Star Wars: Cloak of Deception [Bargain Price] [Audio Cassette]

James Luceno (Author), Alexander Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 29, 2001

In "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace", Palpatine tells Amidala that "the Chancellor has little real power...he is mired down by baseless accusations of corruption. A manufactured scandal surrounds him. In this prequel novel, which takes place shortly before the events of "The Phantom Menace", Valorum struggles with his fall from power. As part of this struggle, he has the Jedi Council send some Jedi Knights to a political hotspot, in the hopes of solving a problem and reconsolidating his power.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

At last, what you've been waiting for: a prequel to the Star Wars ramble that will explain why Chancellor Valorum fell from power.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

From New York Times bestselling author James Luceno comes an all-new Star Wars adventure that reveals the action and intrigue unfolding directly before Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

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. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audiobooks (May 29, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0375418407
• ASIN: B000H2MSCY
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,753,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JAMES LUCENO is The New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order novels Agents of Chaos: Hero's Trial, Agents of Chaos: Jedi Eclipse, and The Unifying Force, as well as Star Wars: Cloak of Deception, and the eBook Darth Maul: Saboteur. He also co-authored the popular ROBOTECH series with his close friend the late Brian Daley. Luceno wrote the film adaptations for The Shadow and The Mask of Zorro. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and youngest child.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Palpatine's "tangled web" of deception is novel's focus...., April 16, 2004

By 

Alex Diaz-Granados "fardreaming writer" (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cloak of Deception (Star Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Chancellor has little real power...he is mired down by baseless accusations of corruption." -- Senator Palpatine of Naboo to Queen Amidala, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

One of the intentions writer-director George Lucas had when writing the current prequels in the Star Wars saga was to illustrate how precarious democracy can be and how it can transform itself into a dictatorship. This little civics lesson, when added to the "main story" of how and why Anakin Skywalker becomes one of filmdom's greatest villains, was intended to answer such questions as "How did the Emperor take power?" and "Why were the Jedi nearly destroyed?" (Unfortunately, for many Star Wars fans, this civics lesson made Episode I seem like a galactic edition of C-SPAN, with all that talky maneuvering and manipulating in the Senate Hall.)

There are, however, some fans who do like the intrigue and political backstabbing that marks the end of the Galactic Republic, and James Luceno's Star Wars: Cloak of Deception gives willing readers a fascinating look behind the scenes of those "baseless accusations" aimed at Supreme Chancellor Valorum...the ones that are distracting the Republic's chief executive just as the Senate is about to be bogged down by the question of the taxation of trade routes in the galaxy.

Set shortly before the events chronicled in Michael Reaves' Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and Star Wars: Episode I, Cloak of Deception follows Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they investigate the daring space pirate Captain Cohl and his gang, who have been striking at the heavily armed "freighters" of the Trade Federation...that greedy multi-system entity controlled mostly by the Neimoidians who have allied themselves with the mysterious Sith Lord. But is Cohl raiding the disguised warships just to steal from the rich and make a name for himself? Is he allied to those systems that are sick and tired of being extorted by the Trade Federation? Or is he merely one of many pawns being manipulated by Palpatine/Darth Sidious in his endless chain of schemes-within-schemes in order to create a major crisis that will push the well-meaning but ineffectual Finis Valorum out of office, thus paving the way for Palpatine's ascent to the Supreme Chancellorship?

This being one of several literary prequels to The Phantom Menace, savvy readers know the ultimate outcome of this story, but Luceno is one of the best Star Wars writers, and Cloak of Deception masterfully combines much of Lucas' back story and symbolism (Finis Valorum, the Supreme Chancellor's name, in Latin, roughly translates to brave or valiant end) with a suspenseful storyline replete with intrigue, action, and a more detailed look at Senator Palpatine and his cronies' plots and counterplots that will culminate in the Naboo Crisis.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Prelude to TPM, May 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Star Wars: Cloak of Deception (Hardcover)

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).

I'm not even going to outline the plot in this review - it's mostly standard dueling, space chases and other swashbuckling. As far as all of that goes, Luceno does a fine job balancing action, political intrigue and character development.

Footnote: I think that reading this book will probably be as essential as watching TPM again before Episode II hits the screens. The political intrigue is bound to play a role in the next film, too.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Republic is dying, but do we care?, February 21, 2002

By 

jrmspnc (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Cloak of Deception (Hardcover)

Luceno puts in a fine effort, but Cloak of Deception does not live up to the standard he set with his Agents of Chaos duology. The fault does not lie in the plot at all. On the contrary, Luceno does an excellent job of shedding light on the background to the Phantom Menace. We are able to see Palpatine the master politician, seeming to support every Senatorial faction, gaining the respect and trust of the most powerful Senators. Luceno also tells us just what the "taxation of outlying systems" - the causus belli in Phantom Menace - is all about. And we learn just how those "baseless" rumors of Valorum's corruption began. Those alone make Cloak of Deception worth any Star Wars fan's time.

Unfortunately, Cloak of Deception suffers from the same fault as Episode I itself. We just don't care about any of the characters. There was something inherently likeable about Luke, Han, and Leia in Episode IV; we felt for Luke when he lost Owen, Beru, and Ben. We cheered when Han returned to help Luke destroy the Death Star. And we felt euphoria when Leia presented medals to our heroes. With Phantom Menace, however, there was too much of a distance between us and the characters. It's hard to care for Padme, for example, when she herself is playing a role; we never get to see the *real* Padme.

Cloak of Deception suffers from the same problem. Valorum is almost assassinated, and we don't care. Qui-Gon defies the Jedi Council and we are not impressed. Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter does a much better job of drawing us into the characters' lives.

For enlightenment into the plot of Phantom Menace, Cloak of Deception is a must read. Casual fans, however, would do better to read Shadow Hunter or a Rogue Squadron book.