One ordinary day, Lin Qiushi discovers a black door in the corridor outside his flat—a door that shouldn’t exist. When he steps through, he finds himself in a world governed by a deadly set of rules, where cryptic villagers speak in riddles, and the only way out is to take their obscure “tests”. The reward for passing: a key. The penalty for failure: death.
From haunted villages to blood-soaked puzzles, Lin Qiushi must solve increasingly strange and grotesque mysteries just to live another day. But he’s not alone. Enter Ruan Nanzhu—gorgeous, enigmatic, and unexpectedly lethal—who shows up in his room one night and whisks him into a secretive organisation of seasoned door-crossers.
With each door they pass through, the truth behind the world grows darker, and the line between ally and monster begins to blur.
Grim, gripping, and laced with razor-sharp banter, Kaleidoscope of Death is a danmei survival thriller where logic is your only weapon, trust is your greatest gamble—and laughter might be your last defense.
In a world where death can come at the hands of a demon deity, a ruthless mother dismembering her child, or a storm of knives slicing flesh to ribbons... survival depends on deciphering every puzzle and detail. In this cold and brutal reality, Lin Qiushi offered warmth to a stranger he met within the kaleidoscopic labyrinth of the unknown.
This stranger, far more familiar with these doors—where a week inside equals only fifteen minutes in the real world—knows that survival is a privilege earned, not given. Every person who steps into one of the twelve doors walks the razor’s edge between death and survival.
I loved the relationship between Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu and how they watch out for each other. RNZ is an excellent character with a teasing personality as he loves to indulge in an interesting hobby every time he steps into the doors. The couple snuggle every chance they get and are very affectionate. I love their dynamic and their communication —none lacking.
A must read! I cannot wait for Vol 2! I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did!
😱The Twelve Doors: A Danmei Infinite Flow Journey 😱
Lin Qiushi leaves his home to go hang out with his friend, but instead, he's greeted by 12 mysterious doors in front of him. When he tries to find the unblocked door, he is instantly transported to a different world. Confused, he meets a young woman named Ruan Baijie.
Their relationship formed suddenly, yet they quickly developed a deep trust in one another throughout the horror world they were pulled into. They must go through 'quests' to find a way out with others involved. Ruan Baijie seemed to know too much about what was happening in this world, always knowing what needed to be done, what to say, and how to save their own skin, if that makes sense.
The flirting has to be my favorite part of this! It's so wonderfully one-sided 😂, but I will forever believe that Ruan Baijie fell in love at first sight! It was so obvious! Their interactions even made me laugh during some of the creepiest moments.
The psychological parts of this have me fascinated! You can clearly see the mental toll this kind of ordeal can take on a person.
Final Thoughts: This is my first danmei with an infinite flow plot, and I’m also not usually good with horror in any way, but I genuinely enjoyed this. I was confused in the beginning but quickly caught on once everything was revealed. While I was 50% of the way through, I realized I couldn't connect well with the story, perhaps because of the horror aspect, but I still found it to be an addictive read! I really like the plot so far. I'm thinking of reading Volume 2 in January, or maybe just continuing right away! Happy Reading! 🤍
😱 Spoiler Warning: Deeper Plot Points 😱
I want to go deeper into the plot points, mostly for myself as a reminder.
• The Doors: They appear when a person is destined to die; from cancer, from being murdered, from falling down the stairs, etc. Even though they have their death planned outside the doors, death is also waiting for them beyond the doors. If they die inside, death awaits them outside. A person needs to successfully pass through 12 doors to be granted a new life.
• Inside the Worlds: While inside these creepy worlds, they need to find the key and the door. Whoever opens the door is given a clue to their next door. You can also skip a door if you enter with someone who is a few doors ahead of you. Lin Qiushi was able to skip his 3rd door by going into Cheng Qianli’s 5th door. However, you can’t skip from finishing the 1st door all the way to the 12th.
• Human Danger: They are also in danger from other humans. Information like your clue, the time your next door will appear, and your name must be kept hidden, because there are others who will kill you to replace you and gain a new life for themselves.
• Destined Individuals: Some people are simply destined for the doors.
• Organizations: There are organizations of people who are currently going through their own tribulations but are also hired to help others get through their doors. Ruan Nanzhu is the leader of his organization and has currently passed his 10th door.
• Ruan Baijie's True Identity: Ruan Baijie is actually a man named Ruan Nanzhu who enjoys cross-dressing as a hobby, or what his fellow door-goers call a quirk. They all seem to have their own little quirks within this newfound family dynamic (I think). Ruan Nanzhu helped Lin Qiushi from his 1st door by accident.
• The Deaths: We know that Lin Qiushi is going to die because he has liver cancer, which is why the doors appeared to him. But I’m curious about the others, especially Ruan Nanzhu!
I'm really enjoying this so far! The set up of infinite flow novels is so interesting and as a horror game/movie lover this is SO fun. I also really love our mc/ml they're so cute
What a fantastic read! For my first non-historical danmei, I really loved this! I can't wait for the remaining volumes to come out.
There's just so much I appreciate about this book, from how well it was translated to how well the story flowed, to all the characters and the gruesome scenes. If you want a danmei that's set in a more modern day setting with lots of spooky, I highly recommend this.
Note: review is for the whole series, not just the first volume
I'm a huge scaredy cat and generally avoid all things horror, so I can definitely say this was the scariest book I've ever read. But I really enjoyed the premise and figuring out what happens in each world, so I gritted my teeth and skimmed past the extra scary/gory parts and finished.
This book is heavy on the puzzle solving and horror and light on everything else, so it's not for everyone. The romance progressed at snails pace, since the MC Lin Quishi is completely oblivious to the ML's feelings for the longest time, and then suddenly they're together. Like I sad, it's not a book you read for the romance.
The premise is that folks who are dying have a chance to save their lives by entering doors. For example, Lin Quishi was diagnosed with liver cancer, and going through the doors is a way for him to extend his life. There are a total of 12 doors which increase in difficulty. Generally you start at the first door, which is the easiest, and if you survive that, then at some point the second door, third door, etc. will open up. Each door world is essentially an immersive horror-theme escape game where your life is at stake.
There are rules to each world, so what the participants need to do is avoid trigger the death rules as they figure out what they are, all the while finding the key and the iron door to escape. The first person to unlock the key also gets a hint for the next door, so if you're in a 4th door world, then you get a hint to a 5th door world. And even though there are death rules for each world, it's still extremely dangerous and our main characters come close to death on multiple occasions. Once you die in the door world, you're dead in the real world as well. Even a slight injury in the door world can lead to serious injuries that require a long recovery process in the real world. So you have to be very careful.
The MC, Lin Quishi, enters his first door world as a newbie and is taken under the wings of a pretty and tall woman Ruan Baijie in that world. Little does he know that Ruan Baijie is actually a male in the real world and the head of the Obsidian organization, Ruan Nanzhu. Once the door worlds appeared, supporting organizations also popped up where experienced veterans will take on clients and help them get through the doors safely. Obsidian is one of those organizations, and Ruan Nanzhu is one of the best out there.
After doing the first door world together, Ruan Nanzhu thinks the MC has a lot of potential, so he brings him back to the Obsidian organization headquarters and has him join and get used to entering door worlds there. There he meets and slowly befriends the other members, who all can understand what he's going through. Because the number of people who enter the doors is few, you sound like a lunatic if you try to describe your door experience to normal people, so it's good that Liu Qiushi met Nanzhu early on and had a supportive environment around him. Most people aren't that lucky.
The story is pretty straightforward; most of it is spent in various door worlds. The author follows a pretty standard format where MC spends some time in the door world, returns to the real world for a couple chapters, and then it's back to the door world again. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes the author throws in some comedy to lighten things up in between worlds. I was amused when the MC's friend is convinced he's trapped in some pyramid scheme and visits the Obsidian HQ to make sure he's okay. Or all the hilarious scenes where the cat-obsessed MC is absolutely crushed when his cat won't let him go near and pet him.
Despite the scariness of each world, I really enjoyed most of the arcs. Even though the MC entered so many door worlds, the author did a great job of making each world unique, so I never felt bored. The way to solve each world was different too. For the most part, I was satisfied with the resolution of each world, though for a couple I still had questions by the time they escaped.
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of how the author ended the book, and ngl the ending still has me a bit confused, along with the plot twist in the first extra chapter. I wish the author had spent a little bit more time explaining the twist instead of glossing over it super quickly at the end. You don't put this kind of big reveal into one short extra chapter at the end...
As far as the romance goes, it's pretty obvious from early on on that Ruan Nanzhu is interested in the MC, but the MC remains completely oblivious to this for the longest time, to the point where it was a bit frustrating. Eventually he gets it, but then Nanzhu starts having doubts as right around that time some deaths happen around them and he sees how the death of someone who died in the door world impacts their real life partner. He doesn't want to start the relationship and put Liu Qiushi through the same thing, so he keeps his distance from Qiushi for a while. Luckily though, LQS has a 'let's live in the now' attitude and pushes to get together, so they get together not too long after.
I liked both Ruan Nanzhu and Liu Qiushi's characters, though neither really stood out other than that they're both pretty smart, especially the ML. Ruan Nanzhu is such a drama queen, and I loved reading about her acting scared or fighting with another female participant for the MC's attention in the door worlds. He really deserves some kind of acting award, and I'm glad that he was actually able to pursue a career as an actor in the extra chapters XP Liu Quishi's character was more solid and stable; he won me over with how he was able to keep calm even as a newbie. Also, I wish I had his OP listening skills. It came in super clutch in almost every single world!
For my own reference, here's a list of all the door worlds with a brief description:
Las puertas fueron lo mejor, me gustaron bastante (algunas), en algunas si me daban miedo mas porque son historia y cuentos verdaderos tenían algo que hasta me daban ganas de entrar, lo malo es la manera en la que puedes entrar.
Qin Qiushi no es el personaje serio y super inteligente que casi siempre leo en este tipo de novelas, eso me gusto, porque el tenia su carisma, es amable e inteligente a su manera🤗
Ruan Nanzhu (te amo bro) LO DESVERGONZADO QUE ERA, este si es super inteligente (pero le "fallo" en 11ava puerta) su travestismo me encanto. Que novela unlimited Flow tiene travestis? (survivorship bias, pero es personaje secundario)
Desde el inicio todo fue muy gracioso pero entre máas avanzaba era mas serio y nada gracioso era para mi.
Me gusto que Xi Zi Xu no tuviera miedo en matar a sus personajes (hubiera matado a mas lol)
La muerte del amigo (wu qi) de Lin Qiushi DIOS me saque de onda no pensé que lo haria. Lo entendió mal, no era casi muriendo físicamente, si no algo terminal.
Li Dongyuan no me agradaba tanto pero su muerte.. pensé que era una broma cuando lo leí y me dio mucha nostalgia y felicidad cuando en la 11ava apareció ayudando (con arrimón y todo)
Tan Zaozao, no fue culpa de Ruan ya no ayudarla, desde un inicio el advirtió que en un punto ya no lo haría y ella seguiría sola pero su muerte si me dolió mucho
Chen Qianlin, todavia recuerdo lo que le dijo a su hermano.. tampoco podia creer lo que hizo Yixie, tanto era su amor que no podia estar si el que tuvo que quedarse con una versión.. falsa?
Ese final me mato Ruan siendo la duodécima puerta encontró/miro a Lin y les gustó tanto que borró su memoria cambio las cosas para el ser el jefe y obsidian y pasar desde el inicio las puertas, la experiencia, el miedo y el amor junto con el.
Entonces las puertas siguieron, no hubo un fin para esos que siguieron cruzando hacia la muerte
El LA no hace justicia a tan fabulosa novela es lo malo del Danmei que tenemos que conformarnos con las adaptaciones que nos den
Después de leerla hace 7 meses vengo y escribo todo esto Dios mio jijiji sigo MAL Aveces siento que es mentira y que Ruan no hizo todo eso Pero es mi Idiotes y Shock que no quiero asimilar la verdad de tan buena novela que es
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I read the first 20 chapters on JJWXC. Leaving my review here bc I don’t want to read synopses for the GR alternatives in case there are spoilers.
I picked this up (figuratively speaking) because I wanted something convenient and mindless to read and I figured an unlimited flow horror novel would give me that. And it did, I enjoyed what I read of this and very well might come back to it if I’m in the mood for this exact thing again!
I liked the MC and 那个姓阮的人 lol, and structurally I liked the return to the real world for a break before they went back into the next door world - the temperature change was classic but effective.
The details and worldbuilding, to me, were not especially deep. Classic horror stuff but I just read a very similar horror short story/novella (not sure how exact length translates) so this one doesn’t feel as fresh as it might have otherwise. At least so far, I would describe it as standard fare. The writing to me does not feel particularly complex (which, great for me on one level but unexciting on another).
The story has felt like it might be more compelling in a visual medium, so I might give the TV adaptation a try (although the 20 min I watched of it a few months ago included what I now know are a few significant changes from the book, so not sure how much of the vibe will translate!).
Primero que nada planeaba ponerle tres estrellas por algunos comentarios medio del siglo pasado, pero a medida que avanzaba el libro no perturbaron mi lectura (aunque claramente no estoy de acuerdo con los comentarios esos) entonces creo que se merece al menos 4 estrellas. Para empezar leí todos los volumenes en un pdf solo, con una traducción un poco complicada pero dentro de todo muy entendible, pero como acá no aparecen los otros volumenes hago toda la reseña en este.
Lin Qiushi es realmente un muy buen personaje, se adaptaba rápido a las puertas y a las muertes, cosa que lo hizo especial, además su sentido de la audición lo ayudó mucho, no se porque la puerta le otorgó ese don, no se si me lo pasé leyendo o si no lo explicaron. Pero igual, lo amé, es mi protegido.
Ruan nanzhu es definitivamente mi personaje favorito. Amo como en las puertas podia ser él mismo, con su personalidad alegre y bromista, y afuera el jefe de obsidian, siendo serio. Re loco también que él en realidad fuera un NPC de las puertas y ni él mismo sabia hasta el final, buen giro de la trama, menos mal que se quedan juntos porque sino tiro. La relación de Nanzhu y Qiushi es hermosa aaaaaaa, los amo. Mi escena favorita de estos dos fue en Hako Onna cuando Nanzhu se quedá atrapado en la puerta y se dicen que se aman para que después en realidad no muriera nada y Qiushi se enojé por completo. Un espectaculo.
Por otra parte, lloré a mares con la muerte de Qianli, dios él se merecia vivir todo, todo lo lindo, y como al final explican lo mucho que lo queria el hermano que hasta se quedo en la puerta de la ilusión solo para estar con él, por favoooooor, escribo esto con lagrimas lpm, se merecian todo lo bueno. Ahora estan juntitos al menos, pero nooooo, no tenia que ser así.
Tan zaozao también, pobrecita mi nena, ella solo queria vivir, pero la suerte es loca dicen. La manera en la que murió, frente a todos, y diciendo que ella queria morir en privado, me destruyó.
Para terminar, no voy a comentar todos los personajes pero mención honorifica a Li Dongyuan, yo sabia que iba a morir pero bueno, igual pensé que la iban a sufrir más pero no fue tanto. Y mención para Gu Longming que me hizo reir en los ultimos capitulos, crack se hizo lider de la organización, idolo.
La mayoria de las puertas me entretuvieron mucho, algunas medio que no me gustaron porque parecia que se repetian y se quedaban sin ideas para nuevas puertas, pero la mayoria estuvieron copadas y su resolución también.
Asique si, se merece 4⭐️ porque ahora me dejó un vacío y voy a extrañar leer todos los dias a todas horas este danmei. De paso voy a terminar la serie que la dejé por la mitad solo para terminar esto, los actores de pasada unos genios, asi me los imaginé, asique al menos vine con una idea de sus caripelas.
(A quien le escribia todo esto no? a mi futuro yo supongo)
There's a concept here that's really good, but god the writing is dry as hell Highlights: "some people are born for the doors" "he was a hard nut to crack, but they were different kinds of nuts" and the second mc being described as 'vaguely' taller
First of all, I loved the characters in this novel, the main couple is to die for and I cried like crazy for the twins
Xiao Chiye has some completion for my favourite danmei simp because I was literally blushing whenever Ruan Nanzhu was flirting with Linlin, they are perfect for each other
The whole concept with the doors was incredible, some of the doors were unbelievably scary, and some moments were so disgusting I felt bile rising in my throat, I think I'll have a break from eating fish after that one chapter lol I was sick to my stomach
I loved (and hated) the Hakobito chapter They had us in the first half not gonna lie ahhh moment, I was about to crash out thinking that we are going to get a sad ending
BUT
Sadly, even though I liked a lot of things and this will have a special place in my heart for being my first unlimited flow danmei, I just didn't like the plot inside the doors and there were some moments inside the doors that had me snoozing for how boring they were and I also didn't like the pacing, the whole plot moved too fast for me to sometimes catch what the hell is going on, at one second you have a person dying a gruesome death and the next the plot continued like nothing happened and I don't know if it's because of the translation or what, but I was not a big fan of the writing style, I usually prefer a more complex writing style
Lin Qiushi finds an odd door in his apartment corridor and upon entering finds himself thrown into a battle of survival with other participants against unimaginable horrors with one goal in mind: find the key.
This book throws you headfirst into the plot without giving you a second to breathe. It felt like once I started I couldn't put it down until I knew what was going to happen. It's one of those perfect mysteries where you try to guess the outcome and end up being wrong most of the time 😂
I loved this first volume and can't wait to continue! It was the perfect amount of creepy vibes.
"He was only seventeen, he ought to have been blossoming."
what could have been a good story was ruined because the author fucking cannot write anyone who isn't a strong or smart masculine man... we are never leaving the patriarchy
the premise of the book is so unique and i love the escape room like aspect of the plot. each door was unique and it didn't feel like it got old - i was very invested in every arc and the length of them was perfect.
i was rather hesitant at the beginning of the book because how abruptly it started but after finishing the last arc i can understand why it began that way. the writing wasn't the best i've read but it was a fun read and the translation was well done. i love lin qiushi and nan ruanzhu's dynamic and quishi's obliviousness for half of the book was hilarious.
there were so many knife moments and the last arc had me by the throat - door 11?!!
this is a very incoherent and yappy review but i finished this book in 3 days - sacrificing my sleep schedule LOL. it was the best brain rot i've had in a while so 10/10 would recommend if you want something to binge and read with your head empty. ^0^
Reading Kaleidoscope of Death was an absolutely insane experience, and I still don’t know how to fully feel about it. The story itself is beautifully complex and mind-bending, and the characters, particularly the teasing dynamic between Linlin (MC) and Nanzhu (ML), were such a highlight for me. Their relationship carried so much charm, even amidst all the horror and chaos.
Having watched the drama first, I feel like I may have been influenced in how I saw the novel’s execution. The stories inside the doors were darker and more open-ended in the novel, leaning into pure horror. While in the drama, the doors and their stories felt more polished and neatly resolved, in the novel, it was more about pure survival, getting out as fast as possible. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it gave the drama more “closure” per door, whereas the novel felt more chaotic and a lil more mindlessly horror-like.
The friendships, though still present and full of emotional attachment, felt less developed in the novel compared to the drama. You don’t see as much of the buildup behind those bonds, which was a little disappointing. While you still feel their closeness, the depth doesn’t come through as strongly as it did in the drama.
And then, the ending—wow. The last chapters, especially door 11, took the complexity to a whole new level. I admit I got lost at first and had to dive into online discussions to fully grasp what happened and that plot twist at the end? INSANE. The idea that the entire novel is actually Linlin’s 12th door? It completely shattered me. And finding out that Nanzhu is an NPC was wild, too. Honestly, I didn’t love that twist in the drama, but in the novel, it was handled with more nuance, which made it a bit easier to accept.
That said, I feel so conflicted about the ending. It’s a happy ending, but there are still so many unanswered questions that leave me feeling torn. Does Nanzhu have all his memories back? Will Linlin and Nanzhu ever talk about everything that happened? Do other people know Nanzhu? Like for others he suddenly came out of the 12th door but they don't actually know him? Like is Nanzhu now seen as the boss of the organisation? It's actually Linlin who's the boss? Can Nanzhu just stay in the real world and be human? Without any consequences? Maybe it would've been better with a lil context at the beginning of the novel? It’s all still vague to me, and while I’m happy they’re happy, it’s hard to fully process it all.
Overall, I’d still call it a masterpiece. The story is gripping, unique, and emotionally exhausting in the best way but the loose ends and unanswered questions leave me with a lingering emptiness. It’s a novel that stays with you long after you’ve finished, for better or worse.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Finally: a gay survival horror. I love the doors concept and I'm so curious to see where it goes. Either the translation or the writing is a little stiff and awkward but the intrigue and pacing was really good. I'm going to pre-order the next one.
I hate the way I have to log this as 4 separate books since it’s split into volumes, but I also understand that having a single almost-2000 page book is insane. This serves as my review for the entire book.
I thought 死亡万花筒 was really fun! Unless something goes horribly wrong, I usually really like 无限流 novels and care much more about the content of each game/challenge as compared to the writing style or the character and relationship building. The way each door was based off folktales and urban legends from various cultures was really cool and felt well researched. However, I wouldn’t say all the details of each door necessarily always felt super logically rigorous to me. I feel like part of the fun is being able to develop a sense of deduction, but I didn’t feel like there was actually enough of foundational set of rules/guidelines that made this doable for the reader. It also took me a really long time to actually become more familiar with the rules of the doors as a concept, but that might be more of a personal failure in my part. I liked both Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu as protagonists, but I didn’t have super strong feelings about them. Compared to 全球高考, I felt much less invested, but I still enjoyed the experience.
How can i kindly say “FÜČĶ this novel.” I mean that in a best way possible.
“But if you’re willing, if you are- I can protect you forever. Whoever’s- your forever or my forever.” 😭🔫
This novel destroyed me in the best and worst way possible. Let’s start off with that I have a love/hate relationship with the ending. I don’t like that it’s sorta an opening ending situation. From what we endured just to get like a “yeah that’s what happened.” was unsatisfying.
However I do prefer this ending than the shows ending. In my world they don’t go through any pain.
The twins. UNCALLED FOR!! I was weeping 😭 ( I knew it was coming, but still)
Now let’s get to the main point. THE DOORS!! Holy hell everything about each “room” was so well put together. My favorite doors being the “slender man” and “sister’s drum” phenomenal. Ngl I would simply fail every single door. Think of it as an escape room situation to put it in simple terms, but in this case you d*e if you fail. (12 doors in total)
Moving on to my loves Lin Qiushi & Ruan Nanzhu. The tension, longing, loyalty, and commitment they have was EVERYTHING!!! The amount of trust they had in each other in order to overcome all the challenges UGH! There are not enough words for me to describe what they mean to me. For china to make this bl romance a bromance was CRIMINAL. But we know that in reality they were straight up flirting the entire time.
This review is for the whole story, not just this volume!
This book wrecked me emotionally—I cried so much. The whole “door system” is sooo cool, every door feels different: some are creepy, some actually gave me chills, and some had me sitting there like 👀😨.
Not gonna lie, the first 40% felt kinda slow for me. It was fun horror, but I didn’t feel super hooked yet (honestly it felt like reading a bunch of short horror stories, so I kept taking breaks). BUT after that point—yeah no, I couldn’t stop. I was glued.
The characters are 100% the highlight for me. I adore the twins, Tan Zaozao, Li Dongyuan, and the other couple… they just made everything so much more lively, even in the middle of scary stuff.
At first, I wasn’t really feeling the main couple (😭 sorry), but the way they developed later on—ugh, it got me. By the end, I was so invested. The ending had me sooo nervous because I thought it wasn’t going to be a happy one. Huuu, I’m so glad it was 🥹.
If you like survival horror with emotional punches, chaotic but lovable side characters, found-family vibes, and a romance that sneaks up on you… this one is worth it!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.