The story re-tells the excellent The Duel episode from Star Wars: Visions, which is without question one of the most unique pieces of Star Wars media in recent years, as well as continuing the story, and it’s unlike any Star Wars novel I have ever read, to the extent where in moments I’d forgotten that I was reading a Star Wars book.
The book itself is mostly that of a character study of the titular character, but it’s written in such a way that it almost feels melodic and quite like a poem, which isn’t necessarily something I was a fan of. Star Wars books are generally much more straight forward in their writing, and it’s definitely something I’ve become accustomed to over the years, so the writing style implemented by Emma Mieko Candon was quite jarring for me personally. I’m sure many will truly enjoy how the book is written, but it didn’t work for me personally and there was times I’d find myself having to re-read lines or paragraphs.
Ronin isn’t just action adventure set piece sort of Star Wars novel that we’ve read many times, it’s instead a much slower and thoughtful read which delves into the titular character and it’s unique world, something we saw during the Visions episode, but expanded to a much greater, interesting and satisfying scale. The characters featured are complex and the mythology is rich and deep, something I’m sure most will find at least interesting.
Though I have mixed feelings regarding Ronin, I believe there’s still a lot to enjoy here. I’m sure some readers will find it challenging, but others will find it rewarding and it’s without doubt one of the most unique Star Wars books I have ever read. I’d highly recommend Ronin to those who thoroughly enjoyed the Star Wars: Visions episode The Duel and have interest in the world presented there, and to to those who want a fresh take on the Star Wars universe (or a version of). It’s not for everybody, but I’m truly glad that this novel exists.
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