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リング [Ring] #2
Spiral
The Inspiration for the New Major Motion Picture RINGS
Dr. Ando who has yet to recover from his son's death at sea, conducts an autopsy on an old friend who has died under unusual circumstances. The corpse, that of cynical philosophy professor Ryuji Takayama, has something to tell him. And Ryuji isn't the only one who chooses to make a reappearance in this story.
You don't know what the RING is yet. The terms of the curse of the videotape undergo a jaw-dropping reconfiguration in this novel, the horror master's stunning reinvention of his own bestselling tale. Spiral is written as a stand-alone work; for Ring fans, its' a sequel that redefines the word.
Dr. Ando who has yet to recover from his son's death at sea, conducts an autopsy on an old friend who has died under unusual circumstances. The corpse, that of cynical philosophy professor Ryuji Takayama, has something to tell him. And Ryuji isn't the only one who chooses to make a reappearance in this story.
You don't know what the RING is yet. The terms of the curse of the videotape undergo a jaw-dropping reconfiguration in this novel, the horror master's stunning reinvention of his own bestselling tale. Spiral is written as a stand-alone work; for Ring fans, its' a sequel that redefines the word.
283 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
413 people are currently reading
7796 people want to read
About the author
Kōji Suzuki
103 books1,395 followersSuzuki 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 883 reviews
March 13, 2013
Huh. Well, that was...interesting. Overall, I can say I enjoyed it. But two things chipped away at the star rating: 1) not enough creee-py (though a few scenes work incredibly well) and 2) waaaaay too much solving of codes and clues and shop-talk about genetics and DNA (oh, and these biological aspects are much more strap on your suspension of disbelief fantastical than this guy's done his research science fiction with the emphasis on science).
There's some crazy ass theories going on in these pages and if you don't commit to just sit back and enjoy the ride you will not. This is j-horror, not a medical thriller nor Isaac Asimov. Reality bends, and bends some more. Just go with it.
For fans familiar with the Ring movies, this is a pretty wild *evolution* of the original premise and curse. It seems overly ambitious to me at this point, without the "meat" to sustain it in a satisfying, credible way. But I'm willing to give Suzuki a chance and see what he can pull off in the final installment of the trilogy - Loop.
One more thing:
Certainly that fax reveal pails in comparison to this fax reveal.
March 18, 2020
I wasn't as impressed with Spiral as I was with Ring. I thought it was a slight step down, but still a good book. We meet some new characters in Spiral, mainly Ando, a coroner, and his colleague Miyashita. Similar to the last book with Asakawa and Ryuji, these new characters form a duo who try to uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths that occurred in Ring. In this vein the story is somewhat derivative. That being said, Ring ends on a cliffhanger and that is not only resolved but becomes somewhat of a focal point of the story in Spiral.
One thing I thought was incredibly bizarre was that Suzuki made references for the first 170 or so pages to characters and events in Ring and didn't provide much context, making the story up to that point reliant on the reader having read Ring. Then around 170-180 pages in, he does a somewhat lengthy recap of everything that happened in Ring? I thought this was a bit clunky and would have made a lot more sense as some sort of introduction at the beginning of the book.
In any case, the story here is good, though somewhat complicated and even confusing at times, and I love Suzuki's writing style. I don't recommend reading this if you haven't read Ring, as the recap doesn't do that story justice, but if you have it's essential to check this book out, if nothing else to find out what happens with the cliffhanger from Ring.
One thing I thought was incredibly bizarre was that Suzuki made references for the first 170 or so pages to characters and events in Ring and didn't provide much context, making the story up to that point reliant on the reader having read Ring. Then around 170-180 pages in, he does a somewhat lengthy recap of everything that happened in Ring? I thought this was a bit clunky and would have made a lot more sense as some sort of introduction at the beginning of the book.
In any case, the story here is good, though somewhat complicated and even confusing at times, and I love Suzuki's writing style. I don't recommend reading this if you haven't read Ring, as the recap doesn't do that story justice, but if you have it's essential to check this book out, if nothing else to find out what happens with the cliffhanger from Ring.
September 20, 2013
The most shocking part of this alleged shocker was the observation that "Miyashita's intuition was sharper than one would have guessed from his rotund physique." It could always be a shoddy translation, but it's exceedingly hard to tell whether the repeated bigotry (towards women especially) is that of the repulsive characters or the author himself. While the characters of Ring were perhaps equally dislikable, the brilliant pacing and tension surrounding the investigation overshadowed the significance of characterisation, especially thanks to the seven days deadline. Threat is omnipresent, as you would expect from a good thriller. Not so in Spiral, where truly awful doctors (evolution is like, totally mysterious! Who knows how it really works!) spend their time playing detective over puzzles that anyone who knows what the words "virus" and "mutation" mean will be able to solve pages before our intrepid doctors do.
It would be nice to be able to judge Spiral without comparing it to Ring – the book, however, doesn't give you that luxury, as the first TWO THIRDS consist of our valiant doctors trying to figure out the plot of the first book, which is finally summarised across three chapters: the sorry highlight of this mistake of a novel is getting to re-read the story of Ring again. It even gets to the point when the characters themselves (perhaps in a misjudged postmodernist flourish on Suzuki's part) begin to compare their adventure to that of the Ring's characters: "Even if he failed to solve the case, he wasn't afraid of coming to any particular harm as a result. In that, his situation was fundamentally different from Asakawa and Ryuji's." Fundamental indeed.
Tragically, things start to get interesting in the epilogue, when Suzuki returns to the media-savvy connections between his work and pop culture that made Ring so smart (i.e. self-reflexivity that works). Not enough. I leave with you two key quotations:
(Only remotely interesting female character dies): "How many times had he fantasised about holding her and feeling that skin against his? Now he'd never have the opportunity. Now she was a wasted, waxen corpse." (young girl dead now I can't have sex with her what a tragic waste, woe is me and my poor poor penis)
"Maybe I ought to tell you one more thing before I go. Why do you think human culture progressed? People can endure almost anything , but there's one thing they just can't survive. Man is an animal that can't stand boredom. And that's what set the whole thing off. In order to escape boredom, humanity had to progress." (and so did the plot of this spiral into apathetic disdain)
It would be nice to be able to judge Spiral without comparing it to Ring – the book, however, doesn't give you that luxury, as the first TWO THIRDS consist of our valiant doctors trying to figure out the plot of the first book, which is finally summarised across three chapters: the sorry highlight of this mistake of a novel is getting to re-read the story of Ring again. It even gets to the point when the characters themselves (perhaps in a misjudged postmodernist flourish on Suzuki's part) begin to compare their adventure to that of the Ring's characters: "Even if he failed to solve the case, he wasn't afraid of coming to any particular harm as a result. In that, his situation was fundamentally different from Asakawa and Ryuji's." Fundamental indeed.
Tragically, things start to get interesting in the epilogue, when Suzuki returns to the media-savvy connections between his work and pop culture that made Ring so smart (i.e. self-reflexivity that works). Not enough. I leave with you two key quotations:
(Only remotely interesting female character dies): "How many times had he fantasised about holding her and feeling that skin against his? Now he'd never have the opportunity. Now she was a wasted, waxen corpse." (young girl dead now I can't have sex with her what a tragic waste, woe is me and my poor poor penis)
"Maybe I ought to tell you one more thing before I go. Why do you think human culture progressed? People can endure almost anything , but there's one thing they just can't survive. Man is an animal that can't stand boredom. And that's what set the whole thing off. In order to escape boredom, humanity had to progress." (and so did the plot of this spiral into apathetic disdain)
September 6, 2022
Pues, como le explicaba a mi amiga Pitinglis, hacia el final de la novela me dieron ganas de darle al señor Suzuki con una cachiporra.
Que conste que a mí me encanta la autoparodia, porque yo misma soy muy dada a esos arranques de patetismo, pero admitamos que la autoparodia muy terrorífica no es, a no ser que se la entienda como una señal más de la degradación del ser humano... Anda, mira. Pues acabo de escribir esto y me quedo pensando que quizás iban por ahí los tiros de Spiral ... Bueno, nada, ni aun así.
Lo más curioso es que sigo queriendo leer el resto de la saga. Patetismo, masoquismo, vamos, que las tengo todas. Feliz 2022.
Que conste que a mí me encanta la autoparodia, porque yo misma soy muy dada a esos arranques de patetismo, pero admitamos que la autoparodia muy terrorífica no es, a no ser que se la entienda como una señal más de la degradación del ser humano... Anda, mira. Pues acabo de escribir esto y me quedo pensando que quizás iban por ahí los tiros de Spiral ... Bueno, nada, ni aun así.
Lo más curioso es que sigo queriendo leer el resto de la saga. Patetismo, masoquismo, vamos, que las tengo todas. Feliz 2022.
August 1, 2023
Atunci cand aud sau citesc cuvantul 'horror' ma astept la imagini, fenomene infricosatoare, fantome, demoni, vampiri, varcolaci, zombie... sau macar orice mi-ar ridica pulsul. Da, pana la urma, resemnat, accepti orice numai sa se intample ceva.
In primul rand romanul nu prea este horror. Debuteaza cu o scena de autopsie care mie personal mi-a placut dar care nu poate fi considerata infricosatoare. In rest, au loc numai lucruri care sfideaza si logica si stiinta si intelegerea umana in general.
Sa incepem cu virusul "Ring" care se numeste asa deoarece chiar arata ca un inel si care daca se divide ajunge sa arate ca un... spermatozoid. Si ca sa nu ne oprim aici, fata care vizioneaza caseta bantuita, fiind la ovulatie, se infecteaza de la aceasta si devine insarcinata. Peste o saptamana, in loc sa moara, o naste insasi pe... Sadako. Aceasta creste foarte repede si in scurt timp ajunge la varsta pe care a avut-o cand a murit.
Asadar, daca cineva poate fi impacat cu faptul ca privind la televizor o caseta te poti infecta cu un virus care alege sa nu te omoare ci sa te lase gravida si peste o saptamana sa nasti un copil care tot intr-o saptamana ajunge in jur de 20 de ani atunci eu cred ca imi voi da "demisia" din aceasta realitate...
Si asta nu e tot... Sadako este hermafrodit si daca initial nu avea uter, acum nascandu-se a doua oara are. Ea este efectiv capabila sa dea nastere de una singura unui fat. Spre sfarsit ea il va naste nu numai pe copilul mort al protagonistului, Mitsuo Ando, dar si pe profesorul Takayama.
Inteleg ca avem de-a face cu o fictiune (bazata totusi pe realitate) insa povestea rezultata nu are niciun sens.
La final virusul nu se mai transmite prin traditionala caseta ci prin cartile scrise dupa manuscrisul lui Asakawa (ziaristul din prima parte) si ecranizarea lor, unde Sadako va ajunge sa-si joace chiar propriul rol. Asadar cum se zice in fotbal, Sadako centreaza, Sadako marcheaza, Sadako incaseaza.
Citind tot acest talmes-balmes ilogic am ajuns la concluzia ca intreaga carte reprezinta un sut napraznic in posteriorul stiintei si logicii si un deget bagat pe gatul cititorilor. Nu este de mirare ca pana si Hollywood-ul a ales sa schimbe povestea pentru partea a doua alegand un scenariu total diferit.
P.S. Dupa aceasta experienta fascinanta tot ce mai pot spera este ca m-am infectat citind romanul si o sa-l nasc intr-o saptamana pe Elvis, Roger Moore sau pe Rufus al doilea, capetenia extraterestrilor de pe Uranus.
In primul rand romanul nu prea este horror. Debuteaza cu o scena de autopsie care mie personal mi-a placut dar care nu poate fi considerata infricosatoare. In rest, au loc numai lucruri care sfideaza si logica si stiinta si intelegerea umana in general.
Sa incepem cu virusul "Ring" care se numeste asa deoarece chiar arata ca un inel si care daca se divide ajunge sa arate ca un... spermatozoid. Si ca sa nu ne oprim aici, fata care vizioneaza caseta bantuita, fiind la ovulatie, se infecteaza de la aceasta si devine insarcinata. Peste o saptamana, in loc sa moara, o naste insasi pe... Sadako. Aceasta creste foarte repede si in scurt timp ajunge la varsta pe care a avut-o cand a murit.
Asadar, daca cineva poate fi impacat cu faptul ca privind la televizor o caseta te poti infecta cu un virus care alege sa nu te omoare ci sa te lase gravida si peste o saptamana sa nasti un copil care tot intr-o saptamana ajunge in jur de 20 de ani atunci eu cred ca imi voi da "demisia" din aceasta realitate...
Si asta nu e tot... Sadako este hermafrodit si daca initial nu avea uter, acum nascandu-se a doua oara are. Ea este efectiv capabila sa dea nastere de una singura unui fat. Spre sfarsit ea il va naste nu numai pe copilul mort al protagonistului, Mitsuo Ando, dar si pe profesorul Takayama.
Inteleg ca avem de-a face cu o fictiune (bazata totusi pe realitate) insa povestea rezultata nu are niciun sens.
La final virusul nu se mai transmite prin traditionala caseta ci prin cartile scrise dupa manuscrisul lui Asakawa (ziaristul din prima parte) si ecranizarea lor, unde Sadako va ajunge sa-si joace chiar propriul rol. Asadar cum se zice in fotbal, Sadako centreaza, Sadako marcheaza, Sadako incaseaza.
Citind tot acest talmes-balmes ilogic am ajuns la concluzia ca intreaga carte reprezinta un sut napraznic in posteriorul stiintei si logicii si un deget bagat pe gatul cititorilor. Nu este de mirare ca pana si Hollywood-ul a ales sa schimbe povestea pentru partea a doua alegand un scenariu total diferit.
P.S. Dupa aceasta experienta fascinanta tot ce mai pot spera este ca m-am infectat citind romanul si o sa-l nasc intr-o saptamana pe Elvis, Roger Moore sau pe Rufus al doilea, capetenia extraterestrilor de pe Uranus.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2012
Ah, so here's Koji Suzuki's official sequel to Ring. Not the crappy Hollywood sequel, nor the crappy Japanese film sequel, but the official continuation from the author of the original novel. All right! This is going to be awe--wait, it's a medical thriller?
The curse is a result of the smallpox virus hijacking Sadako's DNA and using her psychic powers to imprint images on a videotape which in turn causes the viewer's DNA to mutate and produce more of the --
There are a number of scenes in this book that are scarier than the novel Ring, but their craft isn't enough to overcome the ludicrous contrivances of both science and plot that are necessary for the story to function. There are so many coincidences in here it's ridiculous, and though Suzuki seems to've heard of DNA, his understanding of it is on a par with Brannon Braga.
The curse is a result of the smallpox virus hijacking Sadako's DNA and using her psychic powers to imprint images on a videotape which in turn causes the viewer's DNA to mutate and produce more of the --
There are a number of scenes in this book that are scarier than the novel Ring, but their craft isn't enough to overcome the ludicrous contrivances of both science and plot that are necessary for the story to function. There are so many coincidences in here it's ridiculous, and though Suzuki seems to've heard of DNA, his understanding of it is on a par with Brannon Braga.
February 24, 2018
Worst book I've ever read. I hope I get the ring virus and die tbh.
July 13, 2014
I didn't know what to expect from this one, after reading RING. One thing I DID NOT expect was what happened to Asakawa and his family. While Ando was reading the RING report, I did wonder if he was going to contract the virus that way. But there was a lot else I couldn't have foreseen, including the way that Sadako comes back into the world. As soon as we found out that Mai had given birth, and we saw that other mysterious woman emerging from Mai's apartment, I basically figured that Mai had given birth to Sadako. I totally did not foresee the return of Ryuji. Nor the return of Ando's son.
And the sheer wackiness of a plot where a new species - the Sadako species, where every new member of the species is Sadako - makes me laugh, but in a good way. I have nothing bit admiration for Suzuki's totally out there plotlines. What an imagination! I don't have book 3 to read yet, and that makes me sad. But I will read it soon!!
I would give this book 3.5 stars if we could give half stars, but I figure 4 will do.
And the sheer wackiness of a plot where a new species - the Sadako species, where every new member of the species is Sadako - makes me laugh, but in a good way. I have nothing bit admiration for Suzuki's totally out there plotlines. What an imagination! I don't have book 3 to read yet, and that makes me sad. But I will read it soon!!
I would give this book 3.5 stars if we could give half stars, but I figure 4 will do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2016
This is even better than Ring and really takes things in a different direction from the movie versions. Worth reading.
June 8, 2022
Mah! Non so.
Mi è piaciuto? Boh.
Non mi è piaciuto? Boh.
All'inizio scopriamo che le cose ad Asakawa
Dopodiché il livello di assurdità si alza, mischiando scienza e sopranaturale.
Le disquisizioni scientifiche tra Mitsuo e Miyashita, su come sono piuttosto ... come dire ... ridicole?
Mi ha lasciato perplessa anche la parte avuta da
Quale che sia la risposta mi sembra tutto un po' raffazzonato.
Forse il voto più giusto è 2.5, però la curiosità di capire dove vuole andare a parare con tutta questa cosa folle è tanta.
Mi è piaciuto? Boh.
Non mi è piaciuto? Boh.
All'inizio scopriamo che le cose ad Asakawa
Dopodiché il livello di assurdità si alza, mischiando scienza e sopranaturale.
Le disquisizioni scientifiche tra Mitsuo e Miyashita, su come sono piuttosto ... come dire ... ridicole?
Mi ha lasciato perplessa anche la parte avuta da
Quale che sia la risposta mi sembra tutto un po' raffazzonato.
Forse il voto più giusto è 2.5, però la curiosità di capire dove vuole andare a parare con tutta questa cosa folle è tanta.
May 1, 2023
3.5
That was... odd
That was... odd
July 21, 2025
3.5 stars rounding up. This series is proving to be much more science fiction than horror. It was repetitive at times, recapping book one but glossing over that chapter takes care of that.
May 30, 2019
Bueno, bueno. Segunda parte de The ring y aquí si que toda coincidencia con la película es casualidad. Koji Suzuki retuerze la trama a más no poder y lo que empezó siendo una maldición que venía de un vídeo y una chica muerta, ahora es un poderoso virus que se trasmite con esas cintas y por otros medios. Las apariciones de Sadako son mucho más escalofriantes en este libro y Riuji es un buen personaje, aunque muy parecido al Akasawa de la primera novela. Una de las cosas que más me han gustado es la continuidad de la historia respecto a la primera parte de la saga, ya que no deja nada al azar y ata algunos cabos sueltos mientras desata otros.
Aunque este catalogada como novela de terror, esta saga tiene muchhos elementos fantásticos y de intriga que la hacen muy atrayente.
Aunque eso sí, tiene elementos de ciencia y fantasía que te tienes que creer para entrar en ella. Finalazo y a esperar que pasa en la siguiente entrega de Sadako, que empiezo a ver que no se rinde fácilmente.
Aunque este catalogada como novela de terror, esta saga tiene muchhos elementos fantásticos y de intriga que la hacen muy atrayente.
Aunque eso sí, tiene elementos de ciencia y fantasía que te tienes que creer para entrar en ella. Finalazo y a esperar que pasa en la siguiente entrega de Sadako, que empiezo a ver que no se rinde fácilmente.
September 1, 2018
Spiral begins hours after Ring's ending and stars Ando, a medical examiner who was once classmates with Ryuji, one of the main characters in Ring. Ando performs Ryuji's autopsy and is intrigued by several findings. First, Ryuji died of sudden heart failure despite being otherwise very healthy. Second, he has a mysterious ulcer in his throat. Further tests eventually reveal that Ryuji may have been killed by a virus that bears an eerie resemblance to smallpox. As Ando investigates, he learns of several other victims. But how is the virus transmitted? What does it do? And why did one man who was exposed to it, Asakawa, survive? The case takes on greater urgency when Mai, Ryuji's lover, disappears. Was she exposed via Ryuji somehow, and can she still be saved?
I highly recommend that those who haven't read the first book, Ring, do so before reading this one. And then maybe just stop there. Although Spiral tied up a few of Ring's loose ends, I didn't consider it to be a worthwhile continuation.
Suzuki attempted to make Sadako's curse more scientific rather than supernatural in this book, and it really didn't work for me. I could accept that the curse was virus-like in its transmission and requirements, but Suzuki also had it behaving
There were a few nicely creepy scenes, but for the most part Ring had a better and more unnerving atmosphere than Spiral. Ando spent a lot of time trying to figure out the stuff Asakawa had already figured out in the first book, and a little more time trying to figure out what Asakawa hadn't gotten wrong. There were a couple code deciphering sections that reminded me of parts of works like Soji Shimada's The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, inviting readers to decipher the codes along with Ando, but those ended up feeling more like filler than anything particularly useful. And speaking of filler, there was a excruciating 20-page summary of everything that happened in Ring, because apparently Suzuki couldn't trust that readers of Spiral had read the book before it. Yes, this section tied in with a discovery later in the book, but Suzuki could have accomplished the same thing in a couple pages.
Spiral reminded me a great deal of Hideaki Sena's Parasite Eve in the way it tried to incorporate science into its horrific supernatural developments, and also in the way it crapped on most of its few female characters.
I was cautiously optimistic that Mai would be a main character I could actually root for, despite her unfortunate affection for Ryuji. She seemed to be reasonably intelligent and not too much of a wet washcloth. Whereas Ando developed an instant crush on Mai, she spoke to him mostly out of a wish to maintain a connection to Ryuji and wasn't the slightest bit interested in any other sort of relationship with him. At the same time, she wasn't so attached to Ryuji as to fall completely apart after his death. She kept her professional commitments in mind and tried to fulfill them.
Unfortunately, my expectation that Mai would turn out to be one of the main characters of this book, working with Ando the way Ryuji worked with Asakawa in the first book, turned out to be way off the mark. After a couple on-page appearances, she disappeared from the text except as occasional motivation for Ando. Her ultimate fate depressed me, as did
Some of Ando's thoughts about Mai were bizarre and made me wonder if Suzuki had any idea about how female bodies work. When I first started the book, I snickered at the way Ando instantly concluded that Mai must be having her period because of one vague sentence from her and the fact that she looked pale. While I realize that some women have overly heavy or lengthy periods that can give them anemia, considering the situation I'd have assumed that Mai was pale because she was in shock at having discovered Ryuji's body only a few hours earlier. This thing about Mai having her period came up multiple times in the book, with Ando concluding each time that his intuition must have been correct. Ando also seemed to think it was perfectly natural for a grown woman's used underwear to smell like milk (yes, there's a part where he sniffs her underwear - it's one of the first things he does when he's left alone in her apartment).
I doubt I'll be continuing this series, and I kind of wish I had stopped after reading Ring. The new developments in Spiral made me more angry than excited. One thing I was left with was a desire to find and read more Japanese horror written by women. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like much has been translated into English. I've already read Mariko Koike's The Graveyard Apartment and would welcome other recommendations.
Rating Note:
I gave this 1.5 stars on sites that allow half star ratings. My annoyance at what Suzuki did to Mai tempted me to round down to 1 star. I eventually decided on 2 because the bulk of the book was intriguing, even if Ando was an idiot whose wife likely should have divorced him years earlier.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I highly recommend that those who haven't read the first book, Ring, do so before reading this one. And then maybe just stop there. Although Spiral tied up a few of Ring's loose ends, I didn't consider it to be a worthwhile continuation.
Suzuki attempted to make Sadako's curse more scientific rather than supernatural in this book, and it really didn't work for me. I could accept that the curse was virus-like in its transmission and requirements, but Suzuki also had it behaving
There were a few nicely creepy scenes, but for the most part Ring had a better and more unnerving atmosphere than Spiral. Ando spent a lot of time trying to figure out the stuff Asakawa had already figured out in the first book, and a little more time trying to figure out what Asakawa hadn't gotten wrong. There were a couple code deciphering sections that reminded me of parts of works like Soji Shimada's The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, inviting readers to decipher the codes along with Ando, but those ended up feeling more like filler than anything particularly useful. And speaking of filler, there was a excruciating 20-page summary of everything that happened in Ring, because apparently Suzuki couldn't trust that readers of Spiral had read the book before it. Yes, this section tied in with a discovery later in the book, but Suzuki could have accomplished the same thing in a couple pages.
Spiral reminded me a great deal of Hideaki Sena's Parasite Eve in the way it tried to incorporate science into its horrific supernatural developments, and also in the way it crapped on most of its few female characters.
I was cautiously optimistic that Mai would be a main character I could actually root for, despite her unfortunate affection for Ryuji. She seemed to be reasonably intelligent and not too much of a wet washcloth. Whereas Ando developed an instant crush on Mai, she spoke to him mostly out of a wish to maintain a connection to Ryuji and wasn't the slightest bit interested in any other sort of relationship with him. At the same time, she wasn't so attached to Ryuji as to fall completely apart after his death. She kept her professional commitments in mind and tried to fulfill them.
Unfortunately, my expectation that Mai would turn out to be one of the main characters of this book, working with Ando the way Ryuji worked with Asakawa in the first book, turned out to be way off the mark. After a couple on-page appearances, she disappeared from the text except as occasional motivation for Ando. Her ultimate fate depressed me, as did
Some of Ando's thoughts about Mai were bizarre and made me wonder if Suzuki had any idea about how female bodies work. When I first started the book, I snickered at the way Ando instantly concluded that Mai must be having her period because of one vague sentence from her and the fact that she looked pale. While I realize that some women have overly heavy or lengthy periods that can give them anemia, considering the situation I'd have assumed that Mai was pale because she was in shock at having discovered Ryuji's body only a few hours earlier. This thing about Mai having her period came up multiple times in the book, with Ando concluding each time that his intuition must have been correct. Ando also seemed to think it was perfectly natural for a grown woman's used underwear to smell like milk (yes, there's a part where he sniffs her underwear - it's one of the first things he does when he's left alone in her apartment).
I doubt I'll be continuing this series, and I kind of wish I had stopped after reading Ring. The new developments in Spiral made me more angry than excited. One thing I was left with was a desire to find and read more Japanese horror written by women. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like much has been translated into English. I've already read Mariko Koike's The Graveyard Apartment and would welcome other recommendations.
Rating Note:
I gave this 1.5 stars on sites that allow half star ratings. My annoyance at what Suzuki did to Mai tempted me to round down to 1 star. I eventually decided on 2 because the bulk of the book was intriguing, even if Ando was an idiot whose wife likely should have divorced him years earlier.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
June 7, 2020
One year after they published the hardcover version of Ring in the US, Vertical put out the first of several sequels. Having read and reviewed Ring already, I realized I'd never gone any further than the original novel and, of course, both the Japanese and US versions of the iconic movie. Finally, suffering from a bout of insomnia and needing something different from the standard horror I typically used to cleanse my palette before bedtime, I snagged a digital version of Spiral and started going.
Right up front, I will say this one, story-wise, isn't as good as Ring. That first book had a great dynamic between the two main characters: journalist Asakawa who has the story of a lifetime about four teenagers dying simultaneously in different parts of Japan fatefully plopped into his lap, and his buddy Ryuji, a first-class asshole whose interest in the paranormal and willingness to go anywhere and do damn near anything to answer weird questions, makes for a non-ideal but necessary relationship between protagonists. Between Ryuji's devil-may-care attitude and Asakawa's contacts and credentials, the pair can lope across the country in search of the solution to the cryptic puzzle involving a cursed video tape which promises to kill anyone who views it in seven days, unless they...
Spiral picks up mere days after the concluding pages of Ring, with Dr. Ando Mitsuo. In the middle of a painful divorce following the accidental death of his son, Ando finds himself performing an autopsy on an old classmate of his: Ryuji Takayama from the first book. The professor was found dead in his apartment by Mai Takano, his student assistant/girlfriend, and the coroner's office needs to establish a cause of death. After the grim business of determining Ryuji died due to the growth of a tumor within his coronary artery, Ando and his assistant Mayashita begin investigating further.
They start turning up evidence that makes little sense: the tumor holds a virus reminiscent of smallpox, a disease believed to be eradicated decades ago. Further digging by the pair gradually reveals the story of the first book, then builds on it by adding on new layers. Ryuji isn't the only one who died of a sudden coronary -- the symptoms were shared by everyone else who came into contact with the video tape, including all four of the original teenagers who succumbed to the curse, and Asakawa's own wife and daughter who died in the car while on their way to visit his in-laws. Asakawa himself plowed into another car upon discovering they had died in the back seat, and remains alive, although completely incoherent after the accident, in a local hospital.
Ando begins to develop a relationship with Mai, but after she misses a date with him, he visits her apartment and talks to her family. No one has seen her for several days, and unfortunately it appears she found a copy of the cursed video among Ryuji's effects and watched it herself. Prior to her disappearance, she recorded over the entire tape with hours of daytime television, thus destroying the last known copy of the video and, presumably, Sadako Yamamura's curse along with it.
If only.
What Ando and Miyashita realize as they follow up their different leads is that Sadako's original 'curse' was far too slow to replicate, and far too susceptible to being wiped out, either deliberately or accidentally. But the evidence now points to Sadako's curse evolving and mutating, the dead girl having come up with a new way to more rapidly propagate her revenge. Dubbing a copy of a tape won't save anyone this time...and what could will have devastating consequences to humanity.
While I didn't enjoy Spiral as much as I did Ring, it was still a fun read. Asakawa and Ryuji's jobs as reporter and professor gave the first book a folklore-esque vibe. Miyashita and Ando, by contrast, are scientists by profession, leading this one to read more like a Michael Crichton medical/techno thriller. There's also a lot of time devoted to code-breaking in Spiral, which left me feeling like I was reading a Japanese incarnation of The Da Vinci Code. Nothing wrong with that by itself, but the rich mystery and weird vibe of the first book took a back seat to potential scientific explanations of paranormal phenomena similar to Parasite Eve. It's a pretty significant tone shift from the original book which was all about the WTF-ness of paranormal horror.
My real problem with the story, where I had to knock off a full star from a book that otherwise should have been another 4 out of 5, were the plot twists. Not the twists themselves, but rather their setup. There are two major questions hounding Ando throughout the story. Both of these are set up well in advance of their reveals, but unfortunately the answers are more obvious than a six foot turd floating in a swimming pool. Talking about them would be spoiling the story, and I don't want to do that for anyone who might enjoy the book, but trust me, you'll figure out the answers to these two questions long before Ando and Miyashita do.
Also, in case you somehow weren't convinced Ryuji was a flaming hemorrhoid of a human being by the end of Ring, you certainly will by the time you close the covers on Spiral. Seriously, 'asshole' doesn't even begin to cover it. That's a damn impressive feat to pull off when you start the book dead, but Suzuki manages it anyway. Great gaping arseholes, the balls on this guy...!
Sequels have a tough time working, and the sequel to any story as crazy as Ring would always have its work cut out for it. However, I gotta give props to Suzuki for turning everything on its ear and making the reader question everything he or she assumed after the conclusion of the original novel. Its said the best sequels up the ante for both the protagonists and the readers, and Spiral certainly does just that. It's not as good a story as its predecessor, but as a work that completely forces the reader to reinterpret everything they took for granted about the first entry, it succeeds beyond all reasonable expectations.
Three circular viral proteins out of five.
Right up front, I will say this one, story-wise, isn't as good as Ring. That first book had a great dynamic between the two main characters: journalist Asakawa who has the story of a lifetime about four teenagers dying simultaneously in different parts of Japan fatefully plopped into his lap, and his buddy Ryuji, a first-class asshole whose interest in the paranormal and willingness to go anywhere and do damn near anything to answer weird questions, makes for a non-ideal but necessary relationship between protagonists. Between Ryuji's devil-may-care attitude and Asakawa's contacts and credentials, the pair can lope across the country in search of the solution to the cryptic puzzle involving a cursed video tape which promises to kill anyone who views it in seven days, unless they...
Spiral picks up mere days after the concluding pages of Ring, with Dr. Ando Mitsuo. In the middle of a painful divorce following the accidental death of his son, Ando finds himself performing an autopsy on an old classmate of his: Ryuji Takayama from the first book. The professor was found dead in his apartment by Mai Takano, his student assistant/girlfriend, and the coroner's office needs to establish a cause of death. After the grim business of determining Ryuji died due to the growth of a tumor within his coronary artery, Ando and his assistant Mayashita begin investigating further.
They start turning up evidence that makes little sense: the tumor holds a virus reminiscent of smallpox, a disease believed to be eradicated decades ago. Further digging by the pair gradually reveals the story of the first book, then builds on it by adding on new layers. Ryuji isn't the only one who died of a sudden coronary -- the symptoms were shared by everyone else who came into contact with the video tape, including all four of the original teenagers who succumbed to the curse, and Asakawa's own wife and daughter who died in the car while on their way to visit his in-laws. Asakawa himself plowed into another car upon discovering they had died in the back seat, and remains alive, although completely incoherent after the accident, in a local hospital.
Ando begins to develop a relationship with Mai, but after she misses a date with him, he visits her apartment and talks to her family. No one has seen her for several days, and unfortunately it appears she found a copy of the cursed video among Ryuji's effects and watched it herself. Prior to her disappearance, she recorded over the entire tape with hours of daytime television, thus destroying the last known copy of the video and, presumably, Sadako Yamamura's curse along with it.
If only.
What Ando and Miyashita realize as they follow up their different leads is that Sadako's original 'curse' was far too slow to replicate, and far too susceptible to being wiped out, either deliberately or accidentally. But the evidence now points to Sadako's curse evolving and mutating, the dead girl having come up with a new way to more rapidly propagate her revenge. Dubbing a copy of a tape won't save anyone this time...and what could will have devastating consequences to humanity.
While I didn't enjoy Spiral as much as I did Ring, it was still a fun read. Asakawa and Ryuji's jobs as reporter and professor gave the first book a folklore-esque vibe. Miyashita and Ando, by contrast, are scientists by profession, leading this one to read more like a Michael Crichton medical/techno thriller. There's also a lot of time devoted to code-breaking in Spiral, which left me feeling like I was reading a Japanese incarnation of The Da Vinci Code. Nothing wrong with that by itself, but the rich mystery and weird vibe of the first book took a back seat to potential scientific explanations of paranormal phenomena similar to Parasite Eve. It's a pretty significant tone shift from the original book which was all about the WTF-ness of paranormal horror.
My real problem with the story, where I had to knock off a full star from a book that otherwise should have been another 4 out of 5, were the plot twists. Not the twists themselves, but rather their setup. There are two major questions hounding Ando throughout the story. Both of these are set up well in advance of their reveals, but unfortunately the answers are more obvious than a six foot turd floating in a swimming pool. Talking about them would be spoiling the story, and I don't want to do that for anyone who might enjoy the book, but trust me, you'll figure out the answers to these two questions long before Ando and Miyashita do.
Also, in case you somehow weren't convinced Ryuji was a flaming hemorrhoid of a human being by the end of Ring, you certainly will by the time you close the covers on Spiral. Seriously, 'asshole' doesn't even begin to cover it. That's a damn impressive feat to pull off when you start the book dead, but Suzuki manages it anyway. Great gaping arseholes, the balls on this guy...!
Sequels have a tough time working, and the sequel to any story as crazy as Ring would always have its work cut out for it. However, I gotta give props to Suzuki for turning everything on its ear and making the reader question everything he or she assumed after the conclusion of the original novel. Its said the best sequels up the ante for both the protagonists and the readers, and Spiral certainly does just that. It's not as good a story as its predecessor, but as a work that completely forces the reader to reinterpret everything they took for granted about the first entry, it succeeds beyond all reasonable expectations.
Three circular viral proteins out of five.
October 16, 2025
i actual liked this more than the first one!! this was sorta good but extremely weird. there was a lot of problem solving and decoding in this, like all the explanations were given scientific explanations and i sorta dig that in supernatural horror. and i did not expect a whole rebirth plus that evil ending?? gotta love it
December 18, 2012
This book gets a three star rating by the grace of the fact that I actually enjoyed reading it. The plot was well-paced and I found the main character - pathologist Dr. Ando - sympathetic. If it hadn't been for the fact that the last third of the book was completely preposterous this would have been a solid four star novel.
This is a free-standing sequel to "the Ring". Dr. Ando has lost his young son to the sea and his wife has left him. He performs an autopsy on his old school friend Ryuji who has died from unusual causes. He soon encounters many more that have died of the same strange cause. When Ryuji's young assistant Mai disappears - she doesn't show up to her date with Dr. Ando - there is connection to the mysterious "viral" tape. Dr. Ando begins to unravel the clues, with a little help from his dead friend.
I usually do a good job of suspending disbelief when reading and this book had me honing this skill throughout, but I couldn't hold it all the way. Not even with all the Japanese horror movies I've seen, it was simply too far out. For periods of time I was questioning the author's sanity, how in his wildest fantasy could he expect any reader to believe the ending or how it came about? I'm being generous with the stars, on the basis that this was a real page-turner and very easy to read.
This is a free-standing sequel to "the Ring". Dr. Ando has lost his young son to the sea and his wife has left him. He performs an autopsy on his old school friend Ryuji who has died from unusual causes. He soon encounters many more that have died of the same strange cause. When Ryuji's young assistant Mai disappears - she doesn't show up to her date with Dr. Ando - there is connection to the mysterious "viral" tape. Dr. Ando begins to unravel the clues, with a little help from his dead friend.
I usually do a good job of suspending disbelief when reading and this book had me honing this skill throughout, but I couldn't hold it all the way. Not even with all the Japanese horror movies I've seen, it was simply too far out. For periods of time I was questioning the author's sanity, how in his wildest fantasy could he expect any reader to believe the ending or how it came about? I'm being generous with the stars, on the basis that this was a real page-turner and very easy to read.
January 3, 2013
I read Ring and Spiral in rapid succession and while I loved Ring, I'm conflicted about Spiral. It was definitely spookier and I enjoyed the way the story turned out, especially the ending which was something I never would have predicted. However, some of the attempts to explain how the virus formed verged into wankery and I hated the info-dumps and the inclusion of the DNA sequencing and whatnot. What, am I reading a Jodi Picoult novel?
That said, some of these problems may be due to translation issues, or even cultural barriers. And despite my issues, I would definitely recommend both books.
That said, some of these problems may be due to translation issues, or even cultural barriers. And despite my issues, I would definitely recommend both books.
December 24, 2014
Weird book. The first was good, but the second didn't achieve the same creepy atmosphere. Too much talk of (strange/unrealistic) genetics
January 26, 2023
"Sadako is going to mate with the media."
February 8, 2019
Net neprisimenu kada taip greitai „suėdžiau" knygą - vos per pusdienį. Tobulas tęsinys tos istorijos, kurios pirmosios dalies pirmieji puslapiai tiesiog prilipdė mano akis prie raidžių. Dar neatvertus pačios knygos puslapių turėjau gana dvejopiškus jausmus: buvau pernelyg užsidegusi perskaityti man labai patikusios knygos tęsinį, bet tuo pačiu ir svarsčiau argi nebus taip, kad antroji dalis sumenkins pirmąją savo prastumu (apie ką ir kalbėjau savo apžvalgoje apie pirmąją šios knygos Skambutis dalį), bet tačiau ne tik, kad neapvylė, bet ir kaip būna retai trilogijų ar ilgesnių dalių kūriniuose - buvo netgi geresnė už pirmąją.
Gerai, užteks jau tiek pagiriamųjų žodžių šiai daliai - pažvelkim kodėl man taip patiko šis kūrinys (5/5)? Pasistengsiu netgi apžvalgoje nekartoti tų dalykų, kurie patiko ir skaitant pirmąją dalį.
+ jei pirmoje dalyje mes su šiuo įvykiu susidūrėme labiau iš misiškosios pusės, šioje dalyje daugelis dalykų yra žvelgiama ir iš mokslinės pusės. Ir geriausia tai, kad „moksliškumas" šioje dalyje neatbaido skaitytojų - žargonas, paaiškinimai, medicininės sąvokos yra tokios lengvos, kad turint vien bazines mokyklos lygio biologijos žinias galima nesunkiai suprasti kas vyksta;
+ už įvykių posūkius, kuriuos suk nesukęs galvą tiesiog neįminsi. Šiaip esu fanė tokių mįslių, mįslelių kūriniuose - neretai net jau žinau kame čia dalykas pakastas, kas kaltas dėl to ir dėl ko visa tai vyksta, tačiau skaitydama šią dalį neturėjau jokios nuovokos kas vyks toliau - laužyk nelaužęs galvą, burnok garsiai ar tyliai - mįslės neįminsi neatkeliavęs iki jos įminimo vietos;
+ už veiksmą, kuris kūrinio laiko atžvilgiu vystosi lėtokai, bet atsižvelgiant į tai kiek naujos informacijos gauni per vieną vienintelę dieną - tai wow. Vis dar meistriškai yra išlaikomas kūrinio įtemptumas, tiesiog sunku atsitraukti nuo knygos, o bet kokia realybės išraiška (kaip skambantis telefonas) tarytum pažadina iš hipnozės išgąsdindamas;
+ už pabaigą, kuri tiesiog ištaškė mane. Tokio didelio spektro jausmų nesu jautusi skaitant bet kokio stiliaus, žanro ar pobūdžio knygą. Pabaiga - labai netikėta ir tiesiog po jos negali negriebt trečiosios dalies, o paaiškinimas dėl ko taip vyko - juokais, nejuokais privertė susimąstyti kada čia aš žiūrėjau ekranizaciją;
+ už tokį knygos gerumą, kad net skaitant jau stačiau ją lygiagrečiai su „Žiedų valdovu" (o šios serijos knygos man nepatika, - aš jas dievinu). Nors kas čia žino, kaip bus su trečiąja dalimi, tikiuosi, labai nesugadins dviejų gerų knygų dalių.
Noriu perspėti susidomėjusiuosius šia knyga: būtina, tiesiog BŪTINA prieš tai būti perskaičiusiam pirmąją šios knygos dalį, nes visgi šios knygos ekranizacija yra kaip du visiškai atskiri kūriniai, turintys tik visai nedaugelį panašumų. Tam, kad įsigilinti geriau ir pajusti tą tikrają Sadako/Samaros aurą - tiesiog būtina perskaityti ir tada imtis šiosios dalies. Labai labai tikiuosi, kad ir trečioji - paskutinė „Skambučio" trilogijos dalis bus tokia superinė ir neapvils. O jos dalys, esu tikra, kažkokiu būdu tikrai nuguls mano lentynose.
Gerai, užteks jau tiek pagiriamųjų žodžių šiai daliai - pažvelkim kodėl man taip patiko šis kūrinys (5/5)? Pasistengsiu netgi apžvalgoje nekartoti tų dalykų, kurie patiko ir skaitant pirmąją dalį.
+ jei pirmoje dalyje mes su šiuo įvykiu susidūrėme labiau iš misiškosios pusės, šioje dalyje daugelis dalykų yra žvelgiama ir iš mokslinės pusės. Ir geriausia tai, kad „moksliškumas" šioje dalyje neatbaido skaitytojų - žargonas, paaiškinimai, medicininės sąvokos yra tokios lengvos, kad turint vien bazines mokyklos lygio biologijos žinias galima nesunkiai suprasti kas vyksta;
+ už įvykių posūkius, kuriuos suk nesukęs galvą tiesiog neįminsi. Šiaip esu fanė tokių mįslių, mįslelių kūriniuose - neretai net jau žinau kame čia dalykas pakastas, kas kaltas dėl to ir dėl ko visa tai vyksta, tačiau skaitydama šią dalį neturėjau jokios nuovokos kas vyks toliau - laužyk nelaužęs galvą, burnok garsiai ar tyliai - mįslės neįminsi neatkeliavęs iki jos įminimo vietos;
+ už veiksmą, kuris kūrinio laiko atžvilgiu vystosi lėtokai, bet atsižvelgiant į tai kiek naujos informacijos gauni per vieną vienintelę dieną - tai wow. Vis dar meistriškai yra išlaikomas kūrinio įtemptumas, tiesiog sunku atsitraukti nuo knygos, o bet kokia realybės išraiška (kaip skambantis telefonas) tarytum pažadina iš hipnozės išgąsdindamas;
+ už pabaigą, kuri tiesiog ištaškė mane. Tokio didelio spektro jausmų nesu jautusi skaitant bet kokio stiliaus, žanro ar pobūdžio knygą. Pabaiga - labai netikėta ir tiesiog po jos negali negriebt trečiosios dalies, o paaiškinimas dėl ko taip vyko - juokais, nejuokais privertė susimąstyti kada čia aš žiūrėjau ekranizaciją;
+ už tokį knygos gerumą, kad net skaitant jau stačiau ją lygiagrečiai su „Žiedų valdovu" (o šios serijos knygos man nepatika, - aš jas dievinu). Nors kas čia žino, kaip bus su trečiąja dalimi, tikiuosi, labai nesugadins dviejų gerų knygų dalių.
Noriu perspėti susidomėjusiuosius šia knyga: būtina, tiesiog BŪTINA prieš tai būti perskaičiusiam pirmąją šios knygos dalį, nes visgi šios knygos ekranizacija yra kaip du visiškai atskiri kūriniai, turintys tik visai nedaugelį panašumų. Tam, kad įsigilinti geriau ir pajusti tą tikrają Sadako/Samaros aurą - tiesiog būtina perskaityti ir tada imtis šiosios dalies. Labai labai tikiuosi, kad ir trečioji - paskutinė „Skambučio" trilogijos dalis bus tokia superinė ir neapvils. O jos dalys, esu tikra, kažkokiu būdu tikrai nuguls mano lentynose.
June 12, 2011
Spiral is the sequel to Koji Suzuki's best-selling Japanese horror novel Ring and also makes up the second book of a trilogy. Most people know the idea of the first book because of the popular horror film that bears its name. While both book and movie, Ring, manage to creep out the globe, what we didn't know is that the author wasn't happy with just killing people seven days after watching a creepy video. He had other plans.
And for better or worse, they are spelled out in Spiral. The plot starts immediately after the end of Ring. A scientist is investigating the mysterious deaths of a handful of people including his friend who left evidence of a curse involved with watching a certain videotape. The scientist discover that the curse may actually be something more material and much more devastating and...
That's where I need to end it for anything else goes into spoilers territory. Suffice to say, Suzuki changed the rules in Spiral by giving us something new to scare us. It often feels more like a technological thriller and, frankly, the info on genetics and decoding started to bore me until it all started to come together to goose me out of my seat again. There are two problems that made this installment a bit less than the first book. First, as already mentioned, Suzuki gets a little carried away with coding and DNA for what is essentially a horror tale. Second, the first third of the novel retells the first book with only a little new information. The attempt to make Spiral a "stand alone" book lessens its impact. Yet all is forgiven when we find out the truth behind the Ring. All in all, a very different and worthwhile scare fest. I'm all ready for Loop.
And for better or worse, they are spelled out in Spiral. The plot starts immediately after the end of Ring. A scientist is investigating the mysterious deaths of a handful of people including his friend who left evidence of a curse involved with watching a certain videotape. The scientist discover that the curse may actually be something more material and much more devastating and...
That's where I need to end it for anything else goes into spoilers territory. Suffice to say, Suzuki changed the rules in Spiral by giving us something new to scare us. It often feels more like a technological thriller and, frankly, the info on genetics and decoding started to bore me until it all started to come together to goose me out of my seat again. There are two problems that made this installment a bit less than the first book. First, as already mentioned, Suzuki gets a little carried away with coding and DNA for what is essentially a horror tale. Second, the first third of the novel retells the first book with only a little new information. The attempt to make Spiral a "stand alone" book lessens its impact. Yet all is forgiven when we find out the truth behind the Ring. All in all, a very different and worthwhile scare fest. I'm all ready for Loop.
April 18, 2023
Continues the narrative from the first book but spins it into a completely different set of events. The story evolves into something entirely new; nothing is rehashed. But you still get a succinct summary of the important info from the first installment, and if you were to pick up "Spiral" first by mistake, you'd probably be okay.
Koji Suzuki is SO smart. He comes up with things I never would have thought of in a million years. Very clever, strange things. He is able to justify the crazy turns that the plot takes in ways that make you go, "That's bizarre, but I'll allow it." He also brings actual science into it. At one point he makes a valiant attempt to explain to me, the reader, how both DNA and viruses work but a lot of it is too over my head. I got the basic gist that was needed for the story, though.
While the first Ring book has some similarities with the Americanized film, this is where all of that ends. "Spiral" veers wildly off into another atmosphere. It is creative, eerie and unpredictable. (A couple of the twists are a bit on the nose, but I forgave it because honestly I was still entertained.) Some people will definitely find this too slow and not horrific enough. The pacing is quicker than the first book but you will not find a gorefest here. It's still a slow burn and a bit of a mystery or a puzzle. There are unsettling moments for sure, and unnerving images, but this series is more about what's waiting in the shadows as you try to figure out how much time you have left. And I love Samara, but Sadako has more power than anyone could possibly imagine.
Koji Suzuki is SO smart. He comes up with things I never would have thought of in a million years. Very clever, strange things. He is able to justify the crazy turns that the plot takes in ways that make you go, "That's bizarre, but I'll allow it." He also brings actual science into it. At one point he makes a valiant attempt to explain to me, the reader, how both DNA and viruses work but a lot of it is too over my head. I got the basic gist that was needed for the story, though.
While the first Ring book has some similarities with the Americanized film, this is where all of that ends. "Spiral" veers wildly off into another atmosphere. It is creative, eerie and unpredictable. (A couple of the twists are a bit on the nose, but I forgave it because honestly I was still entertained.) Some people will definitely find this too slow and not horrific enough. The pacing is quicker than the first book but you will not find a gorefest here. It's still a slow burn and a bit of a mystery or a puzzle. There are unsettling moments for sure, and unnerving images, but this series is more about what's waiting in the shadows as you try to figure out how much time you have left. And I love Samara, but Sadako has more power than anyone could possibly imagine.
May 20, 2023
Spiral had some truly tense and spine-chilling moments, especially during the last third of the book. There were moments where I felt like screaming at the main character. The build-up of tension was brilliant ... but I feel it did not entirely land to its full potential. Maybe it is because I enjoyed the Ring and so was subconsciously comparing it to that but I felt that this was not quite on the same level, especially as regards the ending.
August 29, 2018
This wasn't what I was expecting. Based on the ending of Ring, I thought they had figured out why Asakawa hadn't died - because he'd copied the video and shown it to Ryuji. Granted, there wasn't a lot of evidence for this hypothesis, but it made sense to me, so I didn't really question it. I thought Spiral would show more and more people copying the video until things spun out of control. In the end something similar did happen, but via a very different path.
At the start of the book, when I learned Asakawa was comatose from a car accident, I was worried Spiral would re-tread a lot of the same ground from Ring, since Ando would have to learn from scratch everything Asakawa had learned. Fortunately, though, Ando was able to find Asakawa's records. Spiral did start from scratch in some respects, since a lot of what Asakawa concluded was incorrect, but at least that's more interesting to read about.
My main complaint about Spiral is that it was too weird and didn't make enough sense. That might seem like a strange criticism after Ring, but somehow the mystical elements of Ring were a lot easier for me to accept. A video that makes you die a week after watching it is a cool idea, and copying he video made sense to me as a charm to avoid death. The psychic imprinting took a little getting used to, but I was okay with it by the end. Spiral felt like it went off the deep end, though. Sadako could imprint her genetic code onto the video and cause any viewers to carry a virus, which is a new level of implausible beyond just imprinting mental imagery. The new explanation of why Asakawa didn't die right away was a lot less satisfying than the old one - he was being allowed to live in order to finish writing Ring? And Mai giving birth to Sadako within a week of "conception" was utterly bizarre.
I do still plan on reading Loop, though, since maybe it will clear up some of the things I didn't like about Spiral. After all, Spiral changed a lot that I had assumed true in Ring, so maybe Loop will do the same thing again.
At the start of the book, when I learned Asakawa was comatose from a car accident, I was worried Spiral would re-tread a lot of the same ground from Ring, since Ando would have to learn from scratch everything Asakawa had learned. Fortunately, though, Ando was able to find Asakawa's records. Spiral did start from scratch in some respects, since a lot of what Asakawa concluded was incorrect, but at least that's more interesting to read about.
My main complaint about Spiral is that it was too weird and didn't make enough sense. That might seem like a strange criticism after Ring, but somehow the mystical elements of Ring were a lot easier for me to accept. A video that makes you die a week after watching it is a cool idea, and copying he video made sense to me as a charm to avoid death. The psychic imprinting took a little getting used to, but I was okay with it by the end. Spiral felt like it went off the deep end, though. Sadako could imprint her genetic code onto the video and cause any viewers to carry a virus, which is a new level of implausible beyond just imprinting mental imagery. The new explanation of why Asakawa didn't die right away was a lot less satisfying than the old one - he was being allowed to live in order to finish writing Ring? And Mai giving birth to Sadako within a week of "conception" was utterly bizarre.
I do still plan on reading Loop, though, since maybe it will clear up some of the things I didn't like about Spiral. After all, Spiral changed a lot that I had assumed true in Ring, so maybe Loop will do the same thing again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2016
So Spiral is the second book on the Ring series, and right off the bat I can tell you that I think this is even better than the first book.
In Spiral you get a plot full of twists and turns, which is great because I was genuinely kept guessing. But what really carried the plot was how well Ando, the main protagonist was written. The trials and tribulations that he encountered projected so strongly I felt like I was actually living them.
Brilliant read, and I'm going to start on the 3rd instalment, Loop, straight away!
In Spiral you get a plot full of twists and turns, which is great because I was genuinely kept guessing. But what really carried the plot was how well Ando, the main protagonist was written. The trials and tribulations that he encountered projected so strongly I felt like I was actually living them.
Brilliant read, and I'm going to start on the 3rd instalment, Loop, straight away!
June 22, 2018
- ยอดเยื่ยมมากๆ การสร้างซีเควนของมันแข็งแรงขึ้นจากเล่มแรกมากๆแม้มันจะแลกด้วยการลดทอนความขลังจากเดอะ ริงทึ่อะไรๆมันก็คลุมเครือไปหมด สนุกน้อยลงนิดหน่อย
- นิยายมันเองกลายเป็นสยองขวัญบริสุทธ์ไปเสียแล้ว แม้มันbased onจากทฤษฏีนั้นนี้พวกชีวะวิทยาเต็มไปหมดแต่มันจะเกิดขึ้นได้จริงๆหรืออะไรแบบนี้ ?
- เหมือนมันเอาหนังหลายๆเรื่องที่เราเคยดูไว้อย่าง Demon Seed , Species , Annihilation , Kairo , Videodrome , Antiviral , in the Mouth of Madness และ สวยลากไส้ มารวมไว้ในเล่มเดียวกันซึ่งแม่งสุดมากๆเล่มนี้
- มีความสุขทุกครั้งที่ได้เห็น/อ่าน/ดูความชิบหายของUtilitarianismเพียงเพราะการกระของมนุษย์ธรรมดาๆคนนึง
- นิยายมันเองกลายเป็นสยองขวัญบริสุทธ์ไปเสียแล้ว แม้มันbased onจากทฤษฏีนั้นนี้พวกชีวะวิทยาเต็มไปหมดแต่มันจะเกิดขึ้นได้จริงๆหรืออะไรแบบนี้ ?
- เหมือนมันเอาหนังหลายๆเรื่องที่เราเคยดูไว้อย่าง Demon Seed , Species , Annihilation , Kairo , Videodrome , Antiviral , in the Mouth of Madness และ สวยลากไส้ มารวมไว้ในเล่มเดียวกันซึ่งแม่งสุดมากๆเล่มนี้
- มีความสุขทุกครั้งที่ได้เห็น/อ่าน/ดูความชิบหายของUtilitarianismเพียงเพราะการกระของมนุษย์ธรรมดาๆคนนึง
April 23, 2017
Weirdest thing I've ever read...
June 30, 2022
3.5/5
As a horror novel, this fails but as a Chricton-like science mystery thriller reimagining of the first book, this was quite interesting.
As a horror novel, this fails but as a Chricton-like science mystery thriller reimagining of the first book, this was quite interesting.
February 19, 2023
Couldn't believe how much better The Ring was than the movies, and Spiral is a proper sequel that builds upon it in every way.
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