Black Ronin
Kill Bill Meets Inside Out
The wandering Ronin Nassaka has just made a deal with a witch that will change his life and the course of history for America. His flesh will heal swiftly after even the gravest of injuries, but the price for this gift is more steep than even he can yet comprehend; The witch wants his Anger.
Who will he even be without the emotion that has guided his every movement in life? And just what will transpire when his pathway crosses with a twelve-year-old girl who dreams of nothing but assassinating the President of the New Confederacy? The stage is set for a journey through a nineteenth century Colorado that has become home to monstrous creatures and supernatural beings from Japanese folklore.
Book 15: Published December 2025
When you feel broken by the world, how do you rebuild?
”I have always loved New Century as a series. It has made me laugh, and cry and think and given me so much nourishment for my head and my heart. This book is no exception, but I must also emphasize that the journey is worth the dark roads it takes the reader. It isn't just a story built off of the myriad books that have come before, but one reflective of the mental state many of us find ourselves in in 2025.
The world is full of monsters, both fictional and all too real. The monsters are even inside us, sometimes. And this story weaves a tangled path through two people on a journey together, trying to understand their pain and trauma together. The author has already name checked Inside Out and Kill Bill, but I would add: if you are a fan of the newest God Of War games, and their exploration of loss, grief, family and trying to survive in a hostile world, this book is for you. We all need stories of hope and joy, but we also need the ones that show us our anger and our fear and our sadness. We must accept all of it in order to grow. Maybe this story can help with that for some of you, reflecting us in a mirror, darkly.” -Gregory Downing
A new vista in the tale of the New Century Multiverse
”Some of Alex Shaw's most vivid imagery and visceral action to date paint the journey of a broken man struggling to come back from his lowest point. It's an appropriately hard road to travel along for the reader as well, but at the end of it is very much worth it for the conclusion.” -Teemu Helasharju
Can you have vengeance without wrath? Read on to find out.
“Sometimes all it takes to make a classic premise truly unique is adding one small twist or complication. In this case, taking a classic revenge story, but having the main character, Nasaka, trading away his anger for healing powers. Yes he can't easily killed because of this, but because his anger was driving forward until now, he now has to navigate intense actions scenes, whilst being overwhelmed by his fear, which already sets him apart from so many superpowered swordsmen. Honestly, and massive credit to Alex Shaw for this, Nasaka's inner thoughts and as he grapples with this existential conflict are just as fun and engaging as the action scenes, and it really does make you wonder which emotion is controlling you most of the time. You will have to read other New Century novels to get the full weight of the moments in this story, but the context is explained throughout, and honestly? It's a good series so it's not a bad thing.” -Kindle Customer
