Crimson Climb

E.K. Johnston is the author of The Afterward, Aetherbound, That Inevitable Victorian Thing, and other YA novels, as well as the Star Wars books Queen s Hope, Queen s Peril, Queen s Shadow, and Ahsoka. She had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she s learned anything, it s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it s about a pairing she likes. You can follow Kate on Twitter (@ek_johnston) to learn more about Alderaanian political theory than you really need to know, on Tumblr (ekjohnston) if you re just here for the pretty pictures, or online at ekjohnston.ca.

New York Times bestselling author E. K. Johnston, author of the Queens series starring Padmé Amidala, brings fans an untold story about Qi'ra, portrayed by Emilia Clarke in Star Wars: A Solo Story.

Not everyone gets to be the hero.

Qi ra listened to the dreams and promises of a boy with a reckless smile, only to be torn away from him and returned to the White Worms gang while Han made his way to freedom. Now freedom seems like a luxury she can t afford while she concentrates on survival and despairs of ever leaving Corellia. But her fortunes seem to turn when a representative of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn plucks Qi ra from captivity and brings her to the syndicate s leader, the mysterious and mercurial Dryden Vos. Vos offers Qi ra an opportunity she s never had before: the chance to build something resembling a comfortable life if she can prove her worth to his organization. With failure meaning certain death, Qi ra knows she must immerse herself in the merciless, murderous world of Crimson Dawn. What she doesn t know is just who she will be if she survives. . . .

"An exquisite portrait of an intrepid character in the Star Wars universe, Johnston s latest richly plots Qi ra s ascent through Crimson Dawn with verve. . . . A propulsive read for fans of a galaxy far, far away." Kirkus Reviews