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Star Wars: Cloak of Deception
Audible Audiobook
– Abridged
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 . . .
From the Hardcover edition.
- Listening Length6 hours and 4 minutes
- Audible release dateJanuary 23, 2007
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB000NJXFAA
- VersionAbridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 6 hours and 4 minutes |
---|---|
Author | James Luceno |
Narrator | Alexander Adams |
Audible.com Release Date | January 23, 2007 |
Publisher | Random House Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Abridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B000NJXFAA |
Best Sellers Rank | #27,134 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #613 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #943 in Adventure Science Fiction #1,842 in Space Operas |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book a delightful read with an interesting plot and information-rich story. They also praise the writing style as very well written and the character development as great.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book delightful and engaging.
"...All in all, I think this book is a solid 4/5 and is worth a read if you want to know more about what happened pre-episode 1." Read more
"...It is definitely a good read for those who are fans of Star Wars novels." Read more
"...Great book!" Read more
"...An enjoyable and entertaining read for Star Wars fans who like to delve deeper into the inner workings of the Star Wars universe." Read more
Customers find the plot interesting, well-written, and exciting. They also appreciate the descriptive powers and tasty tidbits for serious fans. Readers also mention that the book sets up the Phantom Menace very well, giving good insight to what led to the blockade.
"...Darth Plagueis, even though it's from the same author, is that the plot is strong, all of the characters are portrayed well, and the convergence of..." Read more
"...but I personally enjoy his writing style and the amount of detail and characterization he gives to surroundings and people within the story...." Read more
"...Overall, the book tells a good story...." Read more
"...His descriptive powers serve his story well and he leaves many tasty tidbits for serious fans of the EU to digest...." Read more
Customers find the writing style interesting and well written.
"...Luceno writes in a very descriptive style and does not take for granted that the reader has seen the Star Wars films, making for a stronger..." Read more
"Luceno writes with such easy detail that I would suspect that he's visited the Star Wars universe, if not lived there...." Read more
"...that the author, James Luceno, knows his stuff and has a writing style easy to follow, for even basic SW fans...." Read more
"...This book is set further back in the past than the movies. Very easy read, great page turner." Read more
Customers find the character development in the book great.
"...'s from the same author, is that the plot is strong, all of the characters are portrayed well, and the convergence of the plot elements sets up more..." Read more
"...I did like Cohl and his crew and thought they were interesting characters. Some parts of the book drug for me, but not enough to ever get boring...." Read more
"...needed to set up their blockade of Naboo, it gives some great character development into Chancellor Vallorum and Senator Palpatine and also explains..." Read more
"...read, awesome look into what leads to the phantom menace, character development is great, enjoyed it from the very first page" Read more
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Cloak follows a few plot threads that merge beautifully by the end: Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan pursuing a mercenary smuggler named Cohl, who has joined up with a terrorist cell led by the enigmatic Havac; the manipulation of the Nemoidians by Darth Sidious, leading to them gaining significant control of the Trade Federation; and lastly, the expert diplomacy of Senator Palpatine as he makes the last bold move to undermine Supreme Chancellor Valorum, and cast light on the depths of corruption throughout the Republic.
What makes Cloak so much better than Darth Plagueis, even though it's from the same author, is that the plot is strong, all of the characters are portrayed well, and the convergence of the plot elements sets up more than just the over-arching story of Episode I's political elements, but also nearly every move the key secondary characters make -- Valorum, the Trade Federation, the other Senators of the Republic. Whereas the Plagueis novel gave us everything we need to know from Darth Sidious' side of the story through several snippets of events, with no other characters besides the novel's name sake being at all portrayed with any depth, Cloak's characters -- new and old -- all have personality and add to the story. For the "old" characters, you have the entire Jedi Council, several galactic Senators, Wilhuff (soon-to-be-Grand Moff) Tarkin, the Trade Federation's Nemoidian leaders, and of course Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. In every case, the dialogue of each character reads just as if it had been said by the actors from the movies, almost eerily so. The new characters include mercenaries Cohl, Boiny, Rella, and Lope, plus a terrorist cell led by Havac. Though some of these characters have a short part in the book -- specifically Lope -- all are important, and each feels very different from the others, easily being able to carry a spin-off novel if necessary.
There's little else I can say, beyond the fact that this book would have been a better starting place for me than Darth Plagueis. Cloak of Deception is a necessary lead-in to Episode I: The Phantom Menace (whose novel I've just started, and already like better than the movie!), and provides an entertaining stand-alone story in addition to the excellent insights that will lead Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to head out to that Trade Federation flagship, only to kick off what will soon become the fall of the Old Republic, and the rise of the Galactic Empire.
As an aside, I found having the Star Wars Character Encyclopedia very helpful during my reading of the novel, or -- if a computer is handy -- using Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki. It helps me remember some of the less-well known Jedi council members, senators and so on. None of these are critical to enjoying the story -- Luceno does an expert job of describing all of the characters -- but it was useful for reminding me who Oppo Rancisis, Sei Taria, and folks like that were. A shining omission, I might add, was that Vergere shows up in this book with little description and only a small part, but I've since learned he's important later in the EU. It's not worthy of losing a star, but it's notable that this character shows up with little or no fanfare and shares an important scene or two with other characters, but otherwise is pretty much just "there."
Anyone looking to get more insight into the political landscape of the prequel trilogy would be smart to read this, Darth Plagueis, and Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, as it gives the reader a lot more background into why the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo, how they acquired such a huge army, and why Chancellor Valorum was so disliked in episode 1.
Touching on Luceno's writing style, I do enjoy it. Some people may find him over-descriptive, some may think he spends too much time on detail, but I personally enjoy his writing style and the amount of detail and characterization he gives to surroundings and people within the story. I did like Cohl and his crew and thought they were interesting characters. Some parts of the book drug for me, but not enough to ever get boring. All in all, I think this book is a solid 4/5 and is worth a read if you want to know more about what happened pre-episode 1.
Even though the novel is no longer canon, it ties into other storylines that are, including The Phantom Menace movie and the book Tarkin by the same author which is considered canon. This book also established Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's relationship and fleshed it out a bit. Of course, this aspect of the book has basically been replaced by the canon novel Master and Apprentice which is also set prior to The Phantom Menace.
Overall, the book tells a good story. While some of the political subtexts that bogged down The Phantom Menace movie is in the book, it does not slow down the plot of the book. The book manages to weave in the action sequences between the slower parts that made it work. That is always one advantage of a book over a movie and it worked well here. And, as I said, parts of the book are kind of grandfathered into the canon based on the novels Darth Pleguis and Tarkin by the same author that made up a loose trilogy of novels about the events that lead up to and shortly after the formation of the Empire. It is definitely a good read for those who are fans of Star Wars novels.
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Il romanzo in se è interessante, soprattutto se si è fan dei prequel// dell'era della Repubblica in Star Wars.
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Very good seller.
Everything was smooth and without any problems.
I totally recomend this seller.