Behind the Book: The Abhorrent

I was feeling somewhat disillusioned with the first book, Obsidian Wraith. Frankly, my co-author hated it. I was also roiling from the rejection of literary agents who specialized in historical fantasy. Not even my passion for Japanese culture could sway them. I thought this would be my breakout moment after 23 years of writing, but no. It seems whether I write fantasy, horror, mystery, or historical fiction, traditional publishing only takes the best.

Maybe I was in just the right state of mind to describe a spurned creature-deity. I'd been pondering the idea for some time now about a force called the Abhorrent. I imagined a primal being of megalomania and vendetta, more selfish than sordid, something once beautiful and tragic that de-volved into mayhem.

Now the question inevitably became... would this be a new villain for Shindara to contend with?

Or would it change him?

"Welcome to the River of Three Tortures.
It's really quite charming once you get past the name..."

Concept art of the Abhorrent by dark fantasy and romance author Nathan Wilson

Concept art of the Abhorrent wielding the Mask of Izanami, the Harbinger of Blades, Blood, and Poison.

What is the Abhorrent?

During my dive into folklore, I came across the Shinto myth of Izanami and Izanagi, the creator goddess and god of Japan. From the beginning, I found myself drawn to Izanami and the way she was portrayed as impure. She fit the classic "fallen woman" archetype, punished for being too outspoken, blamed for the deformity of their firstborn (the Leech Child), and stripped of her beauty. It is said she died giving birth to the child of fire, an end made all the more tragic when her husband killed their newborn in a fit of grief.

I was intrigued, but her tale wasn't over yet. Izanami supposedly woke up in the underworld of the Yomi, the realm of my fascination. Her husband descended into darkness to bring her back, unaware that she had since transformed. The Yomi's influence turned her beauty into decay. Though she tried to hide her face, when she fell asleep, he lit a flame so he could look upon his wife. He was terrified by what he saw.

He fled in horror and trapped Izanami inside the Yomi, sealing the entrance with a boulder. Afterward, he cleansed himself in a river and was revered as the god of purity and marriage. Izanami was written off as a monster. I could only imagine the rage and darkness this might wreak in a person... and I knew I found my inspiration.

Pulse of the Yomi

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The Yomi

My first impulse was to stylize the Japanese underworld as "the Yomi" instead of simply "Yomi." That subtle distinction made it sound more foreboding, as if it was less of a place and more of a primal force or a concept. It also sounded depersonalizing, which was exactly the tone I was going for.

Also known as the Land of Roots or the Hollow Land, the Yomi is said to be neither a heaven or a hell but a continuation of the earth. There was little information about it other than endless darkness, so I relied on my imagination to fill in the gaps. Mountains in the sky, waterfalls of ash, and rivers of poison deluged forth across the pages.

The River of Three Tortures in The Abhorrent was inspired by Sanzu no Kawa, the River of Three Crossings. According to Buddhist belief, it contained a bridge for good souls, a ford for the moderately good, and serpent-infested waters for the wicked. The "three tortures" aspect was borrowed from the trials experienced in the Buddhist hells (Jigoku). They included fire, blades, and blood, but I thought poison was a better substitute for fire. After all, the Abhorrent was a creature of corruption.

Another aspect of the Yomi was inspired by Sai no Kawara, the riverbank of souls in children's limbo. According to this myth, their souls would pray for salvation, and they would stack pebbles in the form of towers along the beach. This was incorporated into my version of the Yomi as a means of trying to reach Paradise. The world-building was coming together beautifully in the ugliest sense. It felt like a stage was being set for Shindara's reckoning. At the same time, his descent seemed to mirror my own as I became increasingly disillusioned with the publishing industry. I would have to do this all on my own.

Almost.

Mikoto

A substantial portion of The Abhorrent centers on what it means to find a true friend. As the Genpei War descended into family drama, Shindara would become a pawn between characters who claimed to be his ally. Some would genuinely care for him while others manipulated him behind ulterior motives. So who can you really trust?

For Shindara, that person will always be Mikoto. She is the heart of the story's moral compass and always challenging him to grow and be a better person. Her bond with Shindara transcends friendship and is tantamount to a platonic soulmate. In a world that is constantly trying to corrupt him, she reminds him of who he used to be (Warrior, Husband, Human) and the future he could have instead of giving in to temptation.

Mikoto was inspired by a person in my life who did much the same thing. She was wise beyond her years and just as fierce as her fictional counterpart. Some of our exchanges, especially those dealing with spirituality, carried over into this story. Like Mikoto, she challenged me to understand the darkness in my life and not let it consume me.

In fact, she cautioned me against my method of getting into character for this book. Since Shindara is given a signet ring that becomes a crucial part of the story, I decided to wear a particular ring every time I wrote The Abhorrent. It was shaped like the face of an Oni, which reminded me of the Mask of Izanami. Given the themes of corruption in the story, I thought I might try to focus and purge my negative energy into this trinket. What's the harm if it doesn't work?

The original cover artwork for The Abhorrent, depicting Sadato at the Siege of Hiuchi.

Morally Gray

The Oni ring I wore every time I wrote The Abhorrent.

Reaching for Paradise.

How does this image make you feel? I thought this grotesquerie resembled the Mask of Izanami, a relic I invented for The Abhorrent as a plot device. It also functioned as an allegory for Shindara should he succumb to his basest human nature and the persona of the Abhorrent. What made the Mask of Izanami so dangerous was the fact that it can kill 1,000 people in a single day by invoking a plague of blades, blood, and poison. This was inspired by Izanami's legend when her husband abandoned her. Trapped in the Yomi, she threatened to kill 1,000 people every day in revenge. Izanagi vowed that 1,500 people would be born each day in response.

I incorporated these elements into the novel, and I wore the Oni ring every time I wrote. When I finished this novel, I finally removed it. I let a few people handle the ring who were too curious. The most interesting reaction was the panic attack it triggered in someone. Not unlike Mikoto scolding Shindara about the mask, I was told by concerned friends to throw this away. For now, I keep it in a box until I feel like disposing of it, but I will never wear it again.

But darkness was not yet done with me. How serendipitous that someone I trusted was about to manipulate me, too, someone I had been recently warned about. Around this time, a lifelong friend wanted to draw me into his web of lies to protect his arranged marriage. He wanted to hide his past from his now wife. For all the arranged marriage tropes in literature, in real life, they are an insult to love and the institution of marriage. They are transactions with the ill-begotten charm of dowries and virginity paid for with bank transfers. When I pushed back against his lies, he tried to gaslight me into believing his alternative past, too.

And the knife in the gut? This book was almost dedicated to him.

History in the Book

Lord Minamoto no Yoshinaka was a historical figure in the Genpei War. His story was adapted into The Abhorrent, including his clan's inner feuding in 1155. Shortly after he was born, his father was killed by Minamoto no Yoshihira. He seized their domain and meant to kill Yoshinaka, but the boy escaped to the Kiso Mountains. There, he was raised by the Nakahara clan and his foster brother Imai. I imagined his exile would leave him embittered with a sense of grievance, and the Genpei War gave him the perfect opportunity to reclaim his father's land.

During the Siege of Hiuchi in 1183, Yoshinaka's forces prepared by building defenses around the fortress. They diverted the Hino River to create a moat and keep the Taira army at bay. However, a traitor fired an arrow into the enemy camp with a message revealing the location of the hidden dam. They drained the moat and broke the siege.

According to the tales of Heike Monogatari, during the Battle of Kurikara, Yoshinaka had torches tied to the horns of hundreds of oxen before releasing them down the mountain pass. The stampede supposedly charged into the Taira, driving many of the soldiers off the cliffs and to their deaths in the valley below. It became known as Jigoku no Dani (Hell Valley) because of the horrific scene. This battle marked the first victory for the Minamoto clan.

In chapter 24, Hrioshango tries to trick Shindara into destroying Enryaku-ji Temple and slaying the monks. An infamous massacre did occur at the temple nearly 400 years later in 1571. At the command of Oda Nobunaga, two thousand Buddhist monks were executed for refusing to submit to his tyranny.

DARK FANTASY & ROMANCE AUTHOR Nathan Wilson