This is not a Star Wars novel, it is not a historical novel with Japanese themes: Ronin – A Visions Novel only knows what it is not.
An extremely limping and flat story (accompanied by impalpable characters) is undermined by a writing style that is absolutely not up to par for a publication set in a Galaxy far, far away. The compulsive use of pronouns and terms of absolutely uncommon use makes reading a titanic undertaking, capable of frustrating even the most well-disposed individual.
The unraveling of events is something equally tragic, where confusion and redundancy make it practically impossible not to lose the thread of the narrative at multiple points. The mix of all these elements gives an overall absolutely negative experience, which leaves a bad taste in the mouth for all the opportunities and ideas not taken up. An important opportunity afforded to a lesser product is therefore irretrievably lost, making it impossible to recommend purchasing the novel.

Ronin is perhaps the greatest Star Wars novel written in recent years. I say this not to disparage the others, but to elevate this novel. This reimagining of Star Wars in the light of the Japanese culture that SW itself drew from is so good that words scarcely do it justice. This novel proves what creative freedom, unburdened by a need to slot into existing story continuity, can accomplish.

Star Wars has deep roots in Japanese mythology and cinema. With the Star Wars Visions show on Disney+ We got to see the top animation studios in Japan share their inspirations and unique stories in a galaxy far far away. One of those stories gets expanded in the book Ronin by Candon.

From the opening pages we see that Emma has created a fully realized diverse world for these characters and the readers to enter. The representation is wonderful and I found it a real joy to be guided through various cultural elements that Emma was very suited to share with readers. This book unfolds into a rich story that I really enjoyed.

Excellent Book that covers the Star Wars Visions episode. I look forward to further expansion of the Characters and ideas introduced in that story.

This book is a fantastic companion to the Star Wars Visions animation shorts. Emma Mieko Candon built off of the world shown in "The Duel" so effortlessly you would think that they had been involved in production from the very beginning. Reading this book you get the impression that Emma has carried this story within themselves for a very long time. The writing is heartfelt, and while I lack some of the cultural context, I greatly enjoyed seeing Star Wars through the lense of a Japanese narrative. The book decidedly still felt like Star Wars, but the Galaxy was different enough that I was transported back to my teenage years discovering the larger world of the Star Wars Expanded Universe for the first time.

Star Wars Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Candon comes out in two weeks. I was lucky enough to read it early, and as of today I’m allowed to talk about it, so this is my spoiler-free review of the book.

This is a weird story for someone like me. It is specifically a Visions novel. Like the shorts that came out last week, it has nothing to do with any other Star Wars story, except for the short The Duel. There are certainly familiar elements in the book. Jedi, Sith, kyber crystals, the Force, hyperspace, bacta...you get the idea. But they’ve all been remixed and shifted into a completely different lens. There is no Galactic Republic. There is a feudal system with an Emperor, princes, lords and then the Jedi who serve those lords. The Sith are still the sworn enemies of the Jedi, but the Jedi aren’t exactly presented as noble. It sounds like they were at some point. That’s one of the parallels I enjoyed the most, seeing that the Jedi once roamed the galaxy as monks, serving anyone that needed help. But then they swore their service to lords and those in positions in power, and they became more particular about deciding who needed help and who didn’t. Sounds a lot like the Jedi of the Republic.

One of the big themes of the book is control, specifically institutionalized control. The Empire, the Jedi, the Sith, the nobility of this universe, they all seek to control people for their own desires. They are each condemned by at least one of the main characters. All of them are seeking freedom of some kind, but they all seem to question what that even means. What do you do with your freedom once you have it? How do you find a purpose within yourself, instead of just accepting the one given to you by some higher power? It reminded me of Loki’s philosophy in The Avengers, that humanity wants to be ruled. We want to be told what to believe and what to do. Ronin challenges all its characters to break free of the control others have on them, and then challenges them all to find new purpose.

And I liked a lot of the characters. The titular Ronin from the short is compelling, of course. I mean, he’d better be, he’s the main character. His droid, B5-56 is a lot of fun. The lightsaber-umbrella-wielding Sith bandit from the short was probably my favorite to read about. Someone I’ll simply call the Traveler for now was mysterious and kept me on my toes the entire book. And the antagonist, a witch that can resurrect the dead, was a unique and creatively ever-present villain that I really enjoyed.

All that said, I did find the book to be difficult to read. It’s beautifully written. It’s very poetic. But I felt like a lot of it was flying over my head. I was often rereading passages asking myself, “Wait, what just happened?” I’m so used to the pulpy straightforwardness of most Star Wars books, I struggled to keep up with Ronin. I absolutely think there will be a lot of people who love reading something that feels more elevated for Star Wars. It’s weird to read a book like this, thinking to myself, “This is so well written...but it’s just not my preferred style.” It’s also very mythical. Very high level and thoughtful. It actually reminded me a lot of the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars. There is a quest to a forgotten realm to seek out a being of immense power. Kind of like watching the Mortis episodes for the first time, I’d catch myself asking, “What is going on?” but in an intrigued way.

I think Candon’s goal here was to write a Star Wars story as if it were a genuine samurai story instead of inspired by samurai stories. As a new vision of Star Wars, it had to balance two mythologies. In my opinion it got pretty far away from what I personally expect to see. Like sometimes I would forget I was reading a Star Wars book and then I’d be like, “Oh yeah, they have lightsabers.” Which, again, I think was absolutely the point. Not to simply put new cosmetics onto Star Wars, but to really look at it through a new lens.

The creators of Star Wars Visions said they hoped the shorts would help generate interest in anime for Star Wars fans. It did that for me. It made me try out a bunch of movies and series I otherwise never would have thought about. Ronin is making me want to look into Japanese mythology more and continue expanding my horizons. Heck, I don’t know all that much about any mythology outside of Star Wars.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about Ronin to be honest. I didn’t dislike it at all. I never thought it was a slog. I didn’t struggle to finish it. But it was a challenging read. I put it down and felt kind of confused. It’s not my personal “vision” of Star Wars. But there’s plenty of room for it, and it makes me curious to learn more about that perspective. Even when something doesn’t fully land for me, I always appreciate when authors like Candon take big swings. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Visions and wants to see more from the characters of The Duel or to anyone who really likes it when Star Wars gets mythical.

Star Wars Visions: Ronin is a different kind of Star Wars novel. It takes place outside of the Star Wars canon, existing in its own universe that draws inspiration from Star Wars lore. Emma Mieko Candon creates a fascinating world that appeals to Star Wars fans, as well as those unfamiliar with the universe.

All of the characters are unique, their backstories all individual and compelling. The diversity of the cast mixed with the influences of Candon's own life as a queer, Japanese American creates realistic, relatable characters, despite the whimsical world they exist in.

Overall, the novel is a great addition to any Star Wars fan's collection, and great for the casual sci-fi/fantasy enjoyer.

A beautiful new entry into the Star Wars Myths, Ronin takes us to a place in the Galaxy that both seems very familiar and very strange. A must read for anyone who enjoyed “Star Wars Visions”.

Ronin is an amazing look into a totally new version of Star Wars based off of the Visions short "the duel." The plot is a really interesting story, but my favorite part of this novel is the way it talks about diaspora and people of diasporas. The narrative really takes the time to dig deep into what it means to belong to a culture and the weight of carrying that culture with you throughout your life.

Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon is an adaptation and expansion of The Duel, the first episode of the recently released Star Wars: Visions show which was produced by Kamikaze Douga. It focuses on the titular Ronin, a former Sith now wandering the galaxy with his faithful droid. Forced into conflict with a Sith bandit to protect a small village, the Ronin is soon brought back into the life he had once left behind. That’s a very vague description, and the official publisher summary gives more, but I think this book works best when you go in as blind as possible, aside from the Visions episode it’s based on which only makes up the first few chapters before it really starts expanding. Ronin thrives with constant world-building as it explores a distant time-period in the Star Wars universe.

Having just seen the trailer by the time I started this book, The Duel was definitely the Visions episode that I was most excited for and filled me with questions about this fascinating take on the Star Wars universe. Things like the strange umbrella saber, the lightsaber sheath and these two red bladed warriors fighting got me so interested and I just wanted to know more, and thankfully Ronin delivers in every regard. Aside from a few brief moments before the events of The Duel, Ronin opens up with the events of the episode itself but is mostly focused on continuing the story of our titular Ronin. Comparing the opening chapter to the show really demonstrates Emma Mieko Candon’s strength as a storyteller. After finally watching the episode, it looked exactly how the book had described it. The strong action narration is a constant throughout the book, something essential for a story that lives up to the name of the episode that inspired it.

As someone whose real love of the expanded universe of Star Wars really only started when Disney shifted the long, confusing complicated stories of “Luuukes” and Chewbacca getting killed by a moon into Legends, the so-called “canon” of Star Wars has been something I’ve cared about deeply, perhaps a little too much. It’s easy to get caught up in the cameos and connections in a story and focus less on the story itself, and when it was revealed that Visions, and the connecting Ronin novel, were “non-canon” I was slightly apprehensive. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that was a good thing. Allowing these creators their own interpretations of Star Wars would only get rid of restrictions and really let these creators run wild. And Ronin absolutely proved that right. It’s one of the most bold and innovative pieces of Star Wars media I’ve ever read, watched or listened to since the Original Trilogy, taking the standard trappings of the Star Wars universe that we know and love, the Jedi and Sith, Lightsabers and the Force, spaceships and droids and tells a truly unique and wonderful story with them. Whilst Ronin may not be part of the larger Star Wars canon, I found myself caring less and less about that as I read on. That being said, the story of Ronin is one that could easily fit into that canon, and I hope it one day does, as it fleshes out a part of the Star Wars universe that has been barely touched and is rife with potential.

With The Duel being a mostly action focused episode of Visions, Emma Mieko Candon was given a fairly blank slate with these characters, and they flesh them out wonderfully. While I won’t spoil anything about Ronin’s history, having an ex-Sith protagonist makes for a fascinating story. Seeing the Jedi vs Sith argument from a different perspective makes Ronin something truly unique, and the relationship between the Ronin and B5-56, his astromech with the lovely straw hat, is incredibly sweet and one of my favourite person/droid friendships. In classic Star Wars fashion, Ronin also expands the cast of The Duel with a spaceship crew full of interesting characters to join the Ronin on his journey, each with their own fascinating backstories and motivations. That’s very vague, but watching the secrets of these characters unfold in front of you is too good to spoil.

The inspiration of Seven Samurai on the original Star Wars is no secret and much like A New Hope, the Kurosawa influence is abundantly clear in Ronin. Fitting for a book from a Japanese-American author that is inspired by the work of a Japanese animation studio, the Japanese influence is woven throughout the entire book and the world it builds. Every name, place and food is packed full of inspiration from Japanese culture, and even the descriptions of the Force show a clear relationship to Japanese symbolism. Despite being a reimagining of the Star Wars universe in many ways, Ronin’s real respect for it’s influences both cultural and Star Wars make it a wonderful and authentic story and a must-read for Star Wars fans.

I’m far from the only one frequently disappointed and underwhelmed by the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in live-action Star Wars, but once again the books deliver where the movies and shows have not. One of the lead characters is non-binary, and it also features (to my knowledge) the first trans-man in Star Wars, Yuehiro. And whilst he doesn’t have a massive role in the story, although it is important, it was still a very pleasant surprise to see a character definitively shown to be transgender, with even a mention of hormones. There’s also a few prominent queer relationships, and it’s always nice to get more of that in the Star Wars universe.

Overall Ronin is one of the most interesting pieces of Star Wars media in quite a while. Free of the restrictions of canon, it’s not afraid to tell a vast and expansive story that becomes more and more intriguing with every page. Its’ characters are complex and full of fascinating history and heart. For anyone who enjoyed the Visions episode it’s based on, or anyone who enjoys Star Wars at all, I cannot recommend this book enough.

"Ronin" is one of the boldest stories from the Star Wars franchise in many years. It's a very personal, character-driven tale about a lone warrior who's running from his past while trying to reckon with if he can have a future. The book challenges readers to ask themselves if the Ronin can move forward despite the grave mistakes that haunt him in both a physical and mental sense. It's a story about choosing life over death even when the choice feels impossible. Emma Candon's prose is one-of-a-kind, and I firmly believe no one else could've written this story with such elegance and care as they did. There is a bit of a learning curve with the new "rules" of this alternate universe, since it aligns with the non-canonical nature of Star Wars: Visions, but it all starts to fit together and form a beautiful mosaic by the end, which tempts you to revisit the story immediately. Aside from the Ronin, there's an intriguing cast of characters who are each battling their own demons, and the way in which their stories overlap is what makes Ronin so compelling.

For more on my thoughts about "Ronin," check out our spoiler discussion over on the Friends of the Force podcast: https://www.friendsoftheforcepod.com/episodes/episode/f7bd2b3d/star-wars-visions-ronin-spoiler-discussion.

Based on the Star Wars: Visions short "The Duel," Ronin is the story of what happens after that battle. It's a story of secrets and ghosts, but also one of hope, family, and what it means to keep going. An excellent read for those who regularly read Star Wars book and those have never read Star Wars before!

Star Wars Visions has ushered in a new way of experiencing the galaxy we've come to know and love and it was no small task that Emma Mieko Candon took on in creating the story for Ronin (based off of the first episode, The Duel).

What I expected to be a cut and dry antihero story, Canon weaved a much larger tapestry that introduced a cast of characters, plots, and world-building that held both the familiarity of the galaxy far away while also being its own distinctly unique flavor. Candon's build is slow, much like a rollercoaster going up a hill, but the last half is a whirlwind of emotion, plot, and moments that had me holding my breath in anticipation.

Ronin holds much of what makes Star Wars so enduring: family, choice, and love, but what makes it stand uniquely on its own is that it's told through the eyes of someone who refuses to be the hero and villain of their own story.

From my review for Dork Side of the Force, part of the FanSided network:

With spiritual prose and challenges to everything we thought we knew about the Sith, the Jedi and the Force, Star Wars: Ronin cements itself as the boldest and most self-actualizing story Star Wars has ever done.

Expanding upon the story and characters from Star Wars: Visions: The Duel, the first couple of chapters follow the events of that anime short, delving into even greater detail the broken spirit of the Ronin and the savage motivations of the Sith Bandit — whose name is later revealed to be Kouru. From there, the Ronin is put through his paces in a multi-planetary quest alongside a cast of characters with broken spirits of their own.

Ronin is a slow-burn fantasy tale, doling out key details steadily in each chapter all the way through the very last passages of the novel. The book is all fortitude and no fluff, especially when it comes to the audacious reimaginings of Sith and Jedi lore we’ve come to love in Star Wars canon.

Like Visions, Ronin is not considered part of the Star Wars continuity, but breaking free of those restraints is a big reason why the novel shines so bright. Ronin is abstract and philosophical and meditative. It strips away the family-friendly space opera facade and the one-dimensional good vs. evil Western adventure to reveal a galaxy that’s always been multifaceted and swathed in moral shades of gray.

By stripping away Westernized visions of Eastern culture, Ronin fully embraces the Japanese cultural core of Star Wars storytelling. Still, Ronin is deeply a Star Wars story, both including and remixing core tenets of the decades-spanning saga.

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.

We’ll be doing a full review (and interview with the author) on the next episode of my podcast, RuPalp’s Podrace, but this has rocketed to the top of my list of best Star Wars novels of all time. I cried, I had those very special Star Wars Moments that touch your heart and remind you why you’re a fan, and I am already sad I can’t spend more time with these characters. What a wonderful way to explore some themes and characters with a new perspective (it felt both like new people I just met, but also a Star Wars “What If?” for characters I knew!)
Wonderful queer representation, wonderful prose, and a quintessentially Star Wars story. This is the book I will be recommending any fan (or even people with a casual interest!) first.

It’s no secret Star Wars has been unabashedly “borrowing” from Feudal Japan, Jidaigeki, and Samurai culture before anyone had even heard of a galaxy far, far away. In fact, they’ve been very anti-furtive about it, boldly waving the Akira Kurosawa flag loudly and proudly for all to see, and rightfully so. And if you’ve been around long enough then you have the honor of being told by each new generation of fans all about it. You’ll recognize this by its bedfellows, Joseph Campbell, Flash Gordon, et al.

So, if the precept of Star Wars is a collection of George Lucas’s biggest influences, woven together perfectly and succinctly, then it makes sense to properly embrace perhaps its most influential brand in an honest and forthright way, without being condescending or performative. With Star Wars Visions in many ways being the company’s exhibitionistic knee bending to the medium and culture they love, then Ronin by Emma Mieko Candon is its transcendental work of inextinguishable objet d’art. What does all that flowery language mean? Basically, if Visions is the sizzle, then Ronin is the steak.

As it stands, Star Wars Visions: Ronin sits somewhere between on the nose and perspicuous but not only is that okay, it’s also entirely the point. Is the premise contrived? Of course, it is. It’s supposed to be. The concept of even greenlighting Ronin is purposefully derivative; it’s less about realization and more just finally acknowledging the truth of what Star Wars has always been about and embracing it with your entire might. It’s a case of we know what we’re trying to say, so let’s just say it. The end result is curative in a way, like exhaling a breath you’ve been holding for a very long time, that’s the type of state I found myself in reading Ronin, sweet, sweet relief. The sensation is both metaphysical and meditative, and after you’ve read Ronin, you’ll only want “inspired by” Star Wars books going forward. And I’ve always wanted Star Wars to cut one of their hired guns loose, hand the X-34 keys over to a talented storyteller and let them have at it. We know the story group is hovering, it’s what they do, but by allowing a creative dynamo like Emma scribe a non-canon yarn not beholden to any timeline in particular is like letting a caged bird fly free for the first time. Smells like sweet, sweet freedom to me.

Okay, enough monologuing, let’s get to it, but understand this is a non-spoiler review which will seriously impede any fun I could be having writing this. But the folks at LFL have been particularly secretive about this one and I’m not interested in being a bummer.

To prepare yourself for the journey, understand that yeah, this isn’t a time and place you’ll necessarily be familiar with. You’ll be awash with not only new faces, but new ideas, concepts, factions, and most importantly of all, new (to Western chauvinistic white people) philosophies. That’s right, the dogmatism that has been with us since 1977 is getting an Eastern makeover, and it’s fucking fantastic. On paper, it seems quite practical, even reasonable to want to critically ask questions about this deity-less religion, but it’s something else entirely to stretch this rubber band to the limit without it snapping. With a parasol lightsaber in one hand and a punk aesthetic in the other, Emma does just that, with about as much skill as one could muster, and oh do they muster...

For the full review, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/star-wars-ronin-a-visions-novel-book-review/

Star Wars: Visions brought us nine beautiful reimaginings of what Star Wars could be. Kamikaze Douga’s short The Duel introduced us to the Ronin in a powerhouse anime episode that felt like a love letter to classic samurai films. Ronin: A Visions Novel picks up the story and builds an entire galaxy from it!

Ronin is deeply imaginative. Bold on every level. It takes a really rad anime short and builds a deep intricate galaxy full of complicated characters with dimension and depth. The book walks the line of being “Star Wars” even though it is definitely a re-imagining of what we know “Star Wars” to be! In all the best ways Ronin defies expectations and breaks the mold while still retaining the feel, tone, and core themes of what “Star Wars” truly is. The Japanese cultural influence is strong. It’s so strong in fact, that many of the settings were something that set my imagination alight. places, items, actions, and people all felt familiar and right in this galaxy that overflowed with a sense of history and culture.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to delve into complicated characters or looking to explore a Star Wars galaxy unlike any other. If you enjoyed The Duel, you will LOVE this book.

Sal P.

Ronin absolutely blew me away and I love everything Candon brought to the novel. All the inspiration drawn from Japanese culture was a nice touch that really enhanced my reading experience. It was also refreshing to get a more advanced read from a Star Wars book, a welcome surprise, and Candon’s prose is eloquent, almost poetic really, so it was a joy to read. In general I’d love to see more novels based off Visions episodes, especially The Village Bride, but I’m definitely looking forward to Candon’s next venture to a galaxy far, far away.

Emma Meiko Candon did such an incredible job introducing Star Wars in a whole new way. If you love the heart of Star Wars I strongly encourage you to check out this novel. It will challenge you in the best possible ways. Reading Star Wars from a new, fresh, emotional and incredibly beautiful way was something of an experience that I didn't know I was missing in a Star War. However, now that I've read this story I know I was missing it. Don't miss this story. Don't miss seeing Star Wars in a new way...you want it!