The Story of Noichi the Blind

by Chet Williamson, Jill Bauman (Painter), Ph.D. Alan Drew (Editor)

Chet Williamson's The Story of Noichi the Blind blends Japanese classicism with the tropes of contemporary horror to create the most literate yet stomach-churning tale this writer has ever told.

Purported to be a possibly lost Lafcadio Hearn manuscript, this Japanese "folk tale" (complete with introduction and scholarly afterword) tells the story of a simple woodcutter whose confrontation with a mountain demon plunges his life into a nightmare of violence, self-delusion, and extreme sexual darkness.

Tinged by the blackest of humor, The Story of Noichi the Blind is a work that Williamson fears could get him arrested in several countries and carefully observed in his own.

Genres: Horror

100 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2007

About the author

Chet Williamson has written horror, science fiction, and suspense since 1981. Among his novels are Second Chance, Hunters, Defenders of the Faith, Ash Wednesday, Reign, Dreamthorp, and the forthcoming Psycho Sanitarium, an authorized sequel to Robert Bloch's classic Psycho. Over a hundred of his short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy, Esquire, The Magazine of F&SF, and many other magazines and anthologies.

He has won the International Horror Guild Award, and has been shortlisted twice for the World Fantasy Award, six times for the HWA Stoker, and once for the MWA's Edgar. Nearly all of his works are available in ebook format.

A stage and film actor, he has recorded over 40 unabridged audiobooks, both of his own work and that of many other writers, available at www.audible.com. Follow him on Twitter (@chetwill) or at www.chetwilliamson.com.

Reviews

[Ken Ditzhazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story of Noichi the Blind is one of those short reads that starts off feeling almost like a quiet folk tale and then just goes completely off the rails in a way that makes you sit there thinking, “well that escalated fast.” It follows Noichi, this blind woodcutter who lives a simple, peaceful life and has this strange, almost magical connection with animals, and when he takes in a woman who’s in serious trouble, you think you know the kind of story you’re in. You don’t. Things get dark, morbid, and weird in a hurry, and not just spooky weird, but “I cannot believe I’m reading this” weird. The imagery is super vivid, which is both a compliment and a warning, because some of it sticks whether you want it to or not. The moment with the snake replacing his wife’s tongue and him kissing it genuinely messed me up. That was the scene where I had to pause and just stare at the page like my brain needed a minute to catch up to what just happened. It’s outlandish, it’s a little ridiculous at times, and it absolutely leans into the gross and the uncomfortable, but it does it with purpose. For a quick read, it doesn’t waste time, it doesn’t hold back, and it left me entertained and unsettled in exactly the way horror is supposed to.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The copy I read is one of 1500 signed limited first editions that I got from Cemetery Dance Publications as a 3-3-3 package deal. Then they made it the 2008 Book Club April selection. So I have two copies. (Wanna buy one? Contact me.)

The story starts out innocently enough, but becomes quite graphic as Noichi imposes conjugal rights upon his recently deceased wife. It is a self imposed blindness...

[Aaron Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily read in a single sitting. A fairy tale for adults, but very disturbing, and for me very frustrating. Even in a fairy tale, I expect the characters to have a little sense.

[Nic Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would rate this 2.5 stars if i could...

A very quick, yet disturbing read. Would make a great segment in some horror anthology show/movie.

However, every thing in this book is false. There was no lost manuscript, no Dr. Allen Drew, no son in Japan. The writer made up everything.

Was rather disappointed to find that out.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and creepy!

[Marshall Frej · Rating 4 out of 5]

horrifying in the best ways. ending left a little to be desired unfortunately but i’ll be thinking about this story forever now even despite how short it is

[Eddie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really weird novella. I liked it and it was a fast read.

[Don]

This gruesome yet evocative tale is a tribute to the Japanese legends and ghost stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn at the turn of the 20th century. In fact, the tale itself is surrounded by the story of the author’s son finding the long lost manuscript of the story, and an academic interpretation of its stylistic origins and possible authorship. The woodcutter Noichi has developed a magical affinity to the forest and the creatures that dwell within. He takes in a young servant woman, Noriko, who is a fugitive after she accidentally slays a samurai. The couple falls in love, but Noriko becomes deathly ill. Noichi desperately wants to believe she will get well and becomes blind to the fact that she’s wasting away before his eyes. Noriko is also pregnant with a baby that is barely human.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really short and graphic but awesome story. Keeps you entertained..

[Patricia Kaniasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit disturbing but still fascinating. A very quick read but not for the faint of heart. Is this real?