''Cloak of Deception'' is a 2001
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
set in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
''
galaxy
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. ...
. It is a
prequel
A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work.
The term " ...
novel occurring before the events of ''
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' is a 1999 American Epic film, epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Dan ...
''. The book was written by
James Luceno. The cover art was by Steven Anderson. The book takes place 32.5 years before ''
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope''.
Narration for the audio version was performed by Alexander Adams. The paperback version included a 15-page excerpt of ''
Enemy Lines: Rebel Dream''.
Synopsis
The
Galactic Republic is in a state of decline, mired in greed and corruption and tangled in bureaucracy. 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 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
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
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 the
Sith lord Darth Sidious. While Valorum, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan will be content with more money and fewer problems, Sidious has grander, far more terrifying plans.
Writing
While writing the novel, Luceno was granted access to parts of the screenplay drafts and concept art of ''
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones''. As such, ''Cloak of Deception'' marked the first appearance in the series' chronological timeline of almost all of the new characters from ''Attack of the Clones'', including the Techno Union, and other Separatists.
Opening crawl
The back cover of the book features an
opening crawl similar to those at the beginning of the ''Star Wars'' films:
External links
*
Amazon.com Listing'
*
Official CargoBay Listing'
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cloak Of Deception
2001 novels
2001 science fiction novels
Star Wars Legends novels
Prequel novels
Del Rey books
Novels by James Luceno