Cover Revealed for Star Wars: Ronin – A Visions Novel by Emma Mieko Candon

 

Wow! This morning, StarWars.com revealed the cover for the forthcoming novel, Ronin. Expanding up the anticipated Star Wars: Visions short “The Duel”, author Emma Mieko Candon also shares their thoughts on approaching this story, influences, and writing a Star Wars story representative of their experience.

 

 

This past Saturday, Lucasfilm pulled back the curtain on Star Wars: Visions, giving fans a look at each story and the anime studios behind them. Many of us Star Wars bookworms hoped for a look at Ronin and today we get our wish. Not only a gorgeous cover reveal, we also have a synopsis and how this connects to the other Visions stories.

 

From StarWars.com:

 

A mysterious former Sith wanders the galaxy in this stunning Star Wars tale. An original novel inspired by the world of The Duel from the Star Wars Visions animated anthology.

The Jedi are the most loyal servants of the Empire.

Two decades ago, Jedi clans clashed in service to feuding lords. Sickened by this endless cycle, a sect of Jedi rebelled, seeking to control their own destiny and claim power in service of no master. They called themselves Sith.

The Sith rebellion failed, succumbing to infighting and betrayal, and the once rival lords unified to create an Empire…but even an Empire at peace is not free from violence.

Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side.

As the galaxy’s perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life.

 

No word on whether this connects to the greater canon but I don’t expect it to, since the other Visions stories will exist on their own. It’s a refreshing way to approach Star Wars and give these creators enough runway to tell their unique stories. As a former canon junkie, I’m very excited storytelling will expand beyond the known canon, adding another layer of myth and a great entry point for future Star Wars fans.

 

This is author Emma Mieko Candon’s first journey into Star Wars. They shared their approach to Ronin and influences on the novel.

 

Emma Mieko Candon, speaking to StarWars.com:

“In brief, jidaigeki [period dramas], Japanese monsters and folklore, and war trauma” inspired Ronin, Candon says. “The Duel is very much in conversation with period dramas a la [Akira] Kurosawa, while the latter two felt like natural Japanese extensions of the ‘Star’ and ‘Wars’ parts of Star Wars. Jidaigeki love samurai as protagonists because they’re suspicious of samurai as a class, and our Ronin falls right into that trope. I had to ask how this man rejected (or was rejected by) his social role, and why he continues to cleave to it. Why does he still carry that tell-tale red blade? And why does he hunt his own?”

While Ronin looks to be a character study though The Duel’s singular lens, it’s also something else. Ronin will reflect parts of Candon’s own story, as well. “A Star Wars movie made me ‘get’ representation, and I’ve tried to honor that feeling in this book for my own sake and for other people,” Candon says. “Besides being Japanese, I’m also a chronically ill, queer cyborg, and all of that showed up in some regard.”

And that ethos is reflective of the spirit or Star Wars: Visions: putting one’s own spin, and self, on and into Star Wars.

“I love that Visions as a whole is a grand recursive experiment. A fairy tale of a fairy tale. A myth built upon modern mythology,” Candon says. “Also, I think that sometimes I was funny!”

 

I’m very excited to get Ronin on my shelf and experience Candon’s first Star Wars story. It sounds like a wonderful, exciting, meditative story and I love Candon’s approach. Star Wars: Ronin – A Visions Novel is out October 12th and now available for pre-order! Make sure to head over to StarWars.com for the full article!

 

SOURCE: StarWars.com

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Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson lives in Portland, Oregon. When he's not running trails, he's reading and writing.

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