Adopted at an early age by a birdlike Tengu sword master, the teenage Ken’ishi tries to make his way in a world filled with demons and duplicitous humans. With only a dog for companionship, his dead father’s mystical and coveted sword, Silver Crane, and with no master to serve, Ken’ishi roams feudal Japan as a ronin.

Heart of the Ronin

From the first chapter, Ken’ishi gets himself into trouble and finds himself duelling a village constable. Thanks to his training, Ken’ishi is a formidable swordsman. Unfortunately, as a ronin, his act of self-defence is construed as murder, and Ken’ishi is forced to flee the village and the district. His flight sets him on an adventure involving forbidden love, an imminent invasion by Kublai Khan, a hunt for Ken’ishi's mysterious sword and the corruption of two human souls by one demonic Oni. Poor Ken’ishi. All he wants is to fit in and become a samurai.

At the start of the book, I found myself getting a little frustrated with the main character, Ken’ishi. Often, he’d get himself into trouble due to a combination of naivety and a sense of misplaced honour. But then he’d redeem himself with random acts of kindness. I had to remind myself that he’s only seventeen and has spent most of his formative years living with a mythical creature that despises humans!

What I enjoyed most about this story was how the author fused a feudal Japan and its everyday intrigues with the fantastic. For example, a nasty lesser noble, Yatsuoki, manipulates people while employing an Oni and his bandits to rob travellers to fund his political ambitions. Yatsuoki is a very nasty antagonist. He’s all kinds of trouble to everyone, and he’s set his heart on getting Ken’ishi’s sword, Silver Crane. I look forward to reading about Yatsuoki’s downfall in the later books.

While there is a lot to like about the numerous subplots, the book does end with hardly any convergence or resolution. So long as you know you’re reading the first part of a trilogy, this shouldn’t come as a disappointment.

I’m looking forward to the next instalment of The Ronin Trilogy, Sword of the Ronin.

Image: Amazon.co.uk, 27-Dec-2020

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