'Deceived' was the first of Paul S. Kemp's books that I'd ever tried, so I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked it up. The novel is set in the days of the Old Republic, thousands of years before the events of the movies, but you probably know all of that already. What you probably don't know is whether or not 'Deceived' is a good read. In my opinion, it absolutely is.
The plot is fairly straightforward, with the vast majority of the action occurring on the planet Coruscant. There's a rather significant event that transpires in the opening chapter of the novel, which rather appropriately sets the tone for the remainder of the story. The atmosphere & overall mood of 'Deceived' is somber and bleak in its substance. Kemp's writing is direct & easy to read, I enjoyed the way he brought the heroes & villains to life. 'Deceived' is only 300 pages in length, but it's still very much worth the reader's time if they are at all into Star Wars & the Old Republic era.
From reading the bio on the inside of the back cover, I saw that Paul Kemp enjoys writing villains, & 'Deceived' is sufficient to convince me that he also very much has a talent for crafting them. I've always enjoyed reading about the Dark Side & the Sith, so it was only a matter of course before I got around to reading 'Deceived.' The primary Sith Lord in this novel upon which the entire plot is centralized, Darth Malgus, couldn't be a more demonstrative example of a well-conceived antagonist. He's so flagrantly aggressive & volatile that even his Sith contemporaries keep themselves at a comfortable distance from him. One of the elements that assist in making Malgus so engaging of a character to read about is the fact that Malgus has a female Twi'lek companion with whom he is romantically involved, Eleena. It adds dimension to the character & it's believable. The other Sith Lords striving to manipulate Malgus & each other, Darth Adraas & Darth Angral, also were fairly intriguing for the comparatively shorter time we see them appear in the story. The protagonists, a smuggler with honest intentions working for the Exchange & a female Jedi on a quest to ascertain what happened to her Master, weren't bad either. The cast of characters in 'Deceived' is not huge, which didn't really bother me. I don't need every book I read to have so many characters that you need multiple family trees in the back of the book to keep them all straight, such as you would encounter in George R.R. Martin's books.
The timeline of the book isn't long, 'Deceived' takes place over a period of three days. The action is fairly constant, there aren't many slow patches or boring sequences. The plot kept me engaged all the way up to the very end of the novel. I'd recommend 'Deceived' in a heartbeat to anyone at all into Star Wars, it's one of the better 'Star Wars Legends' novels to be found out there.
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Great story with a slightly unforeseen ending
Title says it all. I started playing the Old Republic PC game several months ago and also started reading again in my free time. This was the first Star Wars book I have ever read and unlike some of the uber nerds out there (I am also one) who hated the book, I thought it was awesome. Never once was I not interested in reading about what happened next in the story. The characters are solid and very likable. Darth Malgus, the Sith Lord fueled by rage and conflict. Aryn Leneer, Jedi Knight torn between revenge and peace. Smuggler Zeerid Korr, bound by The Exchange and the love of his daughter. Each has there own story that blends into the others. I have always enjoyed movies and books that were structured this way, builds the tension better in my opinion. Anyways, if you want to enjoy a great Star Wars expanded universe on paper, read the book. If you like to experience things in an even more involved way, play the game. Also, have your smartphone handy or a dictionary. Author Kemp likes to use "big" words. My vocabulary is somewhat larger than most and I still had to look some words up because I am a perfectionist at almost everything and did not wish to leave it up to my imagination, but you can get the picture just from reading it. May the Force be with you or let the Sith code guide your passions.
Top reviews from other countries
Adrian R.
Doy 4 estrellas porque el libro llego algo dañado.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 15, 2022
Adrian R.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 15, 2022
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