Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82048 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

Cloak Of Deception by James Luceno
THE STORY:

A prelude to 'The Phantom Menace', this book sets the film up as well as 'Shadows Of The Empire' did for 'Return Of The Jedi'. There are countless plotlines that flow through the book including Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's hunt for a pirate leader, the Trade Federation's scheming, Senator Palpatine's political maneuvering and the terrorist actions of the Nebula Front. It all culminates in a surprising finale on Eriadu.

THE LIGHT SIDE:

Although some may be overwhelmed by the political intrigues of this book, I found it to a brave and intelligent approach to the prequel era story. It's well written and evenly places action amid the intrigue. The best thing about this book is the way in which Luceno weaves it into the Star Wars mythos, with cameos from earlier novels as well as the new prequel era ones and a clever elaboration of things merely mentioned in Episode I. Also, there's some hints as to the contents of Episode II...

THE DARK SIDE:

The only real downside is that we all know how some of the plotlines are going to end, because of 'The Phantom Menace'.

CAMEOS:

Vergere, Jorus C'baoth, Hath Monchar, Luminara Unduli, Wilhuff Tarkin, Sate Pestage.

An excellent addition to the Star Wars mythos.
THE STORY:
Just before the events of Episode I, various plots are afoot as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious manipulates the Trade Federation, Senator Palpatine begins manoeuvering for political power and the Nebula Front terrorist begin attacking the Federation and Republic alike. As these events trouble the galaxy Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi pursue a wily and dangerous pirate called Arwen Cohl, against the advice of the Jedi Council.

WHAT'S GOOD:
This book has so much going for it! The story is a good combination of galactic politics and lightsaber-swinging action and would stand well alone. However, Luceno employs his remarkable ability to weave the threads of the Star Wars franchise together into a beatifully crafted...er...blanket? This book is crammed full of subtle cameos but at no point do they feel intrusive. Here's just a few of the characters to look out for; Vergere (from the New Jedi Order series), Jorus C'baoth (the guy whose evil clone is the villain in Timothy Zahn's classic Thrawn trilogy), Luminara Unduli (one of the Jedi from Episode II), Hath Monchar, Darsha Assant and Anoon Bondara (all featured in 'Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter'), as well as Palpatine's aides Sate Pestage (from the X-Wing comics) and Kinman Doriana (another Tim Zahn character). There's a great many more for fans to spot too, as well as a bit more background to just about every character featured in 'The Phantom Menace' (except for those irritating gits Jar Jar and Anakin).

WHAT'S BAD:
There wasn't anything that stood out as being bad about this book and it's certainly the best novel in the prequel era so far.

Buy it, read it and get the full story behind 'The Phantom Menace'.

Creative Star Wars experience
Interesting, inventive, energetic, the story revolves around fast packed action and shady political discussions. If you want more than just the basic films, Cloak of Deception is a great way to expand on the Phantom Menace, such as the trade federation's rise of power, the Republics downfall, and a Sith lord's ultimate plan which leads to the rise (or fall, depending on your view) of Darth Vader.
If you're looking for an easy read, this is not the book your looking for, the author pulls no punches when it comes to creative and complex word choice, but that's what adds to the ultimate Star wars atmosphere all fans love.