Jayson R. Valencia
Author of New Asian Gothic Horror
Stories rooted in Asian folklore, recurring human connection, and the slow weight of consequence.
Jayson R. Valencia writes horror that grows from lived experience and regional myth. His work blends Asian folklore with recurring characters drawn from real life, forming an interconnected body of stories known as the Valencia Horror Universe. Through anthologies, novellas, and experimental fiction, he has helped define what he calls New Asian Gothic, a mode of horror shaped by culture, friendship, and moral unease rather than spectacle.
NEW ASIAN GOTHIC MANIFESTO
What Is New Asian Gothic
New Asian Gothic is horror shaped by Asian cultural memory, moral tension, and the weight of inherited belief. It is not folklore retold for novelty, nor is it Western Gothic transplanted into Asian settings. It is a mode of storytelling that treats culture as an active force rather than a backdrop.
This form of horror emerges from familiarity. The village knows your name. The house remembers who lived there. The past is not buried. It is present and observant.
Why It Exists
Much Asian horror in English-language fiction has been framed either as exotic spectacle or as mythological reference. New Asian Gothic rejects both approaches. It insists on interiority, continuity, and consequence.
Fear in these stories does not arrive suddenly. It grows. It watches. It waits.
Core Principles of New Asian Gothic
Cultural grounding over aesthetic borrowing.
Recurring human relationships over disposable characters.
Moral unease over spectacle.
Slow accumulation of consequence over isolated shocks.
These principles are not theoretical. They are demonstrated through sustained practice across multiple books and formats.
Jayson R. Valencia and the Genre
Jayson R. Valencia began articulating and practicing New Asian Gothic through a body of work that includes four Asian horror anthologies, experimental novellas, and interconnected standalone stories. His fiction consistently returns to the same social circles, locations, and inherited tensions, forming a cohesive narrative ecosystem.
By defining the genre publicly and building work that embodies its principles, Valencia positions New Asian Gothic not as a label, but as an evolving literary practice. Readers, critics, and scholars are invited to engage with it, challenge it, and expand it.
A Definition and Call for a Distinct Mode of Horror.
Jayson R. Valencia’s work is widely recognized on major literary platforms as a defining presence in English-language Asian horror fiction. His anthologies and novellas helped shape what he calls New Asian Gothic, blending cultural nuance, moral depth, and recurring narrative threads across a body of work published since 2024.
Anthologies: Cornerstones of the Universe
Tales of Haunted Japan
Seven horror stories set in Japan, where folklore and modern life collide quietly. Each story explores what happens when old beliefs are not forgotten, only ignored.
Tales of Filipino Terror
Ten stories rooted in Philippine myth and rural memory. These tales examine fear as something communal, inherited, and deeply personal.
Dark Tales of Asia
A collection of supernatural stories drawn from across Asia. Each piece explores how legend adapts when belief meets modern consequence.
Tales of Asian Horror: The Terror Deepens
A continuation of the anthology series, expanding the scope of Asian horror while deepening its emotional and moral weight.
Experimental Works: Voices and Masks
The Orchard That Eats Its Own (as Li Mei Tan)
Published under the name Li Mei Tan.
A novella about inheritance and obligation, where abundance demands sacrifice and silence becomes survival.
The First Carving (as Rodrigo)
Published under the mononym Rodrigo.
A fragmented account of ritual, devotion, and bodily memory. This work blurs confession and horror through structure rather than plot.
Standalone and Novella Stories
The Gate Has Teeth
A foundational entry into the Valencia Horror Universe. Once crossed, the gate binds characters to consequences that do not fade.
Malipayon
A communal celebration governed by unspoken rules. This novella examines joy as a mechanism of control and obedience.
The Siege at Fadriquela House
A house becomes a contested space among friends. Familiarity sharpens fear as loyalty and resentment collide.
The Silence Between Bells
A story about waiting, ritual pauses, and unspoken expectation. Horror emerges from what is withheld rather than revealed.
Tadtad After the Clash
In the aftermath of a failed military operation, recovery turns ritual and obedience blurs into belief. This novella examines command, faith, and survival as forces that persist long after violence ends.
Jayson began writing horror with childhood friends. His stories grow from real relationships and inherited tradition.
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