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Heart of the Ronin by Travis Heermann
Historical Fantasy
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Thirteenth-century Japan is a dangerous place, even in a time of peace. Capricious gods, shape-changing animals, and bloodthirsty demons are as real and unpleasant as a gang of vicious bandits. From the wilderness emerges a young, idealistic warrior with his father’s mysterious sword on his hip, a wise, sarcastic dog at his side, and a yearning in his heart to find a worthy master. He dreams only of being samurai. Little does he suspect the agony and glory that await him when his dreams come true.
Finding a master should be easy for a warrior as skilled as Ken’ishi, but the generations-long wars for the Imperial throne have ended. The land has settled into an uneasy peace and cast multitudes of proud, powerful warriors to the four winds. The new peace means that these masterless warriors, ronin, often must stoop to crime and banditry to feed themselves. Ken’ishi finds himself plagued by the hatred and mistrust of peasants and samurai alike.
When he saves a noble maiden from a pack of bandits, he and his faithful dog become enmeshed in the intrigues of samurai lords, vengeful constables, Mongol spies, and a shadowy underworld crime boss known as Green Tiger. But Ken’ishi has a few secret weapons of his own, granted to him by his mysterious past and his magical upbringing. If only he knew more about his mysterious past, his parents’ murder, and the sword that seems to want to talk to him. . . .
Heart of the Ronin is an action-packed historical fantasy, set against the backdrop of ancient intrigue and impending war, the first of a sweeping three-part epic filled with deadly duels and climactic battles. Creatures of folklore and myth are as real as the katana in one’s hand. And just as deadly.
"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 are 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. " - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"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
This work is licensed under a
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Audio Quality: 
Out of 23 ratings
Narration Quality:
Out of 23 ratings
Writing Quality: 
Out of 23 ratings
Overall Rating:
Out of 23 ratings
By: reynaldo madera
Hello Mr. Heermann I just want to say thank you for writing such a great story. It was an amazing read. Can't wait for the next one.By: Laky Magoo
This was such a fantastically written story, I was very sad to see it come to an end. I fell in love with all the characters, even the mean ones because every hero must have it's protagonist. I sympathised with the lowest on the totem pole...well, because they were so downcast but still held their dignity. I also sympathised with the upper class because their traditions and heirarchy held them rigidly in place. Please don't leave us hanging...give us more! By the way, did I mention the writing and naration were also excellent? Well, I should have, sorry for the forgetfullness. Also, PLEASE, by all means, continue writing as well as you have so far. I can't wait to hear more from you and feudal Japan. Just have to add...my favorite character is the dog. heheBy: Barry Bounous
"Some plot threads" is just a wee bit of an understatement. Off the top of my head I can't think of many threads that were tied up. Don't get me wrong - I loved the book so far but to call it a complete book is a stretch.
Chapters
| Title | Description | Date Created |
| Episode 1 (24.26 MB) | Welcome to the debut episode of the Heart of the Ronin podcast. In this episode, Ken’ishi, a young masterless samurai with his father’s ancient sword on hip, and Akao, Ken’ishi’s faithful dog, wander into a village, and quickly run afoul of an ill-tempered constable with a past. | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 2 (25.78 MB) | In this episode, Ken’ishi and the angry constable, Takenaga, a member of the Nishimuta clan, face off in a deadly duel. | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 3 (14.93 MB) | In previous episodes, the young ronin Ken'ishi and his dog Akao hide in the countryside from the angry villagers and contemplate their next move. But there are forces at work beyond his knowledge. | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 4 (39.24 MB) | Ken’ishi recalls an encounter with a cruel drunken samurai in the capital, wherein he learned a few tantalizing clues about the possible history of his sword, Silver Crane. | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 5 (24.53 MB) | Ken'ishi stumbles upon the scene of a brutal melee. A gang of bandits, led by a horrible oni, a demon, has waylaid the entourage of a noble maiden. | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 6 (30.29 MB) | Ken'ishi and Kazuko face the deadly oni, the demon-bandit Hakamadare. But even if they survive, does he dare to tell her that he recently killed one of the members of her clan, Takenaga, in a duel? | Dec 12, 2008 |
| Episode 7 (29.15 MB) | Taro, the young deputy from Uchida Village, searches for the ronin who murdered his master. Ken'ishi and Kazuko must take the badly injured Hatsumi to safety, to somewhere she can be healed and purified. | Dec 14, 2008 |
| Episode 8 (28.33 MB) | Ken'ishi and Kazuko continue their trek to deliver Hatsumi to safety, but the attraction between them starts to grow. Meanwhile, Yasutoki, a.k.a. Green Tiger, encounters a parade celebrating the death of the oni known as Hakamadare. | Dec 18, 2008 |
| Episode 9 (17.38 MB) | Ken’ishi and Kazuko seek a healer for the injured Hatsumi and look for a priest that they might all be purified from the taint of death and the oni’s blood. As they travel, sparks begin to crackled between them. | Dec 26, 2008 |
| Episode 10 (24.97 MB) | Ken'ishi, Kazuko, and Hatsumi arrive at a village, where they find a priest who agrees to heal Hatsumi, and purify them all from the taint of evil on their spirits. | Jan 2, 2009 |
| Episode 11 (19.29 MB) | Yasutoki puts his espionage scheme into action, meeting with a mysterious figure known only as Kage, "Shadow." | Jan 6, 2009 |
| Episode 12 (30.87 MB) | Ken'ishi has a horrible nightmare, some of which might prove to be prophetic. He also recounts for Kazuko a tale of his childhood and his strange, mystical teacher. | Jan 11, 2009 |
| Episode 13 (39.14 MB) | Ken'ishi recounts a tale for Kazuko of his first encounter with human society since he was a baby. It is not a pleasant experience. | Jan 11, 2009 |
| Episode 14 (18.96 MB) | Taro continues his pursuit of the ronin, even though something strange is happening with the wound he suffered by getting too close to the oni's remains. | Jan 17, 2009 |
| Episode 15 (36.9 MB) | As Hatsumi slowly recovers from her grievous injuries, the darkness in her thoughts and in her heart grows, until, for the first time, a rift appears in her relationship with Kazuko. Hatsumi's dislike and distrust of Ken'ishi seem unreasonable and excessive, but is this change in her temper a result of the oni's attack or does originate within herself? | Jan 27, 2009 |
| Episode 16 (20.29 MB) | Ken'ishi recounts another tale of childhood travails as they reach the final stretch of road to Kazuko's family estate, the domain of Lord Nishimuta no Jiro. | Feb 5, 2009 |
| Episode 17 (36.62 MB) | Ken'ishi has finally brought Kazuko and Hatsumi safely home, but what he had dreamed would an auspicious, joyous event turns into a dangerous debacle. | Feb 9, 2009 |
| Episode 18 (20.68 MB) | Ken'ishi and Kazuko have been torn apart the surprise announcement of her betrothal to Lord Tsunetomo, and Ken'ishi has been ordered to leave the province under pain of death. But Kazuko has other designs. | Feb 17, 2009 |
| Episode 19 (13.28 MB) | Ken’ishi flees the domain of the Nishimuta clan, under threat of torture and execution if he ever returns. However, just as he begins his journey, he encounters the young deputy from Uchida village, Taro. | Feb 19, 2009 |
| Episode 20 (29.58 MB) | Kazuko has accepted her fate and married Lord Tsunetomo but a yearning remains in her heart that she cannot dispel. And she does not yet realize that she is neck-deep in the machinations of a master schemer, Yasutoki. | Feb 24, 2009 |
| Episode 21 (31.2 MB) | Ken’ishi and Akao wander into a secluded fishing village. Months have passed since his liaison with Kazuko, but she is ever on his mind. During some New Year celebration, a local fisherman flies into a drunken rage and kills the village constable in a dispute with a prostitute. Ken’ishi steps in to defend her from the cruel drunken fisherman. | Mar 1, 2009 |
| Episode 22 (23.84 MB) | Ken'ishi assumes the post of constable of Aoka village, but he faces deep mistrust from the other villagers. Kiose, on the other hand, seems to have taken an immediate like to him. | Mar 8, 2009 |
| Episode 23 (21.63 MB) | Yasutoki receives his first round of intelligence from the spy known only as Kage. Ken'ishi's feelings for Kiose lead him to discuss her future as a prostitute in Tetta's inn, but something is wrong in the village, a nameless presence that raises Ken'ishi's sense of danger. | Mar 10, 2009 |
| Episode 24 (39 MB) | Tetta, the innkeeper, mysterious disappears from Aoka village. Ken'ishi sets out to investigate, but, fearing reprisal against Kiose by the vengeful sons of Yoba, the slain fisherman, he takes Kiose with him into the forest. Meanwhile, Taro has joined the Koga Sword Academy, but it is apparent that something dark and deadly is happening to him. | Mar 21, 2009 |
| Episode 25 (34.78 MB) | Ken’ishi, Kiose, and Akao venture into the forest, in search of the missing innkeeper. During their trek, Kiose drops some powerful news on Ken’ishi. | Mar 30, 2009 |
| Episode 26 (36.54 MB) | Hatsumi's cruelty and ill-temper have grown to such proportions that all the house servants now hate her, and Kazuko admonishes her for after a particularly cruel and irrational incident. Meanwhile, Yasutoki schemes and schemes, and his espionage bears powerful fruit. | Apr 6, 2009 |
| Episode 27 (40.17 MB) | Ken'ishi and Norikage confront a mysterious stranger in Aoka village. Taro, having learned the ways of the sword and slaughtered two sword academies worth of students in his bloodlust, continues his search for Ken'ishi. | May 1, 2009 |
| Episode 28 (60.31 MB) | Another mysterious disappearance in the village drives Ken'ishi to put his own life at risk to find the cause, and he uses himself as bait in his own trap. And uncovers something no one expected. | May 1, 2009 |
| Episode 29 (33.42 MB) | As Kiose struggles in the throes of childbirth, Ken'ishi meets an unexpected nemesis in a battle to the death. | May 24, 2009 |
| Episode 30 (18.73 MB) | Kazuko finally begins to settle herself into her new life, wondering about Ken'ishi and future. Yasutoki's schemes of espionage and betrayal finally come together and he prepares to hand his homeland over to Mongol conquerors. | May 29, 2009 |