Valley of Terror

by 周浩晖 Zhou Haohui, Bonnie Huie (Translator)

A mysterious “fear disease” is scaring to death the citizens of Longzhou, China. Literally. Victims go insane or die frozen in terror, while survivors rant maniacally about demons infiltrating the city. But what’s really behind the sudden epidemic? To find the answer, Chief Inspector Luo Fei teams up with a controversial historian and a brilliant psychologist to track down the true source of the illness and halt the wave of horror that threatens the metropolis. As the trio ventures to the primitive jungles and mountains of Yunnan, they’re haunted by tales of a seventeenth-century general whose demonic soul, said to have been sealed away in a vial of his blood, has been unleashed on the modern world. Now, trekking deep into the legendary Valley of Terror, they find themselves being stalked by someone―or something―daring them to uncover the truth. And as superstition, science, and history collide, their discovery could be as heart-stopping as fear itself.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, China, Asia, Horror Thriller

396 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2014

About the author

Associated Names:
* Zhou Haohui
* 周浩晖 (Chinese Profile)
* โจวเฮ่าฮุย (Thai Profile)
* Chu Hạo Huy (Vietnamese Profile)

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

The city of Longzhou is captivated by a mysterious illness that sees people either going insane or dying from pure fear. What or who could be the source of this fear disease? That’s what chief inspector Luo Fei intends to find out. Luo Fei’s search for the truth quickly leads his team deep into the jungles of the Valley of Terror, where a legend from the past has come back to haunt them. And unearthing the mysteries of the past is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the present.


I like how General Li Dingguo is built up throughout the book. With legends and folk tales. Not facts, but whispers and memories from a distant past that could have changed throughout the years. This raises the tension and fleshes out his character, while leaving enough mystery intact. It’s important to note that while he did exist, there is a lot of creative freedom used. So it’s best to see him as a fictional character inspired by the real historical figure.


The setting is quite atmospheric. The jungle feels dangerous and treacherous by itself thanks to the bad weather and the animals, but the superstitious locals and the legends from the past elevate it even more.


The pacing is pretty solid. Not much really happens in the first half, yet it never feels like it’s boring. There’s always some tension lingering in the air, and you never really know what you’re going to get. There’s also quite a bit of telling with the legends of the past. I found all these little stories that form one big story spread throughout the book pretty interesting, though not everyone might feel the same way. The fear disease from the beginning also doesn’t play that big a part in the mystery that is the core of the story.


It’s important to note that this is not a horror story, so don’t go into this book with the wrong expectations. It’s basically a mystery thriller with some supernatural horror influences that’s elevated by the interesting setting and folklore. Sometimes it feels like logic is shoved aside a little bit to advance the plot, but I was entertained from start to finish.

[Silvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this! The pacing is really good, and the mystery was very interesting because it is based on a real legendary Ming Dynasty general so you'll get lots of history and even flashbacks. And since the titular (but fictional) Valley was located deep in the thick jungle near the Chinese-Burmese border there are lots of hiking involved along with the beautiful sceneries and bugs and leeches, you know, the usual tropical travel 'amenities' lmao

Characters were okay, nothing really special or engaging, the only prominent female character did not appear for half of the novel, however, I could not help but thinking of some Chinese actors that I would cast if this got adapted into a drama. It could be good Light On series (note: a brand of series that focus on crime and suspense), hello Iqiyi (the Web platform), let's do it!

[Miglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an entertaining and unpretentious book!

I feel that lately evaluations of crime fiction / thriller books are based largely on how well the writer constructs the psychology of characters, their motivations, childhood traumas etc. This canon is so pervasive that I almost forgot how wonderfully entertaining it is to read a different book - a book with hardly any psychology, but full of stuff happening that sometimes seem to make no sense at all, but leads you in and holds your attention.

This book is full of clichés, but at the same time somehow manages to be interesting and surprising. Many people at the city of Longzhou start seeing demons and sometimes even die of fright. Can this be a horror novel? Chief inspector Luo travels to jungle of Yunnan to uncover the mystery connected to some ancient war hero. Could this be a version of Da Vinci code? He manages to logically explain some of the mysteries. Will this be a traditional detective story?

Legends abound, there's a statue that's weeping blood, there's menacing writing made of centipedes (!), there's a scientist and a charlatan who are constantly annoying each other thus providing some comic relief, there's crossing and double-crossing, some incredibly anachronistic legends of peoples of the jungle (again, the lack of pretense 'to depict the real past' saves the day), a plan to blow up the lake, a missing priestess and all kinds of stuff roughly smashed together which makes this book thoroughly enjoyable.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a semi-fun Chinese murder mystery, and a book that was not quite what I expected. Much more psychological tension and suspense than the traditional horror I was expecting from the river valley of blood depicted on my cover. There are lots of references to Chinese history and ethnography, a sort of "Murder on the Orient Express," police procedural with strange characters and goings-on. There were a few eye-ball rolling incidents (the victim carving his warning message on his arm, as he's being caught up in raging floodwaters of a river comes to mind), but otherwise, it's been a fun excursion into the Valley of Terror.

This really should be made into a movie. It would be great campy horror.

[Judah Kosterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One way to describe this book is a 200-page modern detective thriller involving an artifact theft which is interrupted, 150 pages in, by an episode of Expedition Unknown filmed in the Chinese wilderness.

Alternately, one can think of this book as plotted like a 1960’s Star Trek episode. In a Federation capital, an artifact is broken and a “fear disease” released. Kirk and Bones and an annoying Federation-issue historian are dispatched to the remote outpost from whence the artifact came. The artifact is associated with a 300-year-dead Federation general, whom the colonists worship as a god while the native population reviles him as a demon. Red shirts die. There are chases and fights and escapes from imprisonment. Logic and science are applied. The historical truth is sussed out and the plot to abuse the resources of the outpost is foiled. Kirk almost gets the babe, until she decides to remain with her people as their priestess. The Federation withdraws to allow the primitive culture to evolve on its own. Cue theme song.

Not a bad book, just a clunky one due to shifting points of view, off-camera action scenes retold as stories, a twist ending with insufficient set-up, and some heavy-handed lessons learned.

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Another book that proves publishing needs a genre tag for slightly supernatural crime procedurals that differentiates them from horror as a whole. If you picked this up thinking it's a horror book, I'm sorry for your inevitable disappointment. There's some spooky stuff - an allegedly demonic curse. The barbaric torture practices are quite gruesome - but overall this is primarily an unusual police thriller. As a book that tackles traditional/modern beliefs; city vs countryside; believers vs skeptics; all while the characters are on a grueling trek into the forest to discover the origins of a curse though? It was a fun time!

The audiobook was very well done!

[Claire Chibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25

Other than being a tad convoluted and contrived at times, this was a great and very memorable mystery thriller.

I really enjoy modern mystery stories that tie into historical events (whether real or fictional), so that aspect of the story really appealed to me.

Like in the author’s other series ‘Death Notice’, I loved how the story involves multiple people/groups each with their own agenda who all contribute to the central mystery. I did enjoy the complexity overall, although as I mentioned earlier, it does cross over into feeling a little convoluted at times.

I found the ending to be very satisfying and fitting for the themes of the book. While I certainly would not have made the same choice as a certain character, within the story context (as well as cultural context), I can fully understand their decision, and I appreciate the kind of writing that can make me understand someone even if I cannot agree with them.

I really hope that more of Zhou Haohui’s novels will be translated into English (I can read Chinese, but it takes a lot of effort since it’s my second language and I’m lazy). I enjoy his writing, and particularly his approach to the construction of his mysteries, very much.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Some interesting historical context, good detective work ... The science stuff is a bit hokey but it didn't detract from the experience too much.

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I waffled on whether I liked this book or not, but at the end of the day the cons outweigh the pros.

The biggest issue was prose, and I am not sure if that was an issue in the original or an issue of translation. At best, it is utilitarian, and at worst, it's choppy and uninteresting. The book gets into a nice groove for about 50 pages, but that doesn't happen until 300 pages in.

There would be random scenes where the perspective would switch but it wasn't sustained and it rarely added anything to the story.

The only major female character existed as a semi-love interest and was more of a plot device than a real character. All her development was explained to the reader because she didn't receive enough actual development/time on page for the reader to see this change naturally. In fact, the book would have been more unique and interesting if her perspective was followed instead.

Luo is a stereotypical detective type--unreadable, trustworthy, magnetic, intelligent. The other characters felt like caricatures.

This felt more like a mystery than a horror. Once again, I'm not sure if the translation is at fault for this.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has different layers of mystery. I admit it puzzled me when the plot took another direction, and I was kinda confused because I didn’t see the point of it. However, in the end I realized it was a good move.
If you want to start reading this book, I suggest you to be patient. The ending is satisfying, and it’s definitely worth the read.

[Joe Piccoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Audio.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was hoping this was going to be a great pulpy Indiana Jones meets Sherlock Holmes in China romp, but the prose is so pedestrian and cliche ridden it’s an agony to read. The story is fine, and a film version could be fun, but the execution (in English, anyway - I can’t speak for the original) is no good at all.

[Ayush · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero stars for the beginning and two for the second half for an average of one. This book has no idea how to be detective fiction, how to build mysteries and how to treat its readers with a certain kind of respect.

Highly avoidable.

[Julie Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books that make you feel smarter, as well as very entertained. Valley of Terror takes the reader to a remote area in the extreme southwest of China, on the border with Laos and Myanmar, following a detective, a scientist, and a historian as they arrive to solve a puzzling illness that has broken out in their large city, a journey that takes them back 300 years in Chinese history and into a remote primeval forest. The Valley of Terror is the site of ferocious battles and the holdout of an infamous general during the Ming Dynasty.
Detective Luo becomes involved after a student screams out in a crowded classroom and rushes out, his body found miles away after he literally ran himself to death. Another man is found drowned, having tried to hide in a toilet in a bathroom at raucous wedding. The connection, as our police investigator Luo discovers, is a look of sheer terror on their faces. Another man is screaming in a psychiatric unit, and Luo and a psychiatrist observe, and the translator says he is speaking a village language and saying "the demons are coming in August." A historian recognizes the man and connects him to his life's work surrounding Li Diggua, a soldier from an earlier time reknown for his supposedly supernatural fighting and survival skills. Supposedly his blood had been captured in a vial which Luo, in a strange turn of events, had shot in a struggle with an artifacts smuggler a few weeks earlier. The release of the blood is supposed to release Diggua's powers. The three head to the region to discover what is causing these strange events. Luo knows that folktales hide the sometimes ugly truth that it expands upon.
The narrative is sprawling and involved from there, in the most interesting way. The trio witness a murder during a religious ceremony in one village, hike deeper into the forest to another village which borders the Valley of Terror, and become involved in more murders and secrets of the ages before Luo and a young woman from the village discover who the murderers are, what motives they had, and how to set things back into place. There's one more surprise to the reader as the trio head home.
This book was written by a well known author of suspense in China. He was inspired by the true story of Diggua, and, indeed, the book is an enjoyable mix of Indiana Jones-type high adventure and quest for history, and a very interesting textbook of Chinese history.

[One Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valley of Terror is a mystery novel with a little touch of horror and based on the historical stories of Li Dingguo and his so-called demonic powers. The story begins with bizarre deaths of some people in Longzhou, but the similarity is that they all died because of acute fear. Later, Chief Inspector Luo, investigates the case along with Professor Zhou—a psychological scientist, and Yue Dongbei—a scholar with avid interest in Li Dingguo and his demonic power. Their investigation eventually leading them to the Valley of Terror. They set out with purpose to research the origins of the disease, but then they’re even more involved in confusing tribal conflicts.

The book has been consistently thrilling from beginning to end. It's so gripping and fast-paced (even though the progress is slow). Maybe at the beginning I was wondering where this book was directed? Will it eventually lead to scientific explanation, or perhaps more on the superstitious side? So, it was almost impossible for me to thinking about a possible villain. During my reading, there was just me leisurely following their adventures and enjoying every single historical story which was poured here and there along the story. Perhaps some people could get bored with the historical story because I also think the portion for it was plentiful. But personally, for me, who grew up playing video games like Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, reading every war and historical story make me imagine it as in the video games. He-he.

Some minus points that disturb me were the sudden POV turn, as well as the few scenes where Luo didn’t get involved (like side-stories) but then repeated as if it didn't exist before.

I think I also need to give praise for the translator. Bonnie Huie did a great job translating because occasionally I found translated books lost its dynamic. But, this translation got that dynamic, and I can follow the story very well.

[David Thirteen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wavered quite a bit while reading this book trying to determine if I liked it or not, and I almost stopped reading more than once. It’s billed as a horror novel and in fact, I picked it up after seeing it on several best-of-horror lists. But it is more of a mystery/adventure with some potential supernatural elements. Think The Hound of the Baskervilles. This wasn’t a problem with the novel but if you are going in expecting straight-up horror, beware. The idea behind the book is a strong one and sure to grab most readers. I really enjoyed the main characters and the way they interacted. But a lot of the writing felt off. Many of the plot points fall into place only because of accidents and coincidences. Things are described using hackney cliches. The narration feels less omnipotent and more like random head-hopping. And there are weird inconsistencies, such as characters use the internet but no one has a cell phone or even a camera; and at one point the police detective buries a murder victim in the woods destroying evidence because going back to town and reporting it to the authorities would have been inconvenient. Some of this may be due to cultural difference or the translation but it’s hard to say for sure. Also, it would have been a smoother read if it had been trimmed down a bit. There are a lot of digressions and repetition.

In the end, it was an intriguing story with compelling characters that couldn’t overcome a plot too reliant on coincidence and prose filled with cliches.

[Kiel ( ˘ ³˘)♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

'On this clear, beautiful day, how many others out there were living a lie?'




This book is excellent. Although, I was skeptical when the plot had strangely pivoted from the original, but in the end, everything is connected and not meaningless. Certainly not for everyone as this book requires patience to really unravel the potential of the book. I did say I have no patience in slow-paced stories, but this one is worth it and has no boring chapters at all.

As it is fictional, we do not expect this to happen in near reality, more so similarly. A little less detective work, more on historical lessons which is fine to me, but might not be for the others. I learned a lot, very diversely if I say so. Not so much horrific than I anticipated, however, it was scary in the beginning but the scenes were much more suspenseful in my opinion.

There were a lot of values, beliefs, and life lessons in this book. It creates another window of someone else's world from mine, and I get to see it through this story. Although, I am not sure if information contained in the book is true, but what I know is that it is not far from the truth. If we learn through our history, the events in this book is quite plausible if I may say so.

Quite surprised goodreads rating on this book is bad. It must be because it is a translated one, so the book's potential is diminished by half than the original. But in my preference, this book is honestly captivating and educational.

[Paginas da Gio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acho que é o primeiro livro da literatura chinesa que leio e me surpreendi bastante. Os acontecimentos na história são bem rápidos e já no início começamos com várias coisas que ajuda a nos prender no livro.

🎎 Adorei a forma como o autor utilizou de personagens que realmente existiram na China e de lendas chinesas para fazer o terror, tanto que até procurei o nome do general citado no livro, e ele realmente existiu séculos atrás.

⛰️ A partir do momento que o policial, o psicólogo e o historiador decidem se juntar para ir para o interior da China, a hostória fica ainda menor. A gente começa a descobrir mais do tal demônio e ficamos tensos quando vários ataques e mortes sem explicação vão acontecendo.

😴 A única ressalva que tenho é que o livro possui algumas partes bem lentas, em que explicam minuciosamente sobre as lendas chinesas das tribos, e por mais que fossem importantes para entender a história, ocupava muita parte do meio do livro que dava vontade de ir pulando.

🤯 O final do livro foi plot atrás de plot, desde 80% as coisas começaram a se revelar, e quando eu achava que entendia tudo, surgia mais um plot que nem tinha passado pela minha mente, mas que no fim faz todo sentido.

😉 Para quem gosta de terror e gostaria de experimentar a literatura a chinesa, eu super indico esse livro!

[Aravind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zhou Haohui is the second Chinese author I have read, after Cixin Liu, and he is promising! Valley of Terror is a mystery-thriller that blends crime, action, adventure and history in almost equal parts with a bit of science. It begins with an unidentified phobia terrorising a lot of unrelated people in the city of Longzhou - even killing some. Chasing the trail of the disease, Chief Inspector Luo travels to the wilderness of Yunnan, accompanied by a renowned psychologist and a bumbling, controversial historian. The team is followed by a mounting count of dead-bodies and the threat of being attacked by a maleficent spirit from the seventeenth century out for revenge. The plot is gripping and the simple narration does nothing to diminish the tautness. Though the parts about the blood-vial and the curse sounded far-fetched, I quite enjoyed this novel and am inspired to read more Chinese authors in the coming year.

[Corrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I began reading, I expected to find a traditional horror novel; this book is not that. However, it does weave elements of horror with murder mystery, thriller, and historical fiction to create an engaging tale that kept me interested until the end. The story is strong and well crafted, with numerous twists and turns, including some that I foresaw and some that took me by surprise.

Although the book has been translated into English, the authorial voice remains smooth and consistent throughout, and the writing is enjoyable and easy to fall into.

I did find some of the characterization a little flat. Some of that comes down to point of view, which shifted from time to time, sometimes in unusual places, making it difficult to relate to any one character. The book is definitely more story driven than character driven.

On the whole, however, it was an enjoyable read.

[Sam Hirst · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sometimes enjoyable read but I read it thinking it was a horror (after seeing it on multiple horror lists) and that's not really an accurate genre assignment. It is more of a detective tale but one in which the initial mystery seems to fade into a secondary plane of importance as the novel progresses i.e. it becomes much more interested in disentangling the historical truth than in figuring out how to solve the current cases of death and 'phobia' (the victims of which seem to end the novel untreated). This isn't necessarily a criticism but just a heads up in relation to expectations.

There were some issues with the translation (even including at a few points some mistranslations obvious enough for someone who doesn't speak the original language to pick up on) which impacted significantly on the enjoyment of the book.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to get through this book but honestly while I enjoyed the premise of a "fear" virus as well as being set in China where this book really fails becomes quickly apparent. I am going to be generous by saying this could be things were lost during translation but dialogue from characters feels very wooden and simplistic. Another glaring issue is the main characters are not just unlikable; they are stereotypical to the point it makes them boring. I noticed this went from a "horror" book randomly into more of an Indiana Jones/Jurassic Park adventure which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Mystery is uninteresting hugely due to The detective characters incompetence so much so I questioned how he even became one. Its just a huge shame this was a book that nearly ruined an entire reading challenge.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I'm really glad I read this. However, I'm also glad I've finished it. The author did some serious research and I sincerely appreciated that. The story was solid. Kind of a detective story with a demon twist. But I really struggled off and on with this one. It was entertaining for sure, but there were parts that felt like they lasted a bit too long. It may have been a translation issue, because I felt like I couldn't always connect with the writing. I wanted it to be scarier, I'll admit that, but once I accepted that it wasn't truly going to be the horror or suspense that I expected I was able to enjoy it more.

If you do read this one, think of it more as historical fiction with a supernatural kick.

[Peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story that could have went many different directions. I enjoyed having the mix of history, a mystery, very descriptive environments and tribal traditions. I didn't feel it was a horror at all, although the author wants to continually refer to all the demonic powers and what is the root of a 'fear disease'. While referred to often, it really wasn't the main point of the story. It was a mystery and unfurling of traditions that made the read for me. I would read more of this author in the future, mainly because of his storytelling, descriptive writing and character development, I see only improving with time.

[Malcolm Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scarey

A book about a disease that terrifies its victims to death may not be ideal reading at this time and it certainly chills especially at the outset .it becomes complicated as the investigation moves into the Chinese hinterland and tribal history customs and politics come into play..A cast of weird and wonderful characters come forward ,some stay some are dispatched and the story moves through different levels of reality to an end I.g that just about ties things together .I didn't enjoy as much as his later work Death Notice but still a fascinating author and a very different type of book

[Barrita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confieso que caí y pensaba que era un libro de terror común, pero en realidad resultó ser un misterio al más puro estilo de Sherlock Holmes (referencia obvia con el titulo y eso) aunque debo decir que hay partes con una excelente atmósfera donde no sabes qué es real y quien tiene la razón.

No soy fan del género pero debo reconocer que si está bueno. Puntos menos porque odio que expliquen todo paso a paso al final como si no pudiera uno unir los cabos solo. Punto extra porque es la clase de final que me gusta en mis libros sobre demonios con vendettas.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book.

I was very unsure about reading this book since it was in a foreign language translated into English. Usually it's an awkward read and many things get lost in translation. Yet, this book was beyond well translated. Awesome job. I was intrigued from the first page. It was fast paced and althought I didn't think it was scary, it was still interesting and had action throughout the book. While some things were predictable, many were not. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm glad I read it.

[Catriona Lovett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 1st-Rate Mystery and a Fascinating History Lesson

I really liked this book. I knew the word 'Ming' from the vases, but very little about the fall of the Ming dynasty. I didn't realize there were a number of minority groups in China, either. It made this story a real adventure as I ventured into all new territory as I read. Detective Luo is a strong character, I hope to read more about him.

[cc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve fought for the people, and I’ve fought alone, with no one to help me.

A detective, a shrink, and a mad scientist walk into a haunted forest…

When a strange “fear disease” begins to infect his city and kill his citizens, Detective Luo finds himself involved in a mystery 300 years in the making that takes him to an isolated mountain village and finds him facing off against a demon.

This book had me – hook, line, and sinker – from start to finish. The mystery was compelling. I loved all the characters. And every paragraph was stuffed with meaning and history.

I can’t say too much, as it’s best to go into mysteries blind, but the main character uses a fish to escape from a dungeon and that’s reason enough for you to pick this one up, too.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was fairly interesting but I never really got interested in the characters themselves. I didn't care for the ending. I found it immoral, both because the characters chose to perpetuate a lie, but also because they did so with the intention of keeping the village infantilized. And, if the tradition continues, it will burden future people with the perpetuation of lies.