A wandering warrior (and his droid in a straw hat) defend a village from a group of bandits…and re-enters a history the man called Ronin would much rather leave behind. Read my spoiler-free review of Ronin – A Visions Novel!
Late 2020, Lucasfilm introduced a concept: Star Wars Visions. We didn’t know much about it, save that it was an anime take on the franchise. As more details emerged: a non-canon collection of anime shorts by big-time anime production companies, with some big name voice actors, it was easy to see why this series was hotly anticipated. In the lead-up to the series, the novel Ronin was introduced, promising an expansive alternate history of the galaxy that we’ve come to know and love. And, now having both read the novel and seen the series, I can definitely say that both were absolutely worth the wait and worth all of the hype.
To remain spoiler-free, I won’t talk much about the story that you cannot read from official sources. I will, however, talk pretty openly about the short. Let me tell you this, though: I am dying to talk about the spoiler-y stuff. Even though I am refusing to do so now, I cannot wait until this novel makes the rounds and is widely available and widely read, as it deserves. There’s a lot to unpack and I am excited for the conversations that will rise from it.
There is a lot to commend author Emma Mieko Candon for with this novel. First, they introduce an amazingly expansive world based around a 13-minute short that doesn’t do a lot of world-building. Having read the novel before seeing the short, I was impressed by how well Emma built the world of “The Duel.” Now, having seen the short, and seeing that the short really doesn’t do a lot of world-building, I am floored by how well they built an entire narrative and universe around something as seemingly sparse as a few characters, a few kyber crystals, and a few visual hints. Out of the short, Emma is able to weave a grand narrative about the familiar battle between the Jedi and the Sith, and of a galactic Empire, but do so in a fresh way. Without revealing anything not on the cover of the book, the Jedi serve the Empire, and the Sith were those who refused to serve a Master. Even this small twist is able to wring out a lot of story juices, bringing in the familiar language of the franchise but using them in fresh new ways.
One thing I loved about the novel was how well the world-building was integrated with the story. I always wanted more information about the state of the galaxy and the important factions (Empire, Jedi, Sith), and I think I was regularly rewarded for my patience. But, the information was never given as a mere expositional dump. The Ronin never spends too much time sitting around to read the History of the Galaxy to the people he interacts with, but I felt like it all mostly came pretty naturally. Sometimes, you figure out information at the same time as the characters, which leads to a genuine sense of discovery. In other cases, characters withhold helpful information, which brings you into the moment when the other character learns the revealed information. I would love to spend more time in this galaxy – and I would love Emma to be the guide.
But Ronin does not simply exist in an interesting and well-defined galaxy. It also introduces us to a likeable and compelling cast of characters, as well. Primarily, the short presents the Ronin as a wanderer, a somewhat gruff man with maybe some eccentricities. The novel presents him as a fully-well rounded man, hounded by a dark past he’d rather forget, but refuses to forget him; a man with a vision for a future rooted in making right the past. The novel also presents the Sith bandit as a well-rounded character as well, with hopes and fears, and ambition and agency, and…well, I won’t say more. But I am now consistently impressed by the side cast. Honestly, there are few novels where I’ve been as interested in the side characters as I am the main characters, but I would love to see more of the cast from the novel. They seem to start as tropes – a storyteller, an aunt, a pilot – but it turns out that there is so much more to them than just that.
I want to also commend Emma for the way that they combined Japanese culture with the Star Wars aesthetics as well. In some of the shorts from the show, you’d see lightsaber katanas, Eastern-influenced Jedi statues, and shrines. Ronin also integrates Japanese dishes and aesthetics into the story, which makes it feel coherent with the visuals of the series. I don’t have a ton to say about this except that it really brought a depth to the culture of the galaxy, which I appreciated.
There are a few quick notes I’d like to make, as well. As a story, the novel is well-paced and brisk. I never felt like we moved at too slow of a pace, but I never felt like we rushed through anything that needed some more time. I felt like even the C-list characters and below were given both something to do and something to be defined by. The prose is also excellent – and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a fan of flowery prose. Honestly, my prosaic preferences feel more..like a non-fiction description of events rather than a story. But even I loved the way that Emma wrote this book, bringing in a good balance of poetic meter and sometimes straightforward storytelling.
Before wrapping this up completely, let me just make a formal request to Del Rey: PLEASE bring Emma Camdon back to the franchise. I would love if they could write more Ronin, for sure, but I’d be curious how they’d write other shorts, or even something in the “mainstream” series. Their excellent world-building, compelling characters, and incredible depth of storytelling is astounding. I would love to have them back and I’m excited for everyone to have a chance to read this.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor!
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at no charge in order to provide a review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
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