Rating: 
Summary: History of the Taxation of Trade Routes and Valorum's Fall
Review: 'Cloak of Deception', by James Luceno, takes place before Episode One of the Star Wars saga. This novel could be described as a political/spy novel featuring the Jedi. It tells the story of how the trade routes came to be taxed as mentioned in the opening scrawl of 'The Phantom Menace'. It also gives some history to the "baseless accusations of corruption" and the "bureaucracy" that Senator Palpatine mentions in the movie.Qui-gon and Obi Wan are set up to be the main characters in the book, yet most of the story revolves around the Supreme Chancellor and the Senate. This is certainly different than most Star Wars novels. Instead of the key scenes featuring the Jedi, the Empire, or other adversaries engaged in battle, many of the climatic events center around debates in the Senate. In short, it is a different type of Star Wars novel. It was, however, nice to see some of the more neglected Jedi, such as Saesee Tiin and Adi Galia get attention. They featured prominently in many events. As mentioned in other reviews, Jorus C'Boath, Anoon Bondara, Darsha Assant, and Vegere amongst others from the expanded universe of Star Wars make cameo appearences in this novel as well. In the early part of the novel, Bondara offers a thought puzzle to several Jedi Padawans. One of my favorite scenes in the book comes near the end when Obi Wan and Qui-gon discuss Obi Wan's solution to the puzzle. I felt that scene was especially good at capturing the essence of those two characters and their relationship. In fact, Luceno's greatest strength is his ability to write the characters as we would expect them from the movie. In comparison to 'Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter', which is the other prequel novel to 'The Phantom Menace', 'Cloak of Deception' is a bit slower. In addition, it doesn't have the pacing or the feel as most of the Star Wars movies. That doesn't keep it from being enjoyable however. This history of the taxation of the trade routes and what it meant does add to the story in 'The Phantom Menace'. As I mentioned earlier, this is more of a Political/Spy novel, and I recommend it to Star Wars fans, especially those interested in the events before 'The Phantom Menace'.
Rating: 
Summary: Great prequel to Episode I.
Review: I was very impressed with this novel from the very beginning through the end. After seeing Episode 1, I'm sure you and your friends pondered on how the Neimodians and Darth Sidious first got involved. How did the Trade Federation set up the blockade of Naboo? Just how did Queen Amidala become queen? How did Chancellor Vallorum become perceived as incompetent as to heading the Republic? And just who is this enigmatic young Senator Palpatine? Well this novel does an excellent job of setting the stage for Episode One. The double talk and blameless Palpatine shines as the master manipulator. We stand in the shoes of Vallorum and watch the invisible power plays consume his effectiveness as a leader. We watch the rise of Rune Hakao and Nute Gunray and their dealing with this cloaked figure who issues them a deal they cannot refuse. Was also nice to see more of the Jedi council in action. Mace Windu, Yoda, Qui Gon and even a younger Obi-wan in their attempts to bring peace to the galaxy. The majority of the story revolves around a plot and conspiracy to bring down Chancellor Vallorum as head of the Republic and stave off a boiling contention between the worlds of the outer rim and the core through trade routes, pirates, and taxation. New characters are introduced into the Star Wars mythos that are really exciting, and their actions, while at the time may seem innocent, set the stage for what will become the Empire....with everyone's strings being pulled by Darth Sidious. A few other characters make cameos including Bail Organa and A young Governor Tarkin. This is not your typical Star Wars novel. It is very deep in conspiracy, plot twists, and black ops. A very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Palpatine's "tangled web" of deception is novel's focus....
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: People Moving as if pieces in someone¿s giant game
Review: Cloak of Deception is currently the first novel on the time line (-33.01 before NH) that gives us a look at Darth Sidious. This is the first novel setting up events that appear in Episode 1, PM. This novel is well done and introduces the politics and subterfuge used by Sidious-Palpatine to manipulate events. We also see how Palpatine damages Valorum and weakens the Trade Federation. Sidious in a comic that follows the events in this book (Darth Maul TPB) weakens Black Sun by taking out its leadership. We will see later how the TF army is absorbed into the Republic army. We also are beginning to see a problem with the Jedi council that we see more of in the future... Windu is both a pacifist and not to smart, and Yoda has delegated the day to day running of the Jedi to Windu. Yoda is more concerned with the training of the Padawan's. This in-attention to detail by Yoda could be what leads to the destruction of the Jedi. Luceno does a great job of writing in characters that we are already familiar with. We meet Darsha Assant and Anoon Bondara from Darth Maul, Shadow Hunter. We also meet Vergere from Rogue Planet and the New Jedi Order. Even Tarkin and Sate Pestage (primarily a character from the comic books) make their brief appearances. This book is a solid story for most of its 268 pages, and I would delete almost none of it. COD ends with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan being assigned to the Naboo Trade dispute. Regarding the audio CD: Alexander Adams is the best reader since Anthony Heald.
Rating:
Summary: Best Prequel Era Book Yet
Review: This book is easily amongst the best Expanded Universe (EU) books yet. It is similar to The New Rebellion and the Hand of Thrawn Duology (Spectre of the Past & Vision of the Future) in that it is mainly a political thriller rather than the standard action theme of most Star Wars books. Of course it features some action scenes in order to keep up the pace, but its key feature is the intricacy of its plot.
Set shortly before Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter and two years before The Phantom Menace, Finis Valorum is Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, but confidence in his leadership is already shrinking and a group of Senators, led by the Twi'lek Senator Orn Taa, are conspiring to bring him down. Palpatine is a main character, still the Senator for Naboo, and whilst acting as an unofficial advisor to Valorum he acts behind the Supreme Chancellor's back, amongst Taa's conspirators. Palpatine proposes the taxation of Outer Rim trade routes to Valorum and sets in motion the events of this book as well as the blockade of Naboo. The Trade Federation's tyrranical practices in the Outer Rim have made it the target of the terrorist organisation, the Nebula Front.
Under the dirrection of the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, Viceroy Nute Gunray uses these attacks in an attempt to gain authorisation to build a Droid Army to protect the Federation's freighters from pirates and terrorists.
Any Star Wars fan should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: First foray into Star Wars literature--not bad.
Review: Well, the title isn't quite true. I have read a couple books--the novelization of the Phantom Menace and Attack of the CLones, and Return of the Jedi, and the first Jedi Apprentice novel ... but I've never really delved into the Star Wars books ... until now. This book answers many questions posed in "The Phantom Menace." I read somewhere that it ends two years before, but I don't see how this could be the case. It seems to me that te book ends right before the events of TPM ... maybe three to six months before. There are new characters in this book that I loved--a band of mercenaries who I would love to see in other books. My biggest obstacle in giving this book a higher rating is that it was difficult for me to keep up with all the political ramifications of events happening in the story. There are a *lot* of characters in this novel, and keeping them all straight was a chore at times ... particularly regarding all the different alien races. Still, having said that, the book held my interest and made me want to reread the novelization of Phantom Menace, and other books in the SW saga. One thing I'm confused about ... and I don't know if I've just missed something obvious or not ... there's a cahracter named Bail Antilees who is a senator, and we know Leia's father is Bail Organa who was also a senator. It almost seems like these have to be te same person ... but how will/did/does the name-change occur? It's very odd... All told, this book is definitely a worthwhile read, particularly if you like Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and want a book that feels a lot like The Phantom Menace--sans everyone's favorite Gungan (sarcasm there, folks.).
Rating:
Summary: Jedi action... Bureaucracy... Shadowy alliances...
Review: This James Luceno book Cloak of Deception precedes STAR WARS Episode I... and review is written on the paperback copy 2002. In Cloak of Deception, author Luceno blends humans, humanoids, and aliens, along with reader's knowledge of some locations but adding new ones as well... a cast of characters, some already known to STAR WARS fans, revolving around Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master; Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan; Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi; Senator Palpatine; Yoda, Jedi Master; Jedi Master Mace Windu; Darth Sidious, evil source; Senator Bail Antilles, and other familiar beings, along with new characters, specifically - Captain Cohl, Rella, Boiny and Havac - revealed to be an Eriaduan, a.k.a. Eru Matalis. The Senate is housed at Coruscant, with its fantastic cityscape, and named the center of "civilized space". The dominion of the Trade Federation, their "tyrannical practices", along with practices of the Nebula Front,compete and clash for dominance. The Trade Force and Nebula Front terrorists are at odds with their missions, each group has their own agenda of gaining fame and glory for their own causes. There are demands astir to disband the Trade Federation; demands for the reduction of taxation for free trade zones are amiss. Evil factions are at work striving to cancel the trade summit scheduled to take place at spheroid "Eriadu", a summit called for by Senate presiding, Supreme Chancellor Valorum. At this time in STAR WARS history, the student Jedi Knights, Masters, and Padawans are housed in a pyramid-shaped structure on Coruscant. The Jedi Knights continue to rally in pursuit of injustice, up against dark beings, including Darth Sidious. Chancellor Valorum, surrounded by Senate guards, battles his way through a crowd of anti and pro-demonstrators, is faced with an attempt to assassinate him involving a Twi'lek and two Rodians. Valorum is transported to the Galactic Senate Medcenter. With the use of senses in the Force, Master Qui-Gon and Jedi Knight Adi Gallia wend their way through the crowd to deflect the attempted assassination. The assassination attempt is believed to be a ruse for something bigger. However, evidence is to be investigated as to which group or faction is really underlying the attempt. Questions arise as to Captain Cohl's role behind the assassination attempts... also considered is House Vandron. Senator Palpatine's face changes in line with whatever purpose he is serves - the requests of Chancellor Valorum or the secretive plans of betrayal for the benefit of his own purposes. Valuable Aurodium Ingots, obtained by thievery, are a threat to ill-use for power and domination, useful in a plot to destroy factions that get in the way of evil-doers. This reader finds the following quotes from Cloak of Deception noteworthy: "Unrevealed sources at work..."says Yoda...."...deeper and darker and murkier, this becomes". "Nothing was before Yoda's time..." Qui-Gon's (with a smile) response to Obi-Wan. "Our fears regarding taxation revolve around the potential for increased corruption, as is ever the case when additional layers of bureaucracy are positioned between those with power and those without." -- Lieutenant Governor Tarkin. "There are many paths to take, Obi-Wan. Not all of us are fortunate enough to find the one with heart, the path the Force has set before us. What do you find when you search your feelings about the choices you have made?" -- Qui-Gon to Obi-Wan... Obi-Wan's response--"I feel that I've found the right path, Master."
James Luceno, has a eloquent "way with words", philosophical observations with in-depth bureaucratic policies, descriptive action, characters, locations and scenes allowing readers to image in their mind's eye activity in place, counting Luceno as one of the most reputable STAR WARS writers. Author Luceno adds many twists to the Cloak of Deception story. Luceno has also done film adaptations for "Mark of Zorro" and "The Shadow". Don't miss James Luceno's November 2003 book: STAR WARS The Unifying Force, ending "The New Jedi Order" series and an outstanding read of the continuing fight against a prominent evil force - the Yuuzhan Vong.
Rating:
Summary: It was...okay
Review: "Cloak of Deception" is the first Star Wars novel that I have read. This novel is set before the events of "The Phanton Menace" and set some things in motion which help better explain potential questions raised in the movie. Some questions that get addressed in this book: "What is the deal with the Trade Federation?", "Why is Chancellor Valorum ineffective as the leader of the Senate?", "How does the Senator from such a small planet has such influence in the Senate?". We are in the waning days of the Galactic Republic. The Trade Federation has an absurd amount of power, influencing the Senate and maintaining control over trade lanes. They are, in effect, a Galactic Monopoly. Few in the Senate are willing to deal with this growing problem, but there are bands of terrorists attacking the Trade Federation in the Outer Rim. Members of the Trade Federation have entered into an alliance with a mysterious figure only known as Darth Sidious. The Jedi-Knight Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi get involved in one of the terrorist attacks and sensing a larger problem that is worth getting involved in, Qui-Gon defies the Jedi Council and continues to work to find the root of the terrorist problem and the Trade Federation. Qui-Gon also foils an assassination attempt on Chancellor Valorum, and the implications of this event are far reaching. I did not have very high expectations regarding this book. I have not heard very many good things about the quality of the Star Wars novels. The beginning of this novel was moderately weak as I didn't find any of the characters to be engaging at all (despite my familiarity with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan). They seemed to be simply acting, and Luceno was not very successful in revealing who these men, women, and aliens were. About halfway through the novel, the story picked up a bit and I was able to get into it a bit more, and I enjoyed the book more than when I began. It was good enough that I'm willing to try a few more Star Wars novels and try to work my way through the series for a while longer so that I can see what happens after the events of "The Return of the Jedi". This isn't a great book, but it's not bad. It is middle of the road science fiction set in the Star Wars universe.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of events, yet little depth
Review: Now that the new Star Wars movies have arrived, the fans are graced with a whole new series of inspired fiction. The authors of previous Star Wars sagas such as The New Jedi Order now put the spotlights on what happened before Palpatine took control of the Galaxy. Great! This means a whole unknown niche of the Star Wars history will be unveiled. And sure enough that is what happens. Yet, what has disappointed many aficionados is the new tone and order of these prequels. To put the difference in words: Pre-Star Wars times were High Times in decay, not bravery against unbelievable odds. The prequels present an old man dying instead of a young one flourishing. Cloak Of Deception tells of the first attempts at bringing the old giant down. Just as you cannot stop maggots from getting into rotting meat, you cannot stop power-hungry Senators and greedy Corporations from taking profit out of this situation. Senator Palpatine has managed to attach strings on several powerful figures and institutions and has started playing them like a puppeteer. Meanwhile the Jedi are busier than ever, and eventually they are too busy and cannot control the uproars any longer. While James Luceno's book describes interesting events and gives us fans a closer look at a wide display of background characters, there is one flaw: it is too busy and too paced. It doesn't stop often enough to describe motivations.
One of the villains is Captain Cohl, a character with a long history, who started out his rebellious career with a righteous cause but lost track of it. Cohl could have been THE tragic figure of this Star Wars chapter. Unfortunately, his past is merely summed up, and if his actions in this book cause any inner turmoil, the reader gets to see the result of this turmoil instead of the turmoil itself. This is what I felt throughout: the author does not stop to explain and deepen characters. Another point I have with this chapter is the lack of resolution. The lead characters do not go through any sort of emotional arch. Nor does the story itself end well. It could have been either a cliffhanger or a defined closure. It seems to stop instead of end. Despite all this I managed to enjoy Cloak Of Deception. After all, Tarkin has a cameo, as well as Vergere and Yaddle. And after all, it presents us further events in Star Wars history. The slow decline and cunning treacheries.
It is just that I feel sad I care more for the encyclopaedic value of this book, than about the book itself. This one gets three stars. Bram Janssen,
The Netherlands
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: ~In that Palpatine was evil, and at one point when Queen Amadalia was to return to Naboo, Brooks made it a point to say that Jar-Jar thought he had seen Palpatine smile slightly. Any Star Wars fan knows who Senator Palpatine is, and who he becomes later. I don't need to know that he is evil; I need a reason to understand how he ascended to power. I want to see him how the other characters see him. Luceno does an excellent job at this. I found the Senator from Naboo quite likeable and could easily~ see how he was able to manipulate events in his favor. He also explained Qui-Gon's impossible conflicts that only the Jedi could overcome, and the cute little creature who saves the day. Luceno's twists left me satisfied for the way the book concluded, as well as the fact that I understood everyone's motivation. Stories that pit noble heroes against faceless dark villains who seem to be motivated to evil for no apparent reason except for the sake of evil seems to be an accepted practice in storytelling. Bad guys are so evil that we can't relate to them on any level, we root~ for their demise and cheer when it happens, which is merely a reflection of our current world where we know who are enemies are and want them destroyed despite not knowing anything about them, their motivations, or why the want to destroy us. That is not the case with~ Luceno paints of the state of the Republic.
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