Star Wars: Deceived by Paul S. Kemp makes the second book in the Old Republic saga that I’ve ever read (following Fatal Alliance by Drew Karpshyn). Though the future of the Old Republic stories and their status in the official Star Wars canon universe is uncertain, Deceived was no less enjoyable for that fact; indeed, reading a novel set in the Old Republic time period (which takes place around three to four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin in A New Hope), is for me almost more enjoyable because of its distance from events that have already been accepted as canon. Kemp’s writing style, combined with the weightlessness of reading a story that can hold its own within official canon, and still effect the present of its timeline in a significant, if subtle way, made the reading of Deceived light but still important. And by that, I mean that in the framework of the Old Republic’s timeline, the story mattered, but only in such a way that it made its mark on the former (and myself) without ending in an epic sacrifice or a dramatic explosion.
The story takes place in a time when the galaxy is as it always seems to be: in flux between two powers. The Sith-controlled Empire and the Jedi-protected Republic have been at war; but in a turn of events that is almost too good to be true, representatives from both the Sith and the Jedi have agreed to meet on Alderaan to discuss the possibility and terms of peace. But the talks are partially a distraction; unbeknownst to the Jedi gathered there, a party of Sith led by Darth Malgus and his servant/lover Eleena, explode into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and kill all they find there. With the Jedi presence on the capital world all but destroyed, the Sith are able to conquer the planet. Though the sacking, sending tidal waves of shock and grief across worlds to the Jedi delegates, do not stop the peace talks, they do eradicate all thoughts of peace for one Jedi on Alderaan: Aryn Leneer, the one-time apprentice of a Jedi who was gutted and murdered by Malgus in his attack of the Temple. And she wants revenge.
Something that has really stuck in my mind about this story is not the events themselves, but the characters that Kemp introduces and develops throughout. I admire Kemp for choosing character backgrounds that set them apart and give them each a unique variation of inner conflict. Malgus, a powerful Sith lord, has to deal with what seem like soft intentions from his Darth superiors, who are making a bid for peace with, instead of all-out destruction of the light side users of the Force. In addition, he struggles to balance his cult’s tenets of burning rage and cold malice with the love he feels for Eleena, the devoted Twi’lek he rescued years earlier from a cruel slavery. Aryn Leneer, too, is wrestling with the morality and common sense of agreeing to form a truce with the Sith. This feeling is only amplified when the Sith sack Coruscant and she feels the stab of Malgus’s death blow spear through her old master and the Force. With determination and a hunger for justice, she abandons the Jedi peace party on Alderaan and seeks the help of an old friend to get past the Empire’s blockade on Coruscant to identify her master’s killer.
That friend, Zeerid, was once a noble Republic marine in the line of duty. Now, though, he’s running spice in order to make ends meet. A young disabled daughter named Arra is what drives him to the point of skimming the law, but a mission to Coruscant may push him over the edge. Engspice, a highly illegal and addictive drug, is what the smuggling entity known as The Exchange wants him to deliver safely onto the Empire-beleagured planet. The profit will mean enough money for Zeerid to pay off his debts to The Exchange and provide for his daughter indefinitely. But the suspicious Empire, a greedy mercenary, and his friendship with Aryn threaten to get in the way of him getting out of the rut he’s gotten him and his family into.
The two threads that connect each of these characters to each other is their sense of humanity, and their journeys to finding their true selves. They each have something that they feel they must accomplish, no matter the danger or consequence; nevertheless, none of the characters are compromised because of what they have to go through. They may start down a path that seems against their nature (Aryn’s blood-lust for Magnus’s life, Magnus’s goodness towards Eleena, Zeerid doing whatever it takes to get the money he needs), but In the end, they remain true to who they are, for good or evil. And,as I mentioned earlier, there’s no noble sacrifice, no super weapons, no overly dramatic ending. Instead, Kemp seems content to make the characters’ fates more natural, more human. In my opinion, he was able to successfully portray them more as real people than epic heroes and villains, despite the various extremities of their lifestyles.
Kemp’s particular style of writing is unique in that there is contained within it a certain flair for the dramatic and the proactive. On example is the fight sequences, which read like well-paced and thought-out action scenes. Another is his treatment of Malgus, who is given presence and passion enough to communicate the entire scope of his inner turmoil and dark side power. I think that is Kemp’s attempt to convey the drive and the pain that the Sith as a culture are demand of themselves to survive and thrive. The effect can be taxing, but perhaps that’s the point. If you’re trying to become the masters of the galaxy and you get tired, then you have already lost from the Sith’s perspective. That’s the point that Malgus himself is contending with when the Sith continue on with the peace talks, even after they have Coruscant in their iron grasp. From Kemp’s writing, it becomes clear that a Sith is only successful when he embraces the dark side and all that comes with it. For the true Sith lord, peace is a lie.
It intrigues me, then, to see what exactly Kemp does with Darth Vader in Lords of the Sith (coming April 28th, 2015 from Del Rey). I remember reading a sample from Lords and feeling rather off-put by the amount of dramatic flair, as I called it earlier, that Kemp was lending to the story and to Vader. But perhaps he is merely expressing that which the “best” Sith embody: nothing is halfway for them. For Vader, especially (to whose inner turmoil Malgus’s surely can’t even hold a candle), Kemp is probably the wisest choice of author to portray the Sith most effectively.
Another aspect of Deceived that I enjoyed: It was short (only around 250 pages), and yet not too short. The focus was smartly placed with the emphasis on Aryn, Malgus, and Zeerid, all intriguing characters. The story moved quickly and efficiently, not lingering too long in any one location or scene, yet incorporated some interesting world-building. Everything worked together and coalesced into one fun, satisfying story.
I started this book a long time ago, but got interested in something else around chapter five. When I recently took it up again, it didn’t take me long to power through the rest. This was an excellent and quick read, light yet providing the closure I needed for the characters that I got to know and enjoy in such a short time. I would recommend Deceived by Paul S.Kemp to anyone who is looking for more Star Wars to read, but doesn’t want to wait for more official canon books or risk the Legends stories too close to the films’ timeline.
Sabers & Sensibility 