With May being Asian heritage month I wanted to create a post that talks about horror books by Asian authors. As many of you very well know I am a big horror fan. I’m always looking for new books to read and I do think the horror genre needs to be diversified. I want to make sure that everyone is aware of all of the authors in this genre. They deserve it!
You don’t often hear about many horror books by Asian authors. At least you don’t hear about those that are in English. I just hope I’m not missing any!
Horror Books by Asian Authors
Here is a list of horror books by Asian authors. If there is anything that I missed then make sure to leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list!
Ring
So I posted about the movie being based on the book a while back in this post here. You have no idea how excited I was when I found out that the movie was based on a book because I loved the movie so much!
Ring follows a journalist who is doing some research after four teenagers die suddenly. After investigating his niece’s death he finds out about the videotape that tells you that you will die a week after watching it. At first, he doesn’t believe it and there’s something else going on with the situation. After watching the video weird things start to happen that eventually lead to him believing what happened to his niece. But how does he get out of this situation?
I cannot wait to get started on this book but I have no idea when I’ll actually get started on it. Hopefully soon because I want to read the book and then rewatch the movie!
The Graveyard Apartment
This is a book I have been meaning to read for a while. It really takes me a while to get to the books that are on my shelves because lately, I have been reading a lot of indie books.
The Graveyard Apartment follows a young family who moves into an apartment with a graveyard next to it. After a while, a lot of horrors are released upon them.
This story really caught my attention a while back because of the cover. I honestly can’t remember how it was brought to my attention though. I can’t remember if maybe it was another blogger or if it popped up on google when I was looking for books. Either way, I’m glad that it did because the premise of it sounds so good and creepy!
The Good Son
I actually haven’t heard of The Good Son before. At least not until I started doing some research for the post. This one actually sounds pretty good and sounds like something right up my alley!
Here is what the story is about.
Early one morning, twenty-six-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything’s all right at home – he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can’t remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life?
I just wish that this book was at our local library! I would start it soon if I could.
Now You’re One of Us
This is another that I have heard of before either. The story sounds awesome though and seems like a story that is well thought out.
I just hope that this is one I can get to soon!
In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby, here is a new classic about the bride who’s no longer sure what to think. All families have their own rituals, secrets, and credos, like a miniature religious cult; these quirks may elicit the mirth or mild alarm of guests, but the matter is rather more serious if you’re marrying into a household. If it’s a Japanese one with a history, brace yourself: some surprising truths lurk around the corner.
The synopsis of this one really did catch my attention! I love books that deal with cults or at least gives you an impression that we’re dealing with a cult.
The Ghost Bride
The Ghost Bride has such a crazy plot to me. Do things like this actually happen in Asian culture? It sure does make a good plot for a book though.
I did end up adding this book to my TBR so hope I wind up liking it!
Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.
Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family’s only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, traditional ghost marriages are used to placate restless spirits. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days but at a terrible price.
After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor but also by her desire for the Lims’ handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits, and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.
Confessions
I bought Confessions a while back but like almost all of my other books, I still haven’t had the chance to get to it. Hopefully, soon I’ll get the chance to read all of the books on my bookshelf! This is one I want to get to soon because this has always been a topic that has interested me.
That’s mostly because I’m always curious about how can someone go out and kill another. Now as a mother though this is something that would completely hurt me.
Her pupils killed her daughter.
Now, she will have her revenge.
After calling off her engagement in wake of a tragic revelation, Yuko Moriguchi had nothing to live for except her only child, four-year-old Manami. Now, following an accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation.
But first, she has one last lecture to deliver. She tells a story that upends everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers and sets in motion a maniacal plot for revenge.
Nothing but Blackened Teeth
So, this wasn’t really one of my favorite books. I felt so bad about not liking this book I ended up not even doing a review for it. For me, the story was just too slow and I went into the story not realizing that it was a novella and not a full-length novel.
Nothing but Blackened Teeth follows a group of people who attend a wedding in a haunted house. But things start to happen in the story that causes them to split up.
Sounds like a cool concept right? Even though the story sounds really cool it is mostly filled with the group arguing with each other. I’m including the story because who knows. You may enjoy the book more than I did!
Make sure to let me know in the comments if there’s one that I missed! Have you read any of these books?
If you enjoy posts like this then you might also enjoy my post about horror books by black authors.
