Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade Review

It’s been quite a while since Star Wars produced a novel focused solely on a character’s full embrace of the Dark Side.

Classic Legends novels like the Darth Bane trilogy and Darth Plagueis are well beloved for their intricate looks at the inner workings of powerful Sith, but most Canon entries have treated these ancient enemies of the Jedi as more of an idea than actual protagonists. However, thanks to shows like Star Wars: Rebels and Obi-Wan Kenobi as well as Jedi: Fallen Order, another Dark Side force has risen to prominence within the Star Wars narrative:

The Inquisitors.

Noted villainess-virtuoso Delilah S. Dawson returns to Star Wars with Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade to explore and understand the path taken by Iskat Akaris, a Jedi turned Inquisitor. Throughout her story, Dawson highlights not only the dastardly deeds of these dark agents of the Empire, but also illuminates the reasons for Iskat’s fall. 

Through a combination of societal microaggressions, ability repression, and eventual disillusionment with the dogma of the Jedi Order, Dawson shows us just how seductive the nature of the Dark Side can be.

Plot

Rise of the Red Blade is a story in two parts. Despite the tantalizing cover featuring Iskat bathed in red and black, a majority of the book follows her path as a Jedi. Before the treachery (or salvation) of Order 66, Iskat is simply a Padawan eager to impress her master on her journey to becoming a fully fledged Jedi Knight.

Within this section of the novel, we are introduced to Iskat’s peers as well as some fan favorite Jedi from the Prequel Era. Each of these characters noticeably affect Iskat’s relationship with the Force and the Jedi as she repeatedly undergoes experiences that reinforce her otherness, from her unknown race to her unsettling predilection towards violence.

While all of these events are key to understanding the eventual turn foretold by the cover and title of the book, the inevitability of Iskat’s turn does make this section feel a bit too drawn out. Dawson expertly crafts scenes that reinforce the failures of the Jedi that have been echoed in storytelling for the past few decades, but without the question of her eventual fate within the order, the stakes fall slightly too flat.

However, once the events of Order 66 take hold, the scope of the story begins to fall into place. Every step that Dawson plots out throughout the section of Iskat’s journey as a Jedi becomes crucial to her evolution as an Inquisitor. While her embrace of the Dark Side does include a healthy amount of violence, there is also a focus on the exploration and understanding that she was denied for so many years. Positioning this realization as a type of religious trauma not only pushes a level of clear understanding for Iskat’s struggles, but also redresses the mission and purpose of the Jedi as a whole.

This is not to say that the rest of her journey goes smoothly once the voices of the Jedi are longer clouding her mind. Rise of the Red Blade is a solemn story that may hit a bit close to home for those that are having a particularly hard time, and Dawson advises as much in a particularly vulnerable author’s note that speaks to the care and understanding she employed while writing the book as well as a content warning for suicide.

Although some of the technical workings of the plot may have some readers wishing that both sections had been told simultaneously, the evolution of Iskat within Rise of the Red Blade presents something unlike anything we’ve seen before in Star Wars Canon, and Dawson was the perfect voice to bring it all together.

Characters

Delilah S. Dawson is no stranger to characters who demand every single page of a book. Phasma and Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire were both lauded for the exceptional women that dominated their respective stories, but Dawson may have hit her stride even more perfectly with Iskat Akaris

Taking the time to peer so intimately within Iskat’s mind may slow down the pace a bit too much at times, but that level of care creates a character whose motivations and struggles could not be clearer to readers. Every bit of Iskat’s frustration and turmoil is felt vividly throughout the book - so much so that her frustration can occasionally bleed out through the pages to affect the reading experience. Her need to understand is constantly palpable, and every obstacle in her way pushes that need to the point of disbelief and ultimately rage.

The characters responsible for her eventual fanaticism don’t necessarily arrive as fully formed as the titular Inquisitor-to-be, but they still perform their roles admirably. Her Jedi Masters take form as the cold, aloof leaders reminiscent of real world religious figures that withhold crucial information from their flock, and her fellow Jedi each take advantage of their own opportunities to push Iskat just a bit further down her path of fear and anger.

Chief among these friends is Tualon, the Twi’lek that adorns the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover of the book. The pair have a friendship that flirts with the tumultuous line of Jedi relationships, but as the cover shows, he is also one of the few that reunites with Iskat on her journey to the Dark Side. Following the pair in their parallel lives creates an intriguing puzzle as the question of their loyalty always remains at play. Couple this relationship with that of Iskat amongst her new brothers and sisters of the Inquisition, and Dawson has more than her fair share of baddies to play with near the book’s conclusion.

Writing

The High Republic has been a dominating force in Star Wars publishing over the last few years. While the constant tie-ins and overlapping story arcs have been thrilling to experience for Star Wars fans across all mediums, there’s something truly special about getting back to a book that is simply telling a good story without any additional pressures. And it’s especially nice when that type of story is written by an author so skilled at her craft as Delilah S. Dawson.

Dawson is a master of pinpointing complex feelings while helping her readers access those emotions vividly through the eyes of her characters. The reality of the trauma and hardships experienced by her protagonists can be unrelenting at times, but this raw vulnerability helps to create a bond between reader and character that is rarely found in similar Star Wars novels.

For those that prefer a bit more escapism from the world’s hardships, Dawson’s exploration of isolation and abandonment in this book can read a bit too intense, but her ability to mix that level of personal investment with earnest readability is relatively unparalleled in the galaxy far, far away.

This vulnerability also mixes wonderfully with the delightful sense of enjoyment Dawson clearly displays when crafting action scenes of rampant excitement and rather intense brutality. Fans of Phasma’s attitude towards her enemies in her own novel will feel right at home as Iskat’s blade sings a song composed with Dawson’s pen. The parallel successes of unbridled emotional openness with savage destruction are rarely found within the same author, but Delilah S. Dawson appears to access them both continuously with ease.

Entertainment

Rise of the Red Blade is filled with moments of exhilarating battle, shocking betrayal, and the full power of the Dark Side…it just takes a while to get there. As previously stated, the slower start to this book is absolutely necessary to land the impact of Iskat’s personal journey, but until those puzzle pieces fall into place, it’s a bit hard to sink your teeth fully into the narrative.

That being said, when Dawson unleashes her creative prowess, there’s truly nothing like it. Despite this being her first novel featuring lightsaber wielding foes, her skill at sculpting scenes of battle - both familiar to audiences and brand new to others - is on full display whenever Iskat ignites her blade. By incorporating duels for sport as well as those that decide life and death, Dawson is able to lead the audience through various levels of stress and stakes that keeps the momentum going once the book hits its stride in full.

The entertainment value of this book is not purely found in its action though. Iskat’s later journey to discover her true identity is engaging in a way that we haven’t witnessed in quite a while. One of the major flaws of the Jedi has always been the seeming dismissal of the importance of the family unit in favor of strict doctrine, and seeing Iskat unravel that in real time as she endeavors to fix it works brilliantly.

The final chapters of the book are also filled with some of the most breathtaking moments the book has to offer, and although the scenes are thrilling to experience thanks to everything that came before, you can’t help but wish it took a bit less time to get there.

Verdict

Rise of the Red Blade heralds Delilah S. Dawson back to the world of Star Wars publishing with a book that takes the Jedi to task over every bit of their teachings through the eyes of a woman desperate to find her place in the galaxy. Although initial pacing issues revolving around her time as a Jedi may provide a slower start than some readers would prefer, Dawson’s command of Iskat’s character and her unquestionable skill in crafting exhilarating action sequences put Red Blade right up alongside her previous fantastic works.

Iskat Akaris may not be the right character for every reader, but she will be the character for many. Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade is available now wherever books are sold as well as on Audible where it is narrated by Kristen Sieh.