Shadow of the Sith, the upcoming novel by Adam Christopher which explores Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian’s journey to locate the Sith prior to the sequel trilogy and Ochi’s hunt for two parents looking to hide their daughter from her Sheev-y grandfather, already turned heads with its sweat inducing, thrilling, and downright shocking first excerpt. While this second excerpt isn’t as explosive, it’s just as intriguing in its own way, painting a bigger picture of how Christopher’s prose will keep readers on the edge of their seats and really inhabit the spooky nature of Palpatine’s return/the Sith Eternals’ actions in this time frame, but it also potentially reveals who is under the mask of the third character on the book’s cover. From the unsettling description of her mask and her dreams to the revelations she’s Pantoran, the Sith character who will in turn hunt Luke and Lando, as teased by io9, is someone we’ve meet before in the books, but I’ll have that answer below the cut (in case people want to avoid spoilers), as well as the big poster of the character exclusive to the Barnes and Noble edition of Shadow of Sith (out June 28). UPDATE: Our reviews are in!
So who might this masked Sith be, as creepily, yet elegantly depicted by Voodoo Val? All signs point towards Kiza, a Pantoran member of the Acolytes of the Beyond, a unnerving faction introduced to the galaxy in the Aftermath Trilogy’s interlude sections, but there’s not much that’s been done with them and their fanatic devotion to the Sith religion since. That looks to change somewhat with Kiza’s return in Shadows of the Sith, as the last we heard they were launching attacks against New Republic outposts (like Devaron in Kiza’s case) just prior to the Battle of Jakku, while this excerpt seems to at least confirm the Acolytes and the Sith Eternal are two separate cults. No matter your feelings on the Aftermath Trilogy, there are some interesting ideas within, like the one The Mandalorian picked up with Marshal Cobb Vanth, but the Acolytes have been the most intriguing and unresolved of the group.
We’ll have more from the novel as it comes, as there’s even a whole panel at Celebration Anaheim 2022 about it and two other new books this year, and of course a review around its release June 28!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.