One evening, a man saunters out after watching television and fails to come home. He calls his wife to tell her that he just can’t live with her anymore. Left with a baby daughter and at a loss, Miyuki contacts her husband’s childhood friend Shirow for help. As the two investigate the missing man’s whereabouts, they come to fear that the disappearance involves more than mere caprice.
Published a dozen years after Ring, the contemporary horror classic that won Koji Suzuki worldwide acclaim, Promenade of the Gods is a mystery in which the author’s signature use of amateur sleuths comes to the fore and spellbinds anew. Considered his most important novel since the famous Ring trilogy, Promenade shares with it many themes and a character; a guru called Kageyama, mentioned only in passing in Ring. When the occult and the media cross ways, a new light begins to shimmer on the horizon.
While an essential companion piece for connoisseurs of the Ring trilogy and the themes explored therein, Promenade requires and expects no familiarity with the earlier series. It is an excellent introduction to the world of Koji Suzuki and the unique delights of his storytelling style, which pulls readers along whether they like it or not.
