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Star Wars: Cloak of Deception Hardcover – May 29, 2001
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 . . .
- Print length342 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLucasBooks
- Publication dateMay 29, 2001
- Dimensions6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- ISBN-100345442989
- ISBN-13978-0345442987
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Inside Flap
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
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
governmental district's stateliest if not most statuesque edifice, were
made of transparisteel, paneled by structural members into a continuous
band of regular and inverted triangles.
The city-planet that was Coruscant--"Scintillant Orb," "Jewel of the
Core," choked heart of the Galactic Republic--spread to all sides in a
welter of lustrous domes, knife-edged spires, and terraced
superstructures that climbed to the sky. The taller buil-ings resembled
outsize rocketships that had never left their launch pads, or the
wind-eroded lava tors of long-dead volcanoes. Some of the domes were
flattened hemispheres perched on cylindrical bases, while others had the
look of shallow, hand-thrown ceramic bowls with finialed lids.
Striations of magnetically guided sky traffic moved swiftly above the
cityscape--streams of transports, air buses, taxis, and limousines,
coursing between the tall spires and over the mesureless chasms like
schools of exotic fish. Instead of feeding, however, they were the
feeders, distributing the galaxy's wealth among the greedy trillion to
whom Coruscant was home.
As often as Valorum had beheld the view--which was to say, nearly every
day of his now seven years as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic--he had
yet to grow indifferent to the spectacle of Coruscant. As worlds went,
it was neither large nor especially rugged, but history had transformed
it into a uniquely vertical place, a vertical experience more common to
ocean than atmospheric life.
Valorum's principal office was located in the lower level of the
Galactic Senate dome, but he was generally so swamped by requests and
business there that he reserved this lofty perch for meetings of a more
private nature.
Pale hands clasped at his back, he stood at the bank of transparisteel
windows that faced the dawn, though daybreak was hours behind him. He
wore a magenta tunic that was high-collared and double-breasted, with
matching trousers and a wide cummerbund. Southern light, polarized by
the transparisteel panels, flooded the room. But Valorum's sole guest
had taken a seat well out of the light's reach.
"I fear, Supreme Chancellor, that we face a monumental challenge,"
Senator Palpatine was saying from the shadows. "Frayed at its far-flung
borders and hollowed at its very heart by corruption, the Republic is in
grave danger of unraveling. Order is needed, directives that will
restore balance. Even the most desperate remedies should not be
overlooked."
Although such opinions had become the common sentiment, Palpatine's
words pierced Valorum like a sword. The fact that he knew them to be
true made them all the more difficult to hear. He turned his back to the
view and returned to his desk, where he sat heavily into his padded
chair.
Aging with distinction, Valorum had a receding cap of shorn silver hair,
pouches under piercing blue eyes, and dark, bushy brows. His stern
features and deep voice belied a compassionate spirit and questing
intellect. But as the latest in the line of a po-litical dynasty that
stretched back thousands of years--a dynasty many thought weakened by its
uncommon longevity--he had never been fully successful at overcoming an
innate patrician aloofness.
"Where have we gone wrong?" he asked in a firm but sad voice. "How did
we manage to miss the portents along the way?"
Palpatine showed him an understanding look. "The fault is not in
ourselves, Supreme Chancellor. The fault lies in the out-lying star
systems, and the civil strife iniquity has engendered there." His voice
was carefully modulated, occasionally world-weary, seemingly immune to
anger or alarm. "This most recent situation at Dorvalla, for example."
Valorum nodded soberly. "The Judicial Department has re-quested that I
meet with them later today, so they can brief me on the latest
developments."
"Perhaps I could save you the trouble, Supreme Chancellor. As least in
terms of what I've been hearing in the senate." "Rumor or facts?"
"A bit of both, I suspect. The senate is filled with delegates who
interpret matters as they will, regardless of facts." Palpatine paused,
as if to gather his thoughts.
Prominent in a kind if somewhat doughy face were his heavy-lidded,
watery blue eyes and rudder of a nose. Red hair that had lost its youth
he wore in the provincial style of the outlying systems: combed back
from his high forehead but left thick and long behind his low-set ears.
In dress, too, he demonstrated singular allegiance to his home system,
favoring embroidered tunics with V-shaped double collars and outmoded
cloaks of quilted fabric.
A sectorial senator representing the outlying world of Na-boo, along
with thirty-six other inhabited planets, Palpatine had earned a
reputation for integrity and frankness that had set him high in the
hearts of many of his senatorial peers. As he had made clear to Valorum
in numerous meetings, both public and private, he was more interested in
doing whatever needed to be done than in blind obedience to the rules
and regulations that had made the senate such a tangle of procedures.
"As the Judicial Department is certain to tell you," he began at last,
"the mercenaries who assaulted and destroyed the Trade Federation vessel
Revenue were in the employ of the Nebula Front terrorist group. It seems
likely that they gained access to the freighter with the complicity of
dockworkers at Dorvalla. How the Nebula Front learned that the freighter
was carrying a fortune in aurodium ingots has yet to be established. But
clearly the Nebula Front planned to use the aurodium to finance
additional acts of terrorism directed against the Trade Federation, and
perhaps against Republic colonies in the Outer Rim."
"Planned?" Valorum said.
"All indications are that Captain Cohl and his team of assassins
perished in the explosion that destroyed the Revenue. But the incident
has had wide-ranging repercussions, nevertheless."
"I'm well aware of some of those," Valorum said, with a note of disgust.
"As a result of continuing raids and harassment, the Trade Federation
plans to demand Republic intervention, or, failing that, senate approval
to further augment their droid contingent."
Palpatine made his lips a thin line and nodded. "I must confess, Supreme
Chancellor, that my first instinct was to refuse their requests out of
hand. The Trade Federation is already too powerful--in wealth and in
military might. However, I've since reassessed my position."
Valorum regarded him with interest. "I'd appreciate hearing your
thoughts."
"Well, to begin with, the Trade Federation is made up of entrepreneurs,
not warriors. The Neimoidians, especially, are cowards in any theater
other than commerce. So granting them permission to enlarge their droid
defenses--slightly, at any rate-- doesn't concern me unduly. More
important, there may be some advantage to doing so."
Valorum interlocked his fingers and leaned forward. "What possible
advantage?"
Palpatine took a breath. "In exchange for honoring their re-quests for
intervention and additional defenses, the senate would be in a position
to demand that all trade in the outlying systems would henceforth be
subject to Republic taxation." Valorum sat back in his chair, clearly
disappointed. "We've been through all this before, Senator. You and I
both know that a majority of the senate has no interest in what happens
in the outer systems, much less in the free trade zones. But they do
care about what happens to the Trade Federation."
"Yes, because the shimmersilk pockets of many a senatorial robe are
being lined with graft from the Neimoidians." Valorum snorted.
"Self-indulgence is the order of the day." "Undeniably so, Supreme
Chancellor," Palpatine said tolerantly. "But that, in itself, is no
reason to allow the practice to continue."
"Of course not," Valorum said. "For both my terms of office I have
sought to end the corruption that plagues the senate, and to unravel the
knot of policies and procedures that thwart us. We enact legislation,
only to find that we cannot implement it. The committees proliferate
like viruses, without leadership. No fewer than twenty committees are
needed just to determine the decor of the senate corridors.
"The Trade Federation has prospered by taking advantage of the very
bureaucracy we've created. Grievances brought against the Federation
languish in the courts, while commissions belabor each and every aspect.
It's little wonder that Dorvalla and many of the worlds along the Rimma
Trade Route support terrorist groups like the Nebula Front.
"But taxation isn't likely to solve anything. In fact, such a move could
prompt the Trade Federation to abandon the outlying systems entirely, in
favor of more lucrative markets closer to the Core."
"Thus depriving Coruscant and its neighbors of important outer system
resources and luxury goods," Palpatine interjected, seemingly by rote.
"Certainly the Neimoidians will see taxation as a betrayal, if for no
other reason than the Trade Federation blazed many of the hyperspace
routes that link the Core to the outlying systems. Regardless, this
could be the opportunity many of us have waited for--the chance to
exercise senate control over those very trade routes."
Valorum mulled it over briefly. "It could be political suicide."
"Oh, I'm well aware of th...
Product details
- Publisher : LucasBooks; First Edition (May 29, 2001)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 342 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0345442989
- ISBN-13 : 978-0345442987
- Item Weight : 1.4 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #348,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5,736 in Space Operas
- #9,023 in Science Fiction Adventures
- #21,663 in American Literature (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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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.
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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.
Top reviews from other countries
Il romanzo in se è interessante, soprattutto se si è fan dei prequel// dell'era della Repubblica in Star Wars.
Very good seller.
Everything was smooth and without any problems.
I totally recomend this seller.