Review: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade Makes You Glad the Jedi Order Fell

Over the past few years, the Star Wars prequels have received a major reexamination. One aspect of the prequels that's been vastly reevaluated is the Jedi Order. When the prequels were released, many looked at the Jedi, the Council, and characters like Mace Windu as infallible and powerful. But since release, fans and creators have experimented and altered how we view the Jedi, realizing some of them to be filled with arrogance.



That deconstruction and criticism of the Jedi Order are central in Delilah S. Dawson's new book, Star Wars: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade. It's a tragic book that focuses on the hypocrisy of certain Jedi, giving their downfall even more merit. But the real tragedy is what rose afterward to replace them, along with those who willingly obeyed an even worse authoritative system.



Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade is a morally challenging book. This back-and-forth questioning and criticism over the Jedi and the Sith is one of the book's greatest aspects. Yet, it's not without its flaws. Even then, however, it's a book that I couldn't put down thanks to its plot and mesmerizing central character.



Star Wars: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson


<h2>Paint It Black</h2>


Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade focuses on Iskat Akaris. Iskat made a brief appearance in Charles Soule's 2017 Darth Vader comic, issues #19 and #20 (beware of possible spoilers in the link provided). This book chronicles Iskat's journey as a Jedi Padawan at the dawn of the Clone Wars, all the way to when she becomes an Inquisitor hunting down Jedi.



Iskat's turn as an inquisitor is in no way a spoiler. She's portrayed as one right on the cover. But one aspect of the book that was surprising was just how much of the book focuses on her life as a Jedi. It's a good majority of the book. While some may be disappointed with this -- I certainly was at first -- I grew to enjoy the larger focus on her life as a Jedi. It helps the reader side with Iskat's turn and helps readers understand why she wants to hunt them down and kill them. When she does become an Inquisitor, I found myself saying in my head, 'Good for her,' and 'Yeah, these guys deserve to die.' It's twisted, I know, but that's the book's greatest feat in that it makes readers side (to a certain degree) with the villains.



It starts early on when Iskat is just a Padawan, as all the Jedi Masters can say to her when death surrounds them on Geonosis is that 'they are with the Force now,' and 'there is no emotion, there is peace.' They can only offer 'feel good' platitudes and pats on the back. Meanwhile, Iskat and many of the Jedi question what is happening and why they're even involved in the Clone Wars, yet, they're told not to ask questions.



The Barnes &amp; Noble edition of Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade comes with a poster of Iskat Akaris wielding the lightsaber of the Inquisitors.


<h2>Let It Bleed</h2>


Even though a majority of the book focuses on Iskat's time as a Jedi, this doesn't mean the book is slow. Rather, the book feels like it moves at a break-neck pace. The hardback version of the book is 343 pages. With how much time this book covers, I wish it was over 400. It also comes to a brief end that I wish was drawn out more. Instead, it ends rather unceremoniously.



Along with that, the writing relies heavily on summary sentences. For example, early on in the book when Iskat is fighting numerous Geonosians, rather than explaining what Iskat does, it lists a bunch of verbs to say what happens. So rather than saying, 'Iskat jumped over a Geonosian, spun around, and slashed horizontally at her opponent,' it's written as 'Iskat jumped, twirled, slashed, and thrust her way to victory,' (not an actual quote, but you get the idea).



Some readers won't mind this. But I found this style of writing to be annoying. On top of that, there are also multiple one-sentence paragraphs that explicitly state what each scene means, leaving little to interpretation. Early in the story, one paragraph simply reads, 'Iskat was thrilled ... and also overwhelmed.' Granted, there is more that's described afterward, with Iskat trying to slow her breath; however, I don't think readers need this level of handholding for a book like this.



This also contributes to the book feeling like it's moving so quickly. There are multiple time jumps in the story where what occurs is summarized in one paragraph. The book is filled with many moments where I wanted to dig into what was happening and experience these scenes alongside Iskat, but so many scenes came and went without the impact I wanted.



San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover and pin for Star Wars: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade.


<h2>Sympathy for the Devil</h2>


Even with that said, Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade is a compelling read, thanks to its main character. Its central focus on one singular character -- Iskat Akaris -- and all her inner thoughts, trepidations, questions, emotions, and frustrations on her life as a Jedi made me sympathize with her and change how I see the Jedi. Then, when Iskat becomes an Inquisitor, its focus on Iskat's relief, indulgence, and bloodlust, yet underlying unhappiness, made me empathize with her as I realized she went from one captor to another.



Iskat is the perfect anti-hero. She is a complex character with many emotions, questions, and changing attitudes, but also a surprisingly child-like desire to simply feel loved and to be herself. She commits terrible deeds, but readers can still care for her as she searches to be part of a community. She's exactly what the franchise needs more of.



Star Wars: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade features one of the most compelling Star Wars literary characters in recent memory. But I also wanted, at times, for the book to slow down and for the writer to lean into certain moments rather than skimming over them. It's a shame, too, that the book comes to a rather abrupt ending. Still, however, Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade is a prime example of how Star Wars literature can supplement and even change how we interact with and view other media. It's just a shame that it's not longer.


<p style='text-align: center;']Score: 7.5/10</p>


Star Wars: Inquisitor - Rise of the Red Blade will be available July 18, wherever books are sold. Special thanks to Random House Worlds for the ARC used in this review.

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