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Heart Of The Ronin (2010)

by Travis Heermann(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1617560758 (ISBN13: 9781617560750)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

eReads.com

series

The Ronin Trilogy

review 1: I was given the second book in the trilogy by Goodreads First Reads giveaways. Of course, when I signed up for the giveaways, I didn't realize it was the second book, so of course, when I got it, I had to go and get this, the first book in the series. This book is about Ken'ishi, a ronin in an alternative 13th century Japan. We know its 13th century due to the threat of Kublai Khan invasion from mainland Asia. We also know it is alternative due to the heavy presence of magic and demons. I thought that Heermann really hammered home the desperate situation that ronin found themselves in; no master, distrusted, and no peaceful skills to trade with in times of peace. Ken'ishi is really just scraping by until events unfold that take him in new directions. He is a ronin due to h... moreis orphaning, being taken in and trained by a mysterious sword master. A lot of his back story is filled in as he shares his story with others or runs through them in his own mind. He carries a sword, Silver Crane, which is hinted at having a history and power that is unknown to Ken'ishi and the reader. This book was a fun read. I enjoyed the bits of Japanese poetry and samurai wisdom from the Hagakure at the beginning of each chapter. Also, I found the super fast fights to be much more realistic than usual for fantasy books; in most the first mistake was the fatal one. And, as I said, I found myself very empathetic for Ken'ishi, who, through no fault of his own, has to deal with this extremely difficult lot in life, determined to make more of himself. This book is only a small part of a much storyline. Most of the action is rather superficial while a much larger plot lurks in the background, mostly unnoticed by any of the characters. I'm looking forward to reading book 2.
review 2: This is a very well researched highly readable novel. It has a cracking storyline that hooks you from the first chapter and keeps you reading right through to the end because it is structured in such a way as to end each chapter on a cliffhanger.Travis Heerman knows his Japanese history, culture, customs, and mythology inside out, and even when he stretches the facts to fit the story, he does it in such a way that it remains convincing whether or not the reader has an intimate knowledge of Japan.The setting is authentic, from the historical references, the pending Mongolian Invasion, and the characters from mythology, to the clothes the characters wear, and even the way they communicate with each other. It is meticulous in detail, without distracting you from the plot. Heerman’s descriptions add to the story’s authenticity, but can lean towards the graphically violent at times during fight scenes in particular. The fight scenes with the demon and his band in particular are not for the squeamish.There was a colorful cast of characters which all rang true. I was particularly impressed with the tension that Heerman created between male protagonist Kenishi and the female protagonist Kazuko. My favorite line in the entire book was when on meeting Kazuko for the first time Kenishi says, “Are you a fox?” and I was glad that the origin of the reason he asked this question was played out later in the book. There are moments that are touching, especially when Kenishi relates his childhood training, and as they get to know each other the sexual tension increases.The only thing I would say is that until I got to the end I didn’t know it was going to be the first part of a trilogy. Even though it is a trilogy I would expect it to be a little more self contained. There are a distracting number of plot threads unfinished and characters not fully played out. In spite of this being the first book in a trilogy I thought there needed to be just a little more closure at the end. I found there were far too many questions unanswered at the end of the book. But saying that I am so glad that this story will be continued over another couple of books and I will be at the front of the queue for the next installment. A rollicking good story! less

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