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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In Robert Nakamura's Ronin: The Wolf’s Path, Takeshi is a hired, lone wolf samurai who leads a group of fighters for pay in a war controlled by rival military leaders. He is sent to a farming village called Yasuda with orders to kill its defenders and secure it, putting him under Zasuro, a commander serving a ruling warlord. After the attack, Takeshi continues working under Zasuro, entering fortified compounds where captives are cut open and altered through blood-based methods that create violent, inhuman beings. Reports spread of a destructive entity called Onitsume that materializes during battles and leaves bodies torn apart. When Zasuro is accused of betrayal and imprisoned, Takeshi commits to reaching him inside a guarded stronghold as war closes in around them.
Robert Nakamura’s Ronin is a spectacular supernatural novel, totally ambitious in its scope and gorgeous in its execution. Takeshi is almost immediately easy to root for. He is a visionary, quite literally, as he can see and interact with spirits, from a headless boy to a silent woman, and also has the calm focus you expect in a samurai. He's not ruled by man or impulse, does not tolerate the abuse of women, and frees captives to send a message. I love Shizuko, a powerhouse of a female spy who takes risks others can't and infiltrates brilliantly. The world-building is top-notch in a cinematic ancient Japanese feudal system, complete with battlefields, castles, the legendary act of seppuku, and mountain monasteries. Ronin ticks all the boxes for readers who enjoy paranormal historical fiction, sword-based combat, the rising of the undead and inhumans, and prose that practically sings. Very, very highly recommended.
