Max rejoins Qi’ra for an all-new adventure in Star Wars: Crimson Climb. But can E.K. Johnston deliver the goods?
STAR WARS: CRIMSON CLIMB was written by E.K. Johnston. As far as I know, this is E.K.’s fourth entry in the new Star Wars canon, after her freshman Ahsoka novel and her Padme Amidala trilogy. Her previous novels I felt were subpar and riddled with continuity errors (though this is not her fault at all). So I was not expecting her Qi’ra book to be much better. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by how wrong I was. This book is a gem in both storyline and writing style.
QI’RA RETURNS!
It’s very bizarre when you get used to how an author writes. Then out of nowhere, a curveball is thrown, and you feel like you’re reading a book from a different author. The style was just so unbelievably different (more polished) and perhaps the first four were wonky because E.K. was still getting her Star Wars legs. If she continues to produce material like this, she should be rewarded with more. What sets this book apart as spectacular, is that when I was reading it, I didn’t get the modern Star Wars vibe. It didn’t go overboard with sexuality. And while it was very low sci-fi, It gave off the aura of a real story in a bleak galaxy. One where most individuals are still living like paupers.
PROXIMA AND THE WHITE WORMS
The book begins after Han gets away from the White Worms. Qi’ra is captured and dragged back to the sewers (literally) to face her punishment from Lady Proxima. Johnson weaves just how awful Qi’ra’s life is with the Worms. It is almost reminiscent of a street gang like the Bloods in the way everyone struggles to survive and there is a sense of fake comradery between the gang leader and members. I can’t tell you how many times I thought how lucky Han was to escape this soul-destroying existence.
Because of her treachery, Qi’ra is stripped of her high position within the Worms. Instead, she must live under the threat of a girl named Emma. She is cruel and eager to laud her new position over Qi’ra.
Lady Proxima is vile and plans to thin the herd (so to speak) by doing a theft operation that is bound to get most of the members killed. Proxima only values individuals when they are of optimal use for her. This basically means she likes to control children as they are easier to mold and have more energy (presumably) to steal. I was very impressed with how Johnston portrayed Qi’ra. Qi’ra has suffered so much abuse and cruelty in her short life, and must constantly evolve and pivot to keep herself alive. She has somewhat of a conscience, but as her life changes, she must slowly become a monster.
A LUCKY ESCAPE
Qi’ra “plays her cards right” and manages to save herself from death with the Worms by being sold to an individual named Sarkin Enebb. Enebb is a creep and a brute. When he takes possession of Qi’ra, he treats her like a slave who has a particularly vicious and sadistic master. I despise this being with a passion. But when an author can get a reader to have such a strong feeling (whether positive or negative) about a character, you know they have accomplished a great literary feat.
Qi’ra luckily gets out of this jam and becomes a member of Crimson Dawn, a criminal organization that operates like the mafia or a drug cartel. As time passes, Qi’ra’s conscience and softness thins further and further. But she does manage to make friends and enemies and navigates them beautifully as she rises the echelons of Crimson Dawn and becomes the personal “pet” of Dryden Vos.
DRYDEN VOS
Dryden Vos is something else. He is perhaps one of the most terrifying and evil characters I have ever read. His veiled anger that he hides behind a mask is worthy of Palpatine’s psychopathy. I was dying for more of his earlier life, and Johnston threw us the most suspenseful of breadcrumbs that had me salivating for more. I NEED a Dryden Voss backstory novel. He is just so insidious. I need to know the events that molded him into the monster he is in the book.
VERDICT
Suspense. That is the perfect word for this novel. I just loved how so many things were left unanswered and how many questions I had after reading this book. I enjoyed every character for their own unique “mental DNA” and can’t tell you how good this YA is, compared to the others. You MUST read it. It is essential reading, I feel. Not just for the lore, but for how skilled the writing is and how intricately woven the plot was.
It was simple, but in its simplicity lies its strength. Speaking of lore. I will not be doing Force Facts for this novel as I feel I can’t spoil a single moment of this.
YOU GO GIRL!
Star Wars: Crimson Climb is published by Disney Lucasfilm Press and is available to order now. Subscribe to our newsletter at the top of our homepage to stay up-to-date with all the latest Star Wars book news and reviews from Future of the Force.
Max Nocerino is a regular Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. He is a passionate Star Wars fan and loves the literature of the galaxy far, far away. Follow him on Twitter where he shares his love of the Force frequently!
