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Star Wars. Visions. Ronin (Lucas Film)
Los Jedi son los sirvientes más leales del Imperio. Dos décadas atrás, los clanes Jedi lucharon en nombre de los señores feudales. Asqueados de este ciclo sin fin, una secta Jedi se rebeló con la intención de controlar su destino y reclamar su poder al no servir a nadie. Se hacían llamar «los Sith». La rebelión de los Sith fracasó por culpa de las traiciones y de las luchas internas; entonces, quienes en algún momento fueron rivales, se unieron para crear un Imperio. Pero ni siquiera un Imperio en paz está libre de violencia. En la frontera del Borde Exterior, un antiguo Sith viaja acompañado únicamente por un droide leal y el fantasma de una era menos civilizada. Aunque empuña un sable de luz, asegura que no pertenece a ningún clan Jedi y que no le ha jurado lealtad a ningún señor. Poco se sabe de él, ni siquiera su nombre, porque nunca habla de su pasado ni de aquello de lo que se arrepiente. Su historia está tan bien protegida como su arma, una destructiva espada roja que lleva siempre envainada. Mientras el perpetuo ciclo de violencia de la galaxia sigue interrumpiendo su exilio autoimpuesto y él se ve obligado a enfrentarse en duelo a una bandida que asegura ser Sith, se da cuenta de que no importa adónde vaya… jamás será capaz de dejar atrás los espectros de su vida anterior.
455 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 490 reviews
December 28, 2021
This year has produced a large swath of Star Wars books. I absolutely loved Light of the Jedi, The Rising Storm, and Thrawn Ascendency Greater Good. I thought that Victory's Price and Into the Dark were each a decent read, and I didn't care for Out of the Shadows. This book, however was not like the others. Unfotrunately, this has to be the first 1 star I've given a star wars book in a LONG time. It absolutely pains me, because I hate giving out 1 star reviews to anyone. I am very sparse with them, so understand that this is not a usual occurence from me.
I enjoyed the episode of Visions "The Duel" more than most of the other episodes. I wasn't particularly stoked to get a book featuring the main character, but I was willing to read it. After reading the first two chapters I instantly knew the writing style wasn't working for me. I pushed through the book because my philosophy is that you shouldn't review a book if you haven't finished it....
Even after finishing the book, I really had a hard time with it. One of the biggest issues with the book is that the writing style itself is not good. This is Emma Mieko Candon's first book, and she focuses on details that don't need detail here and neglects the important parts of the story. I had trouble following even the simplest parts of the action, and found myself not understanding entire chapters, which has never happened before with a Star Wars book.
As if the mythology and worldbuilding wasn't already difficult to understand(due to the nature of this book being non-canon and not fitting into any continuity), Emma Mieko Candon makes the decision for several of the characters to be identified as "they/them/their". The biggest issue here is that Candon also uses that pronoun for referring to multiple characters at once, and thus I was utterly confused throughout the book on which character was being referred to, or even if it was meant to be a singular person or multiple people. It not onlly took me out of the book but made it almost unreadable.
Candon also uses several plot devices, such as Deus Ex Machina, and it really hinders the story. It would be acceptable if this happened once or twice, but this happened many times throughout the novel and thus I never believed if a character was dead. The death fakeouts here were as bad if not worse than in Captain America: Winter Soldier.
I always try to find the positive, and there was one chapter featuring a Jedi boy and his Jedi Lord. That chapter was completely fascinating and had me hooked. It never goes anywhere and the author never writes from those character's perspectives. If the book had focused on them more, I would have given it a higher rating.
I do want people to understand that I am completely for Lucasfilm branching out and trying new types of stories with new authors. Some of the newer stories in Star Wars are some of my favorites. However, this book frustratred me so much that I just kept putting it down and not wanting to read it. It felt like a chore to read, and I still after finishing it don't really understand everything that happened.
Overall, I was entirely disappointed with this book. I can count on one hand the number of Star Wars books that I have disliked so much to give them a 1 star rating(it's only 3 books total), and unfortunately, this is one of them. I know you can do better Del Rey. I will continue to read your books, but this was entirely a strikeout for me. 1 out of 10.
I enjoyed the episode of Visions "The Duel" more than most of the other episodes. I wasn't particularly stoked to get a book featuring the main character, but I was willing to read it. After reading the first two chapters I instantly knew the writing style wasn't working for me. I pushed through the book because my philosophy is that you shouldn't review a book if you haven't finished it....
Even after finishing the book, I really had a hard time with it. One of the biggest issues with the book is that the writing style itself is not good. This is Emma Mieko Candon's first book, and she focuses on details that don't need detail here and neglects the important parts of the story. I had trouble following even the simplest parts of the action, and found myself not understanding entire chapters, which has never happened before with a Star Wars book.
As if the mythology and worldbuilding wasn't already difficult to understand(due to the nature of this book being non-canon and not fitting into any continuity), Emma Mieko Candon makes the decision for several of the characters to be identified as "they/them/their". The biggest issue here is that Candon also uses that pronoun for referring to multiple characters at once, and thus I was utterly confused throughout the book on which character was being referred to, or even if it was meant to be a singular person or multiple people. It not onlly took me out of the book but made it almost unreadable.
Candon also uses several plot devices, such as Deus Ex Machina, and it really hinders the story. It would be acceptable if this happened once or twice, but this happened many times throughout the novel and thus I never believed if a character was dead. The death fakeouts here were as bad if not worse than in Captain America: Winter Soldier.
I always try to find the positive, and there was one chapter featuring a Jedi boy and his Jedi Lord. That chapter was completely fascinating and had me hooked. It never goes anywhere and the author never writes from those character's perspectives. If the book had focused on them more, I would have given it a higher rating.
I do want people to understand that I am completely for Lucasfilm branching out and trying new types of stories with new authors. Some of the newer stories in Star Wars are some of my favorites. However, this book frustratred me so much that I just kept putting it down and not wanting to read it. It felt like a chore to read, and I still after finishing it don't really understand everything that happened.
Overall, I was entirely disappointed with this book. I can count on one hand the number of Star Wars books that I have disliked so much to give them a 1 star rating(it's only 3 books total), and unfortunately, this is one of them. I know you can do better Del Rey. I will continue to read your books, but this was entirely a strikeout for me. 1 out of 10.
January 17, 2022
The Star Wars Visions series takes the Star Wars universe and places it in different settings. In this case we have a setting that vaguely resembles Japan during the age of the Samurai. While as a concept it is very cool, the execution is a little off.
Let us first look at the plot. The Ronin is a former Sith warrior who is seeking a form of redemption and he runs into a group of adventurers whose fate might be intertwined with his own. As he seeks a Sith Witch, he must deal with the forces of the Jedi as he seeks to right an old wrong.
That's the basis. It sounds really cool and it could have been phenomenal. But the execution of the plot falls short without a better explanation of the world that is. The Jedi are confusing. They don't seem good and are depicted as Samurai. Thus these Jedi-Samurai serve their respective Jedi lords (similar to Daimyo in Japan) and the Sith were shown to be rebels to the system. While it never explicitly makes the Sith evil, it instead shows them as some sort of rebellion against the order.
The second confusing thing is the use of the Force. Some of the powers that would be classified as Light side powers are described with a black aura that makes little sense. In fact the entire thing with the khyber crystals, how lightsabers work and the Force itself is very strange.
Also while the author loved showing her SJW bona fides, the character known as the Traveller is some type of androgynous creature and the author keeps referring to the character as "them", which is quite fine for a politically correct buffoon, but is quite irritating for readers since the use of the object pronoun "them"-since for most normal people it means plural.
So while the setting is interesting and the potential for a great story was there, it never can seem to shed the bonds of poor PC grammar and a confusing setting that is hardly explained. So an interesting attempt and not a bad read for Star Wars fans looking for something different. Is this amazing? No. But it is decent, but the author's style leaves much to be desried as the events are rather unclear and never really get explained.
Let us first look at the plot. The Ronin is a former Sith warrior who is seeking a form of redemption and he runs into a group of adventurers whose fate might be intertwined with his own. As he seeks a Sith Witch, he must deal with the forces of the Jedi as he seeks to right an old wrong.
That's the basis. It sounds really cool and it could have been phenomenal. But the execution of the plot falls short without a better explanation of the world that is. The Jedi are confusing. They don't seem good and are depicted as Samurai. Thus these Jedi-Samurai serve their respective Jedi lords (similar to Daimyo in Japan) and the Sith were shown to be rebels to the system. While it never explicitly makes the Sith evil, it instead shows them as some sort of rebellion against the order.
The second confusing thing is the use of the Force. Some of the powers that would be classified as Light side powers are described with a black aura that makes little sense. In fact the entire thing with the khyber crystals, how lightsabers work and the Force itself is very strange.
Also while the author loved showing her SJW bona fides, the character known as the Traveller is some type of androgynous creature and the author keeps referring to the character as "them", which is quite fine for a politically correct buffoon, but is quite irritating for readers since the use of the object pronoun "them"-since for most normal people it means plural.
So while the setting is interesting and the potential for a great story was there, it never can seem to shed the bonds of poor PC grammar and a confusing setting that is hardly explained. So an interesting attempt and not a bad read for Star Wars fans looking for something different. Is this amazing? No. But it is decent, but the author's style leaves much to be desried as the events are rather unclear and never really get explained.
November 8, 2023
This proved a disappointing read. This book is the adaptation of the story surrounding the "Ronin" short video from the Disney Star Wars "Visions" series. (writing this extemporaneously, so there may be spoilers hereafter).
The video "Ronin" was fun to watch, and had the book just stuck to building upon the story line and persona of Ronin in the video, then this novel would have been all I was expecting it to be. Ronin is a rogue Sith, a master swordsman --- something of a blend of Darth Maul fighting prowess and the itinerant samurai from Japanese history, Miyamoto Musashi. Background: occurs approximately (as near as I can guess) about 1,500 years before the Battle of Yavin (i.e. Star Wars Episode IV). The Jedi and Sith Orders are much different than as depicted in typical Star Wars canon. The Galaxy is governed by an "Empire" --- its protectors and guardians, the Jedi --- who seem to operate more like members of the samurai in Ancient Japan. The Sith --- depicted not so much as "dark" or evil, but more as rebels and outcasts relative to the order enforced by the Jedi. The Ronin --- a rogue member of the Sith. So far, just an alternative take on the Star Wars franchise that had real potential to be a refreshing one.
The book could have benefited from a prologue explaining where this book fits in with the Star Wars timeline and the background behind the story. It doesn't really do that within the plot, and, in my opinion, leaves the reader grasping at context for too long as it develops.
There are too many characters in it --- it would have been better if the story focused on Ronin instead of the others. However, as a result, neither one is much developed such that I found myself little caring about any of them.
The Jedi are generally portrayed as hidebound and dense. The Sith characters are generally portrayed as not so bad. And I have a problem with that. If you're a Sith, then you are someone who has bought into the deal of utilizing passion, anger, fear, hatred, and ambition for purposes of advancing oneself. Therefore, the best you can do is write a story about them as antiheroes. Drew Karpyshyn in his "Darth Bane Trilogy" probably does the best job of mastering the delicate balancing act of getting you to cheer or sympathize for the main character, a villain, even as he never foregoes reminding you that he's not someone you should be supporting. This book skirts that --- clearly the main characters are Sith --- but they don't act like Sith. When summoning the Force, it lamely says they summon "the black current" without showing how a Sith would really do that --- with the Dark Side of hatred, anger, passion. It's like YA novels about novels about vampires depicting them more like super-fairies than as bloodsucking members of the undead preying upon the living.
The plot made little sense to me. There seems to be a quest about what brings them together, but I just couldn't see the urgency in what they were trying to achieve or why anyone should care. There are things that make little sense. For example, after a light saber duel between Ronin and a Jedi master, Ronin ends up being taken captive aboard the Jedi's star destroyer. After failing to convince Ronin to come to the light side of the force, he just turns Ronin loose aboard his ship, knowing he's Sith --- and Ronin predictably proceeds to destroy the ship. Makes no sense --- a Jedi master supposedly -- a master of the Force --- doing something so stupid. Like capturing Darth Vader and turning him loose in the middle of the Rebel base.
Then there's the character, "the Traveler". If you think about it, Star Wars has had non-binary characters from its very beginning -- the droids. And, even though they don't have sex or gender, there's been certain conventions in the franchise, for how they're referred to: the singular --- either "he", "she", or "it". It's for clarity, obviously. And in the Star Wars universe, with it's plethora of sentient alien species, there's no reason, that some of them couldn't be much different from normal human gender conventions --- you could have some that are hermaphroditic, asexual, genderless, etc, etc. So I don't see having the character of "The Traveler", being from an alien species, being cast as "non-binary" as a big deal. HOWEVER, the problem arises with the author's insistence of referring to the The Traveler with plural pronouns like "they" and "them".
If the Traveler was a minor supporting character, then that would not a problem. However, the Traveler, evidently a dissident Jedi, is ubiquitous throughout the plot, and the plot has multiple characters in it. So this makes it extremely confusing to read. In some passages, "they" means the group. In others, in the same chapter or even the same paragraph, it variously could mean either the Traveler or the group. How do you know which is which? A lot of the time you don't unless you re-read the same page to get your bearings on who's doing what. A little of this --- a minor nuisance. Through 300 pages of it --- for me, it makes the book unreadable and baffling --- especially in an action sequence --- like fighting, or escaping or something like that. On top of that, the Traveler is just a poorly developed character. For example, why does the Traveler wear a fox mask? We don't know --- and we're never told.
After slogging through this, for about the first 200 pages, it was headed to a 2-star rating until the climax. Well, the climax and conclusion of this book are a hot mess --- so that gets it a one-star. Between the ambiguity on pronouns and the characters seeming to alternate between reality and visions/ trances (?), I was lost on what was going on, but by this time, didn't much care.
So, in closing, I don't recommend this book for Star Wars fans. Watch the Visions short on Ronin -- and, if you like the character, hope that they write a better spin off next time on what could have been a truly compelling character added to the Star Wars universe.
The video "Ronin" was fun to watch, and had the book just stuck to building upon the story line and persona of Ronin in the video, then this novel would have been all I was expecting it to be. Ronin is a rogue Sith, a master swordsman --- something of a blend of Darth Maul fighting prowess and the itinerant samurai from Japanese history, Miyamoto Musashi. Background: occurs approximately (as near as I can guess) about 1,500 years before the Battle of Yavin (i.e. Star Wars Episode IV). The Jedi and Sith Orders are much different than as depicted in typical Star Wars canon. The Galaxy is governed by an "Empire" --- its protectors and guardians, the Jedi --- who seem to operate more like members of the samurai in Ancient Japan. The Sith --- depicted not so much as "dark" or evil, but more as rebels and outcasts relative to the order enforced by the Jedi. The Ronin --- a rogue member of the Sith. So far, just an alternative take on the Star Wars franchise that had real potential to be a refreshing one.
The book could have benefited from a prologue explaining where this book fits in with the Star Wars timeline and the background behind the story. It doesn't really do that within the plot, and, in my opinion, leaves the reader grasping at context for too long as it develops.
There are too many characters in it --- it would have been better if the story focused on Ronin instead of the others. However, as a result, neither one is much developed such that I found myself little caring about any of them.
The Jedi are generally portrayed as hidebound and dense. The Sith characters are generally portrayed as not so bad. And I have a problem with that. If you're a Sith, then you are someone who has bought into the deal of utilizing passion, anger, fear, hatred, and ambition for purposes of advancing oneself. Therefore, the best you can do is write a story about them as antiheroes. Drew Karpyshyn in his "Darth Bane Trilogy" probably does the best job of mastering the delicate balancing act of getting you to cheer or sympathize for the main character, a villain, even as he never foregoes reminding you that he's not someone you should be supporting. This book skirts that --- clearly the main characters are Sith --- but they don't act like Sith. When summoning the Force, it lamely says they summon "the black current" without showing how a Sith would really do that --- with the Dark Side of hatred, anger, passion. It's like YA novels about novels about vampires depicting them more like super-fairies than as bloodsucking members of the undead preying upon the living.
The plot made little sense to me. There seems to be a quest about what brings them together, but I just couldn't see the urgency in what they were trying to achieve or why anyone should care. There are things that make little sense. For example, after a light saber duel between Ronin and a Jedi master, Ronin ends up being taken captive aboard the Jedi's star destroyer. After failing to convince Ronin to come to the light side of the force, he just turns Ronin loose aboard his ship, knowing he's Sith --- and Ronin predictably proceeds to destroy the ship. Makes no sense --- a Jedi master supposedly -- a master of the Force --- doing something so stupid. Like capturing Darth Vader and turning him loose in the middle of the Rebel base.
Then there's the character, "the Traveler". If you think about it, Star Wars has had non-binary characters from its very beginning -- the droids. And, even though they don't have sex or gender, there's been certain conventions in the franchise, for how they're referred to: the singular --- either "he", "she", or "it". It's for clarity, obviously. And in the Star Wars universe, with it's plethora of sentient alien species, there's no reason, that some of them couldn't be much different from normal human gender conventions --- you could have some that are hermaphroditic, asexual, genderless, etc, etc. So I don't see having the character of "The Traveler", being from an alien species, being cast as "non-binary" as a big deal. HOWEVER, the problem arises with the author's insistence of referring to the The Traveler with plural pronouns like "they" and "them".
If the Traveler was a minor supporting character, then that would not a problem. However, the Traveler, evidently a dissident Jedi, is ubiquitous throughout the plot, and the plot has multiple characters in it. So this makes it extremely confusing to read. In some passages, "they" means the group. In others, in the same chapter or even the same paragraph, it variously could mean either the Traveler or the group. How do you know which is which? A lot of the time you don't unless you re-read the same page to get your bearings on who's doing what. A little of this --- a minor nuisance. Through 300 pages of it --- for me, it makes the book unreadable and baffling --- especially in an action sequence --- like fighting, or escaping or something like that. On top of that, the Traveler is just a poorly developed character. For example, why does the Traveler wear a fox mask? We don't know --- and we're never told.
After slogging through this, for about the first 200 pages, it was headed to a 2-star rating until the climax. Well, the climax and conclusion of this book are a hot mess --- so that gets it a one-star. Between the ambiguity on pronouns and the characters seeming to alternate between reality and visions/ trances (?), I was lost on what was going on, but by this time, didn't much care.
So, in closing, I don't recommend this book for Star Wars fans. Watch the Visions short on Ronin -- and, if you like the character, hope that they write a better spin off next time on what could have been a truly compelling character added to the Star Wars universe.
December 3, 2021
Very much an "Elseworlds"-style tale that leverages traditional Japanese storytelling tropes to bring us a STAR WARS universe unlike any other we've experienced before. The author is remarkably evocative at establishing character's emotions and motivations, but when it comes to helping the reader understand what is actually happening at any given time...not quite so much.
If you watched and enjoyed the gorgeous animated short "STAR WARS VISIONS: The Duel" I certainly recommend it, but if such content is not your cup of tea you can safely give it a miss.
If you watched and enjoyed the gorgeous animated short "STAR WARS VISIONS: The Duel" I certainly recommend it, but if such content is not your cup of tea you can safely give it a miss.
September 3, 2021
Emma Candon has written something really really special here.
November 14, 2021
I really wanted to like this book. There is so much backstory here to like. This alternate history of Jedi and Sith is a rich landscape for telling stories.
The prose however tries to be poetic and instead tumbles ceaselessly into obtuseness. Every character’s inner monologue is SO conflicted, no one’s motivation can be deciphered; this happens to the point that characters repeatedly take actions that seem random and without any real motive, because I apparently didn’t interpret four pages of contrasting inner turmoil to have played out the way the author thought it did. I have never needed to be spoon-fed character points; however the complicated phrasing and inference here makes Frank Herbert’s “Dune” look as straightforward as “See Spot Run.”
By the time this story stumbles to what should be revelation and a confluence of loose ends, it becomes so abstract as to be maddening in trying to pick out just what happened and why.
The pronouns are NOT the problem here; the seeming lack of an editor making sure a narrative bed remained visible though the current of poetic imagery is.
Maybe it’s where I am, and my focus wasn’t enough to follow the lines of meditative thought driving this tale, and I should have worked harder to make this book work for me. But I need a compelling reason to do that, and I never got it. I salute you if you did.
The prose however tries to be poetic and instead tumbles ceaselessly into obtuseness. Every character’s inner monologue is SO conflicted, no one’s motivation can be deciphered; this happens to the point that characters repeatedly take actions that seem random and without any real motive, because I apparently didn’t interpret four pages of contrasting inner turmoil to have played out the way the author thought it did. I have never needed to be spoon-fed character points; however the complicated phrasing and inference here makes Frank Herbert’s “Dune” look as straightforward as “See Spot Run.”
By the time this story stumbles to what should be revelation and a confluence of loose ends, it becomes so abstract as to be maddening in trying to pick out just what happened and why.
The pronouns are NOT the problem here; the seeming lack of an editor making sure a narrative bed remained visible though the current of poetic imagery is.
Maybe it’s where I am, and my focus wasn’t enough to follow the lines of meditative thought driving this tale, and I should have worked harder to make this book work for me. But I need a compelling reason to do that, and I never got it. I salute you if you did.
February 16, 2024
I can't help but feel disappointed in this book. I love Star Wars and the Visions series, and Ronin was my favourite of the Visions series. The first three chapters of this book are the episode from the series the book carries on straight after the episode.
A lone old warrior, seemingly moving around at random, saves a village from bandits and a Sith. Most unexpectedly, he carries the blade of not the Jedi but the Sith. Despite his best intentions, his help often brings more trouble than he saves.
The parallels to feudal Japan are done very well, and the Jedi are more Samurai lords serving the empire than monks. The Sith are more revelationists/terrorists depending on how you see them.
Unfortunately, the book was way too slow paced for my liking. The actions were too far, and few between. On top of that, I still did not understand Ronin's motivations. I still do not understand why he did what he did. The book just seemed to be drawn out for me, and usually, when I read the characters' thoughts, I was even more confused. The ending was good, and it took the book from two to three stars for me.
A lone old warrior, seemingly moving around at random, saves a village from bandits and a Sith. Most unexpectedly, he carries the blade of not the Jedi but the Sith. Despite his best intentions, his help often brings more trouble than he saves.
The parallels to feudal Japan are done very well, and the Jedi are more Samurai lords serving the empire than monks. The Sith are more revelationists/terrorists depending on how you see them.
Unfortunately, the book was way too slow paced for my liking. The actions were too far, and few between. On top of that, I still did not understand Ronin's motivations. I still do not understand why he did what he did. The book just seemed to be drawn out for me, and usually, when I read the characters' thoughts, I was even more confused. The ending was good, and it took the book from two to three stars for me.
November 5, 2021
This is phenomenal. Emma Mieko Candon TAKE A BOW. This novel was everything I needed and hoped it would be and much much more. It was unexpected and thrilling. I thought I would be getting a decent story expanding on a 16 minute short film. What I got was a deep and mystical experience of Star Wars mixed with Japanese inspired tradition and mythology with a level of mysticism that REAL Star Wars rarely reaches. This is exactly the type of fresh reimagining that deserves more! I finished this novel wanting a prequel and a sequel. Give me more of the Ronins upbringing! What happens after? More details during the war? Some reviews complain that not all of this context of before the novel is given but it doesn't have to be, that's what makes it more intriguing! There are gaps! But it makes sense why once you read.
The world building is excellent. This Alternate Star Wars universe feels close to home yet strikingly different. The writing and descriptive language is excellent (specifically how the force is described and how the force sensitive characters perceive it). What's more is the writing can be subtle, the reveals are dramatic but not forced. This is not a whizz bang boom story. Its more than that. Which is why I suspect many can't grasp it or enjoy it, they aren't used to this level of prose.
It is worth noting that this story is not technically canon, but WHO CARES. It's good storytelling. It's different and unique! Enough fanboys still read some of the unremarkable and dry legends content (even me) despite it not being Canon. So go into this novel with a sense of wonder, honestly this almost feels like something a character IN star wars might write if they wrote a book.
Special shoutout to the diversity in this novel. The use of a character with they/them pronouns was excellent and not in the least bit confusing to read.
The world building is excellent. This Alternate Star Wars universe feels close to home yet strikingly different. The writing and descriptive language is excellent (specifically how the force is described and how the force sensitive characters perceive it). What's more is the writing can be subtle, the reveals are dramatic but not forced. This is not a whizz bang boom story. Its more than that. Which is why I suspect many can't grasp it or enjoy it, they aren't used to this level of prose.
It is worth noting that this story is not technically canon, but WHO CARES. It's good storytelling. It's different and unique! Enough fanboys still read some of the unremarkable and dry legends content (even me) despite it not being Canon. So go into this novel with a sense of wonder, honestly this almost feels like something a character IN star wars might write if they wrote a book.
Special shoutout to the diversity in this novel. The use of a character with they/them pronouns was excellent and not in the least bit confusing to read.
September 25, 2021
We’ve not seen meditative elegance like Emma’s writing in Star Wars before, and I’ve rarely seen anything come close elsewhere. Full review coming soon but this is an exceptional story and their writing is pure bliss.
December 12, 2021
I’ve read most of the books published in the first couple of years of the High Republic storyline, and I’ve found almost all of them mediocre, to the point that I’m no longer continuing. But there is one really excellent thing about the High Republic: it’s keeping a lot of my least favorite Star Wars authors busy, which opens up the rest of SW writing to (dare we hope?) something better.
The first glimpse of that “something better”—or at least, something different—is Ronin, by first-time SW writer Emma Mieko Candon (who, in her bio at the back of the book, changes from “her” to “their,” which doesn’t make sense to me). The novel begins with the anime short from the Visions series; the first two chapters cover what we see in the anime. The beginning of chapter three made me sigh and almost stop the book, because we learn that the Sith whom the Ronin eliminates in the anime is actually (oh, it’s barely even a spoiler, because you can easily guess) not dead. When I read that, I wondered if this is all anyone can ever come up with for a new or continuing storyline: that no one is ever truly dead.
As the story of the novel progresses, this resurrection feels like (slightly) less of a cheat, because in fact the whole story is based on the idea of the deceased either returning as ghosts or being raised to some kind of zombie existence by a witch who seems to be controlling everything (including at least a couple of the main characters; I hesitate to say “protagonists,” because we don’t learn a lot about any of the characters, and by the end of the book I didn’t care about any of them). That plot point, along with a ship with Crow in its name, made me think back to the Kyle Katarn video games, some of which featured “Reborn,” which is kind of the same idea in play here. This novel is never as fun as the old Jedi Knight games, though.
What’s unsettling about Ronin is that it’s a little bit like the normal Star Wars galaxy, but in most ways it’s a very different alternate version. I found it difficult to figure out how much I’m supposed to be thinking is the same and how much is totally different. Was there a Rebellion in this version? Not really (so far as I can tell), though there have been rebellions, especially by the Sith against the Jedi (and the Empire? I don’t know; this galaxy’s Empire is not at all the same as in the regular canon). There seem to be hints about a Vader kind of character, but it’s not quite the same story (no Padme, and no Luke and Leia?); in fact, I think (but again, not at all certain) that there’s a scene in which the Ronin is dressed as Vader on a cruise ship; very hard to tell, but mildly amusing if true, I guess.
I appreciate the boldness in creating something new, and I have long been wishing that Lucasfilm would ditch the “everything is canon” requirement in order to allow odd experiments just like this one. At certain points, however, I wondered how much you can change in Star Wars and have it still be Star Wars. This novel uses lightsabers and words such as Jedi, Sith, and Empire, but really, this is almost not Star Wars at all—or at the very least, it would have fit better as an ancient-history setting, rather than in what I think is about the same era as The Mandalorian. Even the concept of the Force itself is different—here it’s visualized as a white flare and a black current, either of which (or both in balance) can be wielded by Jedi or Sith. Interesting maybe, but it’s like redesigning the whole mythology.
Candon’s writing style is also a lot different from other Star Wars authors. It is consistently, relentlessly dour and understated. It fits what we see in the anime and what we assume of the title character. But that strength of a different kind of Star Wars writing becomes a weakness when it is so dreary and slow, and too often very hard to figure out what’s going on in the story. I think I’m a pretty perceptive reader, but this book was a challenge. “Wait...why are they going into the cave? Ohhh yeah, it’s to retrieve some relic or something. But wait...why do they need the relic? And hey, now we find out it’s not even in the cave! Was there some point to all of this?” Lots and lots of confusion about characters’ motives and basic plot details, from start to finish. I found it initially intriguing, but quickly rather tedious. I wish I loved the novel more than I did, because I appreciate that it’s generally a step in the right direction.
It’s a hard book for me to have a firm opinion about. I like it inasmuch as it opens the way to other books that give a more coherent alternate Star Wars galaxy. But I’m not at all interested in more books about these characters, and not very eager for more Star Wars books by Candon.
The first glimpse of that “something better”—or at least, something different—is Ronin, by first-time SW writer Emma Mieko Candon (who, in her bio at the back of the book, changes from “her” to “their,” which doesn’t make sense to me). The novel begins with the anime short from the Visions series; the first two chapters cover what we see in the anime. The beginning of chapter three made me sigh and almost stop the book, because we learn that the Sith whom the Ronin eliminates in the anime is actually (oh, it’s barely even a spoiler, because you can easily guess) not dead. When I read that, I wondered if this is all anyone can ever come up with for a new or continuing storyline: that no one is ever truly dead.
As the story of the novel progresses, this resurrection feels like (slightly) less of a cheat, because in fact the whole story is based on the idea of the deceased either returning as ghosts or being raised to some kind of zombie existence by a witch who seems to be controlling everything (including at least a couple of the main characters; I hesitate to say “protagonists,” because we don’t learn a lot about any of the characters, and by the end of the book I didn’t care about any of them). That plot point, along with a ship with Crow in its name, made me think back to the Kyle Katarn video games, some of which featured “Reborn,” which is kind of the same idea in play here. This novel is never as fun as the old Jedi Knight games, though.
What’s unsettling about Ronin is that it’s a little bit like the normal Star Wars galaxy, but in most ways it’s a very different alternate version. I found it difficult to figure out how much I’m supposed to be thinking is the same and how much is totally different. Was there a Rebellion in this version? Not really (so far as I can tell), though there have been rebellions, especially by the Sith against the Jedi (and the Empire? I don’t know; this galaxy’s Empire is not at all the same as in the regular canon). There seem to be hints about a Vader kind of character, but it’s not quite the same story (no Padme, and no Luke and Leia?); in fact, I think (but again, not at all certain) that there’s a scene in which the Ronin is dressed as Vader on a cruise ship; very hard to tell, but mildly amusing if true, I guess.
I appreciate the boldness in creating something new, and I have long been wishing that Lucasfilm would ditch the “everything is canon” requirement in order to allow odd experiments just like this one. At certain points, however, I wondered how much you can change in Star Wars and have it still be Star Wars. This novel uses lightsabers and words such as Jedi, Sith, and Empire, but really, this is almost not Star Wars at all—or at the very least, it would have fit better as an ancient-history setting, rather than in what I think is about the same era as The Mandalorian. Even the concept of the Force itself is different—here it’s visualized as a white flare and a black current, either of which (or both in balance) can be wielded by Jedi or Sith. Interesting maybe, but it’s like redesigning the whole mythology.
Candon’s writing style is also a lot different from other Star Wars authors. It is consistently, relentlessly dour and understated. It fits what we see in the anime and what we assume of the title character. But that strength of a different kind of Star Wars writing becomes a weakness when it is so dreary and slow, and too often very hard to figure out what’s going on in the story. I think I’m a pretty perceptive reader, but this book was a challenge. “Wait...why are they going into the cave? Ohhh yeah, it’s to retrieve some relic or something. But wait...why do they need the relic? And hey, now we find out it’s not even in the cave! Was there some point to all of this?” Lots and lots of confusion about characters’ motives and basic plot details, from start to finish. I found it initially intriguing, but quickly rather tedious. I wish I loved the novel more than I did, because I appreciate that it’s generally a step in the right direction.
It’s a hard book for me to have a firm opinion about. I like it inasmuch as it opens the way to other books that give a more coherent alternate Star Wars galaxy. But I’m not at all interested in more books about these characters, and not very eager for more Star Wars books by Candon.
October 14, 2021
5/5 for the diversity alone tbh
February 2, 2022
A fun book, but nothing really outstanding. I would only really recommend this to die hard Star Wars fans
Want to read
November 9, 2021For some reason I thought this was a manga, but apparently it's an alternate universe novel which sounds even better. I really enjoyed THE DUEL and the world it set up, can't wait to see it explored more!
December 11, 2021
Confusing mess
This book is a mess. It's very hard to follow due to poor writing, and the use of they/them is done in a way that confuses the reader as to whom it is referring to. Go woke, go broke.
This book is a mess. It's very hard to follow due to poor writing, and the use of they/them is done in a way that confuses the reader as to whom it is referring to. Go woke, go broke.
October 6, 2021
Star Wars: Ronin was written by Emma Mieko Candon. Ronin is Emma's debut novel. It was published by Del Rey (thanks for this copy) and ties in to the Disney Plus series, Visions.
SUMMARY:
An old man is haunted by a voice in his head. He has lived a long, hard life. Events unfold in a manner he never expected, when he witnesses a slain warrior rise from the dead. It's brought to light that a Sith witch has been resurrecting the dead to do her bidding. The Ronin and a band of unusual folks make it their mission to find the witch who's creating her demonic army, and sever the strings of her dark puppetry.
This band of warriors will face many trials, some will be victorious, some will be overcome with grief. This quest may also bring to light answers as to what happened to the beautiful planet Rei'izu, which vanished after the great war between the Sith and Jedi.
In this tale, lore of the force and those that wield it altered in a way reader's have never witnessed.
CHARACTER:
Ekiya: She's the pilot of the Poor Crow, the most down to earth of the characters. She's not afraid to tell people how things are going to be on her ship. When tensions rise between bickering force users, she'll tell them to shut it. In her youth she was forced to fight in a war she wanted nothing to do with. She lost so much that was dear to her. She holds pins her anger on the Sith and the Jedi.
The Ronin: He's a seasoned warrior, of both light and the dark. In his youth he served the Jedi. Yet, he eventually abandoned the the Jedi and Empire, to serve his own desires. He and the woman he loved, sought out the Mirror of the Shinsui Temple, which was said to give visions that would fulfill their desires. This led to a great war on the planet Rei'izu. Now, in his old age, he is alone but not alone, a voice in his head guides him. It guides him into danger, to duel with Sith warriors. But... this voice isn't singular to just the Ronin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This book, I have mixed feelings about it. Most of what's in this story I absolutely enjoyed. We have a wonderful adventure full of obstacles, with pain and suffering, there is mystery, hope, betrayal, and mysticism.
The novel takes an alternate path from what we know as canon. Emma tells a unique story, that does have familiar tones that we've witnessed in Star Wars, but it's also so very different. This story, this galaxy of Star Wars, is a version we have't seen. The Empire rules the galaxy, but it's not the Empire we know of in current canon or the Expanded Universe/Legends Empire. The Jedi are its warriors, they are divided into clans and ruled by Jedi lords that serve princes of the Empire.
Emma's writing style is nice, it's not a style I recognize in the other Star Wars books, so that's great, it reads more like a fantasy than a science fiction book, which is the style I prefer. The plot was great and the twists were decent. As a tale that isn't part of the canon timeline, it definitely works as a stand alone novel that brings in its own lore and could potentially spark a new line of canon in an alternate Star Wars universe.
The negative that I have... I hope you actually hear me out on this, I do not like the use of the pronoun they/them/their. I found it EXTREMELY difficult to follow some situations and got very confused when a group of characters were talking amongst each other. The shift of they or their between an individual and individuals was making my head spin. I also don't understand how a character is known to be identified as this, when another character comes along and refers to that character as a they/them/their... I can't find the logic in it. However, this character was very interesting and mysterious. I just wish so much about the character didn't confuse me.
RATING: I will give Star Wars: Ronin a ( B - ). I loved the writing style and the plot, but the confusion that disrupted my brain while reading a particular character brought the rating down.
This novel will be released October 12th 2021.
SUMMARY:
An old man is haunted by a voice in his head. He has lived a long, hard life. Events unfold in a manner he never expected, when he witnesses a slain warrior rise from the dead. It's brought to light that a Sith witch has been resurrecting the dead to do her bidding. The Ronin and a band of unusual folks make it their mission to find the witch who's creating her demonic army, and sever the strings of her dark puppetry.
This band of warriors will face many trials, some will be victorious, some will be overcome with grief. This quest may also bring to light answers as to what happened to the beautiful planet Rei'izu, which vanished after the great war between the Sith and Jedi.
In this tale, lore of the force and those that wield it altered in a way reader's have never witnessed.
CHARACTER:
Ekiya: She's the pilot of the Poor Crow, the most down to earth of the characters. She's not afraid to tell people how things are going to be on her ship. When tensions rise between bickering force users, she'll tell them to shut it. In her youth she was forced to fight in a war she wanted nothing to do with. She lost so much that was dear to her. She holds pins her anger on the Sith and the Jedi.
The Ronin: He's a seasoned warrior, of both light and the dark. In his youth he served the Jedi. Yet, he eventually abandoned the the Jedi and Empire, to serve his own desires. He and the woman he loved, sought out the Mirror of the Shinsui Temple, which was said to give visions that would fulfill their desires. This led to a great war on the planet Rei'izu. Now, in his old age, he is alone but not alone, a voice in his head guides him. It guides him into danger, to duel with Sith warriors. But... this voice isn't singular to just the Ronin.
OVERALL THOUGHTS:
This book, I have mixed feelings about it. Most of what's in this story I absolutely enjoyed. We have a wonderful adventure full of obstacles, with pain and suffering, there is mystery, hope, betrayal, and mysticism.
The novel takes an alternate path from what we know as canon. Emma tells a unique story, that does have familiar tones that we've witnessed in Star Wars, but it's also so very different. This story, this galaxy of Star Wars, is a version we have't seen. The Empire rules the galaxy, but it's not the Empire we know of in current canon or the Expanded Universe/Legends Empire. The Jedi are its warriors, they are divided into clans and ruled by Jedi lords that serve princes of the Empire.
Emma's writing style is nice, it's not a style I recognize in the other Star Wars books, so that's great, it reads more like a fantasy than a science fiction book, which is the style I prefer. The plot was great and the twists were decent. As a tale that isn't part of the canon timeline, it definitely works as a stand alone novel that brings in its own lore and could potentially spark a new line of canon in an alternate Star Wars universe.
The negative that I have... I hope you actually hear me out on this, I do not like the use of the pronoun they/them/their. I found it EXTREMELY difficult to follow some situations and got very confused when a group of characters were talking amongst each other. The shift of they or their between an individual and individuals was making my head spin. I also don't understand how a character is known to be identified as this, when another character comes along and refers to that character as a they/them/their... I can't find the logic in it. However, this character was very interesting and mysterious. I just wish so much about the character didn't confuse me.
RATING: I will give Star Wars: Ronin a ( B - ). I loved the writing style and the plot, but the confusion that disrupted my brain while reading a particular character brought the rating down.
This novel will be released October 12th 2021.
October 16, 2021
Over the past year, the team at Lucasfilm has been putting out an exceptional amount of quality programming—from television series like The Mandalorian to the expansive universe of The High Republic, to Tales From Galaxy’s Edge, and most recently Star Wars: Visions. Visions provided audiences with a rare look at how Star Wars could be approached through an authentic Japanese lens, rather than just indulging in stories that borrowed heavily from their storytelling styles.
Star Wars: Visions was a collection of nine shorts created by seven legendary anime studios and the first short, “The Duel,” which was produced by Kamikaze Douga, ended up inspiring the first—but hopefully not the last—novel tie-in story for the anthology. Star Wars Visions: Ronin is Emma Mieko Candon’s debut novel, but they are certainly no stranger to the sci-fi genre as their upcoming original work The Archive Undying (which they were shopping around when they landed Ronin) is also a sci-fi novel.
Star Wars Visions: Ronin is a truly interesting addition to the Star Wars library because it has the potential to stand solely on its own and appeal to avid sci-fi readers who may not consider themselves the biggest Star Wars fans. Oftentimes Star Wars leans heavily into the fantasy, situating it at odds with other science fiction mediums like Star Trek, yet Star Wars Visions: Ronin manages to feel like a more perfect blend of Japanese culture, science fiction, and a philosophical nature that Star Wars has never quite perfected before.
One of the most interesting elements of Ronin is the blurred line between the Sith and the Jedi which stands in stark contrast with how the power struggle has been previously explored within the Star Wars universe. The titular character—the Ronin—is named for the Japanese phrase which means “a vagrant samurai without a master,” and within the context of Ronin, he is a former Sith that wanders the galaxy with a mission to overthrow the Jedi clans who serve the Empire.
Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm
The first few chapters of Ronin may feel like déjà vu if you have already watched “The Duel” (which you should do before reading) but then Candon takes off in her own direction, navigating a story alongside both the Ronin and his astromech droid B5-56 and the fierce Sith Bandit Kouru, who survives her violent clash with the Ronin. Kouru and the Ronin are both driven by the same mysterious voices that echoes through their minds, guiding and chastising them at every turn. Both characters are given thorough and ample time to grow, explore past trauma, and by the end of the novel, they forge a path forward into some really fascinating storytelling.
Star Wars Visions: Ronin is unlike any other Star Wars story that has come before, delivering an expansive and epic slow-burn science fiction tale that goes where Star Wars has never gone before. Hopefully, it is the first in a long line of tie-in novels for the Star Wars: Visions shorts, as there are so many stories left to be told and I hope more authors of Japanese descent are given the opportunity to tell those stories. It is impressive that Candon was able to take a thirteen-minute short and create a novel filled with twists and turns and a rich lore that is distinctly its own.
Throw out your preconceived notions of Star Wars canon and surrender to a Star Wars story that is unlike any other tale told within the franchise. Candon breathes new life into a galaxy far, far away, filling it with rich mythology and gorgeous scenery, while striking right at the heart of what Star Wars always could be with its borrowed thematic elements.
Star Wars: Visions was a collection of nine shorts created by seven legendary anime studios and the first short, “The Duel,” which was produced by Kamikaze Douga, ended up inspiring the first—but hopefully not the last—novel tie-in story for the anthology. Star Wars Visions: Ronin is Emma Mieko Candon’s debut novel, but they are certainly no stranger to the sci-fi genre as their upcoming original work The Archive Undying (which they were shopping around when they landed Ronin) is also a sci-fi novel.
Star Wars Visions: Ronin is a truly interesting addition to the Star Wars library because it has the potential to stand solely on its own and appeal to avid sci-fi readers who may not consider themselves the biggest Star Wars fans. Oftentimes Star Wars leans heavily into the fantasy, situating it at odds with other science fiction mediums like Star Trek, yet Star Wars Visions: Ronin manages to feel like a more perfect blend of Japanese culture, science fiction, and a philosophical nature that Star Wars has never quite perfected before.
One of the most interesting elements of Ronin is the blurred line between the Sith and the Jedi which stands in stark contrast with how the power struggle has been previously explored within the Star Wars universe. The titular character—the Ronin—is named for the Japanese phrase which means “a vagrant samurai without a master,” and within the context of Ronin, he is a former Sith that wanders the galaxy with a mission to overthrow the Jedi clans who serve the Empire.
Courtesy of Disney/Lucasfilm
The first few chapters of Ronin may feel like déjà vu if you have already watched “The Duel” (which you should do before reading) but then Candon takes off in her own direction, navigating a story alongside both the Ronin and his astromech droid B5-56 and the fierce Sith Bandit Kouru, who survives her violent clash with the Ronin. Kouru and the Ronin are both driven by the same mysterious voices that echoes through their minds, guiding and chastising them at every turn. Both characters are given thorough and ample time to grow, explore past trauma, and by the end of the novel, they forge a path forward into some really fascinating storytelling.
Star Wars Visions: Ronin is unlike any other Star Wars story that has come before, delivering an expansive and epic slow-burn science fiction tale that goes where Star Wars has never gone before. Hopefully, it is the first in a long line of tie-in novels for the Star Wars: Visions shorts, as there are so many stories left to be told and I hope more authors of Japanese descent are given the opportunity to tell those stories. It is impressive that Candon was able to take a thirteen-minute short and create a novel filled with twists and turns and a rich lore that is distinctly its own.
Throw out your preconceived notions of Star Wars canon and surrender to a Star Wars story that is unlike any other tale told within the franchise. Candon breathes new life into a galaxy far, far away, filling it with rich mythology and gorgeous scenery, while striking right at the heart of what Star Wars always could be with its borrowed thematic elements.
October 21, 2021
So it starts off pretty well with a nice recap of the episode. Once he falls in with his
Companions it all fell downhill for me. The traveler was cool but i had issue with the whole them/their shenanigans when after he sees her face he calls her a her. Getting tired of the “woke” culture in star wars lately. Just make good characters and story for the love of god.
The story itself was decent but the transitions from one area to the next were terrible that half the time i
Couldnt follow what was going on. Lots of people that “died” start showing up and i couldnt tell if they were visions or what.
The daughter reveal instead of being the witch was a nice touch as it mirrors episode 5’s “I AM YOUR FATHER” scene really well.
But it also didnt really explain enough about why the mirror was important and how she got into it other than she found the pieces as a baby and fixed it. The story is so incohesive that im surprised i
Finished. I also am getting tired of characters that are just a small side thing that end up blowing up into WE GOTTA SAVE THE WORLD! when they really wouldnt and they definitely wouldnt team up with eachother. I also had no idea why theyre supposed to be the good guys when theyre still calling themselves sith. Makes no sense.
I wanted to love this book but i got angrier the more i thought about it.
Companions it all fell downhill for me. The traveler was cool but i had issue with the whole them/their shenanigans when after he sees her face he calls her a her. Getting tired of the “woke” culture in star wars lately. Just make good characters and story for the love of god.
The story itself was decent but the transitions from one area to the next were terrible that half the time i
Couldnt follow what was going on. Lots of people that “died” start showing up and i couldnt tell if they were visions or what.
The daughter reveal instead of being the witch was a nice touch as it mirrors episode 5’s “I AM YOUR FATHER” scene really well.
But it also didnt really explain enough about why the mirror was important and how she got into it other than she found the pieces as a baby and fixed it. The story is so incohesive that im surprised i
Finished. I also am getting tired of characters that are just a small side thing that end up blowing up into WE GOTTA SAVE THE WORLD! when they really wouldnt and they definitely wouldnt team up with eachother. I also had no idea why theyre supposed to be the good guys when theyre still calling themselves sith. Makes no sense.
I wanted to love this book but i got angrier the more i thought about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2021
I wanted to like this book.
I expected to like this book.
I even recommended the digital audiobook to my library’s OverDrive Media.
And when I got the e-mail notification alerting me that it was ready to be borrowed, I thought it would serve as a comfort read because of everything that had happened last month.
It proved to be anything but a comfort read.
I should have dnf’d, but a part of me felt like I was obligated to finish it because I used my month’s recommendation pick for it.
I expected to like this book.
I even recommended the digital audiobook to my library’s OverDrive Media.
And when I got the e-mail notification alerting me that it was ready to be borrowed, I thought it would serve as a comfort read because of everything that had happened last month.
It proved to be anything but a comfort read.
I should have dnf’d, but a part of me felt like I was obligated to finish it because I used my month’s recommendation pick for it.
Read
October 18, 2021This is the first book I have not finished in quite awhile. I simply could not get into it, made it about halfway.
January 5, 2022
I liked it. Several reviews mention this story is not canon. So what? Once Disney took over it is difficult to remember what is or is not canon. For me, I am not into the last 3 Star War movies that took the story away from the Skywalkers and shifted instead to the evil emperor/Sith.
I bought this book solely based on the cover. I saw a Ronin on the cover with a red lightsaber. And, the words "Star Wars". I was intrigued enough to look into it. At that time I had not yet seen the Disney+ series "Visions" featuring "Duel". I have since watched it and loved it.
I thought Emma did a great job on her first novel. I am mostly an e-book reader now, so to get me to buy a hardback is a big deal, especially a NEW hardback.
I liked many of the characters, especially Ronin and the Traveler(Fox). I had no problem with Emma referring to the Traveler as they/their. Kind of "their" niche.
I am a long time Star Wars junkie and I enjoyed reading this book.
I bought this book solely based on the cover. I saw a Ronin on the cover with a red lightsaber. And, the words "Star Wars". I was intrigued enough to look into it. At that time I had not yet seen the Disney+ series "Visions" featuring "Duel". I have since watched it and loved it.
I thought Emma did a great job on her first novel. I am mostly an e-book reader now, so to get me to buy a hardback is a big deal, especially a NEW hardback.
I liked many of the characters, especially Ronin and the Traveler(Fox). I had no problem with Emma referring to the Traveler as they/their. Kind of "their" niche.
I am a long time Star Wars junkie and I enjoyed reading this book.
November 6, 2021
This is too esoteric - even for being Non-Canon - the Jedi are not feudal masters. And the author can't plot except mystery, cliffhanger, and overly-flowery prose. Who thought it was a good idea to green-light this?
November 3, 2021
- *As per all of my reviews, I like to preface by saying that I listened to this book in audiobook format. This does indeed slightly skew my rating. I have found that audiobooks, give me a better "relationship" with the characters if done well, but also kills the book for me if narrated poorly. Also due to the nature of listening to the text, names and places may be spelled incorrectly here as I often do not have the physical volume in front of me.
Also, I have written this review in a "rolling updates" style. In that I basically chronicle my reading as I progress. This may make for a jarring and spoilery review so be warned.**
After being cautiously eager for Star Wars Visions, the first short "The Duel" took my breath away. I truly feel this is the highlight of all of the Visions episodes. So when the Ronin book was announced along side it, I thrilled. The story is caught like in true star wars fashion, in the middle of a character's journey. The visual style of The Duel, in which this book is based on, is a pure unabashed love letter to Akira Kurasawa. Shot for shot it's straight out of The Hidden Fortress or Seven Samurai. To put it short...it looks amazing. So as I start the book, I was a bit surprised to see that the entire animated short, makes up just the first few chapters of the book. The entire rest of the book will be all new content, so that's wonderful.
So I feel a main complaint I have about this already... The writer is trying to almost come up with reasons why things are very "Japanese" feeling. Instead of going on a limb and just keeping the differences standing on their own. For example, in the animated short, the Ronin's saber is not shown to turn off, it just slides into his scabbard. Which I liked, I would have liked to see that be just how sabers work in this world. But instead we get the reason now that his was broken...
I don't know what it is recently with Star Wars books and me...Even something as unique and different like this, it just doesn't hold my interest. I find my mind wandering and I get lost, so then chapters later I have little idea what is going on. Normally I can hyperfocus on a story but these books I'm just so checked out of. I really really want to love this book and the style, but it's just so..abstract. I guess what I'm feeling is I don't know what the motivations are of the characters, no one has names and I'm unclear as to how much is the same or now different than the source material. I'm trying to go with the flow here and just let it tell it's tale, but I"m having a hard time with that even.
What I will say is that it does set up a pretty harsh lined narrative of the Jedi. Here in this universe the Jedi serve lords in the Empire. And the Sith were merely Jedi who abandoned the Empire and looked to serve their own. This led to a large war internally however. The idea of the Force also becomes more of a spectrum in the novel with dueling and complementing "black currents" and "white flares". I like this idea of giving them a Ying/Yang narrative instead of just the Dark side and Light side. It's the same idea just with a bit more of an organic name. It's also really weird to hear the darkside imperial march used for the Jedi...
I just can not get into this book.. the Ronin's dialogue really grates on me for being this stereotypical, overly stoic, "let me speak in dramatic deep philosophy". There's a difference between making a character quiet and stoic and just making it annoyingly slow, stilted and non sensical. So few conversations can just flow naturally. Everything has to be this confusing, and over the top emotion. I feel like people are going to rave and say they loved this book because it's 'deep' and different and Japanese themed..but is it...? Perhaps, but I found it to be so dull and wrapped up in it's own prose, that I could not discern any enjoyable story here..
Also, I have written this review in a "rolling updates" style. In that I basically chronicle my reading as I progress. This may make for a jarring and spoilery review so be warned.**
After being cautiously eager for Star Wars Visions, the first short "The Duel" took my breath away. I truly feel this is the highlight of all of the Visions episodes. So when the Ronin book was announced along side it, I thrilled. The story is caught like in true star wars fashion, in the middle of a character's journey. The visual style of The Duel, in which this book is based on, is a pure unabashed love letter to Akira Kurasawa. Shot for shot it's straight out of The Hidden Fortress or Seven Samurai. To put it short...it looks amazing. So as I start the book, I was a bit surprised to see that the entire animated short, makes up just the first few chapters of the book. The entire rest of the book will be all new content, so that's wonderful.
So I feel a main complaint I have about this already... The writer is trying to almost come up with reasons why things are very "Japanese" feeling. Instead of going on a limb and just keeping the differences standing on their own. For example, in the animated short, the Ronin's saber is not shown to turn off, it just slides into his scabbard. Which I liked, I would have liked to see that be just how sabers work in this world. But instead we get the reason now that his was broken...
I don't know what it is recently with Star Wars books and me...Even something as unique and different like this, it just doesn't hold my interest. I find my mind wandering and I get lost, so then chapters later I have little idea what is going on. Normally I can hyperfocus on a story but these books I'm just so checked out of. I really really want to love this book and the style, but it's just so..abstract. I guess what I'm feeling is I don't know what the motivations are of the characters, no one has names and I'm unclear as to how much is the same or now different than the source material. I'm trying to go with the flow here and just let it tell it's tale, but I"m having a hard time with that even.
What I will say is that it does set up a pretty harsh lined narrative of the Jedi. Here in this universe the Jedi serve lords in the Empire. And the Sith were merely Jedi who abandoned the Empire and looked to serve their own. This led to a large war internally however. The idea of the Force also becomes more of a spectrum in the novel with dueling and complementing "black currents" and "white flares". I like this idea of giving them a Ying/Yang narrative instead of just the Dark side and Light side. It's the same idea just with a bit more of an organic name. It's also really weird to hear the darkside imperial march used for the Jedi...
I just can not get into this book.. the Ronin's dialogue really grates on me for being this stereotypical, overly stoic, "let me speak in dramatic deep philosophy". There's a difference between making a character quiet and stoic and just making it annoyingly slow, stilted and non sensical. So few conversations can just flow naturally. Everything has to be this confusing, and over the top emotion. I feel like people are going to rave and say they loved this book because it's 'deep' and different and Japanese themed..but is it...? Perhaps, but I found it to be so dull and wrapped up in it's own prose, that I could not discern any enjoyable story here..
October 22, 2021
"Star Wars: Visions - Ronin" is is truly unlike any Star Wars novel that has been written, in part because of the #OwnVoices nature of the Visions story, but also because the author Emma Meiko Candon and her candor in making this a Star Wars story that is both familiar and foreign to the reader.
Based in part on the first short film in the Disney "Star Wars: Visions" Omnibus series, "Ronin" follows the travels of the lone Sith Lord known simply as "The Ronin" as he travels the galaxy with his hat wearing droid B5-56, a droid that is simply a more pragmatic version of R2-D2. With the first chapter being the first episode, we are introduced to a world that uses terms that we are familiar with, but with a more nuanced look that is closer to Japanese myths and legends then we are used from the original Star Wars mythos that drew from the stories of the "47 Ronin", that George Lucas had originally used to base some of the archtypes in Star Wars.
While a great epic, the story is confusing at times, in part because of the unreliability of the narrators. Like any great Star Wars story, the Ronin joins up with other characters on a ship to find the Sith Witch on the battle scarred world of Rei'izu, and this is where the story almost resembles that of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". The Ronin, The Traveler, the ship "The Poor Crow", and a few other elements reminded me so much of the story-line that was found with Darth Revan, Darth Traya, and other elements of the KOTOR stories that were freshly made woven into the breathtaking tapestry that is this Star Wars book.
I also appreciated that Visions is not part of the Canon, while also not a Legends story - Visions offers a third class of Star Wars stories in the Expanded Universe, one that allows for more diverse perspectives to influence how the Galaxy far, far, away continues to expand. Can't wait to see what comes next in the Visions world!
Based in part on the first short film in the Disney "Star Wars: Visions" Omnibus series, "Ronin" follows the travels of the lone Sith Lord known simply as "The Ronin" as he travels the galaxy with his hat wearing droid B5-56, a droid that is simply a more pragmatic version of R2-D2. With the first chapter being the first episode, we are introduced to a world that uses terms that we are familiar with, but with a more nuanced look that is closer to Japanese myths and legends then we are used from the original Star Wars mythos that drew from the stories of the "47 Ronin", that George Lucas had originally used to base some of the archtypes in Star Wars.
While a great epic, the story is confusing at times, in part because of the unreliability of the narrators. Like any great Star Wars story, the Ronin joins up with other characters on a ship to find the Sith Witch on the battle scarred world of Rei'izu, and this is where the story almost resembles that of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic". The Ronin, The Traveler, the ship "The Poor Crow", and a few other elements reminded me so much of the story-line that was found with Darth Revan, Darth Traya, and other elements of the KOTOR stories that were freshly made woven into the breathtaking tapestry that is this Star Wars book.
I also appreciated that Visions is not part of the Canon, while also not a Legends story - Visions offers a third class of Star Wars stories in the Expanded Universe, one that allows for more diverse perspectives to influence how the Galaxy far, far, away continues to expand. Can't wait to see what comes next in the Visions world!
January 8, 2023
I was looking forward to this book, based on its cover design and early reviews, but... Well, it was disappointing. First, you can't go into it blind -- at least I couldn't. There was no context, nothing indicating *when* it occurred, so a lot of it didn't make sense. Does it happen many centuries after the films? Or many centuries before? Because it can't possibly be in the same time period. (Even the Wikipedia article doesn't address this, nor did any of several other reviews I read on various sites.) This was never settled for me throughout the book. Other questions too: The Jedi serve the Empire? Both the Jedi and the Sith are bad guys? There are mind-controlled zombies in the Star Wars universe? What the heck is going on? One human character, Ekiya, felt relatable to me — a little. I felt lost the entire time as the author kept dropping hints of new secrets, hints I'd forgotten by the time a few of the secrets were revealed/explained (some of them never were).
EDITED to add: I'm all in favor of non-traditional pronouns (I'm nonbinary myself), but a *writer* has to be conscious of context and the reader's ability to understand. If one character is a "they", and they are interacting with a group of others (also a "they"), you can't use phrasing like "they told them" or "they looked at them" because there is no way for a reader to know which they is telling or looking at which other they. Especially if there are *multiple* groups of theys. This author completely ignores multiple opportunities to clarify some of these situations.
(Note: I finished this late in 2022, but only got around to rating it in early 2023.)
EDITED to add: I'm all in favor of non-traditional pronouns (I'm nonbinary myself), but a *writer* has to be conscious of context and the reader's ability to understand. If one character is a "they", and they are interacting with a group of others (also a "they"), you can't use phrasing like "they told them" or "they looked at them" because there is no way for a reader to know which they is telling or looking at which other they. Especially if there are *multiple* groups of theys. This author completely ignores multiple opportunities to clarify some of these situations.
(Note: I finished this late in 2022, but only got around to rating it in early 2023.)
December 7, 2021
An ok reimagining of the Star Wars mythos. I liked how the alternate interpretation of the Force allowed for far more nuanced and complex characters and dynamics over the tired old binary of 'Sith evil, Jedi good'—but there was, I think not quite enough action in it, and a huge portion of the book is just full of characters examining their inner neuroses and why they do what they do. In addition to that, I was not a fan of how characters would do X and then suddenly reverse path without it entirely being made clear why.
There were some interesting plot twists, but the obfuscation and headsitting made it way too easy to tune out and by the time I hit those twists, it just felt like a slog to even get there, to the point I'd lost interest. I think it's an okay book if you want something different, but it's not really the kind of thing I'd read again.
There were some interesting plot twists, but the obfuscation and headsitting made it way too easy to tune out and by the time I hit those twists, it just felt like a slog to even get there, to the point I'd lost interest. I think it's an okay book if you want something different, but it's not really the kind of thing I'd read again.
April 7, 2022
Excellent concept, absolutely catastrophic execution.
November 3, 2023
I’m so glad you’re back, Star Wars, I really missed you.
After the absolute, unmitigated disaster of The Rise of Skywalker, the bland disappointment of the painfully focus-group-workshopped High Republic project, the shameless fanbro pandering and general monotony of the “Filoniverse” (The Mandalorian, Bad Batch et al) and the exercise of safety-in-brightly-coloured-mediocrity of the Visions shorts (and so on), this novel has finally restored Star Wars to life in my heart again.
It’s very authentically jidaigeki; considering that, as a licensed novel, this was probably knocked up in a year or so, thus not allowing much time for research, Candon seems to have a deep understanding of Japanese historical fiction and mythology, which is in evidence in her interviews about the book. More remarkable than the typical trappings of Japanese mythic fiction with which most readers will recognise (witches, ghosts, demons, oni, kitsune, magic mirrors, tea houses, straw hats and sandals), the novel follows the four-act kishotenketsu structure, relying on the characters’ interactions and emotions to create narrative tension and momentum, rather than the typical Western three-act structure of external conflict and resolution.
Everyone has a mysterious past, they hide their names and/or faces; the motive for recruiting them to go on this quest is rather hazy – the characters may like each other (or want to like each other, or wish they didn’t like each other), but can they trust each other? The person who seems the kindest is blatantly sketchy and thus probably Up To Something; everybody has switched allegiances in the past at least once. All of this makes for a deeply thoughtful novel which is much more interested in exploring and testing the moral beliefs of its characters than it is in creating shallow action spectacles, and which values emotional consequences equally with physical ones.
The characters are familiar and mythological – the wandering swordsman, the tricky old master, the shapeshifter, the ex-trooper turned smuggler with a heart of gold – but they are all exceptionally likeable in their best moments, and at least understandable in their worst. They feel like real people rather than caricatures, complex and troubled, and the author’s genuine care and sympathy for them radiates from every page. Each character has a very distinctive POV voice which really brings them to life.
Much like The Last Jedi, this is a story that speaks about what Star Wars has been, is, and could become. Although it is (at least for now) a complete, standalone novel in a new, isolated pocket-dimension of continuity, it somehow manages to condense into itself contrasting or mirror images of many of the major events of the film trilogies – the Sith rebellion against the Jedi republic, the clash of the last survivors, the confrontation and betrayal of a former master, and so on – and thereby offer different perspectives and different commentary on those events without being weighed down by the baggage of pre-existing continuity (and long-time fandom’s overattachment to old-established characters, and historical misinterpretations of the old materials that have stuck too well). In particular, the recurring primal trauma of the Skywalker Saga – the separation of young children from their parents – is sharply in focus throughout this novel.
This is how the Force should work
Candon’s concept of the Force is something much closer to the Taoism that Lucas originally drew inspiration from than the version which made it into his films, and most other Star Wars media aside from The Last Jedi.
Life. Death and decay, that feeds new life. Warmth. Cold. Peace. Violence.
The concept of “balance” in Star Wars tends to be rather muddled, where (from the Jedi point of view), “balance” is generally equated with eliminating the dark side, or at least keeping it under severe check. Despite continued interest from fans, the “Grey Jedi” are yet to make an appearance under Disney canon. Even when alternative dark side cults are featured, the general division and treatment of characters as teams of light side “heroes” and dark side “villains” is maintained, and post-TRoS seems to have been simplified even further, with dark side characters such as Kylo Ren being brought under the banner of “Sith” for marketing simplicity.
In Ronin, there is a true sense of balance, with the Force being visualised in the aspects of a “white flame” (yang, used in combat), and a “black current” (yin, used for subtle abilities such as Jedi mind tricks and telekinesis). These two aspects are regarded as part of the whole, and both Jedi and Sith characters utilise each as the situation requires. The duality of the Force (and thus, the whole of nature) is shown to be multi-layered, with the main Sith character being very strong with the “white” side (and a woman, where the “yang” character would typically be expected to be a man), and the main Jedi character being almost entirely dependent on the “black” side (and a nonbinary being of indeterminate sex/gender).
With regard to diverse representation, this is the way. Candon really went the whole nine yards - each of the POV characters is some stripe of queer sexuality or gender identity. The central romance is very dignified and slow and subtle, but didn’t feel lacking at all, and I was rather thrilled that there was a romance at all, considering the dire lack of it in the Visions shorts and Disney Star Wars in general.
I felt perceived by this novel – not just as a queer person, but as a person who loves stories, loves mythology, loves Star Wars for the best of what it can be - a galaxy of stories where compassion is the greatest power, and where belief in redemption is real.
This was the one I’d been waiting for.
After the absolute, unmitigated disaster of The Rise of Skywalker, the bland disappointment of the painfully focus-group-workshopped High Republic project, the shameless fanbro pandering and general monotony of the “Filoniverse” (The Mandalorian, Bad Batch et al) and the exercise of safety-in-brightly-coloured-mediocrity of the Visions shorts (and so on), this novel has finally restored Star Wars to life in my heart again.
It’s very authentically jidaigeki; considering that, as a licensed novel, this was probably knocked up in a year or so, thus not allowing much time for research, Candon seems to have a deep understanding of Japanese historical fiction and mythology, which is in evidence in her interviews about the book. More remarkable than the typical trappings of Japanese mythic fiction with which most readers will recognise (witches, ghosts, demons, oni, kitsune, magic mirrors, tea houses, straw hats and sandals), the novel follows the four-act kishotenketsu structure, relying on the characters’ interactions and emotions to create narrative tension and momentum, rather than the typical Western three-act structure of external conflict and resolution.
Everyone has a mysterious past, they hide their names and/or faces; the motive for recruiting them to go on this quest is rather hazy – the characters may like each other (or want to like each other, or wish they didn’t like each other), but can they trust each other? The person who seems the kindest is blatantly sketchy and thus probably Up To Something; everybody has switched allegiances in the past at least once. All of this makes for a deeply thoughtful novel which is much more interested in exploring and testing the moral beliefs of its characters than it is in creating shallow action spectacles, and which values emotional consequences equally with physical ones.
The characters are familiar and mythological – the wandering swordsman, the tricky old master, the shapeshifter, the ex-trooper turned smuggler with a heart of gold – but they are all exceptionally likeable in their best moments, and at least understandable in their worst. They feel like real people rather than caricatures, complex and troubled, and the author’s genuine care and sympathy for them radiates from every page. Each character has a very distinctive POV voice which really brings them to life.
Much like The Last Jedi, this is a story that speaks about what Star Wars has been, is, and could become. Although it is (at least for now) a complete, standalone novel in a new, isolated pocket-dimension of continuity, it somehow manages to condense into itself contrasting or mirror images of many of the major events of the film trilogies – the Sith rebellion against the Jedi republic, the clash of the last survivors, the confrontation and betrayal of a former master, and so on – and thereby offer different perspectives and different commentary on those events without being weighed down by the baggage of pre-existing continuity (and long-time fandom’s overattachment to old-established characters, and historical misinterpretations of the old materials that have stuck too well). In particular, the recurring primal trauma of the Skywalker Saga – the separation of young children from their parents – is sharply in focus throughout this novel.
This is how the Force should work
Candon’s concept of the Force is something much closer to the Taoism that Lucas originally drew inspiration from than the version which made it into his films, and most other Star Wars media aside from The Last Jedi.
Life. Death and decay, that feeds new life. Warmth. Cold. Peace. Violence.
The concept of “balance” in Star Wars tends to be rather muddled, where (from the Jedi point of view), “balance” is generally equated with eliminating the dark side, or at least keeping it under severe check. Despite continued interest from fans, the “Grey Jedi” are yet to make an appearance under Disney canon. Even when alternative dark side cults are featured, the general division and treatment of characters as teams of light side “heroes” and dark side “villains” is maintained, and post-TRoS seems to have been simplified even further, with dark side characters such as Kylo Ren being brought under the banner of “Sith” for marketing simplicity.
In Ronin, there is a true sense of balance, with the Force being visualised in the aspects of a “white flame” (yang, used in combat), and a “black current” (yin, used for subtle abilities such as Jedi mind tricks and telekinesis). These two aspects are regarded as part of the whole, and both Jedi and Sith characters utilise each as the situation requires. The duality of the Force (and thus, the whole of nature) is shown to be multi-layered, with the main Sith character being very strong with the “white” side (and a woman, where the “yang” character would typically be expected to be a man), and the main Jedi character being almost entirely dependent on the “black” side (and a nonbinary being of indeterminate sex/gender).
With regard to diverse representation, this is the way. Candon really went the whole nine yards - each of the POV characters is some stripe of queer sexuality or gender identity. The central romance is very dignified and slow and subtle, but didn’t feel lacking at all, and I was rather thrilled that there was a romance at all, considering the dire lack of it in the Visions shorts and Disney Star Wars in general.
I felt perceived by this novel – not just as a queer person, but as a person who loves stories, loves mythology, loves Star Wars for the best of what it can be - a galaxy of stories where compassion is the greatest power, and where belief in redemption is real.
This was the one I’d been waiting for.
September 6, 2022
RONIN is truly a unique addition to the STAR WARS franchise. In the same vein as the original TV series, this novel is disconnected from the main canon timeline, so readers get to explore new mythology and see a fresh take on STAR WARS. Emma Mieko Candon's writing style is reminiscent of old folklore which compliments the style of the original VISIONS episode, "The Duel". I hope we see more expansions on the VISIONS stories in the future.
January 27, 2022
If I could give this a 0 stars I would since 1 star seems to imply it has some merit.
This is the first Star Wars book have not been able to finish. Being 100 pages from the end I was determined to try and it just is not happening. It is tedious to read - I had difficulty reading more than a chapter at a sitting - even then I sometimes had to push to read even 8 pages at a time.
The author attempts some interesting literary techniques in terms of naming and referencing characters but it only ends up adding to the tedium of the book as the reader has to constantly double check that the character the author is referring to is the one the reader is thinking of and as a result any flow to the narrative is disrupted.
None of this is helped by the fact that it falls outside of canon so the links to the accepted aspects of the Star Wars universe are really meaningless and one could substitute words like Jedi and Sith to just about anything else it could still make sense to a non-Star Wars reader. The only real connections to the SWU are the mention of Jedi, Sith, light sabers, kyber crystals, various types of starships, and droids.
The idea of building a larger story using one of the Visions episodes is a good idea in theory. In execution it is just a lumbering, heavy mess.
I hope it is better when I try to read it a second time in the future.
This is the first Star Wars book have not been able to finish. Being 100 pages from the end I was determined to try and it just is not happening. It is tedious to read - I had difficulty reading more than a chapter at a sitting - even then I sometimes had to push to read even 8 pages at a time.
The author attempts some interesting literary techniques in terms of naming and referencing characters but it only ends up adding to the tedium of the book as the reader has to constantly double check that the character the author is referring to is the one the reader is thinking of and as a result any flow to the narrative is disrupted.
None of this is helped by the fact that it falls outside of canon so the links to the accepted aspects of the Star Wars universe are really meaningless and one could substitute words like Jedi and Sith to just about anything else it could still make sense to a non-Star Wars reader. The only real connections to the SWU are the mention of Jedi, Sith, light sabers, kyber crystals, various types of starships, and droids.
The idea of building a larger story using one of the Visions episodes is a good idea in theory. In execution it is just a lumbering, heavy mess.
I hope it is better when I try to read it a second time in the future.
November 14, 2021
I didn't read this book - I listened to the audio book. As such, there are certain things that the narrator and production team did that impacted the story. As a fan of Kurasawa films, the tale presented melded nicely the SW universe and the samurai tales that influenced their creation. The story is paced more slowly, and with greater attention to the secondary cast introduced in the book, than I would have expected. Key plot reveals are doled out in a sometimes confusing manner - particularly with regard to the Ronin and Traveler. The story is engaging, but the resolution not provided at it's conclusion. I assume that there will be a sequel, but I'm not clear if that's the case.
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