CRIMSON CLIMB - E. K. Johnston


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.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Crimson Climb

author: E. K. Johnston

publisher: Lucas Film Press

ISBN: 9781368093750

hardcover, 288 pages

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