Cloak of Deception
by James Luceno
My rating: [rating=4]
(Click here to view on Goodreads)
I’ve had this book since Star Wars Celebration III (circa 2005). I actually met James Luceno (in fact this book is a signed copy), he’s a great guy. This is also the book that I began reading last year and I was 40% away from completing to hit my 2020 Reading Challenge. I should have pushed myself harder to finish but November and December is always a busy time of year. Be that as it may, I’m always a sucker for some backstory, especially in the Star Wars universe. While I’m not aware of all the books that take place in the prequel era, this book is potentially as far back as I’ve gone in Star Wars canon (aside from the KOTOR games), with the possible exception of Dooku: Lost Jedi.
Biggs’ Synopsis and Review
Supreme Chancellor Valorum’s trade route taxation policies are highly criticized. So much so that attempts have been made on his life. A particularly nasty syndicate, called The Nebula Front, seem to be involved with these assassination plots. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, attempt to track down and thwart these terrorists before they succeed.
As I mentioned before I love backstory content, perhaps that’s part of the reason I’m such a fan of the prequels. Without giving away too many details, this book describes the events that lead right up to the beginning of The Phantom Menace. I really enjoyed reading more of the adventures of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, Palpatines continued manipulation of the events and some fun, new characters.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss
How much do you know about John Hollis? Many of you are probably asking “WHO??!” because he is probably pretty obscure but a cool character from Empire Strikes Back. He is Lando’s cybernetically enhanced aide, Lobot. His birthday was back in November and several Star Wars Facebook groups shined a light on him in celebration of his life. He passed away back in 2005 but Lobot is a cool character so I will happily talk a little bit about John Hollis.
Title: The Rescue
Title: The Believer
Title: The Tragedy