In E.K. Johnston’s Crimson Climb, readers are taken back to Qi’ra’s early days in the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn, showing her journey of scrumrat to trusted lieutenant of the dreadful Dryden Vos. While secondary characters get the short stick and the story takes some time to pick up, Crimson Climb is buoyed by an excellent characterization of Qi’ra, intriguing glimpses into the criminal underworld, and an ending which will leave fans asking for more.
Ever since Emilia Clarke’s dazzling performance as Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where her tale was left open ended, fans have been clamoring for more of the character. Originally there was Most Wanted, a novel by Rae Carson which released on the same day as the movie, exploring her and Han Solo’s time in the White Worms prior to the events of the film, as well as the film’s novelization to enjoy, but in 2021 she made quite the surprising move: returning to the galaxy between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as the leader of Crimson Dawn itself! Her story in the comics wrapped up early this year and now we have Crimson Climb, taking us back to a much different time in her life, when she’s left behind by Han Solo on Corellia and eventually finds herself in Crimson Dawn’s employ…and a tough fight for her place in the organization. Given her rather exciting and expansive return in the comics, it seemed like a strange choice to go back to this point in her story, but as she didn’t always remain in focus in the various crossovers and there wasn’t much internal dialogue available, my hopes for Climb grew as it meant a deeper look into the character. By the end of Crimson Climb, I felt my hope was rewarded, and while there were some shortcomings along the way, I was hungry for even more with how it all ends.
Johnston’s Qi’ra feels like an extension of Clarke’s performance and Carson’s work, with hints of Charles Soule’s writing of the character sprinkled in, and it’s the defining piece of Climb. It seems a little odd at first, but of all the characters, Qi’ra has probably the least dialogue, or at least it seems that way from how little she speaks. We get plenty of words from her, as Climb is all from her POV of course, so we learn why she stays silent in many moments, much like she did throughout the film, be it waiting for the right moment to strike, gathering enough info to have a leg up on competition, telling us what she sees or notices that no one else does, or how often silence unsettles other beings (as an American, I see and know this all too well) and she uses it to her advantage. Qi’ra has a lot of big speeches in the comics, and rightfully so as the leader since she needed to inspire, but as an up-and-coming member of Crimson Dawn, who must first deal with the repercussions of her near escape with Han amongst the White Worms and later an abusive gangster boss, silence is her greatest weapon, leaving beings to assume what they want based on what she shows them. This skill is vital when she comes to the attention of Dryden Vos, whom Qi’ra eventually learns is a figurehead for the Dawn, and later when she’s running it, as we saw in the comics, so it was interesting to watch her really lean into it and develop it to its full potential, all from her POV. Climb also deals with her feelings towards Han, which fluctuate throughout the course of the novel and end right about where you’d expect them, but I appreciated this aspect for two reasons: one, reminiscing on Han’s not overbearingly made part of her personality, as it’s more about the memories of him and what it can inspire in her, informing us on she is in the film and comics, instead of her being lost in some dreamy hope about him forever; and two, he’s not brought up very often, as she focuses on her future and her survival and thriving instead. Overall, this is the amount of Qi’ra I’ve been hoping to have since she returned in the comics, and because this novel ends before she even meets Han again in Solo, we might have more on the way exploring her time with the syndicate and I’m quite looking forward to it, especially with the other teases it includes in an epilogue I was shocked it was allowed to have.
The climb itself doesn’t hold many surprises, though I found the stuff within the White Worms initially more interesting than her early days with the Dawn, as how much Climb is in conversation with Most Wanted helps strengthen both, fleshing out this strange time of her life and filling in a part I was most curious about after Solo (beyond what happened next). When she gets taken away and eventually sold into the Dawn, her early days running missions and proving herself introduces a ton of new side characters which are often names and not much else, with stock personalities I quickly forgot, including the one who ends up being her primary adversary. These missions are a small glimpse into the criminal underworld, though fall short of memorable and with non-existent stakes, but when Dryden Vos finally gets involved and Qi’ra finds herself working closely with him going forward, is when Climb really picks up. The intrigue within the Dawn and seeing the bigger coalition of syndicates tenuously allied with them in a chillingly fun meeting is far more interesting, as well as Qi’ra beginning to learn there is someone above Vos, someone the mercurial crime boss is scared of even. Familiar characters like Margo and Trinia appear and get the most out of the secondary characters, beyond Vos, adding to the relationship these three will form in the years ahead, eventually working for her when she takes over the Dawn. Qi’ra’s interactions with Vos add a ton to the creepy, unsettling aspects of their working relationship, building on Paul Bettany’s performance from the film and making Qi’ra’s eventual betrayal of him in the film all the more satisfying. As Qi’ra rises in stature and maneuvers to uncover a mole within their ranks from her earliest days with the Dawn, she finds herself on a mission directly for Vos’ boss, leading to the novel’s most exciting and fascinating part. What happens after, including the very surprising epilogue I mentioned earlier, will leave readers and fans begging for more, and if it can be more like these final parts of the novel, we’ll be in for a real treat.
Here is one other thing:
- There has been a lot of comics story taking place between TESB and ROTJ, mainly with Qi’ra’s machinations, but the latest story set to explore the era is Star Wars Outlaws, the upcoming open-world video game where players experience up and coming scoundrel Kay Vess’ journey navigating the syndicates in hopes of scoring a big job. With the syndicates involved, could we see Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn’s actions impact the story overall? Could Emilia Clarke come back for some mo-cap of the character? Only time will tell, but the developers know all about the stories in the comics, so that gives me hope!
- Johnston revealed 5 behind-the-pages secrets about the novel, including the interesting reveal one character had to be cut due to story constraints…hope we’ll learn who and why one day!!
Crimson Climb starts off strong and meanders in the middle, leaving new characters largely undefined, but the stellar portrayal of Qi’ra, the rising pitch in intrigue, and promising finale make it all worth the effort.
+ Qi’ra characterization excels
+ Gains intrigue as it gets in the later half
+ An ending begging for more
– Side-characters lack personality
– Meanders through some sections
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Bluesky, Twitter @MynockManor, and Instagram @mynockmanor.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.