Firefly

Name: Firefly
ISBN: 9787513361989

麻耶雄嵩 / 朱东冬New Star Press · ChinaJul 2026

4.0

Word count: 149K words
Chapters: 24
ISBN: 9787513361989

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Summary

Members of the university club Achilles are devoted to adventure, and they set foot in the "Firefly Manor" in the mountains of Kyoto. This legendary house, designed by a famous architect, is shrouded in a bloody shadow spanning ten years—a decade ago, the manor's owner, the musician Hotaruji Keiji, fell into madness here, brutally killing six members of his ensemble before wasting away and dying.

Ten years later, Sasebo funds the rebuilding of "Firefly Manor," replicating its appearance before the tragedy, only to die mysteriously, repeating Kaga's fate. A torrential rainstorm seals off the isolated manor, trapping everyone inside. Raindrops turn into suspicion and murderous intent, quietly spreading among former companions who once jested together.

Editor's review

Maya Yutaka excels at combining closed spaces with narrative tricks. This book sets its stage in the "Firefly Manor" in the mountains of Kyoto, designed by a famous architect: ten years ago the owner, Hotaruji Keiji, killed six ensemble members in madness before wasting away and dying, and ten years later the man who funded its rebuilding, Sasebo, repeats the fate. With the rainstorm sealing the manor, the old case resurfacing, and suspicion spreading among companions, the classic isolated-manor模式 is written with layer upon layer of reversals. The author's construction of the "legendary manor" atmosphere is restrained and cold, the old cracks in the characters' relationships gradually developing with the rain, the deductive clues buried in fine fragments, and readers need to watch for anomalies in dialogue and scenes. Suitable for readers who like orthodox deduction, narrative tricks, and closed-space suspense; less suited to those who prefer thick social-realism themes or warm, healing stories. Best read in one sitting—pausing midway easily loses the planted clues.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy orthodox deduction and closed-space puzzles
Fans of Maya Yutaka's works, interested in narrative tricks and reversals
Readers who prefer a cold suspense atmosphere and can accept dark plot elements
Readers looking for a Japanese mystery of moderate length to spend a weekend on

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer warm, healing, or light slice-of-life stories
Those sensitive to bloody murder descriptions and dark psychological sides
Readers expecting deep exploration of social-realism issues

Reading tips

Read as continuously as possible, and watch for time and identity details in characters' dialogue
Before reading, memorize the basic character relationships of the ten-year-old tragedy for easy reference
When encountering scene descriptions that seem like idle brushstrokes, reread them—clues are often hidden there
After finishing, flip back to the opening and the passages about rebuilding Firefly Manor to verify the reversal clues

About the publisher

New Star Press China · Founded in 1989

New Star Press focuses on classic works, mystery and detective fiction, science fiction, history, foreign literature and art, and its 602 titles in the library show a balance between popular reading and humanistic depth. Representative books include The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Illustrated Collector's Edition, And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, The Player of Games, Local Government in Qing China, A Good Man Is Hard to Find and A Collection of Fine Ukiyo-e Prints, spanning classic literature, detective fiction, science fiction, local history and visual art. Its authors and contributors include William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Iain M. Banks, as well as translators such as Zhu Shenghao and Su Fuzhong and illustrators such as John Gilbert and George Cruikshank. Known for the detective series Midnight Library and for social-science and humanities titles, the press emphasizes edition design and reading experience; public information is limited, so this profile highlights the publishing features reflected in the library's books.

版权信息
登场人物
序章
1 流萤馆七月十五日下午两点二十分
2 圣瓦伦丁八重奏乐团七月十五日下午三点十分
3 夜奏曲七月十五日晚上八点二十分
4 第一起杀人案七月十六日上午十点十分
5 暴风雨山庄七月十六日上午十点四十分
6 指纹七月十六日上午十一点二十分
7 萤之间七月十六日下午两点五十分
8 女人的身影七月十六日晚上八点四十分
9 千鹤七月十六日晚上十点十五分
10 浴缸里的头发七月十七日上午十一点二十分
11 第二弦乐八重奏七月十七日下午两点二十分
12 闭锁之门七月十七日下午四点十分
13 萤七月十七日下午五点整
14 文枝七月十七日晚上九点十分
15 钟乳洞七月十七日晚上九点四十五分
16 尸蜡七月十七日晚上十点十五分
17 岛原的推理七月十七日晚上十一点整
18 终局七月十七日晚上十一点五十分
19 暗夜七月十八日凌晨两点三十五分
20 萤七月十八日凌晨两点四十分
尾声

FAQ

Is this book part of a series? Do I need to read other books first?

From the materials, this book revolves around members of the Achilles club entering Firefly Manor and is a standalone story that can be read without prior background. If readers are familiar with Maya Yutaka's narrative style, they will more easily enter his customary rhythm of reversals, but readers who have not read his works can also finish it smoothly.

Is the story very bloody?

The core background is the tragedy in which the manor's owner killed six ensemble members ten years ago; this is violence at the level of plot setup, not bloody scenes rendered throughout. The overall atmosphere is cold and oppressive, focusing on suspicion and deduction within the isolated manor; readers sensitive to violence should still consider carefully.

Why is the story set in a rainstorm-sealed manor?

The rainstorm sealing the isolated manor is a classic deduction setup: it cuts off any possibility of outside intervention and also gradually heats up suspicion and murderous intent among the trapped. In the book, raindrops are used to mirror the suspicion gradually spreading among companions; the environmental description and the advancement of characters' psychology work together, and this is worth watching while reading.

Do I need to take notes while reading this book?

Not mandatory, but since the character relationships intertwine with the old case from ten years ago and the clues are buried rather finely, simply noting characters' identities and key time points will help. Pay particular attention to the motive for rebuilding Firefly Manor and the details of replicating its pre-tragedy appearance; these will be called upon again in later reversals.

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About the author

麻耶雄嵩 Author

Maya Yutaka is a Japanese mystery and detective fiction writer. Public information about him is limited, and details such as his birth year, education, and awards are not clearly documented. Judging from the six works held in the collection, his writing is rooted in orthodox detective fiction, creating tension between rigorous logic and an eerie atmosphere. Representative works such as Goodbye, God; A Sonata for Summer and Winter; The One-Eyed Girl; The Winged Darkness; Murders Dedicated to Makatto and Mimagi; and Firefly often revolve around closed spaces, serial puzzles, and narrative tricks, with plots that repeatedly overturn readers' expectations. His works have generated discussion among Chinese mystery readers and are usually categorized as suspense and detective fiction, suited to readers who enjoy challenging puzzles and unexpected endings.

朱东冬 Author · China

Zhu Dongdong is a Chinese translator of Japanese literature. She holds a master's degree in Japanese language and literature from Beijing Normal University and a master's degree in literature from Kanazawa University in Japan. Public information about her is limited, and her English name and dates of birth and death are not recorded in the available sources. She favors genre literature such as mystery and science fiction, and her translation work centers on Japanese detective novels. Four of her translations are included in the collection: The Sound of Heaven, the Name of the Devil; Firefly; The Canghai Mansion Incident; and The Bloodsucking Dog Does Not Bark, and she has also translated The Boneyard Does Not Speak. Her choices suggest an interest in works that balance intricate plotting with atmosphere, and her translations serve the pace of mystery reading, offering Chinese readers accessible versions of Japanese genre fiction.