I really enjoyed Crimson Climb. I've loved all of EK Johnston's Star Wars books and this is no exception. I love all the references to Rae Carson's Most Wanted and how freakin' well Johnston wrote Qi'ra and Vos. She really clearly understood Qi'ra as a character and it was great that it picked up from where we last see her with Han in Solo straight through to her rise to the almost top pre-Solo. I'm curious about all the bits where it seems to be setting up more Qi'ra and especially more Qi'ra and the "mystery" (no spoilers) leader of the syndicates.

I wanted to love this, but it felt like it was missing so much of the focus and heart that Johnston usually brings to her books.

Qi'ra stole all of my love and affection in Solo so when I learned there was going to be a book about her I was so excited! The story of how she joined Crimson Dawn was something I really wanted to see so I enjoyed reading about all of her exploits in this book. I would love to see more about what happened to her after the events of Solo also at some point in the future. Learning more about Dryden Voss was also a highlight of this book and as always I loved the little hints at other parts of the Star Wars universe!

Qi’ra has been left behind on Corellia and she’s seeing red! Or, well, she’s seeing Crimson. Read Chris’s review of Qi’ra’s rise to power in Crimson Climb!


Back when Yoda #10 came out, an issue I really liked, I had a bit of trouble putting a finger on what I really liked about it. While I enjoyed the series enough, I don’t think I really…thought about it much? But when the final issue came out, that changed my opinion on the whole series. It was a great character study on Yoda, and turned three disparate stories into deep meditations on who he is. This issue prompted a response from Coop, former admin of Eleven-Thirty Eight. He said: “The best SW stories are additive–they fold new ideas, new language, into the tapestry that can’t be undone by retcons or reboots. As long as they matter to us, to the people telling the stories, they’re still there.” And I think that helped me think about Yoda #10 a bit more deeply: when we explore Yoda like this, when we really see who he is and what it is that makes him tick, this take (even if we forget about this issue) will be with us forever.

I don’t know if that’s the case for Crimson Climb. Set between two scenes in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Crimson Climb tells us about what happened to Qi’ra between the scene where she and Han are separated on Corellia and the scene where they reunite on Vandor. This young adult novel chronicles the rise of Qi’ra through Crimson Dawn’s ranks, starting with her time as a slave and then her time under Dryden Vos’s regime. Now why did I start with the reflection on Yoda #10? Because I think the elements of Yoda #10 that really stuck with me are the elements that I feel are missing from Crimson Climb, unfortunately.

Crimson Climb Full CoverTake the character of Qi’ra, for example. When we first meet her in Solo, she’s determined, a leader, but she’s also clearly in love with Han. When we meet her again, she’s nuanced – is she a villain? Is she onboard with Crimson Dawn’s plans? There’s a lot of character work in the middle…and I’m not sure this novel was terribly interested in delving into that nuance. Instead we get a look at Qi’ra who is determined, a leader, and clearly in love with Han. Aside from a few moments at the end, where the book really begins to shine, this version of Qi’ra, to me, feels trapped between the movies. The movie’s take on Qi’ra (despite some major writing issues) still mostly stands the same with this novel. I wouldn’t have minded that as much had this novel instead fleshed out the Qi’ra we’d see later in the War of the Bounty Hunters, the one who is absolutely anti-Sith and cunning and brutal…and we do get there a little, but without this novel, I think we still have the same picture of Qi’ra. So, in my opinion, back to Coop’s point in the post on X (so hard not to just say ‘tweet’!), if this book was removed…I feel like we’d still have the same picture of Qi’ra.

I’ll explain a bit more. While we see Qi’ra’s reaction to being separated from Han, such as in the ways that she responds to people who try to get close to her and the way that she reacts to the ideas of friendship, I don’t feel like it was something new that we didn’t see in the film. While Dryden is an absolute blast as a villain – written well by Johnston, keeping some of the charm of Bettany’s performance – he doesn’t actually stand as an antagonist to Qi’ra. Instead, she had a bunch of smaller antagonists, each who are supposed to challenge her and push her, but few, to me, really end up making a huge change in her character. She does have an arc, of sorts, but it feels constrained by the film, getting her from Scene A to Scene B, rarely able to set aside its own mark on the universe.

I also have to take this same criteria to the plot itself. Does the plot necessitate an entirely new novel? I’ve personally said before that if a story is going to take time covering an event that we seemed to be doing well enough without – scenes missing from Solo, Boba Fett’s revival, I believe the story should tell a more interesting story than the one I could’ve imagined on my own. Boba punching his way out of the sarlacc seems fairly pedestrian, and feels like it could’ve been told in retrospect. Without giving away the plot to this novel, I would argue that for the most part, this also moves in a way that you’d generally expect. I will fully own that this is a personal thing: I felt like it was fairly generic, up until the 80% or so mark, but it could still work for other people!

There are a few quick notes I would also make on this, but none that I feel warrant their own paragraph. I wish we got a little more agency from Qi’ra early, and definitely more of her inner monologue. What we do hear is almost repetitive, and I would’ve loved to take a deeper look into her mind at this time. I also felt like we didn’t get a lot of development for Qi’ra’s side characters, either, and aside from some of the characters we already knew, no one really stood out to me.

That being said, I do think that there is a lot of merit to this book, and it’s the last 20% percent. (This number is a bit approximate, but I feel like it’s fair.) When the book clicks up into a major climax, it’s actually fairly interesting on a lot of levels. Of course, the part that I can talk about the least is the part that I would have been most interested in discussing! This part does set up a lot of where we go in the Hidden Empire series, but it’s also…the end of the book, unfortunately.

I will also say that we do get some insights into the working of Crimson Dawn, but even that felt like less than was warranted from a novel like this.

Overall, I wouldn’t rate this book very high, but it did have some bright spots. I really wish it had more of a hook or angle to justify its existence a little earlier, taking a bit more meat on the bones and creating something a bit more substantial. As it stands, I feel like it’s one you can miss out on and not miss a ton, but if you do read it, you’ll be at least mildly rewarded.

You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on 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.

Wow. This was just what I needed. I apologize for not getting to it sooner. I regret it now. Fun. Fast. Relentless. Just the perfect companion to Solo, which was, in my opinion, totally underrated. Johnston just nails this universe. It seems as though there will be more to come from Qi'ra in novel form and I am here for it.

Crimson Climb is a really good but brutal book about Qi'ra and her rise in Crimson Dawn. We first meet Qi'ra in the Solo movie where she is a love interest of Han early on and then he meets her again with Dryden Vos, but how did she get there and why would she have done the actions at the end of the film? This book helps fill in all the gaps and gives insight into the personality of her and the desire to survive no matter what. Her backstory is tragic and her story is filled with both good and bad, she isnt a great person but she has done what she had to through the years. It brings so much more to her character. I look forward to reading a book about her life post Solo movie, where did she end up and what else has happened with Crimson Dawn.

I have not kept up with the Star Wars literary catalog. If you include the animated series', I have not stayed up to date with the shows and I'm not entirely sure why. But what I find as I try to get back in to the Star Wars world(s) is that there are a LOT of characters whom I do not know. Crimson Climb centers on a character, Qi-ra, who has only appeared in the film, Solo (which I haven't seen) and then in a couple of books.
Qi'ra grew up on the streets, one of her best friends being a boy by the name of Han. But when Han manages to get away from the street gangs and finds his way to his personal freedom, Qi'ra is pulled back into the White Worms gang. Until, that is, she is approached by a member of Crimson Dawn, a crime syndicate, brings her to meet with the syndicate's leader, Dryden Vos.

Vos believes that Qi'ra has talents that would be useful to his organization and offers Qi'ra the opportunity to build for herself a life that could be comfortable - far from the scrabbling for scraps of food on the streets. But failure would mean death.

Not understanding who this character is and how she fits into the Star Wars universe really seemed to put me at a disadvantage. While this appears to be an origin story it really meant very little to me. Han is mentioned many times but it seems to be more to remind the reader that she's going to be important and she's had a history with one of our beloved characters. I had hoped to learn about the character if she's been in one of the movies, and I didn't learn much.

The book drags, especially early on, and in part, I think because of all the characters that are introduced. Do we really need a large supporting cast to tell this story? When we aren't spending time with the protagonist we think the character being featured will have an important role, but that isn't always the case here.

The book is meant to be a YA book but I fear that is a real disservice because it's more likely to turn YA readers off. A Young Adult who comes to this book is likely to do so because of the Star Wars franchise and having watched the films. But the films are action-packed spectacles, and this is very much not.

What I learned is that I do need to start with the films and the television shows and then, and only then, consider branching out to other mediums.

Looking for a good book? Crimson Climb by E. K. Johnston is part of the Star Wars universe, but only fans of the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story are likely to enjoy this slowly-paced back story.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book but honestly, it didn’t deliver at all. It felt messy and all over the place and I felt the character of Q’ira wasn’t the same as what we have gotten in the comics and in other stories. I’m sorry, I wanted to like it but I was not a fan.

When survival is your only objective, and you’ll do anything to make surviving easier, what happens when you have to start sacrificing others to save yourself?

E.K. Johnston’s Crimson Climb is a fast-paced tale of trauma, resilience, and self-discovery. Han and Qi’ra have just been separated, and she now finds herself back in the White Worm sewers unsure of whether she will live or die.
Her journey from those sewers to becoming a trusted companion of Dryden Vos is, truly, a climb. Until now, we didn’t get to see how Qi’ra ended up on that yacht. Now we get to see the entire sequence of events. It’s brutal. It’s heartbreaking. It’s also more Qi’ra — and who’s going to complain about that?

Qi’ra was brilliantly written here, and Johnston points to Rae Carson and Mur Lafferty for helping to expand and enrich the character in their own books featuring her in the acknowledgments. The author took that source material and ran with it, in a good way. Reading those two books and then going straight into this one, Qi’ra is the same — familiar, as if three different authors hadn’t been responsible for writing her in books. That’s hard to do, but certainly not impossible — The High Republic writers do it. We see it again here, and it’s comforting, and then Johnston gets to develop the character even further. And she does a great job.

For some context, the book takes place over about a year and a half timespan, from that moment in the Solo movie where Han and Qi’ra are separated onward — but not leading up directly to where we meet up with her again in the movie. That’s 13 BBY to 12 BBY, for anyone who’s asking.

Some of this book feels like you’re reading a video game, and I personally love that. It’s also all about crime syndicates, so if you like drama of the organized crime variety, in Star Wars, you’re going to lose your mind over this book in a good way.

I’ve enjoyed E.K. Johnson’s past Star Wars books, so I had a feeling I was going to like this one too, but I may have liked it more than I expected to. I will say that this book is more action-heavy and suspenseful than her past novels, so if that was an issue for you before, it may be less of a hangup with this one.

It’s still the same author, though. So if you’re not a fan of the writing in general, there’s a chance you won’t love this book. But I can’t speak for you personally, so I’d encourage you to give it a try.

I’d also encourage you to give this book a try even if you’ve had other issues with this author’s previous books. I read Crimson Climb with common fan criticisms in mind, and personally didn’t find the issues people have pointed out in other books in this one. But I’m just one person, so I can’t speak outside of my own experience or any further on that. Do let me know if you disagree when you read it, though. Let’s talk about it. We’re a community for a reason.

Other things about the book I liked: The characters. EK Johnston is a master at building interesting, complex characters, and not just with her main characters either. Her stories are composed of full casts of characters who work together as an ensemble to drive the story forward, and in this book, it works exceptionally well.

I loved that although Qi’ra is reminded of Han at different points in the story, she doesn’t spend the entire book thinking about him or constantly trying to get to him. E.K. Johnston isn’t perfect — no author is — but she would never let a female character’s entire personality revolve around a man like that. I’m mostly joking. But it made such a difference with Padmé Amidala in the Queens books, and it matters for Qi’ra too. Qi’ra has other priorities. Han is, presumably, safe, and she can’t afford to expend valuable energy worrying about him. She has to worry about herself.

And I loved learning more about Crimson Dawn and how it operates. There’s so much interesting lore here. More, please.

I can’t wait to read this book again someday. I’m sure there were a lot of small details I missed, since I actually could not put it down once I started (and I tried). It’s truly something special, and I hope you give it the chance it deserves. You might even find things about it that you like. You could fall in love with it. There’s only one way to find out.

E.K. Johnston has written another fascinating Star Wars novel, this time focusing on Qi’ra from Solo: A Star Wars Story and her life between separating from and reuniting with Han Solo in the film. Johnston has brought the criminal underworld of Star Wars, from Lady Proxima’s organization to Black Sun and Crimson Dawn to life, filling Dryden Vos’s criminal empire with a wild, diverse cast of characters all of whom want to survive, thrive, and succeed regardless of who gets in their way. Readers experience the uncertainty of survival and safety in this seedy underworld from Qi’ra’s point of view, and Johnston’s characters, settings, and world-building brings these various aspects of Star Wars to life through incredible detail. The characters, as in Johnston’s other novels, are the heart of the story, and she brings the heroes and antiheroes of this novel to life, giving them complex and dubious moralities, allegiances, and loyalties, and the characters bring the chaos and instability of the criminal underworld to life in the pages of this novel. Crimson Climb is another fascinating Star Wars novel, and Johnston has done a fantastic job bringing Qi’ra and the rest of Crimson Dawn to life in her latest Star Wars novel.

Anyone who has read EK Johnston's previous Star Wars novels knows what to expect. "Crimson Climb" is no different. It is a fun and entertaining ride that delves mildly into the emotions and the trauma of one who has fought her whole life on the streets. Johnston helps to create a clearer picture of Qi'ra and how she becomes the woman who will eventually betray and abandon Han in "Solo" and eventually command the Crimson Dawn into their "Crimson Reign" against the Empire. Although the book wasn't her best, it is definitely a great addition into her "Women Who Changed the Galaxy" saga. Hopefully there will be more to come.

Crimson Climb van auteur E.K. Johnston vertelt ons – zoals de titel doet vermoeden – hoe Qi’ra zich opgewerkt heeft in de criminele organisatie Crimson Dawn. Het pakt haar verhaal niet op na Solo: A Star Wars Story, wanneer ze de teugels van Dryden Vos overpakt, maar het begint direct na het begin van de Solo film. Qi’ra blijft achter op de spaceport waar Han maar net weet te ontsnappen. Qi’ra wordt door Moloch gegrepen en teruggebracht naar het hoofdkwartier van Lady Proxima, waar ze wordt gestraft voor haar ontsnappingspoging en in een nog belabberdere situatie terecht komt dan ze al zat. Gedurende het verhaal zien we hoe Qi’ra meermaals verkocht en mishandeld wordt en zich vakkundig een weg omhoog weet te vechten binnen Crimson Dawn, tot ze uiteindelijk de rechter hand van Dryden Vos is.

Over Qi’ra’s leven is nog niet super veel beschreven, we zagen haar in Solo, en Most Wanted van Rae Carson. En in 2021 verscheen ze in de Hidden Empire story arc in de Marvel Comics, waar we haar een tijdje volgen tussen The Empire Strikes Back en Return of the Jedi. Nu leren we dus veel meer over haar vroege leven. We zien hoe ze zich staande hield onder het gezag van Lady Proxima en hoe ze zich voor haar meesters altijd waardevol gemaakt heeft. Dit boek maakt geen grote golven in het grotere Star Wars verhaal, het is echt een focus op Qi’ra’s leven en ontwikkeling, maar die ontwikkeling is wel erg sterk. Dit boek is zeker een aanrader voor fans van het personage, maar tot dusver lijkt het geen must read als je niet in haar geïnteresseerd bent.

We vangen wat glimpen op van de criminele onderwereld, maar blijven vooral dicht bij huis. Crimson Climb geeft ons voor het eerst een kijkje in het brein van Qi’ra. We zien hoe de – niet heel spraakzame – dame ontzettend oplettend is en hoe er maar weinig aan haar aandacht ontsnapt. Door haar gedachten te volgen zien we hoe ze gedrag van anderen opmerkt en evalueert om daar zichzelf mee tegoed te kunnen doen. Ze is geen Thrawn als het aankomt op strategie, maar ze is wel degelijk een kundige speler van het spel der spellen, zowel in kleine als grote organisaties.

Hoewel dit boek onder de noemer Young Adult valt is het zeker geen kinderboek. Het is zelfs vrij duister en luguber. We leren bijvoorbeeld dat de Crimson Dawn tatoeage die Qi’ra op haar pols heeft, gezet is met de inkt van een Quarren. En vooral hoe dat tot stand kwam. Ook komen er de nodige wezens om het leven, en Johnston deinst er niet voor terug om de manieren waarop dat gebeurt in beeld te brengen. Zoals altijd: laat je als volwassen lezer niet misleiden door dat YA label!

Het boek begint vrij sterk en ook het einde houdt de aandacht van de lezer goed vast, maar in het midden is het allemaal wat langdradig en vooral verwarrend. We zien een flinke groep nieuwe personages voorbijkomen die allemaal niet echt interessant genoeg zijn om goed in je op te nemen. Dit zorg ervoor dat de avonturen die deze personages gedurende een langere periode beleven wat verwarrend zijn. Ik kon me met regelmaat niet meer herinneren welke namen ook alweer meededen aan een eerdere missie en wat hun rol daar was, etc. Het had het boek, wat mij betreft, goed gedaan als het aantal personages in deze stukken wat kleiner geweest was.

Ook had ik graag gezien dat er wat meer tijd besteed werd aan Teräs käsi. Qi’ra wordt getraind in deze vechtkunst, en dat wordt wel een aantal keer benoemd, maar je krijgt als lezer niet het gevoel dat het iets is waar Qi’ra daadwerkelijk heel veel mee bezig is. Terwijl ze in Solo toch neergezet wordt als heel kundig in de techniek.

Het zeven en een half uur durende audioboek is ingesproken door Olivia Hack, een nieuwkomer in de Star Wars boekenwereld. Olivia doet haar best om elk personage een unieke stem te geven, helaas zorgt dat er wel voor dat er flink wat personages zijn die een stem en accent combinatie hebben die niet heel prettig is om naar te luisteren. Haar vertolking van Qi’ra/Emilia Clarke is wel redelijk overtuigend, al komt het af en toe over alsof ze te veel haar best doet op het Britse accent. Los daarvan is het een prima boek om naar te luisteren, het tempo is prettig en de subtiele muziek en geluidseffecten dragen alleen maar bij aan het verhaal. Een groot voordeel aan het audioboek is dat de personages die wat makkelijker door elkaar te halen zijn in de tekst, wat simpeler te onderscheiden zijn als je naar de verschillende stemmen luistert. Mocht je daar problemen mee ondervinden is het audioboek dus wellicht een oplossing voor je.

Het verhaal op zich is heel vermakelijk, al had ik graag wat meer gezien dan we gekregen hebben. Wat minder nietszeggende missies, wat meer intrige binnen het criminele circuit. Aan het einde staat de deur wel min of meer open voor een vervolg, dus wellicht draait net als de Queens serie van Johnston ook uit op een trilogie. Daar zou ik persoonlijk niets op tegen hebben.

Alles bij elkaar dus prima vermakelijk en zeker een aanrader als je fan bent van het Personage of wat meer inzicht wil krijgen in de Crimson Dawn organisatie. Maar geen verplichte kost als je er geen tijd voor hebt.

Qira is back again and this time we take a deep dive into her past, exploring the years of the Solo time jump that explains how she ended up with Crimson Dawn.

Overall a really solid entry into the Star Wars YA line

Crimson Climb is set in the Star Wars universe, beginning a short but undefined time after Han Solo left Corellia as a youth. The main character, Qi'ra, is an orphan, a member of the White Worms, a youth gang in the tradition of Oliver Twist's Artful Dodger - an older, and in this case alien, leader who uses children to thieve and beg while providing nominal safety and organization. As Qi'ra ages, she notices that the older children - those approaching adolescence - eventually vanish, either through their own choice, running away as Han did, or through unexplained misadventure. While attempting to avoid such a disappearance herself, Qi'ra is sold by the White Worm's leader in partial payment of a debt; after some time with Sarkin, she comes to the notice of an employee of Dryden Vos, the current leader of the Crimson Dawn, and is moved to that organization, where she is trained and begins rising through the ranks.

This volume is peppered with Qi'ra's remembrances of Han as a child and tween, as well as his escape from the gang and Corellia, but such reminiscences are secondary to the story, and could have been left out without impacting the plot in any noticeable way; nonetheless, for those interested in Star Wars canon, they are interesting and in line with other stories, although Han himself appears only in Qi'ra's memories. Very little about the war that must be raging around them is mentioned in the novel, but what little is mentioned fits well with the known Star Wars universe, and the story should please most fans. Qi'ra is a loner, a trait reinforced by her circumstances, and one which will save her life at least once; she is also intelligent, adaptable, and a consummate survivor. This is a fun and engaging novel to read whether the reader is interested in the Star Wars universe or not, and lack of knowledge about the Star Wars universe will not negatively impact enjoyment of this story. Recommended for middle school to adult readers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Qi’ra fascinated me in Solo: A Star Wars Story and I fell even further in love with her in the Star Wars comics. The events that led to her joining Crimson Dawn have always been a mystery – until now! Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston follows on from the moment where Qi’ra’s fate separates from Han Solo’s at the Corellia spaceport. Facing punishment that will most likely lead to her death, she is brought before Lady Proxima, leader of the White Worms gang.

As this is a spoiler free review I’m not going to go into details about what happens; we already know that Lady Proxima chooses not to kill her. What I will say is that I am even more impressed by Qi’ra as a person for what she has survived, and Johnston does a great job of impressing on the reader the cruel realities of life for orphaned children growing up in the slums of Corellia.

This was very much glossed over in the movie Solo, portraying the White Worm gang as a bunch of thieves. While they are, the level of abuse and manipulation the children are subjected to from a young age is horrific, and learning this about Qi’ra goes much towards understanding her as a character. It is also interesting to compare Han, as Johnston does through Qi’ra’s memories, and how even as a youth he stood apart from others and acted independently.

While Proxima doesn’t kill Qi’ra she still makes an example of her, but Qi’ra is of more use to her alive and Qi’ra finds herself sold into captivity. It is during that captivity that she comes to the attention of a representative of Crimson Dawn who brings her to the leader of the secret organisation, Dryden Vos. At first Qi’ra believes that she has just swapped one prison for another, and tries to escape over and over again without any luck.

When she realises that Crimson Dawn is different, Vos offers Qi’ra something she has never had before; a choice. Or at least something resembling a choice. His offer to join Crimson Dawn comes with a caveat, she must prove herself worthy of being a part of his organisation. If she does, Qi’ra will never have to worry about finding a place to live, food or clothing ever again. But the more time she spends with the organisation, the more she realises that underneath all the gilt and pretty words there is just as much rot in Crimson Dawn as the slums of Corellia.

I found parts of Crimson Climb to be very interesting, although overall I was disappointed. First there’s the major plot hole. After Qi’ra’s first mission for Crimson Dawn, Vos gives her a specific mission that has serious ramifications for her if she doesn’t complete it. Having proved herself to Vos, he decides to make her a lieutenant and her extensive training aboard the Crimson Dawn mobile headquarters begins. All the way through the book we’re told how sharp and clever Qi’ra is, and yet during this training she somehow manages to forget about this important mission. It seems unlikely that someone as detail oriented as Qi’ra would let that slip her mind!

This is supposed to be a book about Qi’ra, and yet as soon as Crimson Dawn enters the picture it felt as though Dryden Vos became the focus. While it’s expected that the leader of Crimson Dawn to have a large role in the book, it felt quite often that Johnston gave more emphasis to his actions and particularly his feelings. One thing I was particularly disappointed about was the lack of detail and time dedicated to Qi’ra’s training in Teräs Käsi. There is only one scene dedicated to it, whereas we are given much more details about Qi’ra’s training with other members of Crimson Dawn.

I expected there to be more action in Crimson Climb, and the whole pace of the book felt quite slow. I really enjoyed Johnston’s other book, Queen’s Shadow, and had high hopes about this one based on that experience. What I did enjoy was the new characters Johnston introduced, and the way that she wrote the pre-existing ones. She had Vos down perfectly, and his malicious personality jumps out from the page. What was also impressive to me was the way that she got inside Qi’ra’s head as an orphan, and consistently brought her thoughts back to her origins as someone from the slums of Corellia.

Crimson Climb ends in two cliffhangers. The first is Qi’ra heading off to meet someone, and we don’t see how that meeting ends. The second is written in present tense and italics, and is one of multiple interludes outside the book’s timeline that Johnston has included intermittently throughout the novel. The final one appears to be set after the events of the Star Wars comic miniseries, Hidden Empire, and Qi’ra is approached by an unknown stranger. The way the book ends with these two cliffhangers suggests that there may be another book to come, although Crimson Climb does stand well as a standalone. Time will tell 😉

Back in 2018, Solo: A Star Wars Story introduced the fans to one of the most intriguing characters in the galaxy far, far away. Qi’ra (played by the wonderful Emilia Clarke) was powerful, sensible, and determined all at once, and her characterization was expanded upon in Charles Soule’s epic comic book crossover trilogy, War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and ultimately The Hidden Empire—which told the story of Lady Qi’ra, leader of Crimson Dawn going right up against the heart of the Galactic Empire: Emperor Palpatine. Seeing that side of the character explored in comic book format was a gift that no one expected (fans were hoping for a sequel of Solo with Clarke reprising her iconic role); however, there were still gaps in Qi’ra’s story that needed to be filled to close (at least for now) the circle. Crimson Climb by E. K. Johnston does just that.

The YA novel (although the themes of slavery and physical abuse can easily rate this one an adult book) covers Qi’ra’s return to the White Worms after she and Han got separated as seen in Solo, all the way up to becoming Dryden Vos’ top lieutenant. Crimson Climb is a tale of survival under the umbrella of two criminal organizations that can bring out the worst in people—the White Worms controlling the basic source of nourishment to make their underlings do their bidding, and Crimson Dawn being the exact opposite, giving their members everything they need (and much more) as long as Dryden Vos is satisfied with the results.

E. K. Johnston absolutely nails Qi’ra’s characterization, diving deep into her survival skills in an extremely abusive, criminal world. Is she a hero? No. Is she a villain? Not necessarily. She is just a very determined individual whose life has always been hard, and the only way out is to rise above everyone else. Her true motivations are still a mystery, but if you’ve read Soule’s comics, you know where she’s headed. Throughout the book, short interludes describing Qi’ra’s feelings for Han are sprinkled between chapters, which add a much needed side of the character that is somewhat suppressed in the main storyline. And speaking of character development, although Crimson Climb is predominantly told from Qi’ra’s point of view, Dryden Vos gets the spotlight in several chapters—Johnston truly expanding Paul Bettany’s portrayal as the villainous character from the movie onto each page of her novel.

The end of Crimson Climb will leave you wanting for more, but it’s not a critique whatsoever. The novel in and of itself is very satisfying, so much so that there is definitely room for a part two! Grab your copy of this must read Star Wars YA novel today, with striking artwork from Julian D. Paulsen!

Thanks to Disney Lucasfilm Press for the review copy of this book!

One of the final Star Wars novels of 2023 has arrived, Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston. Serving as a sequel of sorts to Rae Carson’s 2018 book Most Wanted, an interquel to Solo: A Star Wars Story, and a prequel to the Crimson Reign Marvel series, this plot and character driven YA offering had me engaged from start to finish.

Crimson Climb does so much more than simply fill in a timeline gap for Qi’ra, a relatively minor, (yet beloved) Star Wars character. It’s a rags to riches origin story that’s bleak, dark, hopeful, and wildly entertaining. With her partner in crime Han Solo offworld, Qi’ra’s left to fend for herself on Corellia amidst Lady Proxima’s White Worms clan. The balance of power has shifted, leaving Qi’ra crawling her way back to some semblance of an existence. Qi’ra’s resilience starts to pay off as she takes baby steps towards a new and improved life. As Crimson Climb progresses, readers get a front row seat to the emergence of a power player in the world of the syndicates. Will Qi’ra leave behind her scrumrat ways forever as she ascends the ranks of the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn?

In all transparency, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Johnston’s Star Wars works up to this point, however, I absolutely loved Crimson Climb! It scratched that don’t-want-to-put-it-down itch that I always crave in a book. From the very beginning Johnston took an established Star Wars character, gave her even more depth, and thrust her into a thrilling story filled with twists and turns. Qi’ra is the type of character that you can’t help but root for, shortcomings and all. She’s also not the typical heroine, with an edginess that’s refreshing and fun.

Similar to another 2023 Star Wars novel, Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, Crimson Climb isn’t afraid to delve into the darker side of things. Here, the Force is barely mentioned and there’s not a Jedi or Sith to be seen, but it’s the darkness of humanity that’s explored as Qi’ra, and those around her go to extremes in their fight for survival. Qi’ra does some truly terrible things, and Johnston makes no excuses for her gritty determination to climb to the top, but she’s respectable for her perseverance and determination. The book closes with a mysterious cliffhanger, leaving potential for Qi’ra’s story to continue (which I hope is the case).

Crimson Climb is surprising, shocking, and sure fire hit – I give it 🧢 🧢🧢🧢🧢/5 highly recommend!

I got to read Star Wars: Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston and I’m going to be honest, I was a little unsure about this one when I heard that it was going to be about Qi'ra’s time during the Solo movie when she’s separated from Han and her rise in Crimson Dawn before we see her again as I felt that wasn’t really a story worth telling, but I’m happy to say I was wrong. In my opinion, for the most part this book has an intriguing tale of crime and betrayal as Qi'ra finds herself punished for Han’s plan and sold to Crimson Dawn with her only chance of agency being to discover and deliver a leak. While that story is overall interesting, I do still find myself with some issues to this book being young adult instead of a full adult novel as it feels like Dryden Vos has been watered down in terms of how he treats Qi'ra compared to what she told Han in the Solo film. While I can sit here and say I think the potential for an even deeper story was missed by being a young adult novel, that wouldn’t be fair to judge the book for what I wanted and not what it is. So in that spirit, I’ll say this is still a good book. Not great, but also still above average and if you’re a Qi'ra or Solo fan you’ll find plenty in here to enjoy. So check it out if either of those things interest you. Star Wars: Crimson Climb by E.K. Johnston is out now.

Emilia Clarke’s Qi’ra was one of the most fascinating additions to the Star Wars universe to come out of Solo: A Star Wars Story, subverting the traditional damsel-in-distress role to offer up a more complicated character with conflicting motivations. First introduced as Han Solo’s childhood sweetheart, she eventually rises to a position of power within the Crimson Dawn syndicate – although most of this happens off-screen as the movie focuses on Solo’s own journey from scrumrat to roguish pilot. Viewers were expected to fill in the blanks of how Qi’ra went from being dragged back to Lady Proxima on Corellia to entertaining guests aboard the First Light as a member of the Crimson Dawn. While there were some tidbits found in the Solo: A Star Wars Story Novelisation, it wasn’t until the release of Crimson Climb that the full extent of Qi’ra’s continual drive to survive came to light.

Survival is the core theme to this story as writer E.K. Johnston focuses on Qi’ra’s ability to adapt to her surroundings and always come out on top. As with the movie, Qi’ra is morally flexible and is willing to kill in cold blood as long as it means she survives – Johnston emphasises this in her prose, capturing the same icy cold demeanour that Emilia Clarke brought to her on-screen performance. However, despite her tough exterior, Qi’ra maintains her sentimental attachment to Han – represented in this story by the small metallic dice she carried with her through every transition. Despite her duplicity and callousness towards others during her ‘crimson climb’, Qi’ra remains fond of her time with Han Solo, even though she openly admits that he brings out the worst in her, making her reckless and unguarded. These moments where she reflects on her relationship with Han provide some interesting characterisation and helps explain her decision to remain with Crimson Dawn at the conclusion of Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Johnston weaves in plenty of references to other stories that Qi’ra has featured in – mainly the prequel novel, Most Wanted and also recent “Crimson Reign” storyline in the Star Wars comic. This definitely gives the feel of a joined-up universe and invites readers to find the other books to see how it all joins up – however, it also makes this story feel disjointed at times as I felt like I was missing pieces due to the frequent references to the adventures in Most Wanted. Similarly, there are two moments where Johnston has a mysterious stranger approach Qi’ra – once in the prologue and once in the epilogue – and I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to know who this person was from the novel itself, or from other expanded universe materials. For the most part, the book reads well as a standalone novel, but I feel it would benefit greatly from prior knowledge of the other published works.

Taking place over a number of years, Crimson Climb details the various stages of Q’ira’s rise from slave to crime lord and as a result, the narrative seems to broken up into a number of separate-but-linked adventures. I really enjoyed the opening act with Qi’ra returned to the White Worms and subjected to the bullying behaviour of her fellow scrumrats and Lady Proxima; with less room for subtlety and Machiavellian plotting, this chapter of the story felt more dangerous and raw. As Qi’ra progresses and moves further away from her humble beginnings, the danger takes a new form with backstabbing and conspiracies amongst the crime syndicates. My favourite sequence would be the final act, which sees Qi’ra and her motley crew of fellow Crimson Dawn agents infiltrating a Jedi Temple to locate an artefact, embarking on a Raiders of the Lost Ark-style romp through booby-trapped ruins. Again, the danger is raw, brutal and immediate – raising the stakes for the grand finale to this storyline.

E.K. Johnston excels at character work, as evidenced by her work on Ahsoka and the Queen’s Shadow trilogy of novels featuring Padme Amidala, and Crimson Climb is no exception. She makes a brilliant character study of Qi’ra, giving a voice to yet another one of the iconic strong females from the Star Wars universe. A worthy accompaniment to Solo: A Star Wars Story, Crimson Climb is a thrilling Goodfellas-esque rise to power story that shines a well-deserved spotlight onto one of the more compelling characters in the Star Wars universe.

With Crimson Climb, author E.K. Johnston has taken on Qi’ra: the iconic syndicate lieutenant played by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story. With Johnston’s history of telling heavily character-focused stories in the galaxy far, far away, this had a lot of potential going in. And, for the most part, I think it delivered on that.
I think one of the most impressive aspects of the story is how well it plays off of the other stories written about the character from other authors. In particular, it does an incredible job of creating a through line from Rae Carson’s Most Wanted, set in the years prior. Crimson Climb picks up directly after we see Qi’ra get ripped away from Han in the events of the movie, and takes us up to the moment she meets Darth Maul in her service for the Crimson Dawn syndicate and its leader Dryden Vos.
Overall, I think the beginning and end of the story are incredibly strong, but it felt a bit slow in the middle. In particular, the section on Thorum was probably my least favorite. The amount of secondary/tertiary characters were hard to keep track of. I didn’t even realize exactly how many there were until the end. However, in addition to the beginning and end, which I very much enjoyed, I would also like to give additional praise to the vignette chapters focusing on the relationship between Qi’ra and Han. I think the emotion coming from Johnston’s writing in these sections is the strongest in the book.
The most compelling part of the story, I found, was the evolving relationship between Qi’ra and Dryden over the course of the novel, as well as Qi’ra character evolution from the moments we lose her in Solo. Again, I think this change is made even more powerful by the building off of her characterization in Most Wanted. There has been quite a bit more content around this character in the past few years, especially in the comic books, but Crimson Climb feels perfectly situated in the middle of all of it.
I will say, the book can be quite visceral at times. Between the description of the living conditions and reality of life on Corellia, it can be very brutal. Qi’ra lives as a victim of human trafficking and the story does not pull punches. Additionally, this book contains some of the most gruesome deaths of any Star Wars story. Although it spares some detail, the situations themselves can be pretty graphic on their own. More sensitive readers may find certain portions to be overwhelming.
Beyond Qi’ra herself, I thought the focus on the criminal underworld of Star Wars was very well done. It is not often that we see heavy emphasis on the relationships between the organizations, but this story left me intrigued and ready for more. Overall, I found Crimson Climb to be quite enjoyable and would recommend to most Star Wars fans, particularly fans of Solo or the criminal elements of this fictional world.