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Legend of the Five Rings
The Great Clans of Rokugan: Legend of the Five Rings: The Collected Novellas, Vol. 1
Warring samurai clans fight with swords and magic for the Emperor’s favor with these collected Legend of the Five Rings novellas, including a brand-new novella of the Crane Clan.
Ice and Snow by Katrina Ostrander – a surprise attack and courtly machinations challenge the untested heir to the Crane Clan to keep the peace and prove her value to her family.
The Sword and the Spirits by Robert Denton III – the champion of the Phoenix Clan must save her lost love from the darkness consuming him, and from the menace of a desecrated shrine.
Whispers of Shadow and Steel by Mari Murdock – in the Scorpion City of Lies, the “only honest Scorpion” magistrate is caught between family and finding justice in a murder case.
Across the Burning Sands by Daniel Lovat Clark – the future heir to the mighty Unicorn Clan faces duplicity, assassins, betrayal, and even sorcery as he seeks peace with the caliph of al-Zawira.
Ice and Snow by Katrina Ostrander – a surprise attack and courtly machinations challenge the untested heir to the Crane Clan to keep the peace and prove her value to her family.
The Sword and the Spirits by Robert Denton III – the champion of the Phoenix Clan must save her lost love from the darkness consuming him, and from the menace of a desecrated shrine.
Whispers of Shadow and Steel by Mari Murdock – in the Scorpion City of Lies, the “only honest Scorpion” magistrate is caught between family and finding justice in a murder case.
Across the Burning Sands by Daniel Lovat Clark – the future heir to the mighty Unicorn Clan faces duplicity, assassins, betrayal, and even sorcery as he seeks peace with the caliph of al-Zawira.
544 pages, Paperback
Published November 16, 2021
12 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Katrina Ostrander
27 books47 followersKatrina Ostrander has served as editor for over a dozen media tie-in novellas spanning multiple genres including cyberpunk, fantasy, Lovecraftian horror, and science fiction. She has worked with emerging writers as well as New York Times–bestselling authors. In 2021 her debut novella, Ice and Snow, was published in the Great Clans of Rokugan Volume 1 anthology from Aconyte Books.
As the Creative Director of Story and Setting with the Asmodee Franchise Development Team, she oversees the internal and licensed development of the company's proprietary IPs. Besides her work as an editor of tie-in fiction and developer of IPs, she has written for or developed over a dozen roleplaying game products, including adventures, supplements, and core rulebooks. Recent writing credits include contributing to Cubicle 7's Age of Sigmar: Soulbound Core Rulebook and Starter Set.
She writes advice and how-to articles relating to gamemastering, adventure design, writing tips, and more at KatrinaOstrander.com.
As the Creative Director of Story and Setting with the Asmodee Franchise Development Team, she oversees the internal and licensed development of the company's proprietary IPs. Besides her work as an editor of tie-in fiction and developer of IPs, she has written for or developed over a dozen roleplaying game products, including adventures, supplements, and core rulebooks. Recent writing credits include contributing to Cubicle 7's Age of Sigmar: Soulbound Core Rulebook and Starter Set.
She writes advice and how-to articles relating to gamemastering, adventure design, writing tips, and more at KatrinaOstrander.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2023
I've already read most of the stories before and reviewed them elsewhere. Suffice it to say, I really like how these stories convey a lot interesting information about their respective clans, all while providing engaging narrative arcs for the characters involved.
The story that was new to me, "Ice and Snow", was no exception to this! Despite already knowing where their relationship goes in the larger narrative, as well as their changes in sociopolitical status, Ostrander painted a fascinating and convincing picture of how Hotaru and Kachiko became intertwined.
The story that was new to me, "Ice and Snow", was no exception to this! Despite already knowing where their relationship goes in the larger narrative, as well as their changes in sociopolitical status, Ostrander painted a fascinating and convincing picture of how Hotaru and Kachiko became intertwined.
October 27, 2024
This little collection of clan-specific novellas surprised me with the quality of writing and ideas. Most of the writers know what they're talking about, here (unlike David Annandale in his "Curse of Honor"), so you mostly won't find anything that clashes with the setting (except for token characters sprinkled in for box ticking).
There is a common motif to be seen across these stories, too, which I thought was a little odd by the end. Namely, all of the protagonists in these stories feel somehow inadequate about their role or station, but over the course of the stories (which last only a few days), they find the resolve to be the best they can. There's a lot of soul-searching happening in each story. I guess it must have been a requirement put to the writers.
Katrina Ostrander's "Ice and Snow" uses a poorly drafted plot to act as the background for a budding affair between two women: Doji Hotaru - heir to the Crane Clan champion - and Bayushi Kachiko - wife to the Scorpion Clan champion. Both the plot and the romance come across as forced and neither flows in what I would call a natural way. There's also a random they/them character shoehorned for representation purposes and checkbox ticking. 3/5
Robert Denton III's "The Sword and the Spirits" shifts the focus to the Phoenix Clan and the elemental imbalance that has plagued Rokugan for some time now. Shiba Tsukune, the freshly appointed Phoenix Clan champion visits a temple overseen by the Kaito family to meet with her former ward Isawa Tadaka. Tsukune discovers a secret held by the Kaito and has to battle supernatural forces. It is a very well-written supernatural mystery/horror story. I especially loved the writer's style, which, though initially a little strange, eventually serves the story very well. 5/5
In "Whispers of Shadow and Steel" by Mari Murdock we follow a murder investigation run by a Scorpion Clan Emerald Magistrate - Bayushi Yojiro, also known (infamously) as the only honest Scorpion. He is sent to the City of Lies to investigate the murder of a Dragon Clan diplomat and get Bayushi Shoju's - the Scorpion Clan champion's - brother off the hook. The investigation and the findings test Yojiro's honesty and loyalties. 4/5
Finally, Daniel Lovat Clark's "Across the Burning Sands" takes us to the very frontiers of Rokugan where Shinjo Shono, heir to the Unicorn Clan champion, is sent to treat with the caliph of al-Zawira. Shono has to deal with his own weakness, an ambitious cousin he perceives as a threat, the caliph's political manoeuvring, as well as wizards and supernatural creatures. This novella drags a bit at first and the reader is treated to so much soul-searching and self-doubt by Shono that it becomes a little jarring when he suddenly finds his resolve and his spine. 4/5
If you do not play the tabletop RPG "Legend of the Five Rings", these novellas probably won't do much for you. But if you are a fan of the setting, they provide a welcome insight into the workings of the individual clans and how they are organised.
There is a common motif to be seen across these stories, too, which I thought was a little odd by the end. Namely, all of the protagonists in these stories feel somehow inadequate about their role or station, but over the course of the stories (which last only a few days), they find the resolve to be the best they can. There's a lot of soul-searching happening in each story. I guess it must have been a requirement put to the writers.
Katrina Ostrander's "Ice and Snow" uses a poorly drafted plot to act as the background for a budding affair between two women: Doji Hotaru - heir to the Crane Clan champion - and Bayushi Kachiko - wife to the Scorpion Clan champion. Both the plot and the romance come across as forced and neither flows in what I would call a natural way. There's also a random they/them character shoehorned for representation purposes and checkbox ticking. 3/5
Robert Denton III's "The Sword and the Spirits" shifts the focus to the Phoenix Clan and the elemental imbalance that has plagued Rokugan for some time now. Shiba Tsukune, the freshly appointed Phoenix Clan champion visits a temple overseen by the Kaito family to meet with her former ward Isawa Tadaka. Tsukune discovers a secret held by the Kaito and has to battle supernatural forces. It is a very well-written supernatural mystery/horror story. I especially loved the writer's style, which, though initially a little strange, eventually serves the story very well. 5/5
In "Whispers of Shadow and Steel" by Mari Murdock we follow a murder investigation run by a Scorpion Clan Emerald Magistrate - Bayushi Yojiro, also known (infamously) as the only honest Scorpion. He is sent to the City of Lies to investigate the murder of a Dragon Clan diplomat and get Bayushi Shoju's - the Scorpion Clan champion's - brother off the hook. The investigation and the findings test Yojiro's honesty and loyalties. 4/5
Finally, Daniel Lovat Clark's "Across the Burning Sands" takes us to the very frontiers of Rokugan where Shinjo Shono, heir to the Unicorn Clan champion, is sent to treat with the caliph of al-Zawira. Shono has to deal with his own weakness, an ambitious cousin he perceives as a threat, the caliph's political manoeuvring, as well as wizards and supernatural creatures. This novella drags a bit at first and the reader is treated to so much soul-searching and self-doubt by Shono that it becomes a little jarring when he suddenly finds his resolve and his spine. 4/5
If you do not play the tabletop RPG "Legend of the Five Rings", these novellas probably won't do much for you. But if you are a fan of the setting, they provide a welcome insight into the workings of the individual clans and how they are organised.
November 22, 2022
I've read this and Volume Two for help with running my Legend of the Five Rings 4th Edition RPG. It's helped me out with some details on the universe. I'm not sure that these books are any use to people that aren't fans of the RPG.
If you're looking for samurai/Japanese history, these aren't the books for you. Gaming fiction is notoriously fickle when it comes to quality.
If you're looking for samurai/Japanese history, these aren't the books for you. Gaming fiction is notoriously fickle when it comes to quality.
July 6, 2023
Fun set of novellas that get better as you go.
The last of the collection "Across the Burning Sands" was a stand out and worth seeking/reading even if one has no interest in L5R/Rokugan. Great stuff.
The last of the collection "Across the Burning Sands" was a stand out and worth seeking/reading even if one has no interest in L5R/Rokugan. Great stuff.
July 30, 2025
33. A whole lot of skullduggery.
May 22, 2024
Fun mini stories with an Agenda
Each clan gets a spotlight in these fun mini stories. However, the first includes a modern view of sexuality not all readers will agree with.
Each clan gets a spotlight in these fun mini stories. However, the first includes a modern view of sexuality not all readers will agree with.
January 26, 2024
This novella anthology includes 4 stories. I was worried that they might all have similar plots, but each one was totally different and I liked them all.
Ice and Snow by Katrina Ostrander - no magic or monsters, but some well written political intrigue, some action, and a little romance. I get they're emulating an Asian culture, but I'm always hoping they're going to change things up a bit, but this didn't. There was something strange going on with gender that wasn't described, but one of the characters was called "he" once, maybe by accident, but the rest of the time used "they/them" as their pronouns. Seemed strange because you only know if someone identifies as "they/them" if they (or someone else) tells you. The author didn't give a lot of description about the character, so it was kind of confusing. 6.5
The Sword and the Spirits by Robert Denton III - This one had a bunch of magic and monsters. Would make a cool D&D adventure. I don't like underconfident/reluctant heroes and this one was especially annoying, but I guess that was kind of the story - her finding her confidence. 6.5
Whispers of Shadow and Steel by Mari Murdock - I like how each of these have been totally different. This one had a little magic, a very complicated plot with lots of background characters and different factions and motivations. 7.0
Across the Burning Sands by Daniel Lovat Clark - Diplomacy at the edge of the empire. Djinn and ghuls, sorcerers and sword fighting. Good stuff, though the self-hate of the main character got a little old. 7.0
Ice and Snow by Katrina Ostrander - no magic or monsters, but some well written political intrigue, some action, and a little romance. I get they're emulating an Asian culture, but I'm always hoping they're going to change things up a bit, but this didn't. There was something strange going on with gender that wasn't described, but one of the characters was called "he" once, maybe by accident, but the rest of the time used "they/them" as their pronouns. Seemed strange because you only know if someone identifies as "they/them" if they (or someone else) tells you. The author didn't give a lot of description about the character, so it was kind of confusing. 6.5
The Sword and the Spirits by Robert Denton III - This one had a bunch of magic and monsters. Would make a cool D&D adventure. I don't like underconfident/reluctant heroes and this one was especially annoying, but I guess that was kind of the story - her finding her confidence. 6.5
Whispers of Shadow and Steel by Mari Murdock - I like how each of these have been totally different. This one had a little magic, a very complicated plot with lots of background characters and different factions and motivations. 7.0
Across the Burning Sands by Daniel Lovat Clark - Diplomacy at the edge of the empire. Djinn and ghuls, sorcerers and sword fighting. Good stuff, though the self-hate of the main character got a little old. 7.0
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews