Heart of the Ronin (The Ronin Trilogy) - Hardcover

Heermann, Travis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594147795 ISBN 13: 9781594147791

Publisher: Five Star, 2009

Synopsis

Fantasy writer Travis Heermann (THE IVORY STAR) brings thirteenth-century Japan alive in HEART OF THE RONIN, the first installment of a trilogy.

Ken'ishi is just 17 years old and an orphan after the mysterious death of his parents. He dreams of training with a master who will some day help him become a samurai.

Traveling with Silver Crane, a sword that belonged to his father, and a dog, Akao, for a sidekick, Ken'ishi's adventures begin after he murders a policeman and must flee. Just when he thinks he has escaped trouble, he saves Kazuko, the daughter of an influential lord, from a group of bandits. In return, he is asked to live in the lord's house, where he falls in love with Kazuko.

Forced to flee once again, Ken'ishi goes on a hunt to discover his past while fighting off warriors and demons, not to mention worrying about the bounty that's on his head. Will he find out if his father really was a samurai or why the sword he wields seems to be infused with magic?

Written while the author lived in Japan, HEART OF THE RONIN combines historical fiction with fantasy to keep readers guessing what Ken'ishi will encounter next in Heerman's mystical universe. 
"A fusion of historical fiction and adventure fantasy, the first volume of Heermann's Ronin Trilogy is a page-turning folkloric narrative of epic proportions." -- Publishers Weekly

"Full of sword battles, intrigue, romance and fantastic elements blending well with historical ones, Heart of the Ronin is a very impressive opening in the Ronin Trilogy. It's also a page turner that you can't put down and will leave readers begging for more."-- Fantasy Book Critic
"Heart of a Ronin is a solid, likeable adventure story, sure to please fans of Japanese culture and fantasy readers alike." -- Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing

About this title

About the Author

Travis Heermann grew up in the countryside of Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a BS in electrical engineering. In 2003, he shifted careers and moved to Fukuoka, Japan, to teach English to young students in public schools. Amazon.com called his first novel, The Ivory Star, “a must have for every sci-fi reader.” Soon afterward, Heermann immersed himself in Japanese culture and history and combined his passion for folklore and fantasy literature. The result is Heart of the Ronin, a tale of a teenage warrior in thirteenth-century Japan, and the first volume in the Ronin Trilogy. On Ronin Writer (travisheermann.com/blog), Heermann’s blog about the writing life, he posts an ongoing series of in-depth interviews with authors in a variety of genres.

From Publishers Weekly

A fusion of historical fiction and adventure fantasy, the first volume of Heermann's Ronin Trilogy is a page-turning folkloric narrative of epic proportions. In a strange, supernatural feudal Japan, 17-year-old warrior Ken'ishi, a masterless samurai with a mysterious past and a legendary sword, saves the life of Kazuko, a powerful lord's daughter. Soon he becomes entangled in a deadly web of treachery, obsession and vengeance along with a bevy of conspirators, spies, assassins and otherworldly monstrosities. Though Heermann does little to push the boundaries of the subgenre, his writing style is confident and fluid, his characters well developed and his serpentine story line anything but predictable. Numerous tantalizingly unresolved plot threads will have readers anxiously awaiting the second installment in this gripping tale of ill-fated love, betrayal and destiny. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Five Star
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1594147795
• ISBN 13: 9781594147791
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 439