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sarahmixie's review against another edition
3.0
"peace was atrophy. only through conflict could potential be realised"
michaelesch's review against another edition
3.0
I really struggled whether to rate this two or three but since I liked the last couple pages I ended up with 3. The story was bland and I did not find it very exciting. If this was a roller coaster it would be in the children's section. Not because the content is childish but because the story never builds. The opening was spectacular. But I kind of felt like Darth Malgus and wanted to see more conflict. Favorite character was the side character and her death was tragic.
hidekisohma's review against another edition
3.0
Long story short? Everyone in this book is a weenie. That's pretty much the extent of it. There's a few main characters here and they're all weenies.
1st main character: Zeerid. he has to run illegal spice to coruscant which is currently under imperial control but has moral issues against drug running. but he's going to do it because of his daughter. Yeah. he's one of THOSE characters. You know, the one where having a child is the only definable trait about him. Every time you think they're about to go into his backstory they have to bring up the fact that "his daughter is super important to him and that's all that matters." That's why i hate characters with children. They can never just be "people who happen to have children." The children apparently HAVE to be the focal point of every decision they make and are used as crutches to move the plot along when they feel their characters wouldn't do it themselves otherwise. Then at the end, after making nothing but light side choices he makes a super dark one. just...i don't know, because. It was stupid.
2nd: Darth Malgus: Tries to be badass, however throughout the entire story he's worried about his twilek slave/lover. he's constantly slapped down by his master and every scene he's in he seems to be worried about his twilek. she gets shot, he's worried. she gets kidnapped, he's worried again. then after all of this, he kills her. Character growth? I guess?
3rd: Aryn. a jedi who gives up everything to hunt Malgus for killing her master. then she realizes that leads to the dark side, loses to malgus and goes to live on a farm with Zeerid. Nope. not making this up.
The biggest problem was i didn't like a single character. They were all whiny idiots. Everyone was crying about something whether it be their wheelchair bound daughter (yes, they actually put the girl in a wheelchair to try to gain sympathy), their master, or their twilek slave. I didn't enjoy the inner machinations or thoughts of ANY of the characters and kind of wanted them all to die.
Zeerid was the worst offender though as his story was all over the place. The exchange gives him this huge shipment of engspice (basically superdrugs) to deliver to coruscant, only it's under imperial control temporarily as they blew up the jedi temple. They even give him 100,000 credits after wiping his debts clean to deliver this stuff. So they spend the first 1/3 of the book telling you how important it is that he delivers his stuff of the exchange is going to hunt him down and kill him. Then the shipment blows up. and we never hear about it again. Zeerid runs off to be a farmer at the end of the book and...well that's it. No repercussions from the exchange, no nothing. just "Welp, that didn't work out." But of course he's 'glad' because he never wanted to run drugs and blahdy blahdy light side garbage. I would be more on board if at the end he didn't kill a dude in cold blood because "of his daughter's future safety". i'm telling you. i can't stand characters like this.
The biggest problem with this book was that it was unnecessary. It didn't even tell an interesting story. Every single plot point was nullified and nothing made a difference.
-Jedi padawan goes to avenge master. doesn't
- Zeerid goes to deliver engspice. doesn't.
- guy gets hired to kill Zeerid. Doesn't.
- Malgus tries to protect Twilek slave. kills her.
The story might have been interesting, but there was no weight. no nothing. the only character from the game was Malgus and the rest was just pointless fluff. it discussed the sacking of coruscant that happens before the game but other than that, that's it. At least the revan book had characters you know. This one was just kind of....there. The battles were pointless and had too much text that i ended up skimming through them.
Still, i have to say, it was a fast, easy read and that made it okay. if it had been longer it would have been not good. as it was, i give it a 2.5 rounded up to a 3. it's a big fat, MEH.
1st main character: Zeerid. he has to run illegal spice to coruscant which is currently under imperial control but has moral issues against drug running. but he's going to do it because of his daughter. Yeah. he's one of THOSE characters. You know, the one where having a child is the only definable trait about him. Every time you think they're about to go into his backstory they have to bring up the fact that "his daughter is super important to him and that's all that matters." That's why i hate characters with children. They can never just be "people who happen to have children." The children apparently HAVE to be the focal point of every decision they make and are used as crutches to move the plot along when they feel their characters wouldn't do it themselves otherwise. Then at the end, after making nothing but light side choices he makes a super dark one. just...i don't know, because. It was stupid.
2nd: Darth Malgus: Tries to be badass, however throughout the entire story he's worried about his twilek slave/lover. he's constantly slapped down by his master and every scene he's in he seems to be worried about his twilek. she gets shot, he's worried. she gets kidnapped, he's worried again. then after all of this, he kills her. Character growth? I guess?
3rd: Aryn. a jedi who gives up everything to hunt Malgus for killing her master. then she realizes that leads to the dark side, loses to malgus and goes to live on a farm with Zeerid. Nope. not making this up.
The biggest problem was i didn't like a single character. They were all whiny idiots. Everyone was crying about something whether it be their wheelchair bound daughter (yes, they actually put the girl in a wheelchair to try to gain sympathy), their master, or their twilek slave. I didn't enjoy the inner machinations or thoughts of ANY of the characters and kind of wanted them all to die.
Zeerid was the worst offender though as his story was all over the place. The exchange gives him this huge shipment of engspice (basically superdrugs) to deliver to coruscant, only it's under imperial control temporarily as they blew up the jedi temple. They even give him 100,000 credits after wiping his debts clean to deliver this stuff. So they spend the first 1/3 of the book telling you how important it is that he delivers his stuff of the exchange is going to hunt him down and kill him. Then the shipment blows up. and we never hear about it again. Zeerid runs off to be a farmer at the end of the book and...well that's it. No repercussions from the exchange, no nothing. just "Welp, that didn't work out." But of course he's 'glad' because he never wanted to run drugs and blahdy blahdy light side garbage. I would be more on board if at the end he didn't kill a dude in cold blood because "of his daughter's future safety". i'm telling you. i can't stand characters like this.
The biggest problem with this book was that it was unnecessary. It didn't even tell an interesting story. Every single plot point was nullified and nothing made a difference.
-Jedi padawan goes to avenge master. doesn't
- Zeerid goes to deliver engspice. doesn't.
- guy gets hired to kill Zeerid. Doesn't.
- Malgus tries to protect Twilek slave. kills her.
The story might have been interesting, but there was no weight. no nothing. the only character from the game was Malgus and the rest was just pointless fluff. it discussed the sacking of coruscant that happens before the game but other than that, that's it. At least the revan book had characters you know. This one was just kind of....there. The battles were pointless and had too much text that i ended up skimming through them.
Still, i have to say, it was a fast, easy read and that made it okay. if it had been longer it would have been not good. as it was, i give it a 2.5 rounded up to a 3. it's a big fat, MEH.
jaredkwheeler's review against another edition
3.0
Star Wars Legends Project #24
Background: The Old Republic: Deceived was released in March of 2011. It was written by [author:Paul S. Kemp|32912]. Kemp has also authored a duology of Star Wars novels, [book:Crosscurrent|6526328] and [book:Riptide|9711628], with connections in both the Legacy and Old Republic eras. Kemp is better known for his dozen or so "Forgotten Realms" novels. I've actually read two of the seven novels about his character Erevis Cale, an assassin-turned-butler-turned-divine-agent.
Deceived takes place during the events immediately preceding the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, 3,653 years before the Battle of Yavin. This major event marks the end of the multi-decade Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, and the beginning of a period of Cold War between the two powers. Various major characters from The Old Republic video game and other related media show up, including Satele Shan (descendant of Revan and Bastila, brief appearance) and Darth Malgus (the novel's main villain). In addition to the Republic and the Empire, a major subplot involves the criminal organization the "Exchange." Most of the novel takes place on the familiar worlds of Alderaan and Coruscant, with a few chapters on a new planet, Vulta.
Summary: With the Republic distracted by peace talks on Alderaan, the Sith undertake a treacherous attack on Coruscant. Darth Angral murders the Supreme Chancellor, and Darth Malgus leads an attack on the Jedi Temple, leveling it. Devastated, the Republic will be forced to acquiesce to whatever treaty demands the Sith wish to make. But one Jedi isn't going to take it lying down. Aryn Leneer, a young Knight who is part of the Jedi peace delegation, senses the death of her beloved master on Coruscant, and sets out on a vengeful quest to find his killer and strike him down. To get to Coruscant, she'll need the help of Zeerid Korr, an old war buddy turned smuggler. Zeerid has an important delivery of his own to make, on one last, incredibly risky job that he hopes will finally allow him to retire and move his young daughter to safety, out from under the thumb of his crime lord bosses. For both Jedi and smuggler, the stakes are high, the chances of success are slim, and their only allies in the galaxy are each other.
Review: At its best, Deceived is a pretty decent read, though it lags in spots. Now that I'm done reading it, I'm not sure that it will stick out very prominently in my memory as either particularly good or particularly bad. The characters and their struggles and the way they develop are the best things about this book, and when that aspect is driving the novel, it is quite compelling indeed. Darth Malgus is a fine, complex villain, particularly for a Sith. And Aryn and Zeerid and their journey, both separately and together, makes a very fine story. It just . . . isn't always the focus.
Kemp is a pretty good writer, certainly, though I caught him repeating himself a couple of times. He is extremely, vividly descriptive, and that quality serves him well aside from the few occasions when it bogs him down. I'm also a big fan of his action sequences, which are thrilling and kinetic, with one exception: He goes pretty far overboard in describing lightsaber duels. There's too much blow-by-blow listing of each combatants' individual moves, and I found them difficult to visualize. His characters, both good and evil, are also a bit hardier than they ought to be, but I'm largely willing to overlook that because it made for some very exciting moments unlike any that I've seen before. My only real question about his writing is what possessed him to nickname one of his main characters "Z-man" . . . I rolled my eyes everytime someone said it. Super dumb.
Ultimately, this is a very emotionally-driven story told against the backdrop of a hugely-significant galactic event. It's one of those "little people caught up in great events" stories, but it doesn't always strike an effective balance between the little people and the great events. It took me awhile to read it, but that was mostly because I was busy. The story moves along at a fair little clip, but I didn't feel a lot of urgency to pick it up and keep reading whenever I had put it down. And that's about all I have to say about that.
B-
Background: The Old Republic: Deceived was released in March of 2011. It was written by [author:Paul S. Kemp|32912]. Kemp has also authored a duology of Star Wars novels, [book:Crosscurrent|6526328] and [book:Riptide|9711628], with connections in both the Legacy and Old Republic eras. Kemp is better known for his dozen or so "Forgotten Realms" novels. I've actually read two of the seven novels about his character Erevis Cale, an assassin-turned-butler-turned-divine-agent.
Deceived takes place during the events immediately preceding the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, 3,653 years before the Battle of Yavin. This major event marks the end of the multi-decade Great Galactic War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, and the beginning of a period of Cold War between the two powers. Various major characters from The Old Republic video game and other related media show up, including Satele Shan (descendant of Revan and Bastila, brief appearance) and Darth Malgus (the novel's main villain). In addition to the Republic and the Empire, a major subplot involves the criminal organization the "Exchange." Most of the novel takes place on the familiar worlds of Alderaan and Coruscant, with a few chapters on a new planet, Vulta.
Summary: With the Republic distracted by peace talks on Alderaan, the Sith undertake a treacherous attack on Coruscant. Darth Angral murders the Supreme Chancellor, and Darth Malgus leads an attack on the Jedi Temple, leveling it. Devastated, the Republic will be forced to acquiesce to whatever treaty demands the Sith wish to make. But one Jedi isn't going to take it lying down. Aryn Leneer, a young Knight who is part of the Jedi peace delegation, senses the death of her beloved master on Coruscant, and sets out on a vengeful quest to find his killer and strike him down. To get to Coruscant, she'll need the help of Zeerid Korr, an old war buddy turned smuggler. Zeerid has an important delivery of his own to make, on one last, incredibly risky job that he hopes will finally allow him to retire and move his young daughter to safety, out from under the thumb of his crime lord bosses. For both Jedi and smuggler, the stakes are high, the chances of success are slim, and their only allies in the galaxy are each other.
Review: At its best, Deceived is a pretty decent read, though it lags in spots. Now that I'm done reading it, I'm not sure that it will stick out very prominently in my memory as either particularly good or particularly bad. The characters and their struggles and the way they develop are the best things about this book, and when that aspect is driving the novel, it is quite compelling indeed. Darth Malgus is a fine, complex villain, particularly for a Sith. And Aryn and Zeerid and their journey, both separately and together, makes a very fine story. It just . . . isn't always the focus.
Kemp is a pretty good writer, certainly, though I caught him repeating himself a couple of times. He is extremely, vividly descriptive, and that quality serves him well aside from the few occasions when it bogs him down. I'm also a big fan of his action sequences, which are thrilling and kinetic, with one exception: He goes pretty far overboard in describing lightsaber duels. There's too much blow-by-blow listing of each combatants' individual moves, and I found them difficult to visualize. His characters, both good and evil, are also a bit hardier than they ought to be, but I'm largely willing to overlook that because it made for some very exciting moments unlike any that I've seen before. My only real question about his writing is what possessed him to nickname one of his main characters "Z-man" . . . I rolled my eyes everytime someone said it. Super dumb.
Ultimately, this is a very emotionally-driven story told against the backdrop of a hugely-significant galactic event. It's one of those "little people caught up in great events" stories, but it doesn't always strike an effective balance between the little people and the great events. It took me awhile to read it, but that was mostly because I was busy. The story moves along at a fair little clip, but I didn't feel a lot of urgency to pick it up and keep reading whenever I had put it down. And that's about all I have to say about that.
B-
lebanon's review against another edition
4.0
Deceived (Star Wars: The Old Republic, #2) is a pretty good book. It centers on the events surrounding the Sith attack on the Jedi temple in Coruscant, which was shown in a trailer for The Old Republic videogame. This story, however, does more than just describe the battle, it includes the effects over the next three days from the viewpoints of three characters: Darth Malgus, a Sith lord who is unhappy with the peace negotiations between Jedi and Sith after he leads the attack on Coruscant; Aryan Leneer, a Jedi knight seeking revenge after her master's death; and Zeerid Korr, a smuggler trying to provide for his family. Overall, Deceived does a good job of introducing characters and doesn't rely too much on readers being familiar with The Old Republic videogame to understand what's happening, making this book stand alone well.
graff_fuller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Jedi Aryn and the ex-soldier/pilot Zeerid are on an adventure of discovering themselves.
One is out for revenge, and the other is JUST trying to "get by" and save his family and his little girl.
Throughout this entire story, we see them lose themselves...and start to do things that are against what they believe in, and BOTH of them are given the rubicon.
Read to find out their journey.
I loved it. This story of humanity, and the depths that we sometimes go through...when we lose sight of the important things in our life (either the things we've been taught, or the people that we are around...and how it ONLY takes a few mistakes to find yourself willing/and even desiring to do evil...to achieve your goal (and the goal...is not THAT which will fulfill you.
Moving on to the next in the four book series.
One is out for revenge, and the other is JUST trying to "get by" and save his family and his little girl.
Throughout this entire story, we see them lose themselves...and start to do things that are against what they believe in, and BOTH of them are given the rubicon.
Read to find out their journey.
I loved it. This story of humanity, and the depths that we sometimes go through...when we lose sight of the important things in our life (either the things we've been taught, or the people that we are around...and how it ONLY takes a few mistakes to find yourself willing/and even desiring to do evil...to achieve your goal (and the goal...is not THAT which will fulfill you.
Moving on to the next in the four book series.
agrimmreview's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book makes me want the game to come out faster.
thisdadreads's review against another edition
4.0
Coruscant has fallen. The war between the Empire and Republic takes a drastic turn. A Sith leads the charge. A Jedi forges a path of vengeance. This is The Old Republic: Deceived, The Essential Legends Collection.
The Old Republic: Deceived, written by Paul S. Kemp, was published March 22, 2011 and is a tie-in to The Old Republic online game. The events of the novel take place in 3653 BBY, roughly 300 years after the events of The Old Republic: Revan. The two novels aren’t connected other than their respective places in The Old Republic chronology.
The Old Republic: Deceived focuses on two central characters, Darth Malgus and Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer. Malgus leads an attack on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, essentially tipping the scales in the favor of the Empire. Malgus’ passion for destruction is only matched by his love for Twi’lek Eleena Daru, a dangerous emotional state for a Sith of his stature and ambition. Leneer’s Master is a victim of Malgus’ attack and Aryn, a Force empath, is rocked to her core and makes it her mission to make Malgus pay. Also in the mix is Zeerid Korr, a former Republic soldier who finds himself entangled in a criminal organization called The Exchange. He’s in crushing debt and is doing all he can to work his way out for the benefit of his daughter. Zeerid’s code of honor starts to crumble as a spice run with the potential to wipe his slate clean is offered. Aryn and Zeerid have history, and their paths cross once again as both of them have their sights set on Coruscant, he to deliver spice, and her to kill Malgus. The central Jedi and Sith are both on emotional, deadly missions while the political cards are shuffled and a treaty of peace between the Empire and Republic is proposed. Malgus, Leneer and Korr seemingly will do whatever it takes to get what they want, but will it require everyone to touch the darkness to do so?
The Old Republic: Deceived is one of the most tense thrillers I’ve yet to read in the Star Wars universe. The book kicks off in an explosive way and doesn’t let up the entire time. Paul S. Kemp’s chapters are long, but he breaks them up with switches in perspectives to keep the tension high, a very effective literary technique. While there are some quite large galactic stakes at play in the book, the events of the story are relatively small; there is a small core group of characters who are impacted by the larger events going on, but it’s their individual aspirations and motivations that drive Deceived. It’s these smaller, more personal stories that often have the greatest emotional impact, and The Old Republic: Deceived has it in droves.
The book has elements of romance, intrigue, and action, but the story is never imbalanced. Kemp utilizes the romantic elements in brutal, heartbreaking ways, drawing readers in with a familiar trope, then surprising us with dramatic narrative twists. Kemp is masterful in his treatment of characters, allowing readers to quickly understand and connect with them, making the book hard to put down. His focus on a Jedi who struggles between her emotional ties and her commitment to the Order is beautiful, and is achingly human. We really feel the emotional toll that the death of Aryn’s master has on her, and even cheer her on as she marches towards avenging his death. It was a great change of pace to see a Jedi with raw human emotions and her arc was perilously thrilling.
The Old Republic: Deceived joined The Essential Legends Collection in November 2022, with artist Dominik Mayer once again providing cover art. Deceived continues Mayer’s geometric design also seen in Revan, with Malgus and Aryn going to battle with lightsabers ablaze.
The Old Republic: Deceived, written by Paul S. Kemp, was published March 22, 2011 and is a tie-in to The Old Republic online game. The events of the novel take place in 3653 BBY, roughly 300 years after the events of The Old Republic: Revan. The two novels aren’t connected other than their respective places in The Old Republic chronology.
The Old Republic: Deceived focuses on two central characters, Darth Malgus and Jedi Knight Aryn Leneer. Malgus leads an attack on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, essentially tipping the scales in the favor of the Empire. Malgus’ passion for destruction is only matched by his love for Twi’lek Eleena Daru, a dangerous emotional state for a Sith of his stature and ambition. Leneer’s Master is a victim of Malgus’ attack and Aryn, a Force empath, is rocked to her core and makes it her mission to make Malgus pay. Also in the mix is Zeerid Korr, a former Republic soldier who finds himself entangled in a criminal organization called The Exchange. He’s in crushing debt and is doing all he can to work his way out for the benefit of his daughter. Zeerid’s code of honor starts to crumble as a spice run with the potential to wipe his slate clean is offered. Aryn and Zeerid have history, and their paths cross once again as both of them have their sights set on Coruscant, he to deliver spice, and her to kill Malgus. The central Jedi and Sith are both on emotional, deadly missions while the political cards are shuffled and a treaty of peace between the Empire and Republic is proposed. Malgus, Leneer and Korr seemingly will do whatever it takes to get what they want, but will it require everyone to touch the darkness to do so?
The Old Republic: Deceived is one of the most tense thrillers I’ve yet to read in the Star Wars universe. The book kicks off in an explosive way and doesn’t let up the entire time. Paul S. Kemp’s chapters are long, but he breaks them up with switches in perspectives to keep the tension high, a very effective literary technique. While there are some quite large galactic stakes at play in the book, the events of the story are relatively small; there is a small core group of characters who are impacted by the larger events going on, but it’s their individual aspirations and motivations that drive Deceived. It’s these smaller, more personal stories that often have the greatest emotional impact, and The Old Republic: Deceived has it in droves.
The book has elements of romance, intrigue, and action, but the story is never imbalanced. Kemp utilizes the romantic elements in brutal, heartbreaking ways, drawing readers in with a familiar trope, then surprising us with dramatic narrative twists. Kemp is masterful in his treatment of characters, allowing readers to quickly understand and connect with them, making the book hard to put down. His focus on a Jedi who struggles between her emotional ties and her commitment to the Order is beautiful, and is achingly human. We really feel the emotional toll that the death of Aryn’s master has on her, and even cheer her on as she marches towards avenging his death. It was a great change of pace to see a Jedi with raw human emotions and her arc was perilously thrilling.
The Old Republic: Deceived joined The Essential Legends Collection in November 2022, with artist Dominik Mayer once again providing cover art. Deceived continues Mayer’s geometric design also seen in Revan, with Malgus and Aryn going to battle with lightsabers ablaze.
camsullivan's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this novel but the whole thing was rushed. The plot points and characters were interesting but didn’t have time to breathe- what little development there was served merely to set up the next battle.