Asian Horror or Suspense

Any suggestions for any Asian Horror or suspense books? I do need them in English, I'm afraid. I've read many of the vertical press books, but I don't really know where to start for any others. I'm particulary interested in modern writers and plots that take place in Asia. And I'm not really fond of cozies. Would be interested in Asian Science Fiction as well.

Thanks!
~ Dena

I don't know if it qualifies, but I suggest The master of rain by Tom Bradby, good thriller that takes place in Shanghai in the 20s.

The Paradise Eater by John Ralston Saul was excellent, albeit pretty strong stuff ... a dissipated journalist in Thailand finds himself mixed up in a brutal murder case ... also, although I haven't read them yet, John Burdett has a (short) series of novels with a Thai detective ... Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo ... these have both gotten pretty good reviews.

Natsuo Kirino's Out---intense suspense!
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami--Horror

Asian Science Fiction? That would be interesting. I don't know of any, but...Maybe some of the elements of Battle Royale might be a bit SciFi

Opinicus: is that Battle Royale the book that the movie Battle Royale is based on? With the school kids on the island having to kill each other?

Speaking of Asian scifi, there's the David Wingrove Chung Kuo series ... an "alternate future" kind of thing in which China rules the planet ... it was supposed to be a 10-book (!) series but I believe the story is the publisher made him stop after 7 or 8 ... I read the first three books, but unless you read them all at once, it's hard to keep track of everything.

Thanks for the suggestions. Those will be a great start!

I just purchased Spiral by Koji Suzuki. It may be what you were looking for. The top part of it says that he was the guy who created The Ring (books to movies). Unfortunately I haven't read it yet.

A paranormal-gore-weird twist sort would be In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami. But it might not be to everyone's tastes.

I'd second Out by Kirino for the gore. There's also Snakes and Earrings by Hitomi Kanehara, but I didn't particularly like it.

Suspense? Some Murakami perhaps - Hard boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

I was really interested after you posted in finding out more about the subject "Japanese Science Fiction", because for the life of me all that came to mind (okay this is where everyone gets to laugh at me) all those Godzilla movies I watched as a kid. I was completely blank as to whether or not I had any knowledge vicariously of that subject or not so I consulted the great collective consciousness {Wikipedia) and this is what I've found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_in_Japan

Hope it helps, I'm certainly interested now.

I do recommend Missbookwormy's recommendations. Except the Ryu Murakami--I keep reading all the book summaries and it is just is a bit much for me--in terms of subject matter being distasteful. But that's me, and I may find a book by Ryu Murakami and read it after all and decide then.

But then again I'm in a pitched battle with myself to figure out what to read next--Orhan Pahmuck's My Name Is Red (I've read two chapters so far) or my brothers copy of Battle Royale. So it comes down to do I want to read Japanese gore/horror around Thanksgiving or Christmas, or will it be the Turkish Ottoman murder mystery at Christmas.

Please let us know what your search turns up as we're all using the group zeitgeist for future reading lists! :-)

Great librarything just took a dump on my post. 5 or 6 duplicate postings.

Even my link, and the text afterwards is all jumbled and broken

here's the link againand the text afterwards said "hope it helps"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_in_Japan

Durn it I've edited this a zillion times now, and it won't show the hyperlink now, so You'll have to copy and past, but I tested it and it should take you to the right topic.

Thanks for the Wiki link. I hadn't thought to look there. I've read the Koji Suzuki books and enjoyed them (wasn't thrilled with most of the tales in Dark Water, but I liked the Ring/Loop/Spiral series).

I did read In the Miso Soup. It was a little distasteful in parts, but I did enjoy the hard edge it had.

I've also read Out by Randy Taguchi, Strangers by Taichi Yamada and Coin Locker Babies by Murakami.

Oh, and I just finished Parasite by Hideaki Sena. The books by Sena and Suzuki ventured more into the Science Fiction arena than the others, but I haven't yet found any other books close to hard science fiction.

Outlawpoet1970 yeah Battle Royale (Movie) was based on the book, but some things are different in the movie. Have you seen all the information on Battle Royale (Book & Movie) they've got on Wikipedia!

Is the whole series of The Ring in English? I had a friend who was having trouble getting anything other than the first book.

Hi, I'm new here. I specialize in Asian style fiction and have been meticulously searching for more to read as I can. Check out my Library.

As for Asian horror, most of what I have is Japanese. The entire Ring Cycle is available in English - they are The Ring, Spiral, Loop and Birthday (several prequel stories). You should also check out the Ring Anthology on DVD - which has Ringu and 2 sequels (including the filmed version of Spiral). Dark Water, also by Koji Suzuki, is a collection of short stories - the title story which was made into both a Japanese movie and the English language version.

Ju-On is also available in book form.

There does not seem to be much in the way of Asian science fiction or fantasy, but I have run upon a few - all by English authors. Snake Agent, by Liz Williams, is the most recent one - it is an eclectic combination of Chinese mythology, mystery and science fiction. It is also the beginning of a series of books. The sequel is already out.

Anyway, you now have stuff to think about. Check out my new blog at:

www.asian-echoes.blogspot.com

Xiaolung

>18 xiaolung: Thanks for the link Xiaolung. Great read it was!
Does anybody know when other books of Natsuo Kirino (apart from "OUT" which I loved) are going to be published in English? It's just said on her webpage "translation is under way"... I'd like to read them all.

--> 19

I just took Grotesque (in English) by Natsuo Kirino out of the library this week. I probably won't have time to read it, though. :-(

Although not a fan of detective novels, I thoroughly enjoyed both Out by Natsuo Kirinoand Bangkok 8 by John Burdette. Burdette also put out two other books in the Bangkok series. My husband and I read Bangkok Tattoo and liked it. There is also the newer book Bangkok Haunts which I've not yet read.

#19:
Amazon lists July 15 as the release date for Kirino's Real World, and there's a listing for What Remains on Amazon UK for Feb. 5, which I hope is correct, but it's difficult to tell if it's really going to be available then.

>20 SqueakyChu:,21
Thanks a lot for the tips. I had a look at the reviews of Grotesque by Kirino but would still like to read it, so impressed I was with her Out. SqueakyChu, can you please let me know once you've read it how you liked it?

Here is the list I found in a few months' old Book Review on contemporary Japanese thrillers ("The Weekend Australian"): 54. Japanese thrillers:
- Asa Nonami The Hunter (won 1997 Aoki Prize, Japan’s most important literary award), Now You Are One of Us (coming out in September 2007)
- Miyuki Miyabe Crossfire (2005), All She Was Worth (1997), The Devil’s Whisper (planned for translation, her 4rht novel)
- Natsuo Kirino Out (2003), Grotesque (latest novel)
- Shoko Tendo Yakudza Moon (planned for translation by Kodansha publishers, an extraordinary autobiography by the daughter of a Tokyo yakudza boss)

--> 22

I have no idea when I'm going to get to read Grotesque. My library just notified me that it has a new book by one of my favorite Israeli authors...so Grotesque has slipped down somewhat in my TBR queue! :D

I have an interesting book for you to read in the meantime. How about The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe? It's more or less existential literature, but it's a terrifying and engrossing story. Abe, who died in 1933, had been one of Japan's foremost writers.

>22 Booksy: SqueakyChu, thanks for that reminder. I know the author and the novel, known for a very long time since I was about 6 or 7 years old as my parents read this novel and discussed it. It was one of the first translation of a work of the Japanese literature into Russian. They both admired it and told me to read it when I grow up. I completely forgot about it until now. I guess it's a sign now, I'll look for the book in our library first (which is unlikely to have it) and then on the net. Thanks again.

I read Grotesque several months ago, in October I believe. It has very little in common with Out aside from a female cast of characters (very disturbed characters, rather than just troubled). The three or four main characters are quite interesting despite their absolute unlikeability. It's a long read and it doesn't really change from the beginning to the end. You know what's happened from the start and there aren't any real groundshaking revelations. It's more of a point by point description of how a few people died.

I liked it, but it's nowhere near the top of my "favorite crime novels" list, which is where Out is still sitting. I'm glad I read it, but it's not really something I think I'm going to end up going back to at any point soon.

--> 25

Thanks for the short review, JackFrost. I think I'll try Grotesque anyhow. I just put down a book that's too sugary sweet for me. It's not that I advocate that women commit murder, but I'd like something more interesting to read! :-)

Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland is definitely Sci-Fi, it's a cyberpunk novel and a fantasy novel combined (told in alternating chapters). The Vampire Hunter D series of novels also has elements of Sci-Fi (more steampunk) and horror.

The author of Vampire Hunter D, Kikuchi Hideyuki, also wrote a book that's just been translated called Dark Wars: The Tale of Meiji Dracula. I read it about a month ago. It's a short read and seems, at least from the ending, to be the beginning of a series. It's not a perfect novel (there are subplots that haven't fully run their course by the end) but it was a fairly fast and enjoyable read.

I know I am responding to a nearly 2 year old message but maybe I will make some friends with this post:

-Crimson Labyrinth by Yusuki Kishi

-You probably won't go wrong with anything by Ryu Murakami as far and making you feel uncomfortable.

-Definitely the The Kirino as mentioned above is awesome, particularly Out.

-Koji Suzuki isn't really scary but brilliantly weird and re inventive in his books.

-I haven't read Strangers by Taichi Yamada yet, but it looks good.

I can vouch for Yamada. If you like your supernatural subtle and blended in with the monotony of everyday life, you should look into him. I read Strangers a few months ago and finished I Haven't Dreamed of Flying for a While a few days ago.

I actually just bought Crimson Labyrinth last week. It should be arriving on my doorstep fairly soon.

Actually, it looks like we've got a lot of the same stuff! Have you read Suzuki's Dark Water short story collection?

I'll second the choice of Strangers. It's an eerily interesting book.

Yeah, I liked Dark Water a lot. Some of the stories were just so terrificly atmospheric and the theme was great too. I hope he does another theme based collection!

If you're interested in English translations of Japanese fiction, by all means please check out Kurodahan Press, at www.kurodahan.com
I run the company and am obviously biased, but our stuff is getting good reviews in spite of the terrible website design (which is being redesigned as I speak...)
We offer Japanese SF and horror books, with about a dozen titles in print and about half a dozen in various stages of production.

Edward Lipsett
Fukuoka, Japan

#33 You're the publisher of Black Lizard and Beast in the Shadows! I've been wanting that for a while now, actually.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this site. Thanks so much.

I am indeed.
We are preparing The Rampo Reader now, by the way, which will bring the rest of his crucial stories and essays into English for the first time. It's in the copy-edit stage now and should be along in a bit.
http://www.kurodahan.com/e/catalog/titles/j0020.html

Edward Lipsett
Fukuoka, Japan