"Мир Звонка" - японская городская легенда конца прошлого века. Она распространилась на теле- и киноэкранах, захватив весь мир. Ее потрясающая способность к размножению аналогична пандемии RING-вируса. Итак, за историей об ужасной мести - "Звонок", возникшей вокруг проклятой видеокассеты и породившей оккультную королеву Садако, следует роман "Спираль", находящий рациональное объяснение ее сверхъестественности. Более того, произведение "Петля" трансформирует виртуальную реальность в философскую область, а замыкает цепочку "Рождение", приводя "Мир Звонка" к логическому завершению.
Suzuki Kōji (鈴木光司) is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and currently lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring novels, which has been adapted into a manga series. He has written several books on the subject of fatherhood. He is currently on the selection committee for the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Libro completamente al di fuori della mia comfort-zone, “RING” si è rivelato una lettura da divorare! Pur essendo classificato come horror, a causa della presenza misteriosa che incarna la pura malvagità, io l’ho vissuto come un thriller estremamente coinvolgente, dal quale non sono riuscita a staccarmi finché non sono arrivata in fondo. Ambientato in Giappone, il protagonista è Asakawa, un giornalista trentenne attirato da tutto ciò che è occulto e tendente al paranormale che, per caso, viene a sapere che nella data e nell’ora in cui è morta la nipote di sua moglie, è deceduto anche un ragazzo mentre, in sella alla sua moto, era fermo ad un semaforo. Causa della morte per entrambi si rivela essere un arresto cardiaco improvviso. Sarà una coincidenza? Per Asakawa diventa un chiodo fisso e decide così di investigare sulla faccenda: scopre che anche altri due ragazzi sono morti inaspettatamente in circostanze anomale, sempre nello stesso momento. Ormai è una certezza: non può essere un caso. Ecco così che le indagini si intensificano per riuscire ad individuare cosa accomuna i quattro giovani: una settimana prima del decesso hanno trascorso una notte al Pacific Land Club di Hakone Sud, ma cosa potrà mai essere accaduto laggiù da provocarne il trapasso? Asakawa si reca sul posto per cercare ulteriori indizi, ma trova solo un’inquietante videocassetta apparentemente senza senso, contenente però una oscura maledizione, che ne predice la morte entro una settimana a meno che… Accidenti! Il finale è tagliato!!! Ora Asakawa deve per forza risolvere il mistero se non vuole morire e abbandonare così la moglie e la figlioletta. Si farà aiutare dal suo strano amico Takayama, in una disperata corsa contro il tempo per trovare la soluzione ad un enigma apparentemente senza capo né coda e, pertanto, insolubile. Koji Suzuki ha ideato un romanzo dalla trama davvero intrigante ma, ciò che mi ha colpito di più, è stato lo stile: non mi aspettavo delle descrizioni così dettagliate ed evocative, in grado di risucchiare ancora di più il lettore in un vortice dal ritmo serrato ed ansiogeno. Non credo che avrò mai il coraggio di vedere il film, ma il libro è stato un’esperienza esaltante!
There are really four books in the series, as far as English translations go: Ring, Spiral, Loop and Birthday. The last is more important than you'd think. There are only three stories in it, but each pertains specifically to one of the first three books. The first explains in excruciating detail what happened to Mai Takano in Spiral. The second is a prequel to Ring detailing Sadako's power pre-videotape, and was adapted for the movie Ring 0: Birthday. The third is a direct sequel to Loop and is an absolute must for anyone who liked that book. This is not just a collection of stories. Read them in order and you'll find that each story refers to the previous, as well as to the entire series. They are all thoroughly resonant and worth your time.
The fifth book in the series, S, is scheduled for release in English translation in the USA on October 24, 2017. The movie Sadako 3D is (very) loosely based on S. The sixth book in the series is Tides. One hopes that it will be translated into English at some point after S is released.
Non sérieusement je ne m'attendais pas à ce que ça prenne un tournant super scientifique comme ça ? Moi je m'attendais à une meuf qui sort de la télé du GLAUQUE de l'HORREUR mais non j'ai eu un cours de SVT mélangé à de la psychologie et philosophie. Mais le livre est super intéressant, même en n'étant pas friande de la science et des maths j'ai réussi à m'intéresser à certains passages que l'on peut trouver longs et chiants... Si vous voulez réfléchir sur l'humanité et Dieu faut lire ce livre ! bisous
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This must have been pretty mind-blowing when it was first released. I mean, it starts off as a juvenile (yet memorable and rather exotic) ghost story, and then it keeps expanding in the realm of science fiction until it encompasses a whole universe, theological issues and all. In fact, the premise is so engrossing, that you don't really notice the constant repetition and the generally good, but rather workmanlike translation. It's very much a product of its time, when technology had a rather metaphysical aspect to it, but it's still a fascinating read for the most part.
By the end of this trilogy Ring had transformed from horror to science fiction but it always remained a fascinating and often thrilling journey. There are a couple of things I still don’t understand which may have been revealed in the sequels which I’ll have to read but if anyone knows they can reply here. The first is why did Asakawa die even though he lived past the deadline if copying the tape and showing someone else does not break the curse? And secondly in Loop, when Kaoru was watching the kids play the original tape in the virtual reality, why didn’t he see what the original instructions for breaking the curse were before they were deleted?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed reading Ring and Spiral, but Loop was so out-of-loop that I couldn't get far into reading.
And yes, they are very different from the movies. This could be an unpopular opinion, but I loved the books (first two) more than their movie adaptations.
you may not like it if you're expecting it to be something like the hollywood version. let's say it's not sort of supernatural and haunting like that. it has an independent plot.
Reviewing this as a trilogy - the story started off strong and engaging with its paranormal vibes, turned into a mystery midway through, and ended as a draggy slog of a science fiction. The story’s conclusion is unsatisfying, needlessly complex and the dry prose coupled with the unnecessary details makes for an unmemorable ending - the author should stick to writing horror as he excels in this area.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.