Friday, October 30, 2009

Ring by Koji Suzuki

Ring
by Koji Suzuki

Published: 2003 (American edition)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Paranormal
Hardback: 288 pages
Rating: 5

Description from the amazon:
The novel, which tells the story of a journalist investigating the apparently simultaneous deaths of four teenagers, begins as a traditional mystery. But it glides smoothly into horror when the journalist discovers that all four victims watched a videotape that guaranteed their deaths in one week if they did not do a certain thing (details are missing from the tape).

If the journalist can't figure out what happened, he, too, the tape prophesizes, is doomed. Told with a minimum of horror cliches, the novel creates a sense of slowly mounting dread, as though something unpleasant is inevitable, and we are powerless to stop it.

My thoughts:
In-a-word(s): psychic energy

I was exposed to both movie versions of Ring before reading this. Both the Japanese and American versions were horrifically terrific and different in their own ways.

The book is no different. The pacing is slower but lots more sleuthing and character development goes on in the book.

The book also gets into describing and breaking down the meaning of the individual scenes that flash by in the infamous video. The movie versions explain some but not all of the scenes.

And, lots more interesting info about psychic paranormal activity.

What it is comes down to is a human need. You'll have to read the book to find out which. We humans are so needy... even in the afterlife.

OMG, there's more to the ghostie Sadako than meets the eye... literally.

Yes, so lots to uncover in the book version.

Ring Trilogy:
Ring
Spiral
Loop

*check out my book fashion dress for Loop

*read the first part of this review which includes a bit of trivia on Japanese Female Demons

*part of my R.I.P. challenge

*part of my Hello Japan! challenge

*part of my Helluva Halloween challenge

 
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