Title: The Cestus Deception
Author: Steven Barnes
Pages: 457
Type: Action/Politics
Time: 21 BBY

Novel quality
The first thing I noticed about this novel was the relatively large amount of pages. The inclusion of the former e-book "The Hive", which is about fifty pages, is mostly responsible for this. I applaud these kinds of extras, since they give the novel a more "complete" feeling. As the title implicates the story is about the planet Cestus. The technicians on this planet have constructed a droid dangerous enough to kill a Jedi. Because of an economic depression and the unwillingness of chancellor Palpatine to pay in advance, Cestus Cybernetics is planning to sell this new type of droid to the separatists. Palpatine wishes to stop this and sends Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto to Cestus They are to stop the deal and the creation of the JK-droid at all costs. If they do not succeed in stopping it, the chancellor will send in a battle cruiser and have bombardments take care of it, so the Jedi are walking a very thin line. As, again, the title implicates, everything is not as it seems on Cestus. What the Jedi do not know is that Count Dooku and his new sidekick Asajj Ventress are sabotaging every action the Jedi take. Put like this, the novel has all the ingredients for a classic. However, somehow the story wasn't able to grab me by the throat. The pace of the book seems a bit slow and the story feels a bit standard. On top of this I feel Mr. Barnes got a bit too creative when it came to the alien species that are described in the novel. I know Star Wars is supposed to be fantasy, but the species just seem to be a bit too "different". The last negative point is that Kit Fisto is quite an important character in the novel, but we don't really get to know him. All we read is how others see him. We don't see any of his motivations or contemplations. Perhaps this was done intentionally, but it makes his character considerably less interesting. So it is a bad novel then? Nope, aside from the points mentioned above this novel has a lot to offer. For instance the supporting characters. Both Barrister Snoil and G'Mai Duris are nice characters and they do support the story in a great way. The rag-tag army of Kit Fisto and his clones get together is nice as well and gives a view on some of the less pleasant sides of war. The novel also gives yet another view on the Clone troopers, it paints a great picture of Asajj Ventress and the story is full of deception (really ) and evil intent. The Clone named Nate or Jangotat provides for some interesting reading. He develops feelings for a woman named Sheeka Tull and he discovers a lot about the world outside of his training. Sheeka Tull manages to give him a view of "what could have been" and as such awakens a spirit in Nate that gives him more spirit and feelings than he otherwise would have ever had. Too bad the entire love story is quite predictable, this takes away some of the fun of reading it. The "bad girl" in the story is Asajj Ventress and she is described quite well. Her thoughts and motivations are fun to read and really give her character some form. I liked her in the Clone Wars micro series and she is brought to live a bit more in this novel. Although I do feel she is just a bit too powerful for a mere sidekick, which is what she is essentially. All in all I liked this novel. Although it is not as great as I had hoped it would be and it does feel a bit standard. There are enough good points in it to make it worth the time it takes to read it. But, if you are on a budget and want to drop a few of the novels this could be one of your choices, since it doesn't really at that much to the Star Wars experience.
Rating: 75/100

Personal tilt
For me this novel was a bit of a disappointment. The story has great potential, but it doesn't really come out. Especially Kit Fisto's character is kind of lame. He is supposed to come across as the strong silent type, but his silence feels more like arrogance and is supposed power feels a bit awkward considering the way he is cut down by Sidious in Revenge of the Sith. I know Mr. Barnes couldn't have known Fisto was going to be cut down like a punk, but it does ruin a big part of the strong and silent image. Although I liked Asajj Ventress a lot in this novel, she does seem to be a bit overpowered. The novel gives us the feeling she can cut down anyone anywhere, which seems a bit much. Great character though. She thinks differently than your regular Sith but does have the same arrogant confidence. Her history, although only shortly mentioned, is nice as well. I would love to read more about her. Another point is the relationship Jangotat and Sheeka Tull have. It ads to the already interesting situation of the clones and is really well written, the ending however is so corny it could have been put in an episode of "As the World Turns". Good points then? The overall storyline is ok and, although I feel they are a bit "out there", the aliens are described pretty well and some of the supporting characters like G'Mai Duris and Barrister Snoil are quite nice. The things a war does to people comes forward quite well when Kit Fisto and his Clones create an army out of locals. They are afraid, but willing to fight for their planet. It gives an extra sourness to the scene when they are being attacked. In addition the including of the E-Book "The Hive" gives the book some extra value as well. I actually thought the story in this E-Book was better than the main story. Should you get this novel? Why not, even though its weaknesses the novel is still quite a fun read, especially for any Star Wars fan. Don't expect to be blown away though.
Rating: 68/100


Overall rating: 72.2/100

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For an overview of all and a ranking see my Book review summary