Japanese sensation Uketsu has built an audience around his mystery, and translated that into huge sales for his mystery/horror novels. Following on from the success of ‘Strange Pictures’ and ‘Strange Houses’, Uketsu has recently released his latest book ‘Strange Buildings’. With fans snapping up the book it looks like he’s got a solid built-in fanbase but is he still able to justify the hype that surrounds him? I enjoyed both of his previous books, so I thought I’d give ‘Strange Buildings’ a look.
‘Strange Buildings’ is notably thicker than Uketsu’s previous two books and this time around, he’s sticking close to the formula fans know him. The book focuses on 11 strange buildings with the author exploring strange floorplans and trying to uncover the secrets that they hold. If you’ve read either of his other books, you’ll know exactly what to expect and while there’s still an element of intrigue here, I couldn’t help but feel that the material wasn’t different enough than what had come before.
As with the last two books, ‘Strange Buildings’ slowly builds a mystery as the author investigates floor plans that raise plenty of questions. Odd design choices, hidden rooms and head-scratching layouts are the order of the day, with the author speaking to various subjects involved with each of the floorplans. Uketsu wants to take the reader along for the ride, putting you in the shoes of the investigator as much as he is. Whether or not these are truly real stories (or inspired by them) is a moot point, the book simply wants you to go along with it and enjoy the ride.
Each of the 11 buildings is given relatively brief chapters, especially given lots of the pages are taken up with large diagrams. At times, the book feels as much a brain teaser as it does a novel. If a meaty story is something you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it here. If you want to challenge your brain in a different way, then this book will definitely do that. ‘Strange Buildings’ contains elements of horror (there are a few gruesome murders along the way) but it’s never a truly scary book.
‘Strange Buildings’ will likely satisfy Uketsu’s fans but for me, it was too similar to ‘Strange Pictures’ and ‘Strange Houses’. I’m not going to deny that Uketsu’s writing style lends itself to drawing you in and keeping you hooked, but I would have liked him to deliver something different this time around. The mystery that connects each of the 11 buildings will be enough for fans of his previous work but for his next book, I’d like him to do something totally different.
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo Release date: 26th February 2026 Buy ‘Strange Buildings’ now
