James Luceno’s Cloak of Deception is the first novel in the Star Wars canon that takes place during Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum’s reign. As the title implies, the story is filled with intrigue, mainly political, and the author includes descriptions of the characters’ cloaks whether or not they are the deceptive type, which is a nice touch. Indeed, unless the reader is familiar with the characters in The Phantom Menace (novel or movie), s/he may have a difficult time keeping track of everyone involved in the story, as there are many central characters, some more so than others.

Although it has its share of Jedi wisdom; blaster and lightsaber fights; and other staples of Star Wars lore, Cloak of Deception is mainly a political novel, and in that, will appeal to those who aren’t necessarily Star Wars fans through and through, so long as they are able to follow who’s who: there are, after all, 1,024 senatorial delegates representing at least that number of planets in the Old Republic rather than a mere 100 senators representing 50 states. :)