The Heart of Iuchiban references a major antagonist in the L5R game world, the undead and undying sorcerer Iuichiban. He can be fought and defeated, but he always comes back. In Dicken's novel, the flower of Rokuganni chivalry, samurai from all seven clans, assembles to fight off an uprising with supernatural elements - and promptly are all killed. After the disaster, seven samurai, one from each of the clans, go on individual journeys that lead them to join together and investigate. This also goes less than well, with undead hordes and cruel, deadly traps sprung while the flawed, broken protagonists try to salvage something good from the disaster.

Grim as it may be, this novel is great fun to read. The traps in Iuchiban's tomb have some Indiana Jones elements, as interpreted by Jigsaw from the Saw franchise. The samurai are all examples of the worst and the best of their clan stereotypes: the Crane is manipulative and whiny, the Dragon scattered and unworldly, the Scorpion secretive for no purpose, the Crab a blunt instrument, the Phoenix obsessed with dark power, the Lion has a death wish, and the Unicorn uses powers she can't understand or control. The twists are shocking and yet human, the narrative hums along while figurative lightening crackles in the reader's mind. Not the best intro into L5R lore (that would be Josh Reynold's excellent Daidoji Shin series; read it if you haven't yet) but satisfying for those familiar with the setting.

There is much going wrong across the Emerald Empire. The Great Clans vie more and more for power, threatening to escalate their usual arguments into full on war. The Emperor falls deeper into illness every day with no heir ready to take his place and a weak court failing to present a viable option. Perhaps most dangerous in immediacy are the Bloodspeaker cultists gathering power, trying to revive a truly ancient wicked sorcerer, Iuchiban. His power could shake all of Rokugan to its foundations if the Bloodspeakers are not stopped and his tomb left sealed. Representatives of each of the Great Clans must put aside their grudges, their distrust, and their petty ambitions and risk a death or glory journey in the hope that they can stop the Bloodspeakers and save the Empire.

The Heart of Iuchiban has a fascinating place as the first Legend of the Five Rings novel to feature protagonists from each of the seven Great Clans. Which also means it requires some deft juggling of characters and a lot of set up in introducing them and their places within the plot as well as setting up conflicts between them. Evan Dicken manages this quite nicely, swapping between groups of characters in such a way that each group is clearly moving their own plot forward without it feeling like any single character is being terribly lost in the shuffle.
The character work feels really solid for most of the book's run with each character having clearly set goals that shift fairly naturally as their situation changes. These goals also absolutely do not all magically line up as the characters meet up, which feels good as it allows the composition of the groups to change a little as the story continues.

With as big a cast as The Heart of Iuchiban has, some characters naturally take center stage more than others. The Dragon magistrate, Naoki, feels very nearly like the main character for a good chunk of the first half when the story is being a murder mystery that she has been set to solve. While Unicorn name keeper, Qadan, and Phoenix elementalist, Irie, are more involved once the antagonists have arrived and their nature has been revealed, leaving a mage more informed than a detective and allowing for some really nice divergent character development. While I do find myself wishing there was more of some characters, like Chiaki, the Lion clan samurai, a venerated hero of battles long past, or the Scorpion assassin, Gensuke, that is more down to personal interest in the characters than the story feeling like it strictly needed more of them.

I will also admit readily that the antagonists, the Bloodspeaker cultists, felt much more strictly functional than the protagonists. I feel like I never quite got what they were going for beyond finding Iuchiban's tomb and unlocking whatever treasure was meant to be there, power obviously, but I do not really recall a reason for them wanting this power. That just did not stick for me. This is not quite a complaint though; both the Shrike and the monk serve quite nicely as antagonists though in different ways and for different reasons.

The complaint I do have is honestly just part of the nature of The Heart of Iuchiban. This is, for lack of a better term, a lead in to an adventure path for the Legend of the Five Rings: Adventures in Rokugan RPG, so it both wants desperately for a sequel based on how the story ends but also is getting that sequel in a way that is not necessarily accessible to most readers. This is something that I walked into reading the book knowing, and it is not in any way Dicken’s fault, but it still leaves me a little frustrated. It does leave me hoping that a follow up novel will happen at some point after the adventure path has been out for awhile.

That said, that is not nearly enough of a problem for me to drop the score on this one. I greatly enjoyed Dicken’s writing and am quite excited to check out one of his previous Legend of the Five Rings novels as soon as I get the chance. I had a lot of fun with The Heart of Iuchiban and I think it earns a four out of five. It would be a five out of five if I could remember the Bloodspeakers’ goals better.

As always I want to start by saying that I was given a copy of this to review as part of a @AconyteBooks book tour. My review is honest and left voluntarily. #NetGalley #AconyteBooks #LegendoftheFiveRings #TieinFiction

I am fully enjoying the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) tie-in novels that Aconyte are putting out. Each author in the world has a distinctive voice but manages to capture the essence of the card and table top game while adding their own voice and flair to the narratives. I had already enjoyed Evan Dicken’s first novel in the L5R world, To Chart the Clouds, so I was very excited for the Heart of Iuchiban. I particularly liked the fact we would get to see all the fans working together in this one, even an easy task in the universe and lore of Rokugan.

The Heart of Iuchiban has all the makings of an epic fantasy – a group of differing people joining forces to try and stop an evil that could destroy the whole world. Perfect for a tie-in novel of a roleplaying game. At times it does read just like that but that isn’t actually a bad thing. Especially with the tone and style of writing that Evan Dicken uses.

One thing I will say is that the novel is character heavy, now I love character heavy novels, but newer readers may find it a tad off putting. I’d like to assure potential readers though that each character, even background ones, are there for a reason and it isn’t as daunting as it may seem initially. While some names may sound the same I found it easy to differentiate between them all. Now in fairness I have played L5R both via the card game and RPG as well as read the old tie-in novels but I don’t feel that it would be off putting to those new to the games or the novel world.

I did particularly like the fact all clans were present and it was nice to see them, even if a few of them fell directly into the clan stereotypes. Personally, though I enjoyed this since I think it would be a good grounding read for those newer to the games or world of Rokugan. Dicken clearly shows what members of each clan are expected or thought to be like and I loved every minute of it. I probably should add I am a tad biased, L5R is one of my favourite games and I adore Asian history and culture (particularly Japan) but I feel like even if you don’t tick those boxes you will enjoy this.

All in all this was a brilliant addition to the growing Legend of the Five Rings line up and I cannot wait to read more in this line and more work by Evan Dicken who clearly knows the source material and is passionate about their writing. If you love L5R or a good Asian inspired fantasy you will find it hard not to love The Heart of Iuchiban.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for an advanced copy of this fantasy tie-in novel to the popular role playing game.

As a writer it must be hard to hard to create in someone else's universe, or create a story that fits in the rules of a game and its setting. The pressure comes not only from editors approval, but game creators, writers and scenarists, and the fans. Some fans tend to love pointing out all that a person gets wrong in a game, more than they like to point out what is right and good. Which makes Evan Dicken a pretty good writer, as he gets everything right in this story, including setting the scene for new adventures for the role playing game. The Heart of Iuchiban: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel brings together for the first time all the clans in one adventure that might decide the future of the Empire as evil grows all around them.

Trouble is besetting the Emerald Empire. The Emperor is dying and the line of succession is murky at best, with many beginning to plot and plan for the position. Rebellion is brewing, miners rising up against a local lord, and a large group made of all the clans is sent to deal with this problem promptly and unmercifully. However the army is betrayed by not just assassins in the ranks but by an undead army that destroys the forces, causing the death of many powerful members of the clan. Soon the reverberations of this diaster echo throughout the Empire, bringing together men and women from the different clans into a fight that is larger and more evil than they have ever known. An officer of the court looking for a supposed murderer, a young woman looking to redeem her master's reputation, an elder warrior who wishes for death, but wanting revenge for the ones who killed her adopted son, an archeologist who happened to be in the wrong tomb at the wrong time. Only together can they help fight the darkness the is sweeping over the land.

Another good entry in this series, and one that introduces and covers quite a lot of ground and future ideas. Playing the game is not important as this is a good story, but it would be helpful just to get an idea. Fans will love all the different classes and clans that are coming together. Thought there are a lot of characters, and some might meld together in the mind, however that is minor quibble because the story really is quite good. The writing has a formal sense to it, almost as if reading a classic tale, but the dialogue is funny in places, and each character seems quite distinct and different from each other. The book does set up a new campaign for the game, though nothing seems shoe horned in to make things work. There is plenty of battles and magic and interesting ideas that keep the story moving and exciting.

A very good fantasy story and not just a tie- in novel to a game that you need to have an encyclopedic knowledge about. I love what Aconyte does with their books. They are much more than a piece of merch, you can tell that the writers they choose take pride in their work. I don't think I have ever read a book I did not like. I have read Evan Dicken before and have enjoyed them all, and look forward to more books by him in this series, and others.

ARC Copy...It was interesting to see characters from all the clans represented although it felt a portion of them were only "background" characters and only certain clans got the main story focus. The dark threat did feel "artfully" deadly in scope.

Being an active player of the card game and RPG, and being a fan of the Rokugani fantasy setting in general, it is always a pleasure to see a new novel announced that expands the stories of L5R. The Heart of Iuchiban grasped my attention when it was announced in early Q2 2022, as it had an ambitious plan: tell a story featuring representatives of all the seven Great Clans of Rokugan, united against the immortal Bloodspeaker cult leader, Iuchiban. It was really a bold take, as practicing Game Masters of the RPG know well enough that it is probably the hardest to tell a compelling credible story featuring characters from all the seven Great Clans, so I was interested how it would be executed in a novel.

This novel includes lots of characters, one may say there are too much characters for a book with such a page count, and first time readers of L5R fictions may be confused by the similar sounding names in the ultimate "who is who" game. It might have been useful to include a list of characters "glossary" with a short description, similar to what is used in Josh Reynold's Daidoji Shin novels. Not all characters are equally important, though: the cast introduced in the early chapters is loosely connected to the "real" cast of characters (but both sets of characters indeed include representatives of all 7 clans, though the not too important characters feel like mandatory "clan quota" ones). There are quite a few memorable ones, my personal favorite being Matsu Chiaki, the old Lion general and Doji Masashiro, the flamboyant Crane courtier. Utilizing such a big cast causes pacing issues in the beginning: it takes the first third of the book just to introduce everyone and set the plot in direction, which may lose readers with less patience.
For me, the middle section was the most enjoyable one, as it features a "quasi" Point of View structure, focusing on 1 or 2 characters, and there are interesting dynamics to see between these characters. I liked the witty character dialogues in To chart the clouds, Evan Dicken previous L5R novel, and these did not disappoint here either.
In the last part of the book, the "real" cast comes together and explores the tomb of Iuchiban. The witty dialogues are still there in this part, however I could not get rid of the feeling that most scenes are straight from an actual play session of the RPG by not too experienced players. It seems that the author did not dare to flesh out characters differently than the stereotypes of a given clan. Which is a pity, as the new way of characterization was one of the strongest points of To chart the clouds.
The ending was also slightly disappointing to me: without spoiling too much, I would say it has a "going back to square one" moment, which a little bit undermines the impact of the events described in the book.

I think the story would have worked better if the number of involved clans had been limited to 3 or 4 - there would have been more time to flesh out characters and their motivations.

Even though The Heart of Iuchiban has not been the best L5R novel released in my view, it is still a must read for fan of Rokugan. For newcomers, probably the other novels released by Aconyte are better intro to this fantasy setting. I can also recommend to players of the new Dungeons & Dragons RPG supplement "Adventures in Rokugan", there are some good ideas there for prospective game masters.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

"The heart of Iuchiban" is a tale set in the world of "Five Rings", an Asian fantasy background that delightedly blends lore and magic from eastern cultures. The scenarios see families and clans fight their own wars at their own terms, each priding themselves with a particular skill. Colourful and credible.
This particular adventure sees an exponent of each clan dealing with the possible return of the dark sorcerer Iuchiban who centuries past daunted Rokugan lands with his evil scheming for power and his army of undead. He was somehow chained away in a tomb whose location and very existence is unknown to everyone but Iuchiban's most loyal subjects.

I want to begin my review with a massive point in favour to the language chosen by the author — it is refined, appropriate to a tale of samurai and mysterious and foreign lands, though maintaining linearity and readability all throughout the book. It might seem a silly praise but I find form and style to be a major dearth in recent writers.
The only weakness I could pinpoint to here is the presence of too many descriptive comparisons which are often futile, drawing attention away from the scene to state something the reader already learnt before.

Regarding the setting, the author does not provide the reader with any insight or map. Those with a certain familiarity with the books or the game will find this not a nuisance, but presumably a book is intended for a varied audience, including those who know little or nothing about the Five Rings universe. I'd see dedicating some intro chapters as the best solution but if this for whatever reason wasn't an option, at least a link to external lore or a map (like in the case of Nwosu's novels) would be beneficial.

Characters are a big thing in this book — there's many, with tonnes of names and with standalone chapters that make the assimilation difficult. I suspect this story is inspired to a played tabletop game campaign, therefore interwoven between several players with each impersonating a role/character. Despite I find this very intriguing since every character can bring in his own voice, practically speaking this doesn't give the chance to the reader to form a bond with them. Some character, such as Tetsuo, with their silent and rigid behaviour almost disappear in the context; others, like Gensuke, appear and disappear in a flash. All along the book I was left with a sense of loss, a need to acquaint with the protagonists of the story that was cruelly negated and soured brutally at the end. In fact, this relationship between reader and characters is comparable to the one the characters have in the story — none. For reasons beyond my logic, despite all the troubles and suffering they go through, there's no trust, no kind words to spare for one another. Nothing. I mean, I don't suppose to have a relationship like Sam and Frodo in LoTR but a bonding of any sort is quite natural in endeavours where one risks his own life and survives only thanks to teamwork.
Going further in this analysis, a critique to Irie and Qadan. The first should be a high priestess introduced to all matters of enlightenment who, albeit lacking hands-on experience, should have and display huge amounts of wisdom. Well, that just don't happen. Most of the time she dozes off thinking about nonsense until somebody calls her to action. Allegedly she is the one holding more power than anyone and uses casually and not even in tune with her well learnt wisdom. I'm puzzled. Qadan is the most annoying and arrogant being of the whole scene. Seriously, so many times I hoped for her sudden death. She have never a kind word for people who save her from situation her arrogant self put her in, and she only relies on a couple of spirits to do the job her uselessness can't manage. I don't want to dab into spoilers but I had rather have her gone than Iuchiban himself. She's just a pitiful attempt of a Dungeons and Dragons warlock.

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I'm sure I found some weird plot holes, too. The first, regarding the Monk (one of the antagonists) and the chamber with the paintings. If he didn't have a key, was behind a few miles from the crew and presumably didn't know how to reach the tomb (nor what was inside, for that matter), how did he manage to insinuate in the room? I mean, mere blood magic seems a weak explanation to this. The second is about Iuchiban's contradiction in choosing Qadan as his vessel when he discarded all the others disciples because unable to cooperate with one another. But Qadan was the only of the crew in a perpetual teamwork objection. She would've died in many occasions because of this, too.

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Overall the reading was enjoyable and would recommend it to fellow readers and tabletop gamers. The book had a solid idea, just executed in a hurried and perhaps unthoughtful manner hence 3 stars rather than 4.