best story arc in the TOTJ series so far.
July 13, 2020
This definitely suffers from Early 90's'itis. There are a few elements here and there that are very similar to story beats from Revenge of the Sith, though, and this was written several years before. Hmm.
January 31, 2024
The drama escalates further in The Sith War. Many well loved Jedi are murdered, an epic confrontation occurs in the senate hall, and brothers fight to the death on Ossus. Kevin J Anderson knocks it out of the park here.
May 30, 2024
Zdecydowanie najlepsza jak dotąd część cyklu, nawet ta specyficzna kreska nie przeszkadzała już w bawieniu się opowiadaną historią. Epickie bitwy, pojedynki, intrygi, zwroty akcji, emocjonalne momenty, słodko-gorzkie zakończenie. Warto było się pomęczyć z poprzednimi częściami.
June 20, 2019
Not a bad ending! I'm definitely a fan of the final page, but I thought every character continued to be consistent with their characterizations so far.
February 21, 2021
OMG I cried at the ending
November 17, 2021
This was a great story. The art was the only shortcoming.
May 7, 2022
I haven't read the others so it was a bit hard to get into but I ended up enjoying it.
December 16, 2023
The high fantasy tone and scope of old legends continue to be a fun time
December 26, 2015
Star Wars Legends Project #10
Background: Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War was released in six issues from August '95 to January '96, and the trade paperback came out that July. It was written by Kevin J. Anderson (who took over the Tales of the Jedi series completely at this point) and pencilled by Dario Carrasco Jr. Tom Veitch had departed to work on Dark Empire II, having used the previous story arc as a semi- smooth transition from his writing to Anderson's.
The Sith War begins 6 months after Dark Lords of the Sith (my review here), about 3,996 years before the Battle of Yavin. All of the surviving characters from the previous series return here. New characters include Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorians and a predecessor of popular recurring anti-hero Boba Fett.
Summary: Newly-minted as Dark Lords of the Sith, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma move swiftly to set their ambitious, evil plans in motion. Qel-Droma wins the loyalty of the Mandalorian warriors and captures a battle fleet to strike at the heart of the Republic, while Kun works to corrupt and neutralize the Jedi Order from within. With seemingly limitless dark side power at their fingertips, and no thought of the destruction they might cause, the two seem poised to launch a new Golden Age of the Sith and plunge the entire galaxy into darkness!
Review: This is how I picture every Kevin J. Anderson story pitch ever: "So, then the bad guy busts out a superweapon and causes a star to go nova!" It's like some kind of idiotic writing twitch. This is the third Anderson story arc I've read, and the third time he uses this as a plot device. In fact, in The Sith War he blows up 10 stars, and then doesn't seem to understand how the speed of light and galactic distances work. If the rest of Expanded Universe operated on Anderson rules, there wouldn't be a Star Wars galaxy left by this point. He's pretty lame.
Then there's Ulic Qel-Droma's character arc, perhaps one of the most ham-fisted and lazy in the history of storytelling. I've certainly never seen another instance in professional fiction where a character is railroaded so completely that he no longer has a discernible personality. I complained vaguely in the last story arc about his stupid plan, but I didn't go into details about how it led him to the dark side because, you know, spoilers. That said, his descent into darkness at least had some attempt at an explanation behind it, with his motivations of revenge.
Apparently, though, once you turn to the dark side, all other motivations and character traits go out the window and you just want to generically take over the galaxy. And even that would be fine (particularly taking this comic as a self-contained story arc), if it weren't for the ridiculous way Anderson follows through with his development. You can't just make a character do whatever seems most dramatic at the moment. If there's no logic or motivation, there's no dramatic weight. Anyway. Whatever.
I'm getting those two major complaints out of the way because, at the end of the day, I really liked this comic. Exar Kun is an amazing villain, and I didn't always know whether I was rooting for him or against him. Mandalore is perhaps the coolest character I've encountered yet. And despite the lightweight attempts to manipulate our emotions with Qel-Droma's shallow nonsense, there's a lot to like about stuff that happens elsewhere. Major characters die, and a positive outcome is in serious doubt. The ending is a little bit of a Deus Ex Machina (I was reminded of Iron Man 3), but the final images are downright haunting.
More than ever, the two Sith-centered prequels that followed this arc (by publication order) seem like a serious misstep. The main throughline of Tales of the Jedi, beginning with Tales of the Jedi: The Collection, is excellent and well-worth checking out. I look forward to reading the follow-up and series finale, Redemption, though I do have reason to doubt that it will be as epic or as good of a Star Wars story as this was.
B
Background: Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War was released in six issues from August '95 to January '96, and the trade paperback came out that July. It was written by Kevin J. Anderson (who took over the Tales of the Jedi series completely at this point) and pencilled by Dario Carrasco Jr. Tom Veitch had departed to work on Dark Empire II, having used the previous story arc as a semi- smooth transition from his writing to Anderson's.
The Sith War begins 6 months after Dark Lords of the Sith (my review here), about 3,996 years before the Battle of Yavin. All of the surviving characters from the previous series return here. New characters include Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorians and a predecessor of popular recurring anti-hero Boba Fett.
Summary: Newly-minted as Dark Lords of the Sith, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma move swiftly to set their ambitious, evil plans in motion. Qel-Droma wins the loyalty of the Mandalorian warriors and captures a battle fleet to strike at the heart of the Republic, while Kun works to corrupt and neutralize the Jedi Order from within. With seemingly limitless dark side power at their fingertips, and no thought of the destruction they might cause, the two seem poised to launch a new Golden Age of the Sith and plunge the entire galaxy into darkness!
Review: This is how I picture every Kevin J. Anderson story pitch ever: "So, then the bad guy busts out a superweapon and causes a star to go nova!" It's like some kind of idiotic writing twitch. This is the third Anderson story arc I've read, and the third time he uses this as a plot device. In fact, in The Sith War he blows up 10 stars, and then doesn't seem to understand how the speed of light and galactic distances work. If the rest of Expanded Universe operated on Anderson rules, there wouldn't be a Star Wars galaxy left by this point. He's pretty lame.
Then there's Ulic Qel-Droma's character arc, perhaps one of the most ham-fisted and lazy in the history of storytelling. I've certainly never seen another instance in professional fiction where a character is railroaded so completely that he no longer has a discernible personality. I complained vaguely in the last story arc about his stupid plan, but I didn't go into details about how it led him to the dark side because, you know, spoilers. That said, his descent into darkness at least had some attempt at an explanation behind it, with his motivations of revenge.
Apparently, though, once you turn to the dark side, all other motivations and character traits go out the window and you just want to generically take over the galaxy. And even that would be fine (particularly taking this comic as a self-contained story arc), if it weren't for the ridiculous way Anderson follows through with his development. You can't just make a character do whatever seems most dramatic at the moment. If there's no logic or motivation, there's no dramatic weight. Anyway. Whatever.
I'm getting those two major complaints out of the way because, at the end of the day, I really liked this comic. Exar Kun is an amazing villain, and I didn't always know whether I was rooting for him or against him. Mandalore is perhaps the coolest character I've encountered yet. And despite the lightweight attempts to manipulate our emotions with Qel-Droma's shallow nonsense, there's a lot to like about stuff that happens elsewhere. Major characters die, and a positive outcome is in serious doubt. The ending is a little bit of a Deus Ex Machina (I was reminded of Iron Man 3), but the final images are downright haunting.
More than ever, the two Sith-centered prequels that followed this arc (by publication order) seem like a serious misstep. The main throughline of Tales of the Jedi, beginning with Tales of the Jedi: The Collection, is excellent and well-worth checking out. I look forward to reading the follow-up and series finale, Redemption, though I do have reason to doubt that it will be as epic or as good of a Star Wars story as this was.
B
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