BOOKS

Stephen King

A master of modern horror, many of whose novels have been made into films

A leading figure in modern horror who has acquired many fans all over the
world.  His representative works include Carrie, The Shining, and Pet
Sematary.  Most of his works have been made into films and have gained
high popularity. 

Incidentally, the Bachman Road that appears in the first game originates 
from Richard Bachman, which is Steven King's pen name.

Skeleton Crew (1) contains the short novel "The Mist."  Fusosha Mystery, 
620 yen

Carrie depicts a young girl who possesses special abilities.  Shincho 
Bunko, 590 yen

From Creator:  King is a master and a pioneer of modern horror.  His works 
have been used for various references and have also been influential.  Of 
his works that have been made into movies, I recommend The Langoliers and 
Pet Sematary.

-Hiroyuki Owaku

The tv drama version of It that was produced in America is really worth
seeing.

-Masahiro Ito

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Dean R. Koontz

A popular horror author who, together with King, is one of horror's two most 
prominent figures

A best-selling author with an artisan's temperament who devotes himself to
entertainment.  He wrote science fiction and suspense in his 60s under a 
number of different pen names, but gave modern horror his undivided attention 
in and after his late 70s using the name Dean Koontz.  His representative
works include Mr. Murder, The Face of Fear, The Vision, and The Voice of the 
Night.

Phantoms:  Hayakawa Bunko NV Modern Horror Selection, 660 yen (first and last
volumes)

The Door to December:  Tokyo Sogensha/Sogen Novels, 680 yen (first and last
volumes)

From Creator:  I think that as a master of modern horror, Koontz, like King, 
has been referenced a lot and has also been a great influence.  He has a 
number of film adaptations and so even though King's works are more well-known, 
taking the story element into consideration, I personally like Koontz better.  
In particular, Hideaway is a book that I strongly recommend.

-Hiroyuki Owaku

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Kunio Yanagita 

A pioneer in folklore who systematized oral traditions

A folklorist who continues to pursue folklore.  Tono Monogatari, a collection 
of oral traditions, contains a great number of strange tales that call to mind 
otherworldly beings.

From Creator:  From this work, the traditions of Silent Hill reference the 
way prosaic folk traditions should be and their placement.

-Hiroyuki Owaku

====

Masako Bando

Manifesting the horror that lies hidden in popular manners and customs

A horror novelist known for works such as Inugami and Shikoku.  Many of her 
works portray the horror that lies in the background in the culture and beliefs 
that have been established in Japan since long ago.

From Creator:  Bando has a superb style that possesses a musty atmosphere and 
a viscous feeling of oppression.  I made a great effort to work that sense of 
atmosphere into the game.

-Hiroyuki Owaku

====

Robert R. McCammon

A leading figure in modern horror who ended his literary career

A novelist known for works such as Swan Song and Mine.  Together with King 
and Koontz, McCammon became a leader in modern horror but announced his 
retirement in 1999.

Stinger portrays the drama that unfolds between aliens and humans.  Fusosha,
660 yen (first and last volumes)

====

Kobo Abe

Works that have elements of abstract absurdity

An avant-garde novelist known for a literary style that is absurd and 
abstract.  Abe handled various genres such as science fiction and mystery, 
and all of his esoteric works have various possible interpretations.

In Abe's masterpiece The Box Man, a soliloquy is composed in which a man
is possessed by his fascination with a box and becomes a box man.  Shincho
Bunko, 400 yen




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