A young masterless samurai, a ronin, despised and distrusted by peasants and samurai alike, wanders the countryside of 13th-century Japan, a world where gods and demons and shapeshifting creatures are as real as the magic sword at his side. His travails begin with a deadly duel versus as unscrupulous samurai. He escapes with his life -- and a price on his head for murder. In his his flight from "justice," he thwarts an attack by a bandit gang on the entourage of a noble maiden. He saves her from the demonic bandit chieftain, and vows to safeguard her back to her family. It should be any easy task, until they become ensnared in a shadowy web of intrigue, greed, and conquest. A Mongol tyrant, an underworld overlord, and misguided farmboy seduced by evil, all array to bring the ronin down. Our hero must wander once again, to protect himself from the love of the noble maiden that will haunt him the rest of his days.
Heart of the Ronin (The Ronin Trilogy)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A fusion of historical fiction and adventure fantasy, the first volume of Heermann's Ronin Trilogy is a page-turning folkloric narrative of epic proportions. In a strange, supernatural feudal Japan, 17-year-old warrior Ken'ishi, a masterless samurai with a mysterious past and a legendary sword, saves the life of Kazuko, a powerful lord's daughter. Soon he becomes entangled in a deadly web of treachery, obsession and vengeance along with a bevy of conspirators, spies, assassins and otherworldly monstrosities. Though Heermann does little to push the boundaries of the subgenre, his writing style is confident and fluid, his characters well developed and his serpentine story line anything but predictable. Numerous tantalizingly unresolved plot threads will have readers anxiously awaiting the second installment in this gripping tale of ill-fated love, betrayal and destiny. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Ken'ishi is a young ronin, an outcast warrior with no master. Left an orphan at a young age and raised by his teacher Kaa, he believes himself to be the son of a famous samurai, and carries his father's beautiful sword, Silver Crane, with pride. He wanders his world (reminiscent of medieval Japan) searching for somewhere to settle, accompanied by his faithful dog, Akao and speaking with the birds, whose language he alone understands. When he flees from a hostile village after killing the violent drunkard constable Takenaga, he runs straight into adventure - the opportunity to save the beautiful Kazuko, daughter of a wealthy nobleman, from ravaging bandits and then from Hakamadore, an oni (demon) who has been terrorizing the populace. In gratitude, Ken'ishi is invited to become part of Kazuko's father's household; but when he and Kazuko fall in forbidden love, he flees to seek his fortune. Pursued by his enemies and lauded by his friends, Ken'ishi continues the search for the secrets of his past and for a place to settle down. The tale is complex and atmospheric, but wildly overwritten and clunky; the first of a trilogy, it would benefit greatly by a page-count reduction of at least half. It is hard to see the forest for the proverbial narrative trees. -- manuscript review by Publishers Weekly, an independent organization
This is a good story. I have no complaints. I haven't read a ronin's story in historical Japan before. The closest I've come is the Vagabond manga. Idea is unusual in the American market...plot is gripping, and prose is acceptable (though editing would only help). Overall, I want to keep reading the story, and would buy the book. Good luck in the semi-finals. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
This one captured my attention right away with the dialogue, descriptive wording, and the wonder of why the main character would be at the business end of a sword. I adore historical and that the main character has the ability to talk with animals really captivated me in this tale. I found that I wanted to know more about the characters, their situation, and what would happen next. While this story does use strange words and names, in no way did I feel like it required a dictionary to read. The storyline flows beautifully and really does present a wonderful beginning to a story. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
This is a good story. I have no complaints. I haven't read a ronin's story in historical Japan before. The closest I've come is the Vagabond manga. Idea is unusual in the American market...plot is gripping, and prose is acceptable (though editing would only help). Overall, I want to keep reading the story, and would buy the book. Good luck in the semi-finals. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
This one captured my attention right away with the dialogue, descriptive wording, and the wonder of why the main character would be at the business end of a sword. I adore historical and that the main character has the ability to talk with animals really captivated me in this tale. I found that I wanted to know more about the characters, their situation, and what would happen next. While this story does use strange words and names, in no way did I feel like it required a dictionary to read. The storyline flows beautifully and really does present a wonderful beginning to a story. -- Amazon Top Reviewer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable adventure yarn, worth your while,
By
This review is from: Heart of the Ronin: The Ronin Trilogy: Volume I (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) (Hardcover)
This is the best adventure yarn I've read in years. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story focuses on a young Ronin, who was raised in unusual circumstances as a societal outsider. This turns out to be a great device to allow the reader to experience everything in this unfamiliar land and time through the fresh eyes of the narrator. All of the good sword and sorcery elements are there, but set in feudal Japan instead of somewhere fantastical. Consistent with most s&s, the magic/fantasy element in the story is pretty light--while this imagined Japan does have fantastical elements (some very fun ones), the fantastical elements are not front-and-center in the story.
So why only four stars? Really only because the first few pages of the novel are a bit flawed. The author attempts to set up an opening scene with a fight, putting you right in the action, and the prose mechanics are a little awkward. Anyone who has read only the excerpt, which is the beginning of the novel, should take this into account--don't judge based on the excerpt! After the opening pages, the writing settles down and the author gets into the skillful pacing and plotting of the story that he uses for the rest of the novel. Other than this slightly rough beginning, the author handles all other technical matters in the book very well: pacing, plotting, dialog, original/believable characters, flashbacks, fighting and action scenes, bedroom scenes, weapons and lore, palace intrigue, etc. In a world full of mediocre-to-bad fantasy novels, this is a bright spot. I hope publishers will take note that this is a fine book that deserves to have the full trilogy published. I'll look forward to reading future volumes, but this was a satisfying read on its own.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent story set in medieval Japan,
By
This review is from: Heart of the Ronin: The Ronin Trilogy: Volume I (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) (Hardcover)
"Heart of the Ronin" by Travis Heermann was most enjoyable. I had just finished another samurai book entitled "The Blade of the Courtesans", so I was ready for more. Of the two, Heermann's was superior. If you like well written historial fiction, tinged with a bit of heroic fantasy, then this title is for you. I strongly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy adventure. Since David Gemmell passed away, I've been looking for an adventure writer to take his place. Mr. Heermann has that potential. This book showed great promise. I hope Mr. Heermann will quickly write the rest of the trilogy. Very highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting, immersive adventure through feudal Japan,
By
This review is from: Heart of the Ronin: The Ronin Trilogy: Volume I (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) (Hardcover)
Travis Heermann has created an intriguing and exciting world in Heart of the Ronin, where historical fiction and fantasy combine in old Japan. Having lived in Japan for 4 years, I appreciated the fact that despite being a fantasy novel, the novel maintains a feeling of Japanese "authenticity" throughout.
The overall story, following the ronin Ken'ishi, was very engrossing, and involved numerous plot twists, and characters from all parts of society. The descriptions of the battle scenes and other fantastical creatures that populate the world were tense, well-written and engrossing. Finally, the way that Mr. Heermann builds up to the future volumes makes the reader wish for the next books to be published swiftly. The last hundred or so pages, and in particular the final battle scene, were difficult to put down. Highly recommended!
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