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Ring (Ring #1)

by Koji Suzuki

3.76 · rating details · 2,173 ratings · 182 reviews

One night in Tokyo, four healthy teenagers die one after another of heart failure. A journalist, the uncle of one of the victims and intrigued by the coincidence, investigates and learns of a videotape that the four watched together a week before dying. Amid a series of bizarre and frightening images is a warning that the viewer will die in exactly one week unless a certai

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Published (first published 1991)

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Oct 25, 2011

Laura rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2006

I didn't find this book to be scary either as I am very rarely frightened by books. I did have high hopes for it, as the American film version is one of the few movies that really creeped me out. (I'm a big horror film fan but none have stayed with me as long as The Ring. I can freak myself out just thinking about it.) I found the book interesting, but not scary. As mentioned by others, it is sufficiently different enough from the films to be engaging and I liked the differences very much. I'm c...more

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Jan 08, 2009

Gette rated it

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I've been waiting get my hands on an English translation this novel, since it's the one that launched Japan's Ringu and pretty much the entire 2005 onslaught of Asian horror movies. As expected, the book and movie is quite different, but this book is different enough for me not to know what to make if it yet.[return][return]In the movie, a female reporter investigates the mysterious death of her niece, which leads her to a killer video tape and seven days to unravel the mystery, which cummulated...moreI've been waiting get my hands on an English translation this novel, since it's the one that launched Japan's Ringu and pretty much the entire 2005 onslaught of Asian horror movies. As expected, the book and movie is quite different, but this book is different enough for me not to know what to make if it yet.[return][return]In the movie, a female reporter investigates the mysterious death of her niece, which leads her to a killer video tape and seven days to unravel the mystery, which cummulated in this long-haired spook climbing out of the TV.[return][return]In the book, the protagonist is a man names Asakawa, also a reporter, who noticed that three other teens died around the same time as his niece. He tracks down the tape and watches it. There was nothing coherent in it, just some abstract images, and a message:[return][return]"Those who have viewed these images are fated to die at this exact hour one week from now. If you do not wish to die, you must follow this instructions exactly..."[return][return]The tape then cuts to static. [return][return]The race throughout the book is to find out what it said, which sends him on a long chase over Japan trying to discover its origins.[return][return]Joining in the hunt is his professor friend Ryuji Takayama, who provokes even less sympathy by being both male and a sexual predator. Ryuji thinks it's a virus, and he's not too far from wrong.[return][return]What they both find is references to the beautiful Sadako Yamamura, daughter of a famous Japanese psychic who became a laughing stock. Sadako had something to do with creation the tape and could possibly holds the answer to their salvation. [return][return]The structure of the story is similar to the movie but the plot is different. It's like two people writing their own take using the same characters and back story. One might say that the movie version was vastly over-dramatised for cinema audiences. That classic moment when Sadako climbs out of the TV is not even part of the original novel.[return][return]Ring the novel reads more like paranormal detective fiction rather than a horror story. It's creepy, but neither horrific nor nightmare-inducing. If you're looking to relive the movie, you'll be disappointed, but if you want to see where it came from, this is for you.[return][return]Ring is the first of the hugely successful thriller trilogy. The other two books are Spiral and Loop, both also filmed as cult movies.[return][return](2006)(less)

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Dec 22, 2008

Angela rated it

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Shelves: horror

As I've posted before on this journal, the American film The Ring is perhaps the creepiest horror movie it has ever been my pleasure to watch. The only problem is, having seen it, I lose a critical element of surprise and suspense going into the reading of Ring, the novel on which that movie is based. I have a genuinely difficult time trying to decide whether those who are unfamiliar with the story should watch the movie or go straight to the book. Koji Suzuki's writing is definitely worth explo...more

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Jan 12, 2012

Kell rated it

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Shelves: read-in-2009

Having already seen and enjoyed the Japanese film based on the book (and also seen and laughed derisively at the American re-make), I already knew the "secret" of Ring, but wanted to give the source material a try. I wasn't disappointed.

Suzuki's writing is terse without losing any of the required description for a good, all-round immersion in the action - his approach to writing seems to be to use exactly the right amount of words without prettying it up (at least, it comes o...more

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Dec 21, 2011

Roberta rated it

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Shelves: 2007

Il giornalista Kazuyuki Asakawa indaga sulla morte di quattro giovani (di cui una è sua nipote) avvenuta nello stesso istante anche se in posti diversi a causa di un inspiegabile attacco di cuore. Attratto dalla vicenda Asakawa scopre che i quattro si conoscevano e che, una settimana prima della loro morte, avevano passato una notte in un cottage del centro vacanze “Pacific Land Club” di Hakone. Qui avevano visionato una cassetta priva di custodia e di etichetta contenente uno strano filmato com...more

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Aug 11, 2011

Carles Granados rated it

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Recommends it for: SOS

Shelves: terror

Es un libro excelente!

Muchos conocerán alguna de las versiones cinematográficas (japonesa o americana) que se realizaron a partir del citado libro. Dicen de Koji Suzuki que es el nuevo Stephen King en versión japonesa. Esta afirmación podría parecer muy peregrina y una simple frase promocional del Publishers Weekly para que quede mona en la contraportada del libro. Pero lo cierto es que las novelas de Koji Suzuki (Paradise [1990], Spiral [1995] y Dark Water [1996]) son fenómenos de mas...moreEs un libro excelente!

Muchos conocerán alguna de las versiones cinematográficas (japonesa o americana) que se realizaron a partir del citado libro. Dicen de Koji Suzuki que es el nuevo Stephen King en versión japonesa. Esta afirmación podría parecer muy peregrina y una simple frase promocional del Publishers Weekly para que quede mona en la contraportada del libro. Pero lo cierto es que las novelas de Koji Suzuki (Paradise [1990], Spiral [1995] y Dark Water [1996]) son fenómenos de masas en su país y la adaptación al cine de sus historias han gozado de una repercusión mundial.

El libro es un perfecto thriller de miedo atmosférico sobre una investigación a contrarreloj para salvar la vida del protagonista y de aquellos que, como él, vieron posteriormente la maldita cinta. El autor desarrolla con gran maestría argumental todo el proceso de indagación para dilucidar el sortilegio borrado que los podrá salvar. Está muy bien ver como se pasa al inicio de no saber nada (de hasta suponer hipotesis erroneas) a descubrir al final la verdad de todo este oscuro y mortal asunto. Da la sensanción que que la historia no tiene cabos sueltos, que se desarrolla con mucha lógica y de manera estratégica (dándonos a conocer los diferentes datos en su momento justo para así mantener la tensión hasta el final). Y que decir del final? Es trepidante, agobiante, y con una resolución sorpresa genial. Un desenlace redondo!

Literariamente el libro es el típico best-seller, ágil de lectura, con muchos diálogos y sin demasiada floritura ni calidad lingística.
La edición española del libro costaba unos 18 euros (hace unos dos años que lo compré) y no estaba demasiado cuidada (no tiene tapa dura y el guillotinado del papel no es demasiado bueno). Ahora, eso sí, la portada es magnífica, pues reproduce la espeluznante imagen archi-conocida de las carteleras de las sus pelis: el circulo luminoso en medio de la más absoluta oscuridad con el título en medio de The Ring.

Es inevitable hacer una referencia a las versiones cinematográficas. Para empezar después de la versión original en japonés (Ringu) del director Hideo Nakata se hizo una versión americana. Las licencias que se tomó Hideo Nakata en su película son mínimas, y responden más a las características del lenguaje cinematográfico que a cuestiones de guión. No hablaré de la versión americana, que ignora directamente cualquier elemento sacado de la novela para fusilar la película de Nakata. La película ha sido memorable por la escena de Sadako saliendo de la televisión en camisón y con los pelos cubriéndole la cara… una escena que en el libro no aparece. Otros detallitos sin importancia son que el Asakawa del libro es un hombre, mientras que en la película es una mujer (Reiko Asakawa) y que, el tal Ryuji, en la novela es un violador ocasional de universitarias. De este modo, la película gana en efectismo y sensación de miedo (dentro de la contención típica de la cultura japonesa), mientras que la novela gana en profundidad de personajes y de argumentación de la historia. Por eso muchas cosas que en la película se suponen o se deben aceptar tal cual vienen, en el libro se desarrollan mucho más y quedan muy claras.
La verdad es que no sabría decidirme al aconsejar entre libro y película. Nos encontramos en uno de esos casos donde tanto uno como la otra son igual de válidos para hacer vivir las sensaciones de congoja y desasosiego que persiguen sus respectivos autores. En cualquier caso, recomendaría ambas cosas. (less)

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Jul 26, 2011

Nemesis rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: finished, giappone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dopo aver visionato il deludente remake americano con protagonista Naomi Watts, oltre alla versione originale ho deciso di procurami anche il libro.
L’ho preso in prestito dalla mia biblioteca comunale e l’ho letto in due giorni riuscendo finalmente a dare un senso a quello che avevo visto in tv.
La storia a grandi linee è la stessa, c’è un giornalista che si ritrova per caso a indagare sulla morte misteriosa di alcuni ragazzi, avvenuta per uno strano attacco cardiaco.
L’uomo v...moreDopo aver visionato il deludente remake americano con protagonista Naomi Watts, oltre alla versione originale ho deciso di procurami anche il libro.
L’ho preso in prestito dalla mia biblioteca comunale e l’ho letto in due giorni riuscendo finalmente a dare un senso a quello che avevo visto in tv.
La storia a grandi linee è la stessa, c’è un giornalista che si ritrova per caso a indagare sulla morte misteriosa di alcuni ragazzi, avvenuta per uno strano attacco cardiaco.
L’uomo viene a scoprire che tutti e quattro avevano visionato una misteriosa cassetta, che lui ritrova e guarda a sua volta e scopre così che questa cassetta contiene un’antica maledizione che si abbatte sui malcapitati da lì a una settimana.
Insieme a un suo amico cercherà di svelare l’arcano, ma è una lotta contro il tempo e contro un destino infausto che sembra incombere sempre più sulla sua testa.
Mi domando perché gli americani si divertono a stravolgere le storie a loro piacimento, lo hanno fatto con “The Grudge”(chiunque abbia visto l’originale giapponese sa quanto si discosti da questo) e ora anche con “The Ring”(la bambina perseguitatrice in realtà è un’avvenente fanciulla, uccisa dopo un tentativo di stupro da un medico, gettata in un pozzo e lasciata morire così, dopo una lunga agonia), si divertono a cambiare totalmente le situazioni, le storie, i personaggi(il giornalista incaricato a risolvere la vicenda è un parente stretto di una delle vittime, nel film ha il volto di Naomi Watts) fino a non fartici capire nulla.
Devo ammettere che finalmente sono riuscita a capirci qualcosa, la storia così mi appare più nitida, con una sua logica, con una sua sequenza di causa ed effetto e non quel groviglio confusionario del remake di Verbinski.
La spiegazione dell’arcano è piuttosto bizzarra, devo ammetterlo, ma non gli si può negare quel tocco di originalità che la rende accattivante.
Una lettura che mi ha soddisfatta, che mi ha coinvolta molto, soprattutto nella parte iniziale(secondo me la migliore) e nel finale, tutt’altro che ottimista.
Ora non mi rimane che procurarmi gli altri libri che compongono il ciclo(“Spiral”, “Loop”) e soprattutto procurarmi la versione originale del film. (less)

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Oct 29, 2010

Chibineko rated it

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I picked this book up due to my interest in the movies. I thought that the storyline was incredibly creepy & had heard that the book plotline was drastically different. It was!

Where the movie decided to focus around a female character, the main character in the books is actually a man. Also interesting is that while the main characters are all sympathetically portrayed in the movie, the book's characters are incredibly flawed (especially one in particular). Things are *just* differe...more

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May 12, 2010

Paula rated it

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I have seen the film 'Ring' the US version and the Japanese version and both scared me differently, I did not sit through the US version because certain parts scared me and the Japanese version just terrified me to the core.

The book is a lot better than the film, there is a lot more tension and you find out more about Sadako and what she is capable of doing, how far she will go.

'Ring' did have tense moments and scary moments, I liked the psychological horror, the fact I...more

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May 06, 2009

P.J. rated it

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Reporter Kazuyuki Asakawa further investigates the mysterious, simultaneous deaths of four teenagers — the name of one of them happens to be Hyuji, or Ryuji, depending on who is investigating the murder with Asakawa. Discovered is a videotape that the four schoolfriends watched together exactly one week before their deaths. This bootleg tape brief which someone filmed in real life contains several inexplicable images, followed by the message that the viewer, too, will die in exactly seven days, ...more

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Apr 09, 2009

The Writer rated it

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As a start, I'd like to believe that almost everyone is familiar with the infamous horror film titled The Ring. Be it either the original Japanese version or the adapted Hollywood version (featuring Naomi Watts), which was approximately half as scary as the original.

So now, I'm going backward. I read the book after I have watched the film decades ago and I could only say now how glad I am for finding this book tucked away in one corner of the local library because that's the way it s...moreAs a start, I'd like to believe that almost everyone is familiar with the infamous horror film titled The Ring. Be it either the original Japanese version or the adapted Hollywood version (featuring Naomi Watts), which was approximately half as scary as the original.

So now, I'm going backward. I read the book after I have watched the film decades ago and I could only say now how glad I am for finding this book tucked away in one corner of the local library because that's the way it should be done *grins*

I assume you all know the story, right? Four high school students who suddenly died at the same time at separate places due to unnatural reasons. A local reporter sniffed the story and decided to investigate it further. Later he found out that a single video tape ignited the curse and whoever watched the tape would die precisely a week after. In order to fight the death spell, Asakawa, the journalist, asked his friend Ryuji, a scholar, to help him analyse the tape to find what actually triggered the curse and how the spell could be lifted.

This book features a lot more details on the relationship between Asakawa and Ryuji (I believe they changed Asakawa role into a female reporter in both Japanese and the Hollywood version) and his own relation with his wife and daughter. As always, the book provides more details that what can be squeezed inside a 2-hour (or was it 1.5 hour?) film.

As much as we'd like to believe that film gives detail picture on how the cursed video supposed to like, the book clearly describes every scenes in the tape and those were not in the same as the ones in the film. The video in the book was described to be less scary but gives a sadder story on the main antagonist's life in this film.

The film, as much as I remember, portrayed Sadako as a long-haired female demon who crawled from the well (and TV screen too!) with squeaky voice and bent posture. It only gave you the chills, but the book gives more depth on what Sadako's previous life was like. It makes the readers symphatise with her fate and understand why she turned into a vicious and revengeful ghost.

Not only that, the book manages to produce the same effect as the film does to you. It definitely gave me the chills when I read it alone in my room and I am no chicken LOL The book now makes me craving to see the film once again. I must find the DVD somewhere...

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Aug 13, 2011

Ivi rated it

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Jeder kennt den Film "The Ring". Auch ich kannte ihn. Um ehrlich zu sein hatte ich überhaupt keine Ahnung, dass der Film eigentlich ein Buch ist. Nachdem ich davon erfahren hatte, musste ich es mir sofort kaufen. Ich wollte mich schon immer mal an dem Horror-Genre versuchen und war davon überzeugt, dass The Ring eine wirklich gute Wahl wäre. Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Allerdings sollte man hier vielleicht erwähnen, dass Buch und Film zwar in Bezug auf die Grundelemente gleich sind, si...moreJeder kennt den Film "The Ring". Auch ich kannte ihn. Um ehrlich zu sein hatte ich überhaupt keine Ahnung, dass der Film eigentlich ein Buch ist. Nachdem ich davon erfahren hatte, musste ich es mir sofort kaufen. Ich wollte mich schon immer mal an dem Horror-Genre versuchen und war davon überzeugt, dass The Ring eine wirklich gute Wahl wäre. Ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Allerdings sollte man hier vielleicht erwähnen, dass Buch und Film zwar in Bezug auf die Grundelemente gleich sind, sich ansonsten aber sehr stark unterscheiden und das Buch vor allem viel mehr in die Tiefe geht.

Das Buch hat mich von der ersten Seite an begeistert. Ich war vom ersten Wort an so gefesselt, dass ich es gar nicht mehr aus der Hand legen wollte. Die Geschichte ist mysteriös, geheimnisvoll, spannend und unheimlich zugleich. In diesem Buch steckt wirklich alles drin, was man von einem guten Horrorroman erwartet. Und um es kurz zu erwähnen: Das Buch ist so viel besser als der Film.

Der Schreibstil ist wirklich sehr angenehm. Man findet sehr leicht in die Geschichte hinein. Es lässt sich einfach und flüssig lesen und man möchte gar nicht mehr aufhören, wenn man erst einmal angefangen hat. Auf das grundlegende Thema wird in diesem Buch jedoch ganz anders eingegangen. So vierliert sich der westliche Einfluss ein wenig und präsentiert sich japanischer - mit eindeutig mehr Gefühlen der einzelnen Charaktere. Das Buch ist kein "Schocker" wie man es aus der Traumfabrik in Hollywood kennt. Es ist ein schleichender Horror der während des Lesens ein mulmiges Gefühl hinterlässt und Gänsehaut verursacht.

Auch an die Charaktere hat man sich schnell gewöhnt. Auch wenn man nicht so viel über sie erfährt, wie das womöglich in anderen Büchern der Fall ist, erfährt man genug über sie, um ihr Handeln nachvollziehen zu können. In meinen Augen stehen die Charaktere an sich hier auch nicht so sehr im Vordergrund wie die Geschichte um das geheimnisvolle Video selbst.

Die Aufmachung des Buches hat mir auch gleich von Anfang an unglaublich gut gefallen. Auf dem Cover sieht man den bekannten Ring, der auch im Film zu sehen ist und die Kapitelüberschriften sind mit "Blut" geschrieben worden, was den Gruselfakter noch erhöht. Die Geschichte geht wirklich unter die Haut und entblößt auf alle Fälle mehr Details als der Film es tut. Auch am Ende des Buches erfährt man mehr, als am Ende des Filmes, was in meinen Augen wirklich sehr reizvoll ist, da das Buch als Triologie konzipiert wurde. Allerdings bedeutet das nicht, dass man das Buch nicht auch ohne die weiteren Teile genießen kann.

Fazit: Ich kann das Buch nur für alle Fans dieses Genres empfehlen, ebenso für alle Fans des Filmes "The Ring". Gänsehaut ist vorprogrammiert.(less)

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Jul 13, 2010

F.R. rated it

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This is an effective and intelligent chiller which builds up to an interesting moral question, but it’s not a book I particularly warmed to.

A great deal of that is to do with the central character: a self-centred and unapproachable journalist. There’s an incredible moral ambivalence about him, best illustrated by one of his friends confessing to raping a college student and the journalist having no problem with that information and seeing no need to go to the police. Indeed this stor...more

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May 03, 2009

Endah rated it

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Kalau saja malam itu, Asakawa, wartawan surat kabar Daily News, Tokyo, tidak pulang dengan taksi, mungkin hidupnya akan tenang-tenang saja sampai hari ini. Atau andai saja supir taksi yang dinaikinya itu tidak bercerita ihwal peristiwa kematian seorang remaja pria pada malam 5 September 1990, tentu Asakawa tak akan pernah terlibat pada urusan pelik yang kemudian mengancam nyawanya itu.

Ya, semua bermula dari kisah supir taksi mengenai tewasnya Shuichi Iwata yang lalu mengingatkan Asa...moreKalau saja malam itu, Asakawa, wartawan surat kabar Daily News, Tokyo, tidak pulang dengan taksi, mungkin hidupnya akan tenang-tenang saja sampai hari ini. Atau andai saja supir taksi yang dinaikinya itu tidak bercerita ihwal peristiwa kematian seorang remaja pria pada malam 5 September 1990, tentu Asakawa tak akan pernah terlibat pada urusan pelik yang kemudian mengancam nyawanya itu.

Ya, semua bermula dari kisah supir taksi mengenai tewasnya Shuichi Iwata yang lalu mengingatkan Asakawa kepada keponakan istrinya, Tomoko Oishi, yang juga tewas pada malam yang sama dan dengan penyebab yang sama : serangan jantung mendadak.

Naluri jurnalisnya segera mencium ada sesuatu yang tidak wajar dan misterius di balik kematian kedua remaja tersebut. Kecurigaan Asakawa makin kuat ketika kemudian ia mendapatkan berita dua orang remaja lainnya juga tewas pada malam yang sama. Ia pun lantas berniat menyelidiki kasus itu.

Hasil penelusurannya membawa wartawan itu ke sebuah resort di Hakone. Ternyata seminggu sebelum kematian keempat remaja malang itu, mereka sempat menginap di resort tersebut dan menonton sebuah video yang mengandung kutukan mematikan bagi penontonnya, termasuk Askawa sendiri. Kutukan itu sebenarnya mempunyai penangkal. Hanya celakanya, bagian yang mengatakan tentang penangkal itu, justru rusak terhapus. Maka, Asakawa harus berlomba dengan waktu memecahkan misteri penangkal atau ia dan keluarganya harus mati seperti keempat remaja tadi.

Dengan dibantu oleh sahabatnya, Ryuji, seorang dosen filsafat, sedikit demi sedikit terkuaklah tabir gelap yang melingkupi kutukan itu. Si pembuat kutukan adalah Sadako, seorang gadis jelita yang meninggal dua puluh lima tahun lalu. Ia merekam video maut tersebut melalui lensa matanya dengan kekuatan supranatural yang dimilikinya, mencoba menyampaikan pesan kepada dunia luar (penonton) perihal kematiannya.

Memang agak sukar dipercaya rasanya bahwa ada orang yang bisa mempunyai kekuatan mistik serupa itu. Apalagi jika fakta tersebut hadir di tengah-tengah dunia modern saat ini dan di negeri berteknologi maju seperti Jepang atau Amerika.

Ring adalah novel yang memadukan mistik dengan ilmu pengetahuan modern. Penulisnya, Koji Suzuki, berpendapat bahwa saat ini justru telah terjadi perkembangan baru dalam ilmu pengetahuan, psikologi paranormal khususnya, yang menyatakan cabang ilmu psikologi tersebut adalah salah satu kunci untuk menyingkap struktur alam semesta (hal 143). Hal inilah yang diangkatnya dalam novel horor yang di Jepang, konon, telah terjual sebanyak 2,8 juta kopi.

Seperti lazimnya cerita horor, Ring pun dijejali adegan-adegan yang (diharapkan dapat) menghadirkan ketegangan ke tengah-tengah publik pembacanya, Ketegangan itu agak berbeda dengan saat kita membaca Da Vinci Code, misalnya. Pada Da Vinci Code, thriller yang tercipta disebabkan oleh bayangan kengerian peristiwa pembunuhan sadis, sedangkan dalam Ring, jikapun kita sedikit merasa tegang, itu karena unsur hantu dan mistisnya, walaupun keduanya sama-sama menyuguhkan kisah misteri pembunuhan.

Belakangan ini kita saksikan layar televisi dan bioskop diramaikan oleh acara serta film-film bertema hantu dan mistik. Tampaknya, tema ini sedang digandrungi. Sebenarnya, lakon horor hantu-hantuan ataupun dunia mistik supranatural bisa sangat menarik jika digarap dengan baik, misalnya, What Lies Beneath (Robert Zemekcis). Tidak seperti yang terjadi pada televisi dan bioskop kita, yang justru terjerumus jadi cerita klenik tak masuk akal.

Novel laris ini juga telah difilmkan, di Jepang dengan judul Ringu dan The Ring ( Gore Verbinski) di Hollywood. Ring adalah buku pertama dari triloginya. Judul buku lanjutannya adalah Spiral dan Loop. Bagi mereka yang gemar kisah horor dengan menyertakan hantu di dalamnya, Ring bisa jadi sangat menarik.
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Jul 16, 2011

D.M. rated it

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My wife loved these books, so I promised myself I'd read them after the classics I'd slogged through for the past two years. This volume was the perfect antidote to all the high-flown prose and heavy-handed literature I've been enjoying, as it's just the sort of thing one would pick up and read while on holiday.
I don't know if it's the translation, or if Suzuki's writing is really like this, but I was unimpressed by the prose style. Though it read VERY easily (it took me three days of unste...more

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Jul 28, 2010

Vera F. Maharani rated it

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Hanya ada satu kata-tiga huruf yang melintas di pikiran saya ketika membaca buku ini. WOW.

Saya tidak perlu berpanjang-panjang menjelaskan alur cerita karena cerita novel ini telah banyak dikenal orang. Ya, ini novel Ring yang itu, yang telah terjual 2,8 juta kopi dan terus bertambah, yang telah difilmkan di Jepang dan diadaptasi oleh Hollywood, yang telah membuat adegan Sadako merangkak keluar dari TV menjadi mindset kita setiap mendengar 'film horor jepang', Ya, ini novel Ring yang ...more

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Oct 19, 2010

Karen rated it

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Shelves: fiction

Teenagers start dying horrible deaths. There seems to be no connection between the teans, but they did share one experience, they all watched a video that gave them a week to live after viewing it, unless they did ... Not only do they not take it seriously, they erase the ending that gives the way to prevent your death, so the next person is doomed. (this is all early on in the book). The next person who finds the video and watches it tries to figure out the remedy before his time is up. Thi...more

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Apr 07, 2011

Julie Hayes rated it

· review of another edition

Sometimes it’s the seemingly unimportant choices that we make that can change our lives in unimaginable ways. If Asakawa hadn’t been so tired, if he hadn’t let his commuter pass expire, if he hadn’t taken a taxi that day and listened to the story of the cab driver’s strange encounter with the dead-for-no-apparent-reason motorcycle rider and connected it with the death of his wife’s niece, then would anything that happened after that have happened? Or was it simply meant to be?

This i...more

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Oct 09, 2011

Clay rated it

· review of another edition

So I was looking for some not-so-dumb-modern-horror literature and picked up The Ring by Koji Suzuki. I also like to read challenging, unconventional books, but this is not quite what I was looking for. There were a couple of clichés and I can live with them as long as the main idea is interesting and creative. It was a very easy read and dealt with very serious matter in an extremely childish way as it was obviously written to please a mainstream audience. That guy called Asakawa has a couple o...more

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May 29, 2010

Stephie rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 29, 2011

Jed Layton rated it

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I am becoming a pretty big fan of Japanese fiction. This is the third book I have read from Japan in the last year or so. Battle Royale remains one of my most favorite while the Devotion of Suspect X was one of the best murder mystery books I have ever read--and I normally can't stand those. Ring was also a fun, fast read. It is the book responsible for both the Japanese and American movies by the same title--both of which kinda freak me out. In the same way that Fight Club lends itself so well...more

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Nov 15, 2008

Andreea rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: thriller-lovers

Recommended to Andreea by: alina (te iubesc!)

Shelves: reviewed, 10th-grade

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 11, 2012

Iliana rated it

· review of another edition

A very novel, chillingly alien concept, at least for me. I'm not too enthralled with the writing style, it's simplistic, often sloppy (though that may well be the Bulgarian translator's fault - I'm now doing what I can to acquire an English translation). The story, however, is riveting even for someone who's already seen all the movies (I wish I hadn't because I'd have been completely mesmerized). I couldn't put the book down and finished it in 4 hours. All the explanations the movies go out of ...more

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Jan 27, 2010

Meagan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: books-turned-into-movies, ghost-stories, other-supernatural-phenomena, tragic-heroines-and-femme-fatales, viruses-plague

This book was a FANTASTIC read!!! Very creepy and atmospheric. And so much better than the movie (this is of particular importance, since I also loved the movie...) For those of you who have indeed seen the movie, the book makes everything clear. It sheds light on all of the loose ends and ties them up into a pretty (and terrifying) bow. The same general sense of dread is present from the first page to the last. The "investigation" that makes for most of the story was very satisfying. ...more

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Jan 11, 2012

Priya rated it

Shelves: supernatural, horror, around-the-world

Yes yes, this is the book on which the movie was based. And no no, I haven't seen the movie and I don't have any intention of seeing it either. I have strict restrictions at home about watching horror movies which will then make me get up in the middle of the night, wake up the husband and ask him to check under the bed for snakes (true story this, not kidding). So in the interests of my marriage, I try not to watch horror movies of any kind.

Ok, given the hype this movie generated, I e...more

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Nov 04, 2009

Alexis rated it

· review of another edition

Having being scared to death by the Japanese film, I figured it was necessary for me to read the book upon which the film was based. Sadly, the book did not have the same scary quality as the film. The book excels in building suspense, and was enjoyable enough to read, but I felt it lacked the certain something that had scared me in the film. This was one case where I felt a film of a book was better than the book itself, however perhaps if I had read the book first I would have been more critic...more

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Mar 10, 2011

Emma Louise rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bought

This was a pretty intense book. If you picked up thinking it would be similar to the American version of the movie - then you're wrong. However I did really appreciate that the original story was different from the American adaptation, because I do like both versions of the story.

It was a fast paced and spooky read, and in parts it was hard to put it down. I read it mostly during the day because when I read it before going to sleep it messed with my head.

It was definitley a ...more

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Nov 27, 2011

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

As a fan of both the Japanese and American films I was intrigued to see this book in a local Waterstone's store. I bought it on a whim as part of a 3 for 2 book sale, mostly because I enjoyed the interesting art work on the cover. Upon reading this book around a month ago I found it very hard to put down. It is a very well written novel with a good pace; the chapters are just long enough so as to keep the plot flowing without being drawn out or to detailed.

I was interested to see wh...more

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Nov 06, 2009

Andrew S Taylor rated it

· review of another edition

This is the book that the numerous horror films are based on. Given how fundamentally "cinematic" the story seemed in the film(s), it's hard to imagine how it could have originated in book form. However, had I read this book first, I would be hard pressed to imagine how it could have easily be made into a film - so much of what gives this novel its power is the narrator's inner life. Like all the best (or more properly, my favorite) modern Japanese novels, it's an exploration of con...more

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Nov 03, 2011

~Mitchell E. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

Ring:
You have one week to live

Imagine that you find an unmarked videotape in a hotel room, you want to watch it, right? Well this is what happened to Asakawa, and at the end of the video he is warned: follow these steps or you will die in exactly a week from seeing this, but the "funny" thing is, some one has taped over the instructions. You don’t know if it is a prank or not, and so Asakawa attempts to find the answer of what he can do to stay alive.

...moreRing:
You have one week to live

Imagine that you find an unmarked videotape in a hotel room, you want to watch it, right? Well this is what happened to Asakawa, and at the end of the video he is warned: follow these steps or you will die in exactly a week from seeing this, but the "funny" thing is, some one has taped over the instructions. You don’t know if it is a prank or not, and so Asakawa attempts to find the answer of what he can do to stay alive.

In Ring by Koji Suzuki who has been referred to as the Stephan King of Japan, Suzuki takes you on a journey through both rural and urban Japan. Asakawa knows that a month ago four teenagers died simultaneously of similar symptoms and he assumes the video is linked to them, and thus understands the urgency of the situation. He brings with him a friend Ryuji Takayama, who helps Asakawa along the way. Together they attempt to solve the mystery wondering if their lives are truly on the line.

Although, Ring was one of my first horror books, I loved it throughout and couldn’t wait to start the sequel Spiral after I finished. Suzuki will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read it, and you will often feel as Tomoko Oishi did as you read it “What if it’s…? She didn’t want to think the rest. If she did, if she went on like that, she’d remember and she didn’t think she could stand the terror. It had happened a week ago; so long ago she’d forgotten…. Oh, Mom and Dad, what are you doing? “Come home!” Tomoko cried aloud. But even after she spoke, the eerie shadow showed no signs of dissipating. It was behind her, keeping still, watching and waiting. Waiting for its chance to arrive.” (6-7) Suzuki will send chills down your back as he leads you through the video, the horror behind it, and along with Asakawa as he pursuits to find the answer to how he can keep his life.

Originally written in Japanese and translated into English, Ring is a part of a series and is followed by Spiral, and then Loop and Birthday, which can both be read as stand alone works. I highly recommend this book to those who are ready for a terror filled book that will keep them turning pages. Also for anyone who has seen the film adaption of the book The Ring (2002); although it does contain some material not found in your average middle school book.

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About Koji Suzuki

In addition to being considered "the Japanese Stephen King", Suzuki is also a respected writer on the subject of fatherhood in his native Japan. Several of his works have been adapted into movies, including "Ring" and the short story "Dark Water" from the collection of the same name, as well as a Manga series based on "Ring".

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Quotes from Ring

“‎...Vào lúc này, hãy thành thực với cảm giác của chính bản thân mình! Trước mặt chúng ta là một tương lai bất định. Mọi chuyện cuối cùng rồi đều có kết cục của nó. Và biết đâu loài người sẽ giải quyết đưcọ mọi thứ bằng tài trí của mình. Đối với loài người, đây chính là một thử thách. Ở thời nào cũng vậy, quỉ sứ luôn thay đổi hình dạng để tồn tại. Dù chúng ta có ra sức tiêu diệt, bọn chúng cũng sẽ vẫn cứ xuất hiện mà thôi.” — 1 person liked it

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