Ring (Ring Series #1) by Koji Suzuki
Product Details
Web ID: 16836829Wonderful read!
Personally, I have never really heard of the ring besides hearing about the movie when I was young. I was recommended this book when I was looking for something new and twisted to read by the b&n librarian! I liked that it was inexpensive with an eye catching cover. What initially struck me was the omnipresent shadow following the characters throughout the beginning of the novel. It is very unique to read something so well written that climbs into the minds of different characters seamlessly. The characters are very loveable, and it’s easy to sympathize with them. I expected The Ring to have a lot of gory body horror, but I was pleasantly surprised as the book was very much just a psychological thriller. Koji Suzuki’s novel is a thought provoking masterpiece filled with shock, empathy, and a comforting depiction of humanity’s biggest questions and challenges. I really enjoyed experiencing the complex relationships that intertwined each character and thought Suzuki did a great job conveying the purity in human connection and the divine psyche’s power. Very interesting tale to keep you on your toes! It really read like a movie, each scene lighting up a beautiful depiction of 1990s Japan, I cannot recommend this enough!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing!
Yet another book that I had no idea was the inspiration for the movie. I ended up buying it because I thought “worst case scenario, I hate it”. I am so glad I purchased it. It is absolutely amazing! It’s so much better than the movie! It jumps right into horror, then lets you coole off/calm down, and then you’re filled with anxiety of “what will happen next?!” I especially liked the ending! There have been many times where the book was amazing, but then the ending left you… unfulfilled. It’s as though the author doesn’t know how to properly end the story, or they just threw something in there to call it a day. Not this one, though. The entire book was perfect. Triggers: rape (mentioned)
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The origin of the "Ring" horror franchise
I was delighted to find out that an English edition of Suzuki's novel was available. After seeing the original Japanese television adaptation of it (which is very faithful to the original book but terrible) and the original Japanese feature film version (which make substantial alterations but is a masterpiece of horror cinema) I was fascinated to be able to map out the transformation of the story from version to version. I don't know whether or not it's an artifact of this translation, but this didn't strike me as very well written, and in fact I think it was an impressive leap of imagination for filmmakers to see so much potential in the preposterous concept of a contagious "disease" created by putting a supernatural curse on someone infected with smallpox. But as with classics like Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Bram Stoker's "Dracula," a seminal work of Gothic horror doesn't necessarily need to be good in a literary sense in order to be great in a cultural sense.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com