Festival of Souls

Name: Festival of Souls
Price: 8.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9798215236260

✍️ P M Valdez

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$8.99

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🏛 P. M. Valdez 📅 2021 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9798215236260

📚 This Book in Collections

👺 Japanese Horror Books

📝 Description: Festival of Souls

A tale from Japanese folklore of Hungry Ghosts released during the yearly Obon Festival in Dellwood, Illinois. These denizens of hell are cursed with an insatiable hunger for the flesh of the dead. Sari Tamura mourns the loss of her daughter during the season of Obon, a Summer Festival of the Dead. She and her surviving daughter, Emi, bond with two young boys, one grappling with the loss of his mother. Sari instructs the boys in the traditions of Obon during a local Hungry Ghost Festival. During Obon, ancestors' spirits are summoned from heaven and hell during a ritual Welcome fire or "Mukae-bi". Paper lanterns are hung to guide spirits home, food and drink are left as offerings, but there is evil released as the gates of hell are opened. On the final evening of Obon a ritual Farewell fire, "Okuri-bi," is set to send off the spirits who must return to the grave, guided by paper lanterns set afloat to guide them back to their spiritual realm. But, there are those spirits that fight to stay in the earthly realm.

💎 Our verdict on Festival of Souls

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

The book effectively merges Japanese folklore with American small-town gothic horror, creating a distinct and unsettling atmosphere. By focusing on the Obon Festival's rituals, particularly the release of Hungry Ghosts, it taps into deep-seated fears about the boundary between life and death. The character dynamics, centered on mourning and familial bonds, ground the supernatural events in emotional reality. This approach makes the horror feel personal and immediate rather than abstract. It suits readers who enjoy culturally specific horror narratives that explore themes of ancestral connection and the consequences of disturbing spiritual realms. The integration of traditional rites like Mukae-bi and Okuri-bi adds authenticity to the terrifying premise.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

The book effectively merges Japanese folklore with American small-town gothic horror, creating a distinct and unsettling atmosphere. By focusing on the Obon Festival's rituals, particularly the release of Hungry Ghosts, it taps into deep-seated fears about the boundary between life and death. The character dynamics, centered on mourning and familial bonds, ground the supernatural events in emotional reality. This approach makes the horror feel personal and immediate rather than abstract. It suits readers who enjoy culturally specific horror narratives that explore themes of ancestral connection and the consequences of disturbing spiritual realms. The integration of traditional rites like Mukae-bi and Okuri-bi adds authenticity to the terrifying premise.