Star Wars - Master of Evil (A Darth Vader Novel)

Since Master of Evil will be the first Vader-focused novel in over 10 years, I thought I'd make a commemorative thread for it...

Summary:

After Revenge of the Sith, a newly forged Darth Vader hunts for the secrets of life and death under the watchful eye of Emperor Palpatine.

In the wake of Emperor Palpatine's rise to power, the true nature of his most sinister enforcer remains a mystery. Darth Vader is a dominant yet illusive figure: the shadow cast by a malignant Imperial regime, unknowable to even its top officials. But even as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld--the power to conquer death itself.

On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.

Vader is determined to follow this vision, even if it means defying his master's orders. Yet he finds the Emperor suspiciously supportive of his mission, even sending Vader to the Diso system to investigate rumors of a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead. At his side are a cadre of the Emperor's scarlet-robed Royal Guard, led by Colonel Halland Goth--a decorated soldier with a very personal interest in Vader's mission.

Even as the Emperor's true motivations reveal themselves, Vader falls deeper into obsession. His journey takes him far across the galaxy, chasing rumors and phantoms. But no matter how far he travels, he cannot escape the shadows within his own soul. Haunted by the echoes of his past, Vader circles the true resolution to his quest: only once all weakness is purged can he become a master of evil.

...That is all.

Hopefully it gives some indication on how Vader learned to rape GI's spirit.

^ Sounds like Master of Evil will essentially begin with Vader bleeding his kyber on Mustafar(as detailed in Darth Vader v2 #1-5.) Then [in the comics] Vader returns straight back to Coruscant to show off his shiny new red blade, and heal/recover from the injuries he sustained -- then he immediately undertakes a few more brief missions(as detailed in issues #6-12 of the same series.) *Note: all of this takes place just days/weeks after RotS.* Then, at the beginning of issue #13, we learn that roughly 1 year has passed since the conclusion of issue #12 and the Empire's ascension... So I'm guessing(?) the majority of this novel will be set in that ~1 year gap of unexplored time(so vastly pre-prime Vader, I'd assume, but that's neither here nor there.) /shrug

As for GI: the preview states that Vader is searching for "a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead", so that could certainly end up explaining how Vader learned to do this to GI's spirit:
https://ibb.co/CkfGs5M
https://ibb.co/whFqY3fL
https://ibb.co/KpVrwvkn

We'll see. 👆

Hopefully it builds off events from the comics like that. That would actually be a nice breath of fresh air.

I would think a lot of it will detail Vader internally trying to "kill the past" and fully embrace his darkness. 😈

So this will be set before Lords of the Sith right?

Originally posted by Eli Vanto
So this will be set before Lords of the Sith right?

*That said, it's also possible(though unlikely, given the summary) that MoE will start a few days after RotS, but then cover a huge chunk of time by its conclusion. Again, we'll just have to wait and see.