The Rook (The Checquy Files #1)
by Daniel O’Malley (2012)

“The body you are wearing used to be mine.” So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

This is a good read and entertaining throughout, mainly due to the writing prose style that has a very modern feel. A major part of the narrative is the flashback/info-dumps provided be the main character. They provide the world-building and explanation for the characters.
Frequently being extensive and long they often feel like short stories dropped into the main narrative. The disadvantage is that they act to break and interrupt the flow of the main story.

There is a distinct tone shift in the second half as more humour in introduced into the characters and situations. It almost feels like the author is trying to correct for the rather grim-dark tone of the first half. So over all, an engaging read. It looks like the next book will dispense with flashbacks and could be better for it.

Choices of One (Star Wars Legends)
by Timothy Zahn (2011)

Set in the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and featuring the young Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and the beloved Mara Jade. The fate of the Rebellion rests on Luke Skywalker’s next move. But have the rebels entered a safe harbor or a death trap?

Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal. Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz’s treason and smash the Rebels for good. But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played.

Another saga written to Timothy Zahn’s usual high standards. Recommended.

One to embody the power, the other to crave it.
–Darth Bane, Dark Lord of the Sith

This is a story of the Old Empire.
Sometimes the bad guys get to have all the fun, here they are the brooding serious types. It’s the descent that’s compelling here.
Recommended to all Star Wars fans.

Path of Destruction (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #1)
by Drew Karpyshyn (2007)

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel, a Cortosis miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him.
As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. But the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, he must defy the most sacred traditions and reject all he has been taught. It is a trial by fire in which he must surrender fully to the dark side–and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.

Rule of Two (Star Wars: Darth Bane #2)
by Drew Karpyshyn (2007)

The story of a young mans journey from innocence to evil. That man was Darth Bane, a twisted genius whose iron will, fierce ambition, and strength in the dark side of the Force made him a natural leader among the Sith until his radical embrace of an all-but-forgotten wisdom.

Dynasty of Evil (Star Wars: Darth Bane, #3)
by Drew Karpyshyn (2009)

Twenty years have passed since Darth Bane, reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, demolished the ancient order devoted to the dark side and reinvented it as a circle of two: one Master to wield the power and pass on the wisdom, and one apprentice to learn, challenge, and ultimately usurp the Dark Lord in a duel to the death. But Bane’s acolyte, Zannah, has yet to engage her Master in mortal combat and prove herself a worthy successor. Determined that the Sith dream of galactic domination will not die with him, Bane vows to learn the secret of a forgotten Dark Lord that will assure the Sith’s immortality–and his own.

Threshold (Chess Team Adventure #3)
by Jeremy Robinson (2011)

After a terrorist attack on a reservation in Oregon leaves thousands dead, Jack Sigler, call sign King and his Chess Team — Queen, Rook, Bishop and Knight — must protect the only survivor, thirteen year-old Fiona Lane. When a death in the family pulls King away, and the rest of the team is sent on a mission, Fort Bragg is attacked by a strange and overwhelming force. When the dust settles, Fiona is gone.

But the attack is part of a larger offensive. Around the world the last speakers of ancient languages are being systematically exterminated. As they fight to find the mastermind behind the killings, and Fiona, the team is hunted by strange creatures that defy explanation — living statues, genetically modified monsters and walking megaliths — sent by an enemy from their past. If not stopped, he will be able to remake himself, and the world.

Calling on help from old friends and ancient heroes, the team fights their most desperate battle yet, not just to save the world as we know it, but to rescue a little girl who wants nothing more than to call King Dad.

Where the previous book was a simple single narrative, this takes the other extreme with the Chess Team spread out over the world. Multiple story threads threaten to make things confusing, but ultimately they all come together  for a big brawl of a showdown.