| Title | : | Star Wars: Cloak of Deception |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0099439972 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780099439974 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 |
| Publication | : | First published May 29, 2000 |
Mired in greed and corruption, tangled in bureaucracy, the Galactic Republic is crumbling. In the outlying systems, where the Trade Federation maintains a stranglehold on shipping routes, tensions are boiling over?while back in the comfort of Coruscant, the hub of civilized space and seat of the Republic government, few senators seem inclined to investigate the problem. And those who suspect Supreme Chancellor Valorum of having a hand in the machinations are baffled?especially when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi foil an assassination attempt on the Chancellor.
With the crisis escalating, Valorum calls for an emergency trade summit. As humans and aliens gather, conspiracies sealed with large sums of money run rampant, and no one is entirely above suspicion. But the greatest threat of all remains unknown to everyone except three members of the Trade Federation who have entered into a shadowy alliance with a dark overlord. While the trio will be content with more money and fewer problems, Darth Sidious has grander, far more terrifying plans.
It is a time that tests the mettle of all those who strive to hold the Republic together?none more so than the Jedi Knights, who have long been the galaxy's best hope for preserving peace and justice. Yet despite their most valiant efforts, the meeting will explode into fiery chaos beyond everyone?s worst fears . . .
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!
Star Wars: Cloak of Deception Reviews
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Originally published at
Bookwraiths.
A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away . . . .
Cloak of Deception is a prequel story to Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and it is a political thriller. Yes, you read that right. This Star Wars novel breaks from the familiar action adventure formula of most Expanded Universe tales to focus on political corruption, trade wars, terror cells, and two familiar Jedi (Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan) mired in the whole mess. This setup book for Episode I a nice change of pace that had a few problems but was still a very satisfying read.
The Republic has a long history filled with glorious triumphs and dark defeats, but now it is mostly entangled in annoying futility. Top on the lists of festering problems is the Trade Federation. This conglomerates trade monopoly spreading its powerful tendrils across the galaxy, growing in size, power, and influence constantly. Their maltreatment of Outer Rim systems breeding hate and conflict resulting in a growing terror movement dubbed the Nebula Front, which is becoming more violent and more bold by the hour.
But the Trade Federation and the terrorists are merely the public face to a growing internal problem which few perceive: the Republic is slowly dying. This ancient bastion of democracy and peace divided into opposing factions. Member worlds having different desires and visions of the future which cannot be reconciled. The Senate itself broken up into warring factions. The growing cancer allowing power broker like Senator Palpatine and his ilk to increase their standing, while traditionalist peace makers such as Valorum see themselves marginalized and demonized for attempting to find middle ground to hold everything together.
Enter Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. These Jedi are sent out to investigate the Nebula Front’s recent activities, especially the movements of one Captain Cohl, whom Qui-Gon has a stubborn desire to stop. Immediately, the two become embroiled in a huge plot which stretches from the Outer Rim to the halls of power in the Senate itself, familiar faces like Supreme Chancellor Valorum, Senator Palpatine, Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu, even Queen Amidala making appearances throughout.
With Cloak of Deception, James Luceno has the unenviable task of explaining exactly what the hell led up to the beginning of Episode I while telling an exciting story where most readers will already knows who the main villains are and what their goals are, but somehow, someway, he actually accomplishes his task, creating an entertaining political thriller with enough space battles and lightsaber fights to lighten up all the serious themes.
My favorite element of the book was actually the political nonsense of the Republic Senate. Luceno doesn’t attempt to hide that Senator Palpatine is the driving force behind all the conflicts, showing him at his cunning best whispering sweet lies to fellow politicians while barking sibilant commands in his Sidious form. While I’ve always known the future Emperor was a master manipulator, I never gave him enough credit until reading this narrative and truly comprehending the extent of his plans which led to Episode I. Now, I am left to wonder what else Palpatine set into motion. Perhaps Anakin’s force conception? Qui-Gon’s discovery of the Chosen One? Once far-fetched fan conspiracy theories now do not seem too ridiculous considering how Palpatine played everyone in the Republic.
My greatest disappointment with the narrative was the characters plots of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Captain Cohl and the Nebula Front. I was really hoping to learn more about our two Jedi, especially the stoic Qui-Gon, but the two stayed fairly static, showing absolutely no growth during this story arc. The same can be said of Captain Cohl who begins this novel with a bang only to disappear having little to no role in events by the end. As for the Nebula Front, it never develops past the point of being another shadowy terrorist group needing to be dismantled.
Overall, I enjoyed Cloak of Deception, accepting and embracing the political thrilled as a different kind of Star Wars story. There are certainly slow section, pages of political scheming and shadowy maneuvering that many people might find boring. On the other hand, these section were very realistic to me, eerily familiar to the state of U.S. politics 2017 and taken by me as a warning of how a tyrant can so easily convince people he is a savior while a true savior can be so easily portrayed as a tyrant. -
The Trade Federation monopolizes trade to outer systems, a situation the Nebula Front doesn't like. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are out to hunt down Arwen Cohl, one such leader of the Nebula Front, as Palpatine rises to power, and Valorum sees his status crumble.
NOTE: Based on listening to the audiobook and previous reading of the novel
I Liked:
If there is one thing Luceno is good at, it's integrating all of Star Wars Expanded Universe. He makes references to characters like Tarkin (yay!) and Vergere (yay!), to organizations like the Commerce Guild, and fleshes out situations only referred indirectly to (such as King Veruna's reign). Luceno is a master and does it very well.
This novel is unique as it is one of the few in EU that is more of a political thriller than a typical adventure. This was a good move, as this era was filled with political tension. I loved seeing Valorum's fall from grace, seeing Bail Antilles, and learning how great a chessplayer Palpatine is (who is such a two-face!). To have a typical Star Wars adventure would feel out of place in this era and not answer half the questions this book does.
Luceno wasn't afraid to pull the plug on some of his characters, which was very poignant, very tearful. I won't say who, as it might be a spoiler, but when the characters die, it really pulled at my heart-strings.
I Didn't Like:
I felt very sad listening to this because I had remembered the book being better than what I heard. Luceno tends to write in a very "heavy" manner. For instance, the first action scene, with the Trade Federation craft over Dorvalla, was bogged down in over-describing. Luceno felt the need to describe the spacecraft, the Neimoidian captain (Daultay Dofine), Arwen Cohl, and on, and on, and on. In fact, in nearly every scene, he stops to describe the characters. Now, for new characters, like Cohl and Rella, this isn't too bad. But when he is describing Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Yaddle, Depa Bilaba, Adi Gallia, Mace Windu, Valorum, Palpatine, Neimoidians, Rodians...it is too much. Star Wars fans will know what the characters look like and you don't need to describe them (unless you say something like "Yoda's ear twitched at Qui-Gon's words" or some other incidental descriptions). This is even more unnecessary for aliens. I don't want or need a description of the Neimoidians, Rodians, and everything in between. And having the descriptions in the middle of an otherwise intense scene makes it boring, loses the pace. In fact, this is the only audiobook that I grew bored with and had to set aside for a time, just for this reason.
Secondly, I love seeing recurring characters, but Luceno name-drops one too many times. Palpatine, Valorum, and Antilles are okay, but it's the Jedi I had a problem with. Three High Council members go with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan on a mission, which seems really stupid. I could see one, but no, there were three: Depa Bilaba, Yaddle, and Saesee Tiin. Couldn't Luceno have made three of his own Jedi, Masters if he wanted, so it wasn't so odd why three Council members left the capital to go on a relatively unimportant mission?
None of the characters come off as very colorful. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Cohl, Palpatine...they felt more like cardboard characters, cutouts, than real people with feelings and emotions. And it's sad, because I was so excited to read from Qui-Gon (this is probably the only non-novelization novel that stars him), but he could have been any character with the way that Luceno wrote him.
I have got to put this in here, but why did Luceno name Cohl "Arwen"? When I found that out, I was like, "Uh, he's a female ELF?!"
Lastly, while the plot was interesting, it was highly confusing. This might have been Luceno trying to make sense of George Lucas' story in The Phantom Menace, but still, was there no way to make it a little more...understandable?
Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
None.
Rella and Cohl are lovers. Orn Free Taa is fond of lithe Twi'Lek females.
Cohl attacks a Trade Federation craft and steals aurodium ingots. There are lightsaber battles, Valorum is injured in an attack on his life, on Eriadu, there is a plot to kill Valorum and the Trade Federation delegations.
Overall:
As I mentioned, I remembered this being better than I found it. It's not bad, though I wish an editor had lined out many of the description passages. It just was so...boring... If you want to understand The Phantom Menace better, want to see Qui-Gon Jinn, like political thrillers, or have to read all the Star Wars books, this is your book. Otherwise, you can skip. -
I just re-watched “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” for the god-knows-how-many-th time. The only difference this time is that my 9-year-old daughter watched it with me. (Her first time.) Despite a few eye-rolls, I’m pretty sure she liked it. Jar Jar made her giggle a few times, the pod race scene had her sitting on the edge of her seat, and she dug the final battle scene. I asked her how she liked the movie overall, and she said, “Well, it’s pretty violent, but it was okay.”
Glowing words, actually, from its intended audience. Watching it with her reminded me that George Lucas’s talent was creating an impressive fantasy world, one that can truly be enjoyed by the entire family.
The film is largely critic-proof. As a 50-year-old fan, I could nitpick about the plot, how the movie is essentially about trade negotiations (boring!); how Jar Jar Binks and the Gungans are racist parodies of any and all indigenous people; and how great actors such as Terence Stamp, Samuel L. Jackson, and Natalie Portman were wasted on some paper-thin characters. None of this matters. My 9-year-old still liked it.
A Star Wars film doesn’t necessarily have to be good to still be good. And only true fans will probably understand what that means.
The same can probably be said for the books in the series, especially the ones written prior to the Disney/Lucasfilm merger, the ones that are now considered “old canon” or “Legends”.
To be honest, though, I am, and always will be, partial to the old canon. I’ve been pretty disappointed by the new canon, especially the more recent “High Republic” stuff, which lacks the heart of the old canon. New canon stuff reads like books written by a committee, rather than actual authors given any kind of creative control.
Take, for example, James Luceno’s 2002 novel “Cloak of Deception”. For all intents and purposes, this novel was nothing more than a prequel to a prequel, written a few years after “The Phantom Menace” and published slightly before and contiguously with the release of “Episode II: Attack of the Clones” in theaters. It was a book meant to make money and to get people psyched for the next movie.
By all rights, it shouldn’t be that good.
Strangely enough, it’s excellent. An engaging and intelligent political thriller with shades of “The Parallax View” and “The Manchurian Candidate” set in the Star Wars universe.
Supreme Chancellor Finis Vallorum (played by Terence Stamp, for a total of 15 seconds and two lines, in the movie) is trying to keep the peace in the galaxy, but he is in charge of a corrupt Senate, and he is trying desperately to negotiate the terms in a trade war where, no matter what he decides, it will probably result in him being impeached.
His friend, Senator Palpatine, encourages him to attend an emergency trade summit, despite protestations of the Jedi Council and numerous threats of assassination and terrorist attacks.
The Jedi Council assigns Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to follow a credible threat: a terrorist group called Nebula Front that has apparently dropped clues that an assassination attempt of Vallorum will be attempted at the summit.
It’s a tense cat-and-mouse chase, with plenty of clever plot twists.
Luceno wrote many good books in the old canon. “Cloak of Deception” may not be his best—-that would be “Darth Plagueis”, a direct prequel, of sorts, to this book, and would be helpful if read prior to it—-but it’s infinitely better than anything I’ve read in the new canon thus far. -
Well, this book set the stage for the events of Episode 1, and as always Luceno does a good job with world building and working in the various lore in the universe to make a nice, full picture of the galaxy. Even bringing characters like Vergere and Tarkin, which was nice.
This book really fell flat for me, unfortunately. I couldn't care less about the terrorist group that was fighting with the Trade Federation. There was a few too many scenes of them talking, and when most characters in this book were extremely flat, it wasn't good. Far too many descriptions of characters. Do we really need to read about what Yoda looks like?
Still, it was decent for setting up the political events of the Phantom Menace, but forgettable other then that. -
Perhaps it's me, but this book fell flat. Other authors have demonstrated that fan fiction can be done with imagination, but James Luceno didn't quite pull it off.
He tried. There are plot twists galore, but knowing who everyone is--it's hardly a spoiler to "out" Senator Palpatine--and where everything will end up for the start of the Episode One movie, didn't leave Luceno much wiggle room.
The only jarring error, which he repeated, was the instantaneous nature of his faster-than-light jumps. As well-established in the movies and other SW fan fiction, faster-than-light passage in SW's galaxy is not instantaneous, in fact can take several days. It's a minor quibble, but it feeds some just-in-time arrivals which detract from the storytelling.
Still, the true believer will want to read this book for it's background of the pantheon of SW luminaries. -
The ending of the book is simply fantastic but the first half of the book is so incredibly mind-numbingly boring I had to put it down for a month and read something else before I could pick it up again. It’s definitely worth another read if you can get through the first part, but I can’t give it more than 3 stars.
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Una novela en el mundo de Star Wars solo debe ser leída si eres un gran fan de la saga o al menos uno con mucha curiosidad sobre el complejo mundo galáctico. Esta novela al igual que todas las de esta franquicia solo las recomiendo para esos fans, quien espere leer una novela que le sorprenda o una que le haga pensar, no es para ese publico. El libro aunque de los que mejor escrito están de los que he leído de la franquicia (he leído cinco y casi todos del "nuevo canon" Disney), peca de ser demasiado descriptivo y llega a ser algo cargante sobretodo en las escenas de acción al describirte todo como si fuera un guion de una de las películas, cuando hablamos de una novela.
Pese a eso es raro decir que he disfrutado mas de la parte política de la historia que la de aventura o acción, sobretodo hablando de Star Wars. Pero teniendo en cuenta que la acción de este libro es muy básica y los personajes que normalmente actúan en esos apartados están llenos de clichés es mas comprensible. En cambio en la parte política actúan personajes grises, esta mucho mas trabajada, llegando a ser compleja (es de las cosas que mas me gustan de las precuelas, su trabajada historia de fondo socio-política) y enriqueciendo las películas sobretodo La amenaza fantasma. A diferencia del nuevo canon al menos aquí si que se aportan muchos matices y detalles que no verías en las películas, sobretodo en lo que respecta a Palpatine y Valorum. Palpatine aquí demostrando ser el villano perfecto de la saga; maquinador, astuto, inteligente, conocedor de la corrupción política de la República y aprovechando la debilidad de esta para destruirla desde dentro. No me extraña que en el Episodio 3 estuviera saltando de alegría al acabar con los jedis y la burocracia, todo lo que tuvo que contenerse y la paciencia con la que estuvo maquinando desde las sombras durante años. Muy bueno algunas pinceladas y detallitos al fan sobre cosas futuras que ocurrirán como que los políticos compañeros de Palpi lo vean como un líder nato (futuro Emperador nada menos) o a Tarkin mencionar que le gustaría visitar planetas como Alderaan (cuando este la destruirá décadas después).
Pese a todo no deja de ser una novela ligera (si te va el rollo político por supuesto, si no se te hará insufrible), de fácil lectura y un engranaje mas en una maquinaria demasiado pesada como es la saga Star wars para poder experimentar y salir de lo convencional. Lo dicho, solo para fans. Y como molan Qui-Gon Jinn y el joven Obi-Wan leñe. Ahora a revisionar el Episodio 1, a ver si mejora tras haber leído esto. -
This novel is a political action thriller set in the Star Wars universe, in the period during the run-up to the events of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
It is no secret that I love the movie, and in particular I love the political machinations that form such an important part of the plot (I'd just finished an undergraduate degree in Economic History when the movie was released, and stuff like the history of the British East India Company was at the forefront of my mind, so the actions of the Trade Federation didn't quite seem so far-fetched as many contemporary commentators tended to scoff).
This book is just more fun-packed political machinations - and as such, I love it just as much. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it is just up my street. And the fact that it involves Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan brandishing lightsabres as they investigate is all gravy! -
I enjoyed
Star Wars: Darth Plagueis a lot, so I really wanted to give this one a chance however the incessant plotting and intriguing wore me down.
Due to the cover art I was really expecting a Star Wars novel focusing on the relationship between Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but sadly they were marginal characters throughout at best. -
Feltett szándékom, hogy idén végre tényleg elolvasom a Darth Plagueist. Ehhez viszont előzetesen, ha nem is feltétlenül szükséges, de erősen ajánlott bizonyos Star Wars könyveket és képregényeket elolvasni, ezért került most sorra nálam A megtévesztés leple című regény.
Nem mondanám, hogy túl nagy lelkesedéssel vettem a kezembe. Fülszöveg alapján nem igazán mozgatott meg a sztori, pedig az SW-nak ez az időszaka mindig is érdekelt, pont azért, mert nagyon szeretem az ilyen politikai machinálós, háttérből manipulálós, nem minden az, aminek látszik történeteket. Luceno meg egyszerűen remekel ebben, ez már a valamilyen szinten előzménynek is felfogható Darth Maul: Saboteur c. novellában is jól látszódott, pedig az csak 50 oldal, itt meg aztán volt tere kibontakozni.
Szóval összességében ez egy nagyon jó SW-történet, amit érdemes elolvasni. -
Set in 32BBY
As much as I liked Darth Plagueis from Luceno, this one started out good and had its moments, which I liked, and they were mostly the moments that had to do with politics, the rest fell flat, and I really didn't care about the main plot here at all.
Unfortunately the characters were just talking as if the plot weren't already written and you knew where it was going, and of course you know, because of the rest of the media after this one, and mainly the films, but still, you knew were the Plagueis novel was going and how it was gonna end but it was magnificent.
This one sadly, was just an ok read.
“Open your eyes to what is not evident.” - Qui-Gon Jinn -
I don't quite know what to think about this book. It's not good — passable at best — but I read it through instead of abandoning it. There are three story threads here: the first and least interesting follows Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi trying to unveil a conspiracy. The high point of that narrative is seeing the "maverick" side of Qui-Gon more intensely, and why he was still only a knight and not a master in the Jedi Order by the time of Star Wars: Episode I. But the entire Jedi arc of this book, be it involving the various masters or Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan, is very dull and heavy handed.
The second story thread is actually good. We follow Captain Cole and his team of mercenaries/terrorists. They're the best characters, well created, and were given lively and attractive dialogue. I'm not saying anything else so not to spoil anything.
The last story thread is about Senator Palpatine and his complex machinations. Complex is exactly the word. Albeit not too compelling, this arc is very good because we invariably relate it to Episodes I and II — the scheme Palpatine weaves to come to power is shown as running deep, started a while back, and it's very intricate. Kudos for Luceno for making court intrigue, well... intriguing! Nevertheless, it's a bit jarring to read a story of which you already know the ending; the mysteriousness the author conveys about it is hollow and unnecessary, I think.
Buy and large, it's a novel worth reading only to the most obsessed, completist, and hardcore Star Wars fan. -
This was a great book to get me started in the series. It covers the events before Episode 1. All the details, characters and scenes were exactly what I expected out of a Star Wars book. The book focuses on the reason why the Trade Federation has blockaded Naboo in Episode 1. I didn't give the book 5 stars because it was a little too predictable, but you already know the Jedi's are going to win.
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BOOOORING! Got 150 pages into it, waiting for the story to begin. I put it aside, which I almost never do, no matter how bad the book. I just hate to leave a book unfinished. But in this case, I had to move on to something more stimulating. Life is too short to waste on crap.
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2.5 stars
For 2022, I decided to go back in time and reread all the Prequels Era novels published between 1999 and 2005, plus a smidgen of other novels (like
Survivor's Quest and the Dark Nest trilogy) released during that time frame. This shakes out to 21 novels, four eBook novellas, and at least thirteen short stories.
This week’s focus: James Luceno’s prequel novel to
The Phantom Menace, Cloak of Deception.
SOME HISTORY:
For Cloak of Deception, James Luceno was told to write a political thriller that focused on Senator Palpatine and Supreme Chancellor Valorum, so he looked to writers like Frederick Forsyth and Robert Ludlum for inspiration. His novel was also the first to benefit from a sneak peek at Episode II’s screenplay, and introduces groups like the Commerce Guild and the Banking Clan. Cloak of Deception made it to number twelve on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of June 17, 2001, and was on the NYT list for two weeks.
MY RECOLLECTION OF THE BOOK:
I thought I read Cloak of Deception back in 2001, but now I’m not sure—I didn’t remember any of it during this reread!
A BRIEF SUMMARY:
Mired in greed and corruption and tangled in bureaucracy, the Galactic Republic is crumbling. As Humans and aliens gather for an emergency trade summit, conspiracies run rampant, and no one is entirely above suspicion. But the greatest threat of all remains unknown to everyone…except three members of the Trade Federation who have entered into a shadowy alliance with a dark overlord.
THE CHARACTERS:
Since this is a political thriller, Luceno brings a lot of different characters into the mix. We have Supreme Chancellor Valorum and his aide, and Senator Palpatine and his aides, but we also have numerous senators, members of the Trade Federation, the moderates and the militants of the Nebula Front, and loads of Jedi—from Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to pretty much every member of the Jedi Council to Luceno’s OC Vergere. There’s a lot of people to keep track of, and a lot of threads running through the story. The senators are scheming for various reasons, the Jedi are trying to protect the Chancellor, the Trade Federation and the Nebula Front get drawn into Darth Sidious manipulations…but no one has any idea what’s really going on except for Palpatine and Sidious.
Despite his very few scenes, I felt like
The Phantom Menace depicted Supreme Chancellor Valorum as someone betrayed by a close friend, and Luceno builds on Valorum’s character here. He has good intentions, but he’s far too trusting and unknowingly allows himself to be used by Palpatine. Valorum walks into all of Palpatine’s traps, and ends up looking like a corrupt politician who’s taking funds for personal gain.
Despite the fact that Palpatine’s history was off limits to Luceno (at this point in time, anyway), I still got a sense of Palpatine as a practiced political schemer—very much a Janus character who wears two faces. To the public he appears to be a kindly older senator, but the reader knows that he has another duplicitous and evil side. His two aides (Doriana and Pestage, who have a deeper history in other EU works) willingly assist him in spreading false information that leads to Valorum’s downfall.
And the other senators are a mixed bag: some are blatantly corrupt, like the senator from Ryloth, and others like Bail Antilles of Alderaan mean well but are mired by the environment in which they work. The overall sense of the Senate in this book is a rotting assembly filled with people motivated by self-interest. Hardly anything gets done, and what is accomplished is funded by bribes and special interest groups. It’s a bureaucracy-ridden mess.
SIDE TANGENT - THE TRADE FEDERATION:
In The Phantom Menace, I was confused why the Trade Federation had representation in the Senate. (Aren’t they like a trade-focused economic union? Or a special interest group??) Luceno explains that outlying systems who agree to join the Trade Federation give up their own representation in the Senate, and instead agree to be solely represented by the Trade Federation senator. I don’t like that idea, and Valorum doesn’t either—in pushing for taxation of the free trade routes, he wants those outlying systems to actually have their own senators. (The politics in the prequel era make my head throb, so I won’t go too much into that!)
Cloak of Deception, then, is the first book where we see Sidious approaching the Trade Federation. If your mind is also boggled by Sidious’s plans leading up to and during The Phantom Menace, I have heard that
Darth Plagueis explains everything in great detail. But since that novel didn’t come out until 2012 and I’m only reading the books up through 2005 right now, I wanted to see if I could understand everything without the benefit of hindsight.
Basically: Sidious allies with the Trade Federation, but also with the Nebula Front. The Nebula Front steal a bunch of money from the TF, and give that money to Senator Palpatine. Palpatine masquerading as a venture capitalist or something gives the money to a corporation owned by the Valorum family, and has his aide leak that info to the senator from Ryloth, who in turn hands the info over to Bail Antilles of Alderaan. All the non-Neimoidian leaders of the TF are killed, the Nebula Front is decimated, Valorum passes his taxation plan and then is accused of corruption, and Sidious pushes the TF into purchasing all the weapons that will be needed for the blockade of Naboo.
BACK TO CHARACTERS:
At this point in time, the Jedi are completely unaware of the re-emergence of the Sith, and they’re concerned with 1) the Nebula Front, and 2) protecting Valorum. Or rather, Qui-Gon Jinn is very concerned with the Nebula Front and the Jedi Council wish that he’d calm down a little. We encounter a number of Jedi here; we're introduced to Luminara Unduli, who we will meet again in
The Approaching Storm. We hang out with Vergere for a bit, before the events of
Rogue Planet (she’s just a good bird Jedi). We learn that Adi Gallia is a close friend of the Chancellor, and a whole slew of Council members are assigned to the mission to the Nebula Front base, including Yaddle and Ki-Adi-Mundi and Saesee Tiin and Depa Billaba.
If there was one thing I found unbelievable, it's that so many members of the Jedi Council were assigned to the mission to the Nebula Front base on Asmeru. Four Council members is a lot, and they probably have better things to do with their time!
And while I liked the presence of the Nebula Front, I felt like they were underutilized and under-explained. They’re opposed to the Trade Federation, they started out as moderates but now behave like militant terrorists, yet I never felt like we got a good sense of what they want. What are their goals, besides the destruction of the Trade Federation? And the biggest Nebula Front mercenary we follow, Captain Arwen Cohl, felt so prominent in the beginning of the story only to lose focus as the story progressed.
ISSUES:
My biggest issue with Cloak of Deception was simply that it’s a political thriller! There are less action scenes than your average Star Wars book, lots of senators scheming and people sabotaging each other and actual Senate sessions. It all culminates in an overly convoluted political intrigue plot. Some readers might find that part very interesting, but I’m not really a big political thriller reader. (Very much a case of “your mileage may vary.”) At times it felt like you needed to make a flow chart of who’s doing what, and who’s scheming this and that, and how all the schemes play out.
This might be why people tend to struggle with all the political stuff in the prequels, because while Palpatine’s overall goals are pretty clear (get himself elected Supreme Chancellor, slowly increase his power, and then wipe out the Jedi), the rest of his maneuverings feel opaque.
I also wish that we had gotten a little bit more insight into Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan’s characters. They’re decidedly secondary characters, and not anywhere as important as Valorum or Palpatine, but I expected to learn more about them and their relationship. We get some more examples of Qui-Gon the maverick, willing to go against the Jedi Order when he thinks he’s right, but Obi-Wan is even less fleshed out. He’s snarky, he questions his Master’s approach to things, but there’s not a lot of meat to his character. I suspect that was intentional on Luceno’s part: in an interview with the Star Wars website, he said that earlier drafts had Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan playing a more prominent role in the novel, but as he worked on the story he cut back on the action and amped up the political intrigue. And that leads me to a common feeling in the prequel era books, that the authors were told to include Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan or Obi-Wan and Anakin for marketing reasons, rather than them being a necessary part of the story.
I felt similarly about all the Jedi Council members running through the book. There are some interesting tidbits (Yaddle was imprisoned for a hundred years??), yet they mostly serve as window dressing. At this point in the prequels, we’ve mostly been introduced to Council members, so the whole lot are thrown into the mix even though it doesn’t make much sense.
I also felt like Luceno’s writing tended to get bogged down with lengthy descriptions. Every single Jedi we encounter is described in great detail, and while I appreciate descriptions of unfamiliar aliens, I already know what Yoda looks like! (If you are reading this book, and you don’t know what Yoda looks like—have you seen any of the films?)
Luceno’s choice to dial down the action likewise led to the book having a slow, deliberate pace. I felt like there were times when I had to wade through boring story bits to reach an exciting, interesting part…but again, I’m not interested in most of the prequel era political shenanigans. And this novel is ALL political shenanigans—it explains the lead up to The Phantom Menace really well, but I think you have to already enjoy that aspect of the story to get the maximum enjoyment out of Cloak of Deception.
IN CONCLUSION:
Cloak of Deception is a complex political thriller that gives a lot of information about the lead up to
The Phantom Menace. If you are a fan of political intrigue and want to know more about the political nuances of the prequel era, definitely check this book out! If you’re looking for lots of action and insights into the Jedi, though, you might find yourself frustrated with the story. But I did appreciate the picture it gave me of Valorum and Palpatine’s characters, and their rather Shakespearian relationship.
Next up: an immediate prequel to
Attack of the Clones,
The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster.
My YouTube review:
https://youtu.be/Wl5K8mBUtCQ
“Behind the Cloak - James Luceno” (June 2001):
https://web.archive.org/web/200503072... -
Political life in the Republic is dissolving. Greed and treachery are everywhere, fueled by the machinations of the Trade Federation and weak, power hungry politicians. Add to that the Nebula Front a mercenary group with their own agenda, and the balance of power is set to tumble. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are attempting to foil the Nebula Front, while also protecting Supreme Chancellor Valorum from plots and assassination. But there is a chess piece on this board no one knows about, a shadowy specter of an enemy the Jedi though long destroyed.
This book is set directly before the Phantom Menace, by a couple of months in my estimation. The ending sets us up directly for the invasion of Naboo. For the most part I enjoy books about Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, though their differing ways of looking at the Force make for some very tense, repetitive themes in all the books that feature their partnerships. It makes you wish they could have worked harder to try to understand each other, try to see things as the other did.
Politics is a very heavy theme in this book, and, for me personally, it made it rather boring at times. There were a lot of moments of action, which helped move things along, but it was overall a very slow plot. It's understandable based on where in the timeline this story is set, it just wasn't a particular favorite of mine.
Not a bad book, just slow, and not always to my liking theme wise. -
This is a full-blown political novel in the Star Wars Legend Universe and a prequel to the Phantom Menace movie novelization.
This novel follows 5 storylines. Qui-gon chasing a pirate that disturbs peace in the galaxy. Supreme Chancellor Valorum in the Senate. Senator Palpatine, who manages his politics. Darth Sidious, who manipulates the trade federation and Havoc fighting for the unfairness of his people.
This was a chessboard, and watching how the pieces were moved to create the avalanche towards everything that had been set in motion with devastation that had fallen the Republic.
Yes, it has battle scenes, but that was not the main theme of this. If you find the politics in Star Wars boring . . . skip this novel.
I enjoyed watching everything fall into place. Senator Palpatine was one smart individual. He thought everything through. Every little detail is planned. -
Interesting novel dealing with events just prior the Phantom Menace. And yet it can be read as a simple sci-fi thriller in any galaxy far away(in case you've been living in a cave for the last 42 years).
The style is easy to read, explaining the world around clearly and without redundancy for seasoned Star Wars fans.
Characters are correctly used when pertaining to the SW universe (Valorum, Jedis etc.) but secondary characters are a bit left on the side. On the other hand Luceno probably didn't have much room to start with so it's fair enough all things considered.
It all falls down logically though and when turning the last page expect to hear the main title and read the opening crawl:
Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute.
Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo... -
If you don't know Star Wars, this is probably going to be a confusing and frustrating read. It really sets up the events in "Phantom Menace," and does so quite well with a lot of political intrigue and backstabbing. As a stand alone story, however, it fails to captivate as well as it should.
Luceno is a good writer, and his skill is apparent here. Your enjoyment of this story, however, hinges on your knowledge of the Star Wars franchise. -
The problem is that Cloak of Deception knows what it is. It’s a political thriller, and it is good at being a political thriller, chock full of deception, manipulation, and manoeuvring. But it can only go as far as the limitations set upon it. Yes, the political intrigue was alright, and one appreciates having some political intrigue thrown into the mix amongst Star Wars books of other styles... but without a little action, a little character drama, it was rather dry and a tad flat. Let's not forget how poorly the whole taxation dispute was handled in The Phantom Menace film - for goodness sakes, you want to be make that whole plot strand clearer here, not more convoluted. that said, I did appreciate the greyness of the characters and how you weren't really certain if anyone here was completely in the right or the wrong - but I guess that's what politics is all about.
Luceno wisely makes no pretence to conceal the fact that , and instead focuses on astonishing and amazing us with the depth of Palpatine’s duplicity instead. As far as evil and duplicitous guys go, you gotta give Palpatine kudos for the depth to which he goes. We all like the gall of an unrepetant, ridiculously ambitious villain.
Captain Cohl and his associates initially seem like they’re going to be major players, but they hardly feature at all. Their motivations are pretty obscure, and Cohl’s personal grudge is explained only in summary. I expected him to be a much bigger adversary to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan than he was. Havac is far too much of a mystery. We don’t even know his real name. What is his agenda? Where did he come from? Did he set up the militant wing of the Nebula Front or take control of it, and why? For what purpose does he strike a deal with Darth Sidious? None of these questions are addressed.
6 out of 10. -
Cloak of Deception is not only an exciting read, but it also nicely sets the stage for the events of TPM.
Most importantly for Star Wars fans, this book explains what the vague "dispute over taxation" at the beginning of Episode I is all about. Much of the information to be found here would have improved the film as well, by more fully explaining the motivations of key characters and more sharply setting the tension. For instance, the fact that the dispute isn't really about taxes, but rather about (a) a nascent rebellion, (b) the reactions of both the Trade Federation and the Republic to growing anarchy and (c) political control over large portions of the galaxy is important to understanding the issues behind TPM. Of course, Palpatine's behind-the-scenes manipulation of everyone on every side is also interesting and illuminating. As a side note, I think that in TPM Lucas wanted to hide Palpatine's actions behind a veil of secrecy and mystery, a goal that was largely successful. On the other hand, Lucas was so successful that the film left us clueless as to what the political factions were debating and why the Trade Federation was making such a hostile play for Naboo. TPM as a stand alone film would have been better served if Lucas had cleaned up those plot lines a bit - even one or two lines explaining the dilema would have helped (it's all about motivation!). Cloak of Deception corrects that oversight.
Perhaps just as important to the future development of the SW epic is Luceno's treatment of the rift among the Jedi regarding the nature of the Force. Luceno tell us that some (Qui-Gonn Jinn among them) adhere to the precepts of the "Living Force," while others (the majority of the Jedi Council) follow those of the "Unifying Force." In the interest of brevity and my unwillingness to spoil an interesting plot line for fans, suffice it to say that this book begins to explain why Qui-Gonn is somewhat of an outsider (his adherence to the Living Force) and how these conceputal differences have somewhat divided the council. I think that this philosophical difference will also tie in with the midi-chlorian thingies and the disappearing Jedi conundrum (SW fans understand those references). -
Cloak of Deception is a book of political intrigue that sets the stage for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. If you ever felt that Episode I starts out in the middle of events and wondered how things got to that stage then this is the book that answers those questions. In here we see as Senator Palpatine manipulates Supreme Chancellor Valorum and others, while as Lord Sidious he begins to set the stage for the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo.
This book not only shows Nute Gunray’s first contact with a certain Sith Lord, but also shows his meeting with Baktoid Armor and Haor Chall Engineering in the creation of the Federation’s secret army. It also explains how Nute Gunray becomes head of the Trade Federation.
We get to see more of the Jedi and goings-on in the Temple, like the fact that there are other Councils besides the Jedi High Council. Here is the Council of Reconciliation, which has a rotating five members that work with the political factions throughout the Republic. It is amidst most of these meetings that we get more instances of how Qui-Gon clashes with the other Jedi in his need to act and put things right rather than just sitting back and watching events unfold. Further adding to how the Jedi fall from their station later on.
In regards to the Senate, it is ever so clear of Coruscant’s and the Core’s disregard for alien species and any beings from the Rim worlds, hence why they’re so willing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear when the CIS appears and begins taking over their worlds.
Throughout I felt awful for Chancellor Valorum especially with what happens at the end. Here was a man who saw the failing state of the Republic and was desperately trying to do the right thing, while the man he trusted as a friend (Palpatine), worked behind his back not only plotting his downfall but actively trying to ruin his reputation. It shows how well Palpatine was able to play the game of politics, making others believe he was their savior while he only thought of his own rise to power.
This book is a solid entry into the Star Wars saga and I would definitely recommend it as the prequel to Episode I. -
As a real Star Wars fan (I try to collect all books on the Star Wars Expanded Universe) I love this story. James Luceno is an awful good author to picture in writing devastating events and fights.
Over the years have bought Star Wars books almost immediately when they were released, but I never was able to read then. They take a large part of my TBR-list. Now that I'm retired I have plenty of time to start reading from the beginning and see how the stories about the Jedi and the Sith develop.
I like the Expanded Universe because the involved author are taking much care not to destroy the plot lines which are set up, although I think that George Lucas is still taking care of his creation.
A little bit about this story, where senator Palpatine, Supreme Chancelor Valorum and the well known Jedi Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are confronting the Trade Federation and their Neimodian leaders and another organization the Nebula Front whose member are opposing the Trade Federations monopoly on the trades routes in the Outer Rim. -
6.5/10.
This was definitely not a SW book for everyone. It reads pretty slow, and mostly contains long conversations about the political background of this time period. There is a lot of characterization I think misses the mark to a degree for Qui-Gon and Palpatine, but overall still a pretty good read and picks up towards the end with a lot of action. I enjoyed this quite a bit, as I like this time period of SW and it does fit in well with other books set during this time. It still baffles me how all these now non-canon books, even the weaker ones, can be so well written and connected together from a huge range of authors over the course of 20+ years compared to the corporate board room assembly line stuff Disney puts out.
Definitely wins the award for cheesiest cover of a Star Wars book thus far. -
Another great Star Wars story by James Luceno. Fans of Episode I will appreciate it for fleshing out the character of Chancellor Valorum, especially in his relationship with Palpatine, while others might still get some enjoyment out of the political thriller elements at play. Provided they're not post-traumatically afflicted by TPM's inclusion of the taxation of the trade routes as some hapless folks reportedly are, that is.
The only part I can safely say I didn't particularly care for had to do with one of the antagonistic forces - I mean, were we really expected to connect with Captain Cohl and his crew on an emotional level? Looking back on the likes of Elan and Reck Desh off of Agents of Chaos, I suppose Luceno didn't write the most compelling original villains early on. Havac and Palpy make up for it, at least. -
Political intrigue and government bureaucracy might have made for a lousy movie in "The Phantom Menace", but given room to breathe in a novel -- and in the hands of a skilled Lucasverse novelist -- it forms the basis of a rewarding thriller. As both a prologue to Episode I and a story in its own right, it makes for a satisfying read...and it's nice to get some story time for the under-appreciated Qui-Gon Jin.
-
This was probably one of, if not THE, fastest Star Wars novel I've ever read.
But that's not a bad thing!
It was a good a story, likeable characters, some cool action.
The only downside is that I knew what is to come, since this novel takes place just before the evens of the Phantom Menace.
But, all in all, this was another cool Star Wars EU novel that I truly recommend! :) -
i did it! i finished a novel in the year of our lord 2021!! whew, but for real, i'm glad my slump seems to finally be receding.
this was nothing groundbreaking but still a lot of fun, i love reading about intrigue and political schemes and this was just 300 pages of it. wonderful
excited to start my other star wars novels!! i'm really in the vibe now
