Product Description

From New York Times bestselling author James Luceno comes an all-new Star Wars adventure that reveals the action and intrigue unfolding directly before Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Mired in greed and corruption, tangled in bureaucracy, the Galactic Republic is crumbling. 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 the 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 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 a dark overlord. While the trio will be content with more money and fewer problems, Darth Sidious has grander, far more terrifying plans.

It is a time that tests the mettle of all those who strive to hold the Republic together?none more so than the Jedi Knights, who have long been the galaxy's best hope for preserving peace and justice. Yet despite their most valiant efforts, the meeting will explode into fiery chaos beyond everyone?s worst fears . . .


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101231 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-25
• Released on: 2002-06-25
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .40 pounds
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 368 pages

From Library Journal
At last, what you've been waiting for: a prequel to the Star Wars ramble that will explain why Chancellor Valorum fell from power.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with STAR WARS: The Approaching Storm.]--As STAR WARS fans await the upcoming EPISODE TWO: ATTACK OF THE CLONES, the time is ripe to catch up on the events that occurred prior to Episode One and between Episodes One and Two. Here are two STAR WARS novels, written by fan favorites Luceno and Foster, and both read by Alexander Adams (aka Golden Voice Grover Gardner). Adams reads expertly and confidently, and his storytelling powers flow with Jedi force. CLOAK OF DECEPTION is the story of political intrigue and economic espionage in which the shadowy Dark Side sets out to destroy Chancellor Valorum, setting the groundwork for the Trade Federation blockade of Naboo. THE APPROACHING STORM follows young Anakin Skywalker and his Jedi Master, Obi Wan Kenobi, on an interstellar and interpersonal adventure. The production quality of these audiobooks is clean and professional except for the overuse of canned sound effects--everything from blaster fire and rocket blasts to the belches and flatulent sounds of alien creatures--that will likely annoy most listeners over the age of 10. While good Foley sound work can enhance a full-cast dramatization, overdone sound effects can easily mar a straight reading. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author
James Luceno is New York Times bestselling author of two Star Wars: The New Jedi Order novels–Agents of Chaos: Hero’s Trial and Jedi Eclipse. He also co-authored the popular Robotech series with his close friend, the late Brian Daley, and wrote the film adaptations for The Shadow and The Mask of Zorro. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife and children.