I think this has been my most anticipated new book of 2026. I mean, a Gothic horror novel set in Japan and featuring Japanese history and culture (specifically samurai)? Be still my horror and Japanese culture loving heart! As soon as my library ordered copies, I was the first on the reservation list, and I started reading it almost as soon as I picked up my copy of Japanese Gothic.
So, here’s the plot:
In October 2026 (ooh, the future), Lee Turner stays with his American father and the latter’s Japanese girlfriend in a house hidden behind sword ferns in the historical town of Chiran in Kagoshima, Japan. Lee holds many secrets, some of which threaten to tear him and his life apart. As he struggles to figure out what to do, he sees a strange girl with a samurai sword outside his room.
Meanwhile, in October 1877, Sen is the daughter of a samurai, the last survivor of a failed rebellion. As she trains under her tyrant of a father for a new rebellion to reinstate the samurai, she feels the inevitable coming with both excitement and trepidation. That is, until she sees a strange foreign man in the window of her bedroom in a house hidden behind sword ferns in the former samurai town of Chiran in the Kagoshima domain of Japan.
Japanese Gothic was worth the wait.
First off, the language was so vivid and evocative. From the setting to abstract concepts to the characters, the way Baker uses words is powerful. And speaking of characters, wow! The main characters felt so damn real! Sen felt like she came right out of the best of anime, with a fully rounded and complex character, and Lee…well, Lee felt like he was less of a person and more of an amalgamation of problems and personality quirks. And at first, I really didn’t like him. In fact, I’m still not sure how I feel about him, though I have to admit, his own character arc is as compelling as Sen’s.
As for the story, freaking phenomenal! Reading as Lee and Sen encounter one another, then get to know each other, and then try to solve the mysteries that occupy their attentions, made the book hard to put down. It was also really touching to see them get to trust each other. They’re both very broken people, but watching them grow through their relationship and what they discover through it made my heart go out to them. And I did not see many of the twists coming, which was really welcome. The last fifty pages or so just kept me in shock and on the edge of my seat!
If I did have a criticism, I would have to say that when we finally do get explanations of what the hell’s been going on at the end, it was rather abstract and might be hard for some readers to understand. As someone used to understanding the wilder episodes of Doctor Who and who understood most of the science in the Godzilla anime series, I think I understood it well enough, but I can imagine the frustration another reader might experience.
Still, I am in love with this book and cannot wait to meet the author at StokerCon next month. It’s definitely not the sort of novel I could write (and I’ve written books with the same elements before). On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker a 4.8 out of 5. Surprising, powerful, and enthralling. Grab your copy now, sit back, and prepare to be sucked in with the force of a hurricane. Preferably with some gagaku music played on the biwa in the background.*
*If you don’t know what those are, Google it. It’ll make all sorts of sense.
Rami Ungar The Writer 