Dark God

Author: (Japan) Oumi Ono
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Since the detective novels in Japan have been influenced by the social-focused mystery genre pioneered by Kiyosato Sawako, there has been a subgenre of detective fiction that emphasizes social issues. It appears that the "social mystery novel" style, which prioritizes intellectual depth, has also had an impact on children's detective stories. In The Terror Child King, as the story narrates the events involving the death of the "Child King" while young Kenji gets involved in saving his friend Yono, it delves into the hidden psychology of children as they explore the unknown and the bittersweet outcome of Kenji's efforts to save his friend, which ultimately leads to losing him. By understanding the complexity of human nature, Kenji takes a step forward in his growth. The Dark God explores the relationship between money and life values through the story of a competition for inheritance. In this tale, Kenji's father considers giving up the competition for the inheritance, prompting children to reflect on the connection between wealth and life's worth. Kenji is a sixth-grade elementary school student who, during summer vacation, travels with his father to the old mansion of his great-uncle, a distant relative in a remote mountain village. Several of his uncles and aunts also bring their children. While playing a four-person shoulder-tap game in the dark cellar of the ancient mansion, the children suddenly encounter an extra person, followed by a series of strange events: the adults suffer from food poisoning after eating "poisonous celery"; Kenji, along with Rika and Kotaro, suddenly hears chanting at midnight and sees ghostly lights; and Yomi's father, lured by the ghostly lights at night, nearly falls into a swamp and barely escapes with his life. Thus, Kenji and his friends form a junior detective club, determined to uncover the truth.