Inferno (Star Wars novel)

Synopsis

Jacen Solo, now the Sith lord Darth Caedus, continues his quest to "bring order" to the galaxy by taking it over. As he descends ever farther into the dark side of the Force, he becomes increasingly willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to achieve his goals.

By the end of the novel, nearly all of Caedus' family and friends have turned against him, including his secret lover Tenel Ka and nearly all of the Jedi. The sole exception appears to be Tahiri Veila, whom Caedus has been manipulating through the memory of his dead brother, and her lover, Anakin Solo.

The novel also represents a turning point in Caedus' evolution into a Sith. In the previous novel, Darth Caedus was willing to send a prison arrest warrant to his own parents Leia and Han Solo. Caedus is increasingly willing to commit atrocities (such as targeting the civilian centres and forests of Kashyyyk), and gives no second thought to sacrificing anyone, even family, to his ambitions. He begins to cherish the fear of his subordinates and in one example, orders the arrest and execution of one of his spies who was in danger of being exposed and executed by the Corellian government, in order to motivate others to refrain from returning to the Galactic Alliance when their covers were threatened.

Inferno is also marked by the deterioration and termination of many of Caedus' personal relationships as he ravages the galaxy. He sends troops to seize control of the Jedi Praxeum on Ossus, and subsequently orders the murders of all the adult Jedi at the facility, (which include his twin sister Jaina), in order to secure control over the children there. Ultimately this smaller conflict fails, but not without heavy losses on both sides. He manipulates his lover Tenel Ka into handing over her last fleet to him, leaving her and his daughter exposed to a coup d'état before she realizes the depths to which he has sunk and withdraws her support. He manipulates his cousin, Ben, into killing the deposed Chief of State, Cal Omas, only to warn Coruscant authorities that an assassination attempt is imminent. He then tortures Ben as part of a plan to make him a Sith apprentice, which is interrupted by Luke Skywalker, prompting a furious lightsaber duel that ends with Luke sparing Jacen when Ben's danger of falling to the dark side becomes apparent to Luke.

A subplot in the book reveals the existence of a hidden group of Sith on Korriban and further reveals the powers of Ship, the Sith vessel Ben recovered from Ziost.

Dramatis Personae

Reception

Inferno reached 7 on the New York Times bestseller list on September 16, 2007.