Next week will see the release of the new novel Star Wars: Crimson Climb from Disney Books and Lucasfilm Publishing. Below are my (mostly spoiler-free) thoughts on this release.
The character of Qi’ra has had an interesting path since she debuted in the theatrical movie Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2018, played by Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke. After that film underperformed at the box office, it seemed like a safe bet that we might not see her again. But then she became the surprise focus of a series of Star Wars comic-book crossover events from Marvel Comics, bringing her into the Original Trilogy era. And now, Qi’ra is getting her own novel that bridges a good chunk of the gap between when Han unceremoniously leaves Corellia and when they are reintroduced to each other later on in Solo. Star Wars: Crimson Climb is written by acclaimed author E.K. Johnston (writer of the young-adult Padmé Amidala trilogy beginning with Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow) and begins immediately after Han is whisked away to join the Imperial Academy. Johnston smartly leaves the young Solo behind in flashbacks and Qi’ra memories, and the novel subsequently focuses exclusively on her point of view. The first hundred pages or so are spent dealing with her struggles escaping from under the thumb of the White Worms– the scrumrat sewer gang led by the worm-like Grindalid Lady Proxima from the movie. I won’t spoil much of what happens after that specifically, but from the title of the book and the events of the film you can probably guess that Qi’ra ends up working with the crime syndicate known as Crimson Dawn.
From there we get to know a handful of other characters, mostly newly introduced but some familiar, like the crimelord Dryden Vos, played by Paul Bettany in Solo. And if you thought Vos was a prickly pear in the movie, you’re going to love to hate him even more here, as the full extent of his cruelty is on glaring display throughout this story. There is also the shadow hanging over Crimson Dawn of a secretive ruler whose identity is also revealed at the end of Solo. But the real joy comes from watching Qi’ra make the best of all her various situations as she becomes accustomed to her much more luxurious new surroundings, and it quickly becomes evident why her rise to power is such a foregone conclusion. She is opportunistic, sure, but not without empathy for others, and she makes a collection of both friends and enemies along the journey– all of whom help shape her path in a variety of ways. We also come to understand what separates her from Han as a character quite a bit better, and why they were never really destined to be together as a couple. I read through all three of Johnston’s Padmé books as they were released, and I recognized their strengths while admitting that they weren’t really for me, mostly because I’m just not terribly interested in the Naboo handmaidens they were focused on. Crimson Climb is a wholly different story, as I just dig Qi’ra as an enigmatic presence in the Star Wars galaxy, and have found her even more intriguing since her recent prominence in the comics.
My big question coming out of this book is what this attention to Qi’ra means for the potential of her reappearing in live-action Star Wars content. To me there are three possible answers to this question: either the powers that be at Lucasfilm are building up to something (perhaps Qi’ra returning in the promised Disney+ Lando series), or they know Emilia Clarke won’t be returning to the role, so they’re burning off her stories on the publishing side. The third possibility is that they’ve been testing the waters to gauge interest in Qi’ra as an ongoing concern. If that’s the case, I hope the comics and this book prove successful so we can see the other gaps in the character’s mysterious timeline filled out as well. Speaking of which (and this is the closest this review will come to any kind of major SPOILERS), there are hints at the beginning and very end of Crimson Climb that we may see more Qi’ra stories from E.K. Johnston in the future. Should this turn out to be a trilogy of novels, like the Padmé books, my guess is that means the character may be finished in live-action, but it also points toward some very well-told adventures following the eventual leader of Crimson Dawn as she finds her place in the universe.
Star Wars: Crimson Climb will be released on Tuesday, October 10th, but is available for pre-order right now.