5/5 Rancors - Cloak of Deception is a political thriller from the Star Wars genre and gives the reader early indications of the Machiavellian manipulations of Senator Palpatine, the esteemed legislator from Naboo. It also introduces you to Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the two Jedi who are the principal heroes in the tale.
I couldn't help but wonder how a reader would react to the book if you were picking it up for the first time and had scant knowledge of the Star Wars universe. Would you really understand Jedi? Would you have any clue as to who Darth Sidious is and what he might be up to? With the benefit of having seen the movies numerous times and being familiar with what happens down the road, I took the book to be an extremely enjoyable yarn. Plus, it was great fun to be introduced to Nute Gunray and his Trade Federation cohorts, to the new Queen Amidala of Naboo, and to Bail Antilles and other senators, not to mention Yoda, Mace Windu and the Jedi Council.
The descriptions in the book of locations are outstanding, particularly that of Coruscant - "a welter of lustrous domes, knife-edged spires, and terraced superstructures that climbed to the sky.... 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 measureless chasms like schools of exotic fish." Excellent stuff, particularly for readers who have visited all levels of Coruscant in their imaginations.
The story moves along well from incident to incident, and plot twists regarding the apparent assassination attempt on Chancellor Valorum come into play near the end of the book. Captain Cohl and his band are interesting characters and will be missed.
All in all, Cloak of Deception leads the reader through a great story and does a huge amount of groundwork in setting the stage for future chaos created by Darth Sidious.
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