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¥ê¥ó¥° [Ring] #3
Kilpa: skambutis III
Tai tre?ioji japon? siaubo literat¨±ros meistro knyga i? garsiosios ?Skambu?io" epop?jos. ?sp¨±dingas metafizinis trileris, kuriame viskas n?ra taip, kaip atrodo i? pirmo ?vilgsnio. ?ia siau?ia dar baisesnis virusas, kurio plitim? gali sustabdyti tik vienas ?mogus. B¨±tent jam lemta ie?koti atsakym? Naujosios Meksikos dykumose ir su?inoti, koki? paslapt? slepia mokslinink? projektas ?Kilpa"... Ar ?? kart? ?monija bus pasmerkta? Ar vienas ?mogus paj?gus pasiprie?inti blogiui? Kas i? tikr?j? yra ?Skambutis"?
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
185 people are currently reading
5,664 people want to read
About the author
K¨ji Suzuki
125?books1,311?followersSuzuki K¨ji (Áåľ¹â˾) 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 466 reviews
December 23, 2013
I knew eventually I'd have to read Loop to complete this series, but when I initially couldn't find a copy of it anywhere, I opted to Wiki it, and read the basic synopsis. It put me off of reading it, so I figured I'd just set aside until I forgot the finer points of the synopsis.
I finally reached that point and got started, and for the first 400 pages, I didn't feel anything at all. While I felt the first books were creepy and scary in some parts, if a bit dry, this book is dry as a bone left in the middle of a desert, and there's nothing I can feel for the story or the characters. Kaoru is a bland character, and his "loving dad," Hideyuki, comes off as creepy, but isn't quite creepy enough to provoke a reaction. His mother Machiko is flat and more a background noise than a functioning character, and his romantic interest, Reiko, is seduced in a clinical description that makes their first time together sound like rape. Following intimate scenes and thoughts are worded in such a way as to negate any stimulating reaction. Passages speak of a woman's "sex organ" and her "fluids" in such a way that all I could do was shake my head at the consistently clinical tone.
And then the punchline came, and I got pissed. I want to break down why it's such a massive failure, but I can't without spoilers. All I can say is, there's no logical reason given for why the ring virus was even possible in the first place. The question is asked, but the answer is "I don't know."
This book is a huge cop out written to undermine the apocalyptic buildup of the first two books. The explanation given for how the ring virus became a cancer doesn't make sense, especially with the virus being coded from within a virtual reality simulation that was made to emulate our world exactly. Even when the scientists admit that such a thing as a psychically viral tape couldn't have existed in the virtual reality, they give no explanation of how such an anomaly could have been introduced without an outside source. And the explanation for how the virus got out of the computer and mutated is just as poorly thought out. So there's roughly 200 pages of dry medical lecturing leading up to a lot of shrugging and "I dunno" on the most important aspects of the plot twist.
Even if a better explanation had been given, the worst book's offense is that it's never scary, nor even creepy. At least with some bad books I feel something, even if it's just boredom. But I felt nothing for this book until very close to the end. And the anger I felt was more about how this final book takes everything that was scary about the first two books and chucks them out a window in favor of a "one man saves the world" solution. It's ludicrous, it doesn't stack up even according to the new rules laid out by this book, and not one event is all that memorable because of the bored tone the narrator takes.
I can't say there aren't some interesting ideas about life in a virtual reality made to resemble our world and the cyclical nature of the universe. But those ideas are buried as marrow dust inside a dry bone, and I don't feel like it was worth the effort of reading the book to explore those themes. I would much rather have read a bleak final entry that killed off the whole world with the ring virus than this denial of everything that happened in the first two books. In fact, this book ruins the series for me so much, I'm going to have to treat it like the Star Wars prequels and pretend they never existed. In my altered history, there was a third book where Sadako killed everyone, and the whole world ended. Boo-hoo. But my version is still a thousand times better than this book.
I give Loop two stars, and would only recommend it to readers of the first two books who feel a need to complete the series.
I finally reached that point and got started, and for the first 400 pages, I didn't feel anything at all. While I felt the first books were creepy and scary in some parts, if a bit dry, this book is dry as a bone left in the middle of a desert, and there's nothing I can feel for the story or the characters. Kaoru is a bland character, and his "loving dad," Hideyuki, comes off as creepy, but isn't quite creepy enough to provoke a reaction. His mother Machiko is flat and more a background noise than a functioning character, and his romantic interest, Reiko, is seduced in a clinical description that makes their first time together sound like rape. Following intimate scenes and thoughts are worded in such a way as to negate any stimulating reaction. Passages speak of a woman's "sex organ" and her "fluids" in such a way that all I could do was shake my head at the consistently clinical tone.
And then the punchline came, and I got pissed. I want to break down why it's such a massive failure, but I can't without spoilers. All I can say is, there's no logical reason given for why the ring virus was even possible in the first place. The question is asked, but the answer is "I don't know."
This book is a huge cop out written to undermine the apocalyptic buildup of the first two books. The explanation given for how the ring virus became a cancer doesn't make sense, especially with the virus being coded from within a virtual reality simulation that was made to emulate our world exactly. Even when the scientists admit that such a thing as a psychically viral tape couldn't have existed in the virtual reality, they give no explanation of how such an anomaly could have been introduced without an outside source. And the explanation for how the virus got out of the computer and mutated is just as poorly thought out. So there's roughly 200 pages of dry medical lecturing leading up to a lot of shrugging and "I dunno" on the most important aspects of the plot twist.
Even if a better explanation had been given, the worst book's offense is that it's never scary, nor even creepy. At least with some bad books I feel something, even if it's just boredom. But I felt nothing for this book until very close to the end. And the anger I felt was more about how this final book takes everything that was scary about the first two books and chucks them out a window in favor of a "one man saves the world" solution. It's ludicrous, it doesn't stack up even according to the new rules laid out by this book, and not one event is all that memorable because of the bored tone the narrator takes.
I can't say there aren't some interesting ideas about life in a virtual reality made to resemble our world and the cyclical nature of the universe. But those ideas are buried as marrow dust inside a dry bone, and I don't feel like it was worth the effort of reading the book to explore those themes. I would much rather have read a bleak final entry that killed off the whole world with the ring virus than this denial of everything that happened in the first two books. In fact, this book ruins the series for me so much, I'm going to have to treat it like the Star Wars prequels and pretend they never existed. In my altered history, there was a third book where Sadako killed everyone, and the whole world ended. Boo-hoo. But my version is still a thousand times better than this book.
I give Loop two stars, and would only recommend it to readers of the first two books who feel a need to complete the series.
May 22, 2009
This book, or I should say the Ringu trilogy, has surpassed all my expectations from a mere horror story I saw on a DVD.
Of course, I'm referring to the Japanese version of the film. The Americanised version of the film is not even worth to mention here.
This third book explains all the mysteries found in the first two books in a twist so unpredictable that nobody, but the author I dare claim, could tell how the story actually began in the first book and how it would end as it is clearly described in the third book.
As the cover of the book suggest that Koji Suzuki combines Haruki Murakami with Stephen King suspense, I could never agree more although I have no idea who Haruki Murakami is LOL but I do know that Stephen King is a briliant author. However, I think Suzuki could be more comparable with Michael Crichton in terms of the science perspectives he laid in the second and third book.
The story picks up differently after the one told in the second book. This one tells a story about a kid named Kaoru, who has a brilliant mind already in the age of 10 years old. His world was a peaceful one until suddenly a horrible disease in the form of cancer rammed his father and the rest of the world with a full speed. It was up to Kaoru alone, who grew up to be a young medical student, to discover the connection between the mysterious cancer and the artificial life project his father once undertook when he was still working as a computer scientist.
What Kaoru didn't realise was how he would be sucked into another world named Loop. A world inside a computer, where the virus firstly emerged, ravaging all the mankind living inside and somehow was released into the real world, carrying damaged genes that destroy people's cells in the form of angry cancers. Then, he discovered the mystery of the curse videotape that kills everyone after watching it after 7 days and how it affected his father's health.
It's really a knock-out thriller, presented in world class story-telling. It hooked me up, from the beginning to the end, promising something even larger was going to happen in the story, and it did, kept surprising me from one point to another while at the same time fascinated me at how big the world of imagination the author had in his mind when he wrote down his book. I gave my two thumbs up.
I'm so going to find Suzuki's another books! and you..... yes you! if you happen to like thriller, do get yourself a copy of this Ringu trilogy. Yes, all three of them! I promise you won't get disappointed!
Of course, I'm referring to the Japanese version of the film. The Americanised version of the film is not even worth to mention here.
This third book explains all the mysteries found in the first two books in a twist so unpredictable that nobody, but the author I dare claim, could tell how the story actually began in the first book and how it would end as it is clearly described in the third book.
As the cover of the book suggest that Koji Suzuki combines Haruki Murakami with Stephen King suspense, I could never agree more although I have no idea who Haruki Murakami is LOL but I do know that Stephen King is a briliant author. However, I think Suzuki could be more comparable with Michael Crichton in terms of the science perspectives he laid in the second and third book.
The story picks up differently after the one told in the second book. This one tells a story about a kid named Kaoru, who has a brilliant mind already in the age of 10 years old. His world was a peaceful one until suddenly a horrible disease in the form of cancer rammed his father and the rest of the world with a full speed. It was up to Kaoru alone, who grew up to be a young medical student, to discover the connection between the mysterious cancer and the artificial life project his father once undertook when he was still working as a computer scientist.
What Kaoru didn't realise was how he would be sucked into another world named Loop. A world inside a computer, where the virus firstly emerged, ravaging all the mankind living inside and somehow was released into the real world, carrying damaged genes that destroy people's cells in the form of angry cancers. Then, he discovered the mystery of the curse videotape that kills everyone after watching it after 7 days and how it affected his father's health.
It's really a knock-out thriller, presented in world class story-telling. It hooked me up, from the beginning to the end, promising something even larger was going to happen in the story, and it did, kept surprising me from one point to another while at the same time fascinated me at how big the world of imagination the author had in his mind when he wrote down his book. I gave my two thumbs up.
I'm so going to find Suzuki's another books! and you..... yes you! if you happen to like thriller, do get yourself a copy of this Ringu trilogy. Yes, all three of them! I promise you won't get disappointed!
November 3, 2022
Man, and I thought Spirals was bad!
Thankfully, I haven't read many bad books in my life thus far, but this is by far the worst. the plot--if you can follow that shit--is ludicrous. Each book in this series gets worse and worse. Suzuki has no clue on ho to write a good story. For a guy who seems to be obsessed with science, he doesn't half talk out of his ass. Fair enough, science fiction is a thing and liberties can be taken for a good story, but the shit he pulls out of his ass is asinine to the lowest degree. I've never read such utter crap before. One, the genre is supposed to be thriller but I'll be damned if I was ever thrilled once. Two, he loves throwing twists in for the sake of it without actually thinking does it make sense, or is it even a good twist regardless. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Spoiler time: (who'd wanna read this crap though anyway, am I right?)
You've basically wasted your time reading the first two books. Turns out all that shit happens in an artificial compute program called Loop. So that shit isn't even real, although the characters/author will tell you it is real and still effects things blah blah blah. Nah. Its stupid stupid stupid. The concept isn't even intriguing in the slightest. It just appears halfway through and we just have to accept its a thing.
The opening 50 pages are literally an expository biology seminar but with a genius 11 year old talking to his dad who loves to walk around with a boner and wiping semen on the kitchen sink. Seriously. That fucking happened. And forgetting the surreal semen, not that biology ain't cool, but if I wanted that I'd go to the source instead of picking up a horror/thriller. It's dull and its told in an utterly lifeless way (ironic), and the dialogue is so soap opera awful, I wanted to kill myself reading it. So the book opens in the worst way imaginable.
So then we get the Loop crap. Yay. THEN the fucking main character guy (whatever his name is) turns out to be the reincarnation (essentially) of Ryuji . You know, the guy from the other books. It makes about as much sense as... wiping semen off your dick onto your own sink in front of your 11 year old son. A bunch of other shit happens but I don't want to remember any more. Its bad. So bad.
End spoilers
The writing itself is atrocious too. Guess the guy never heard the term 'show, don't tell.' Fucking exposition overlord. Every. Single. Sentence is exposition. Every action--every mundane action is scrutinised. It's painful to read. And it's so dry and lifeless too. Maybe it's because its a translation but I doubt it. I've read translated works before. You can still tell the difference between good and bad prose.
Just stay away from this series. If you've seen the films and want to start the series. Don't. It's nothing like the films in the worst possible way. The films are far from great, but the books make the films seem like high art. Just avoid at all cost. Burn every copy. Thank me later.
-1/5
Thankfully, I haven't read many bad books in my life thus far, but this is by far the worst. the plot--if you can follow that shit--is ludicrous. Each book in this series gets worse and worse. Suzuki has no clue on ho to write a good story. For a guy who seems to be obsessed with science, he doesn't half talk out of his ass. Fair enough, science fiction is a thing and liberties can be taken for a good story, but the shit he pulls out of his ass is asinine to the lowest degree. I've never read such utter crap before. One, the genre is supposed to be thriller but I'll be damned if I was ever thrilled once. Two, he loves throwing twists in for the sake of it without actually thinking does it make sense, or is it even a good twist regardless. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Spoiler time: (who'd wanna read this crap though anyway, am I right?)
You've basically wasted your time reading the first two books. Turns out all that shit happens in an artificial compute program called Loop. So that shit isn't even real, although the characters/author will tell you it is real and still effects things blah blah blah. Nah. Its stupid stupid stupid. The concept isn't even intriguing in the slightest. It just appears halfway through and we just have to accept its a thing.
The opening 50 pages are literally an expository biology seminar but with a genius 11 year old talking to his dad who loves to walk around with a boner and wiping semen on the kitchen sink. Seriously. That fucking happened. And forgetting the surreal semen, not that biology ain't cool, but if I wanted that I'd go to the source instead of picking up a horror/thriller. It's dull and its told in an utterly lifeless way (ironic), and the dialogue is so soap opera awful, I wanted to kill myself reading it. So the book opens in the worst way imaginable.
So then we get the Loop crap. Yay. THEN the fucking main character guy (whatever his name is) turns out to be the reincarnation (essentially) of Ryuji . You know, the guy from the other books. It makes about as much sense as... wiping semen off your dick onto your own sink in front of your 11 year old son. A bunch of other shit happens but I don't want to remember any more. Its bad. So bad.
End spoilers
The writing itself is atrocious too. Guess the guy never heard the term 'show, don't tell.' Fucking exposition overlord. Every. Single. Sentence is exposition. Every action--every mundane action is scrutinised. It's painful to read. And it's so dry and lifeless too. Maybe it's because its a translation but I doubt it. I've read translated works before. You can still tell the difference between good and bad prose.
Just stay away from this series. If you've seen the films and want to start the series. Don't. It's nothing like the films in the worst possible way. The films are far from great, but the books make the films seem like high art. Just avoid at all cost. Burn every copy. Thank me later.
-1/5
July 1, 2011
TL;DR Version: Not the most engaging book in the trilogy and a bit disillusioning, but still definitely worth a read for fans of Ring and Spiral.
Wall of Text Version: Santa Claus is your parents.
This is a revelation that most children in the western world experience eventually. It can be a bit harsh and it¡¯s almost always a disappointment. Yet you have to admit it makes a fair amount of sense. The letter you so painstakingly wrote for Santa? Never got mailed, but gave your parents a nice shopping list. The presents under the tree? Purchased with the others and dragged out by your parents after you go to bed. The missing milk and cookies? Mom and Dad split the cookies 50-50 and played rock-paper-scissors to see who got to wash it down with a glass of milk. The nibbled carrots? Hate to break it to you, kid, but not all grown-ups like to eat their vegetables. But what about that guy whose lap you sat in at the mall when you were five? Sorry, kiddo, just a stranger who probably isn¡¯t getting paid enough. Once the initial shock is past, you find yourself wondering how you believed in some fat guy in a red suit delivering presents with his flying reindeer in the first place. You feel upset and disillusioned, but some part of you is a tiny bit satisfied because now you know the truth.
That¡¯s the feeling you get from reading Loop, the final installment in Koji Suzuki¡¯s Ring trilogy. Loop attempts to deconstruct a compelling horror/supernatural thriller by providing a scientific explanation for the apparently paranormal phenomena in Ring and Spiral. The feeling that the victims of the videotape got that some presence was watching them? A perfectly scientific explanation. A virus-type curse thingy that kills in exactly seven days? A perfectly scientific explanation. All of that eerie ¡°Ryuji¡¯s talking from beyond the grave WITH CODED MESSAGES¡± nonsense in Spiral? A perfectly scientific explanation. Sadako herself? We¡¯ll never know for sure, but there¡¯s probably a perfectly scientific explanation. Perhaps a better analogy would be if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended with Scooby-Doo and the gang making an appearance and unmasking Voldemort, revealing that he was really some innocuous space-filling character the whole time. A series where science and the paranormal made rather comfortable bedfellows ends with science stabbing the paranormal while it sleeps. The psychic Sadako is barely mentioned except in passing, while the logician Ryuji looms large in everyone¡¯s minds.
Now, I¡¯ve done a fair bit of hating on a book that I actually enjoyed very much. While I was disappointed with the way certain aspects of the series were handled in the end and it was definitely my least favorite book in the Ring trilogy, Loop was still an extremely entertaining (and in some ways, fitting) end to a series that I spent more than one late night with, desperate to know what happens next. I had some really high expectations for Loop and was somewhat disappointed.
Now, one more word of criticism before I move on to talking about the parts I liked: Because Loop was written as a book that could either stand alone or be read as the conclusion of the trilogy, there are multiple chapters that do nothing but summarize the first two books. While there is a logical reason for this, other than trying to expand the readership, it makes things a bit tedious at times for someone who has already read Ring and Spiral. However, Loop drops several bombshells that can only be fully appreciated by someone who has read this book. Yes, if you aren¡¯t familiar with the names Asakawa, Takayama, and Yamamura, you¡¯ll miss out on the biggest ¡°holy shit¡± moment of the entire book. There¡¯s really no winning in this situation, but I recommend reading the books in order and skimming through the recap chapters when you get there.
Now that I¡¯ve thoroughly explored Loop¡¯s flaws, I¡¯ll talk about its strengths. It¡¯s every bit a page-turner as its predecessors with fast pacing and suspense at every turn. The ¡°holy shit¡± moment I vaguely alluded to before is by no means the only ¡°holy shit¡± moment (Suzuki seems to have had fun devising various plot twists to throw in), so ¡°boring¡± is definitely not a word that could be applied to this book.
After reading Loop, I¡¯ve become convinced that Suzuki has played favorites with his characters and his favorite is also incidentally mine: Ryuji Takayama. Come on, who doesn¡¯t enjoy reading about a college professor and maybe serial rapist whose lifelong dream is to view the extinction of humanity from atop a hill and ejaculate upon it? Okay, usually I don¡¯t either, but somehow Ryuji became the exception. It isn¡¯t that he¡¯s likeable so much as he¡¯s just fun to watch. He¡¯s probably supposed to be symbolic of the dual nature of humanity, but sometimes I prefer my supernatural thrillers de-intellectualized and he works just fine whether you¡¯re looking for symbolism or looking for a story. Ryuji dominates Loop more than any other character from the previous books and leaves you wondering until near the end exactly what his motives are.
Also, this may be either a good thing or a bad thing for you, but Loop contains more than its fair share of mindfuck. I personally enjoy the sensation, but I know not everyone does, so I give you fair warning. Hey, at least no one turns into Tang.
And so ends the Ring trilogy. As stated before, Loop makes a somewhat logical, but somewhat disappointing ending. And yes, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy are also your parents.
Wall of Text Version: Santa Claus is your parents.
This is a revelation that most children in the western world experience eventually. It can be a bit harsh and it¡¯s almost always a disappointment. Yet you have to admit it makes a fair amount of sense. The letter you so painstakingly wrote for Santa? Never got mailed, but gave your parents a nice shopping list. The presents under the tree? Purchased with the others and dragged out by your parents after you go to bed. The missing milk and cookies? Mom and Dad split the cookies 50-50 and played rock-paper-scissors to see who got to wash it down with a glass of milk. The nibbled carrots? Hate to break it to you, kid, but not all grown-ups like to eat their vegetables. But what about that guy whose lap you sat in at the mall when you were five? Sorry, kiddo, just a stranger who probably isn¡¯t getting paid enough. Once the initial shock is past, you find yourself wondering how you believed in some fat guy in a red suit delivering presents with his flying reindeer in the first place. You feel upset and disillusioned, but some part of you is a tiny bit satisfied because now you know the truth.
That¡¯s the feeling you get from reading Loop, the final installment in Koji Suzuki¡¯s Ring trilogy. Loop attempts to deconstruct a compelling horror/supernatural thriller by providing a scientific explanation for the apparently paranormal phenomena in Ring and Spiral. The feeling that the victims of the videotape got that some presence was watching them? A perfectly scientific explanation. A virus-type curse thingy that kills in exactly seven days? A perfectly scientific explanation. All of that eerie ¡°Ryuji¡¯s talking from beyond the grave WITH CODED MESSAGES¡± nonsense in Spiral? A perfectly scientific explanation. Sadako herself? We¡¯ll never know for sure, but there¡¯s probably a perfectly scientific explanation. Perhaps a better analogy would be if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ended with Scooby-Doo and the gang making an appearance and unmasking Voldemort, revealing that he was really some innocuous space-filling character the whole time. A series where science and the paranormal made rather comfortable bedfellows ends with science stabbing the paranormal while it sleeps. The psychic Sadako is barely mentioned except in passing, while the logician Ryuji looms large in everyone¡¯s minds.
Now, I¡¯ve done a fair bit of hating on a book that I actually enjoyed very much. While I was disappointed with the way certain aspects of the series were handled in the end and it was definitely my least favorite book in the Ring trilogy, Loop was still an extremely entertaining (and in some ways, fitting) end to a series that I spent more than one late night with, desperate to know what happens next. I had some really high expectations for Loop and was somewhat disappointed.
Now, one more word of criticism before I move on to talking about the parts I liked: Because Loop was written as a book that could either stand alone or be read as the conclusion of the trilogy, there are multiple chapters that do nothing but summarize the first two books. While there is a logical reason for this, other than trying to expand the readership, it makes things a bit tedious at times for someone who has already read Ring and Spiral. However, Loop drops several bombshells that can only be fully appreciated by someone who has read this book. Yes, if you aren¡¯t familiar with the names Asakawa, Takayama, and Yamamura, you¡¯ll miss out on the biggest ¡°holy shit¡± moment of the entire book. There¡¯s really no winning in this situation, but I recommend reading the books in order and skimming through the recap chapters when you get there.
Now that I¡¯ve thoroughly explored Loop¡¯s flaws, I¡¯ll talk about its strengths. It¡¯s every bit a page-turner as its predecessors with fast pacing and suspense at every turn. The ¡°holy shit¡± moment I vaguely alluded to before is by no means the only ¡°holy shit¡± moment (Suzuki seems to have had fun devising various plot twists to throw in), so ¡°boring¡± is definitely not a word that could be applied to this book.
After reading Loop, I¡¯ve become convinced that Suzuki has played favorites with his characters and his favorite is also incidentally mine: Ryuji Takayama. Come on, who doesn¡¯t enjoy reading about a college professor and maybe serial rapist whose lifelong dream is to view the extinction of humanity from atop a hill and ejaculate upon it? Okay, usually I don¡¯t either, but somehow Ryuji became the exception. It isn¡¯t that he¡¯s likeable so much as he¡¯s just fun to watch. He¡¯s probably supposed to be symbolic of the dual nature of humanity, but sometimes I prefer my supernatural thrillers de-intellectualized and he works just fine whether you¡¯re looking for symbolism or looking for a story. Ryuji dominates Loop more than any other character from the previous books and leaves you wondering until near the end exactly what his motives are.
Also, this may be either a good thing or a bad thing for you, but Loop contains more than its fair share of mindfuck. I personally enjoy the sensation, but I know not everyone does, so I give you fair warning. Hey, at least no one turns into Tang.
And so ends the Ring trilogy. As stated before, Loop makes a somewhat logical, but somewhat disappointing ending. And yes, the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy are also your parents.
November 3, 2022
1,5. Normalmente empiezo mis opiniones sobre las lecturas que hago con una breve introducci¨®n sobre la trama, en este caso me la voy a saltar por dos razones: es la tercera parte de una trilog¨ªa y tiene tan poco sentido que ha conseguido terminar de hundir una saga que ya iba cuesta abajo y sin frenos. As¨ª que lo ¨²nico que voy a decir es que en el mundo de "Loop" un extra?o virus est¨¢ provocando que la gente enferme y nuestro protagonista es un ni?o de 10 a?os, que durante las p¨¢ginas crecer¨¢ hasta ser adulto. Un protagonista insoportable a m¨¢s no poder, cosa a la que Koji Suzuki nos tiene bien acostumbrados con sus personajes masculinos.
Esta tercera entrega se siente como un amasijo de muchas ideas que pintaban muy bien, pero casadas rematadamente mal. Por m¨¢s que ve¨ªa el potencial en ciertos momentos y en algunos giros, ol¨ªa todo tan impostado, tan metido ah¨ª a la fuerza, que hasta me disgustaba a¨²n m¨¢s la lectura. Tantas posibilidades, para acabar todas tiradas a la basura. Lo primero que destaca para mal es el evidente cambio de g¨¦nero, ya que del terror-thriller de "Ring" pasamos al terror con toques de ciencia ficci¨®n de "Spiral" para encontrarnos en ¡°Loop¡± ante una historia de ciencia ficci¨®n donde el terror queda en un mero recuerdo. Si al menos el cambio hubiera sido para mejorar la saga, pues se asimila, pero sirve para estropearla.
He hecho hincapi¨¦ en su protagonista porque ya desde las primeras p¨¢ginas sabemos que los detallitos machistas de ¡°Ring¡±, o el recurrente machismo de ¡°Spiral¡±, van a encontrar en ¡°Loop¡± su m¨¢ximo esplendor. Nos encontramos nuevamente, ante un protagonista masculino, que hace de menos a las mujeres constantemente. De hecho, Kaoru, como se llama el personaje central, tiene un deje paternalista cada vez que habla o se dirige a su madre, sobre su poca fortaleza mental o su falta de inteligencia en comparaci¨®n con su padre o ¨¦l mismo, y estos pensamientos y actitudes las tiene un ni?ato de 10 a?os, sin dejar de aumentar conforme va creciendo. No voy a narrar todos los escenarios machistas que suceden, porque es constante, pero quiz¨¢s el m¨¢s llamativo es que las mujeres nunca tengan nada interesante que aportar a la trama y su existencia sea relegada a secundarias muy secundarias, incluso extras. Claro, como el libro habla mucho de ciencia, no puede haber una mujer hablando de esta, ?verdad Koji Suzuki? Ahora bien, si toca sexualizar, ah¨ª que sacamos algunas extras para que se d¨¦ el momento. Pereza.
Y esta ausencia femenina nos lleva al gran error garrafal de este final de trilog¨ªa, y es que Sadako, el personaje m¨¢s interesante y misterioso de la saga a causa del cual todo ocurre, queda relegada a un hecho anecd¨®tico y se la menciona de pasada. Sin embargo, el autor elige centrarse en un sinfin de personajes masculinos, todos iguales, imposibles de distinguir entre ellos, ni de un libro a otro. Si a esto le sumamos el aburrimiento absoluto y sopor¨ªfero que ha sido leer ¡°Loop¡±, pues ni siquiera puedo tratar de valorar la trama por encima de todas estas cosas que me enferman, como s¨ª pasa con los anteriores libros. Sin duda una de las peores lecturas del a?o. En fin, Koji Suzuki, no s¨¦ si ha sido un gusto conocerte, pero lo que s¨ª s¨¦ es que nuestros caminos se separan aqu¨ª.
Esta tercera entrega se siente como un amasijo de muchas ideas que pintaban muy bien, pero casadas rematadamente mal. Por m¨¢s que ve¨ªa el potencial en ciertos momentos y en algunos giros, ol¨ªa todo tan impostado, tan metido ah¨ª a la fuerza, que hasta me disgustaba a¨²n m¨¢s la lectura. Tantas posibilidades, para acabar todas tiradas a la basura. Lo primero que destaca para mal es el evidente cambio de g¨¦nero, ya que del terror-thriller de "Ring" pasamos al terror con toques de ciencia ficci¨®n de "Spiral" para encontrarnos en ¡°Loop¡± ante una historia de ciencia ficci¨®n donde el terror queda en un mero recuerdo. Si al menos el cambio hubiera sido para mejorar la saga, pues se asimila, pero sirve para estropearla.
He hecho hincapi¨¦ en su protagonista porque ya desde las primeras p¨¢ginas sabemos que los detallitos machistas de ¡°Ring¡±, o el recurrente machismo de ¡°Spiral¡±, van a encontrar en ¡°Loop¡± su m¨¢ximo esplendor. Nos encontramos nuevamente, ante un protagonista masculino, que hace de menos a las mujeres constantemente. De hecho, Kaoru, como se llama el personaje central, tiene un deje paternalista cada vez que habla o se dirige a su madre, sobre su poca fortaleza mental o su falta de inteligencia en comparaci¨®n con su padre o ¨¦l mismo, y estos pensamientos y actitudes las tiene un ni?ato de 10 a?os, sin dejar de aumentar conforme va creciendo. No voy a narrar todos los escenarios machistas que suceden, porque es constante, pero quiz¨¢s el m¨¢s llamativo es que las mujeres nunca tengan nada interesante que aportar a la trama y su existencia sea relegada a secundarias muy secundarias, incluso extras. Claro, como el libro habla mucho de ciencia, no puede haber una mujer hablando de esta, ?verdad Koji Suzuki? Ahora bien, si toca sexualizar, ah¨ª que sacamos algunas extras para que se d¨¦ el momento. Pereza.
Y esta ausencia femenina nos lleva al gran error garrafal de este final de trilog¨ªa, y es que Sadako, el personaje m¨¢s interesante y misterioso de la saga a causa del cual todo ocurre, queda relegada a un hecho anecd¨®tico y se la menciona de pasada. Sin embargo, el autor elige centrarse en un sinfin de personajes masculinos, todos iguales, imposibles de distinguir entre ellos, ni de un libro a otro. Si a esto le sumamos el aburrimiento absoluto y sopor¨ªfero que ha sido leer ¡°Loop¡±, pues ni siquiera puedo tratar de valorar la trama por encima de todas estas cosas que me enferman, como s¨ª pasa con los anteriores libros. Sin duda una de las peores lecturas del a?o. En fin, Koji Suzuki, no s¨¦ si ha sido un gusto conocerte, pero lo que s¨ª s¨¦ es que nuestros caminos se separan aqu¨ª.
March 20, 2020
I can't remember the last time I read a book that I could say so little about without spoiling anything as Loop. I'll say right off the bat that if you're going to read this book do not look at its Wikipedia page. It literally spoils the entire book in a few sentences. Also, I have to chuckle at the Ring Trilogy being categorized as a horror series. Was this series ever scary? Over the course of the three books maybe two or three times.
What can I say about this book without spoiling anything? Well, as in previous installments we meet some new characters, mainly Kaoru and his family, but also his girlfriend Reiko and her son Ryoji. It's no secret if you've read the previous books that the story revolves around a virus, but where previous entries in the series involve a lot of medical and biological terminology relating to the virus and DNA, Loop contains less of that and more about cutting-edge technology.
It's also by far the most complex of the three books, and I had to stop and think about how everything came together more than once, especially near the end. The story is unbelievably predictable for the most part. There were a few times where it seemed like Suzuki thought he was building up to a revelation, so he'd build up to these for pages and pages and then reveal them, but I already knew what most of them would be well in advance. So that was disappointing. To his credit though, there was one plot twist in this book that totally blew my mind; I didn't see that one coming at all.
Overall, I'm a little sad to be finished the Ring Trilogy. There are additional books, some of which are short story collections set in the Ring universe, and some that I believe are more full-fledged novels, but these three are the main entries in the saga. This trilogy was like nothing I've read before. Suzuki is an excellent writer; he weaves gripping, unique stories and builds full, relatable characters. The stories are sometimes a bit predictable, silly, far-fetched, and downright confusing, but they also entertain, and in a derivative world this trilogy offers a unique and original reading experience. It's not for everyone, so my recommendation is to read the first two books in the trilogy. If you're still hooked, check out Loop; it answers all questions raised in Spiral and takes the story in a completely new and mind-blowing direction.
What can I say about this book without spoiling anything? Well, as in previous installments we meet some new characters, mainly Kaoru and his family, but also his girlfriend Reiko and her son Ryoji. It's no secret if you've read the previous books that the story revolves around a virus, but where previous entries in the series involve a lot of medical and biological terminology relating to the virus and DNA, Loop contains less of that and more about cutting-edge technology.
It's also by far the most complex of the three books, and I had to stop and think about how everything came together more than once, especially near the end. The story is unbelievably predictable for the most part. There were a few times where it seemed like Suzuki thought he was building up to a revelation, so he'd build up to these for pages and pages and then reveal them, but I already knew what most of them would be well in advance. So that was disappointing. To his credit though, there was one plot twist in this book that totally blew my mind; I didn't see that one coming at all.
Overall, I'm a little sad to be finished the Ring Trilogy. There are additional books, some of which are short story collections set in the Ring universe, and some that I believe are more full-fledged novels, but these three are the main entries in the saga. This trilogy was like nothing I've read before. Suzuki is an excellent writer; he weaves gripping, unique stories and builds full, relatable characters. The stories are sometimes a bit predictable, silly, far-fetched, and downright confusing, but they also entertain, and in a derivative world this trilogy offers a unique and original reading experience. It's not for everyone, so my recommendation is to read the first two books in the trilogy. If you're still hooked, check out Loop; it answers all questions raised in Spiral and takes the story in a completely new and mind-blowing direction.
April 24, 2023
This one was very different from the first two. The story veered way off into sci-fi territory, and basically none of it registered as horror. Unlike the other installments so far, you wouldn't be able to read this one as a standalone; it's crucial that you read "Ring" and "Spiral" before you venture into "Loop," or you will not experience the full impact of the story. The title is very appropriate because everything does indeed come full circle in an incredibly bizarre way. To be honest, this was by far my least favorite of the trilogy because it strayed lightyears away from the original story in terms of genre and material; no spoilers but by the time you get to this point the concept of the videotape doesn't even matter or play a role and that bothered me. However, I will say that I still admire Koji Suzuki's imagination. This book absolutely has its issues but it's creative as Hell. I'm not sure if the big twist really worked for me, but it was an admirable attempt.
July 12, 2022
Ricapitolando: siamo partiti da un libro pseudo horror e siamo arrivati ad un libro pseudo distopico/fantascientifico.
In linea di massima l'idea di questo terzo libro non era neanche malaccio, il problema ¨¨ la storia in s¨¦, il delirio allucinato con cui ¨¨ stata sviluppata e la trama dei tre libri piuttosto scollegata tra loro; si passa di palo in frasca, anche se un tentativo di collegamento ¨¨ stato fatto, riprendendo alcuni fatti successi nei primi due libri, cercando di dare un minimo di spiegazione.
Aggiungiamo i protagonisti piuttosto antipatici e il patatrac ¨¨ fatto.
Credo che Suzuki sia il primo scrittore giapponese di cui proprio non ho apprezzato lo stile (spero che la traduzione non sia complice...).
In linea di massima l'idea di questo terzo libro non era neanche malaccio, il problema ¨¨ la storia in s¨¦, il delirio allucinato con cui ¨¨ stata sviluppata e la trama dei tre libri piuttosto scollegata tra loro; si passa di palo in frasca, anche se un tentativo di collegamento ¨¨ stato fatto, riprendendo alcuni fatti successi nei primi due libri, cercando di dare un minimo di spiegazione.
Aggiungiamo i protagonisti piuttosto antipatici e il patatrac ¨¨ fatto.
Credo che Suzuki sia il primo scrittore giapponese di cui proprio non ho apprezzato lo stile (spero che la traduzione non sia complice...).
October 27, 2022
No suelo ser yo una rese?adora muy hater. Suelo escoger bien mis lecturas, e incluso cuando me equivoco y un libro no es para mi, suelo ser capaz de encontrarle cosas positivas. Pero hoy vengo enfadada, as¨ª que no esper¨¦is mucha piedad por mi parte.
En "Dark water" y posteriormente en "Ring" (primera parte de esta trilogia) el autor me sorprendi¨® con su terror sutil y sus historias adictivas y perturbadoras. En "Ring" ya hab¨ªa alguna cosilla que me hizo fruncir el ce?o, pero pude ponerla en contexto (Jap¨®n a principios de los 90's) y el resto de cosas positivas de la novela hicieron que a¨²n as¨ª disfrutase mucho del libro.
En "Spiral" la cosa ya se empez¨® a torcer. La misoginia comenz¨® a ser m¨¢s evidente y la trama se alej¨® un poco del terror a la vez que se hac¨ªa m¨¢s densa y m¨¢s repetitiva.
Creo que en "Loop" el autor ya pierde el norte completamente. El terror se deja absolutamente de lado para meternos en un giro totalmente de ciencia ficci¨®n. Ya no se trata de una historia perturbadora y oscura, sino que todo pretende tener una explicaci¨®n cient¨ªfica que en mi caso no termina de convencer. Una l¨ªnea demasiado fina separa la idea original de la fumada absoluta, y en esta ocasi¨®n la balanza se inclina demasiado hacia lo segundo. Hay alg¨²n que otro giro que podr¨ªa haber sido interesante, en el que se ve que la novela podr¨ªa haber sido mejor... Pero todo se pierde entre las partes de jerga cient¨ªfica aburrida e irrelevante, escenas que no aportan nada, cosificaci¨®n de la mujer y res¨²menes de las novelas anteriores que cortan totalmente el ritmo de la narraci¨®n.
Y ya lo que m¨¢s me ha enfadado e indignado... La figura de Sadako, el personaje m¨¢s interesante de toda la saga, queda ABSOLUTAMENTE olvidado. Pasa a ser totalmente irrelevante y todo gira en torno al personaje masculino protagonista y alg¨²n que otro personaje secundario que aporta nada y menos.
La sensaci¨®n que me ha dejado este tercer libro es la de no aportar nada y ser absolutamente innecesario.
Sinceramente... Creo que si os interesa esta historia os pod¨¦is quedar con el primero e ignorar todos los dem¨¢s. Creo que "Ring" es el ¨²nico que se lleg¨® a traducir al castellano, y visto lo visto casi que mejor. Primera vez que defiendo que una saga se quede a medio traducir. No os perd¨¦is nada con sus continuaciones.
En "Dark water" y posteriormente en "Ring" (primera parte de esta trilogia) el autor me sorprendi¨® con su terror sutil y sus historias adictivas y perturbadoras. En "Ring" ya hab¨ªa alguna cosilla que me hizo fruncir el ce?o, pero pude ponerla en contexto (Jap¨®n a principios de los 90's) y el resto de cosas positivas de la novela hicieron que a¨²n as¨ª disfrutase mucho del libro.
En "Spiral" la cosa ya se empez¨® a torcer. La misoginia comenz¨® a ser m¨¢s evidente y la trama se alej¨® un poco del terror a la vez que se hac¨ªa m¨¢s densa y m¨¢s repetitiva.
Creo que en "Loop" el autor ya pierde el norte completamente. El terror se deja absolutamente de lado para meternos en un giro totalmente de ciencia ficci¨®n. Ya no se trata de una historia perturbadora y oscura, sino que todo pretende tener una explicaci¨®n cient¨ªfica que en mi caso no termina de convencer. Una l¨ªnea demasiado fina separa la idea original de la fumada absoluta, y en esta ocasi¨®n la balanza se inclina demasiado hacia lo segundo. Hay alg¨²n que otro giro que podr¨ªa haber sido interesante, en el que se ve que la novela podr¨ªa haber sido mejor... Pero todo se pierde entre las partes de jerga cient¨ªfica aburrida e irrelevante, escenas que no aportan nada, cosificaci¨®n de la mujer y res¨²menes de las novelas anteriores que cortan totalmente el ritmo de la narraci¨®n.
Y ya lo que m¨¢s me ha enfadado e indignado... La figura de Sadako, el personaje m¨¢s interesante de toda la saga, queda ABSOLUTAMENTE olvidado. Pasa a ser totalmente irrelevante y todo gira en torno al personaje masculino protagonista y alg¨²n que otro personaje secundario que aporta nada y menos.
La sensaci¨®n que me ha dejado este tercer libro es la de no aportar nada y ser absolutamente innecesario.
Sinceramente... Creo que si os interesa esta historia os pod¨¦is quedar con el primero e ignorar todos los dem¨¢s. Creo que "Ring" es el ¨²nico que se lleg¨® a traducir al castellano, y visto lo visto casi que mejor. Primera vez que defiendo que una saga se quede a medio traducir. No os perd¨¦is nada con sus continuaciones.
December 30, 2017
An uninspiring and a disappointing YA science fiction. For most part, it goes something like this: A super genius twenty year old youth single-handedly investigates and eradicates a cancerous virus that has plagued the human race.
Although ¡°Loop¡± was hailed as the grand finale to the Ringu trilogy, in my opinion, it is, at best, nothing more than a spin-off to its predecessor ¡°Spiral¡±. Koji Suzuki obviously had a brilliant idea for the Ringu saga, which is a tough feat to do after publishing ¡°Spiral¡±, his brilliant sequel to the ¡°Ring¡±. Although his idea for the ¡°Loop¡± finale is quite interesting (and for the time it was published, quite brilliant and novel), the novel itself had two main shortcomings: (1) ¡°Loop¡± is based on metaphysical science fiction as opposed to ¡°Ring¡± and ¡°Spiral¡± that are based on supernatural/horror fiction. Therefore, core fans of the first two volumes might be disappointed by ¡°Loop¡±. I definitely was. (2) Koji Suzuki seemed to only have the general idea of what he wanted to present in ¡°Loop¡±. Unfortunately, there was no substance. He could not flush out the idea as he did in ¡°Spiral¡±. The parts in ¡°Loop¡± where he actually presents his grand idea for the finale takes, perhaps, less than 30 pages. In essence, this is quite a short story. But in order to make it a 250+ page novel, he had to add fillers, which in this case were tiresome and boring debates about the origin of life and a read into native-Indian mythology. He also provides an elaborate summary of the first two volumes. Fans of the Ringu saga will no doubt have the urge to read this one. If you enjoy reading endless philosophical rant, then you will probably enjoy this one. Otherwise, I would suggest reading a two page summary of the novel, which would suffice.
Although ¡°Loop¡± was hailed as the grand finale to the Ringu trilogy, in my opinion, it is, at best, nothing more than a spin-off to its predecessor ¡°Spiral¡±. Koji Suzuki obviously had a brilliant idea for the Ringu saga, which is a tough feat to do after publishing ¡°Spiral¡±, his brilliant sequel to the ¡°Ring¡±. Although his idea for the ¡°Loop¡± finale is quite interesting (and for the time it was published, quite brilliant and novel), the novel itself had two main shortcomings: (1) ¡°Loop¡± is based on metaphysical science fiction as opposed to ¡°Ring¡± and ¡°Spiral¡± that are based on supernatural/horror fiction. Therefore, core fans of the first two volumes might be disappointed by ¡°Loop¡±. I definitely was. (2) Koji Suzuki seemed to only have the general idea of what he wanted to present in ¡°Loop¡±. Unfortunately, there was no substance. He could not flush out the idea as he did in ¡°Spiral¡±. The parts in ¡°Loop¡± where he actually presents his grand idea for the finale takes, perhaps, less than 30 pages. In essence, this is quite a short story. But in order to make it a 250+ page novel, he had to add fillers, which in this case were tiresome and boring debates about the origin of life and a read into native-Indian mythology. He also provides an elaborate summary of the first two volumes. Fans of the Ringu saga will no doubt have the urge to read this one. If you enjoy reading endless philosophical rant, then you will probably enjoy this one. Otherwise, I would suggest reading a two page summary of the novel, which would suffice.
October 4, 2020
Boy am I disappointed. After loving Ring and Spiral, I don't really understand what Suzuki was doing here, or why this book even exists really. Sure it gives more explanation on the conclusions reached in Spiral, but at the same time, without getting into spoilers, it takes the most illogical, bizarre scientific turn than even the scientists in the book spend ages shrugging their shoulder at, unable to explain.
The first 60% of the book move so far away from the supernatural creepiness of Ring and Spiral, going fully-fledged science fiction, focusing on a virus that resembles cancer (that was originally a smallpox virus in the previous books) with no clear explanation as to why. The tape and Sadako aren't properly mentioned until about 62% in where we get a randomly placed 4 pages summary of the events of Ring and Spiral, then go straight back to the science fiction.
I think Suzuki is an excellent writer, and I thoroughly loved the first two books, I think he just lost his way a bit, and had a potentially great idea that just didn't manifest very well, and resulted in an overly stretched out, poorly executed "horror" that read more like a disjointed science fiction. I personally would recommend reading Ring and Spiral, and giving Loop a miss. Whilst this is the "finale", the ending to Spiral is condensed enough that I think it stands well as an ending if you, like me, enjoy ominous horror endings where not everything is fully "resolved" for the characters.
The first 60% of the book move so far away from the supernatural creepiness of Ring and Spiral, going fully-fledged science fiction, focusing on a virus that resembles cancer (that was originally a smallpox virus in the previous books) with no clear explanation as to why. The tape and Sadako aren't properly mentioned until about 62% in where we get a randomly placed 4 pages summary of the events of Ring and Spiral, then go straight back to the science fiction.
I think Suzuki is an excellent writer, and I thoroughly loved the first two books, I think he just lost his way a bit, and had a potentially great idea that just didn't manifest very well, and resulted in an overly stretched out, poorly executed "horror" that read more like a disjointed science fiction. I personally would recommend reading Ring and Spiral, and giving Loop a miss. Whilst this is the "finale", the ending to Spiral is condensed enough that I think it stands well as an ending if you, like me, enjoy ominous horror endings where not everything is fully "resolved" for the characters.
March 12, 2022
I do not know how to review this without spoiling anything, so I'll just keep it short and sweet.
Did you hate the ending of ? Were you also wondering how K¨ji Suzuki could put himself to sleep every night thinking he had written that thing? Well, ladies and germs, redeems that ending. It fixes it. It makes it okay. It makes it fun. It makes it make sense. It will remove that "what the frick was that" flavor lingering in your mouth.
So if you are like me and you are putting off reading the last installment of the Ring series because of Spiral's ending - I get it but give Loop a try. You will only get what is going on at the 60% mark, but when you do - oh boiii - it's worth it.
Super pleased with how it turned up. A lot of it flew over my head and this was less horror (and not creepy whatsoever) than it was (hard) sci-fi, but anyways, super pleased. I am SO happy I get to finish the series liking it. I am looking forward to grabbing the collection of short stories at some point.
*This could have been a 5 stars if it wasn't for Hideyuki's kitchen scene (iykyk) and how Kaoru went on to describe the breasts of every woman she encountered.
Did you hate the ending of ? Were you also wondering how K¨ji Suzuki could put himself to sleep every night thinking he had written that thing? Well, ladies and germs, redeems that ending. It fixes it. It makes it okay. It makes it fun. It makes it make sense. It will remove that "what the frick was that" flavor lingering in your mouth.
So if you are like me and you are putting off reading the last installment of the Ring series because of Spiral's ending - I get it but give Loop a try. You will only get what is going on at the 60% mark, but when you do - oh boiii - it's worth it.
Super pleased with how it turned up. A lot of it flew over my head and this was less horror (and not creepy whatsoever) than it was (hard) sci-fi, but anyways, super pleased. I am SO happy I get to finish the series liking it. I am looking forward to grabbing the collection of short stories at some point.
*This could have been a 5 stars if it wasn't for Hideyuki's kitchen scene (iykyk) and how Kaoru went on to describe the breasts of every woman she encountered.
August 19, 2012
From supernatural horror, to science fiction, and then to philosophy, the Ring trilogy is perhaps the queerest series I've read thus far. Not that I didn't enjoy the books immensely.
Loop is a number of surprising twists that are not only woven into the fabric of the plot of Loop, but also the preceding titles. I had hated Takayama at the end of Spiral, but the best twist in Loop (in my opinion) not only redeemed the character, but presented an entirely different perspective on him.
The only misgiving I have about Loop is that it gets too technical in some parts, resulting in me having trouble processing the story.
Come to think of it, it is quite disheartening that the Ring movie series did not successfully present the original story as intended in the novels, which I feel is so much richer.
Loop is a number of surprising twists that are not only woven into the fabric of the plot of Loop, but also the preceding titles. I had hated Takayama at the end of Spiral, but the best twist in Loop (in my opinion) not only redeemed the character, but presented an entirely different perspective on him.
The only misgiving I have about Loop is that it gets too technical in some parts, resulting in me having trouble processing the story.
Come to think of it, it is quite disheartening that the Ring movie series did not successfully present the original story as intended in the novels, which I feel is so much richer.
August 4, 2008
The final official installment of the "Ring" trilogy. Suzuki takes us off into the land of Phillip K. Dick, where the life of the people in the Ring is more than you ever thought it was and reality itself is twisted. While I at times though, "God, what a copout," in the end I still really liked it.
I see exactly why this could have ever been made into a movie. Similar to the Doctor Who novel "Fear Itself," it relies on literary conceits (like not knowing what people look like) that can never be translated into a visual medium.
Overall, glad I read it.
I see exactly why this could have ever been made into a movie. Similar to the Doctor Who novel "Fear Itself," it relies on literary conceits (like not knowing what people look like) that can never be translated into a visual medium.
Overall, glad I read it.
August 1, 2014
I HATED this book. The whole concept started to unravel with the second book, and, in Suzuki's desire to unhold his credo of "you don't know The Ring" he let it get completely out of hand. I have no idea what this book is about, the point he was trying to make, what is happening half and time or how it ended.
This book was horrendously disappointing, considering the quality of the first one. Do not read this.
This book was horrendously disappointing, considering the quality of the first one. Do not read this.
February 7, 2021
Un romanzo che sembra scritto appositamente per giustificare alcune situazioni "zoppicanti" del secondo volume della saga. Bella l'idea, ma sviluppata male. Pesa anche il fatto che l'inizio sia lento e costellato da tonnellate di infodump.
July 22, 2011
Warning: While there are no spoilers for Loop, it is impossible to adequately review this book with giving massive spoilers for Ring and Spiral If you have not read the first two books of the Ring trilogy you might want to skip this.
No? Then onward.
Most everyone knows the plot of Ring due to the popularity of the movie of the same name. People watch a video and die seven days later. The first book is mainly in the horror genre and of the supernatural realm. Spiral turns that on its head. We discover that the video installs a virus in the viewer that is quickly mutating. All of the sudden, we are now reading a technological horror thriller of the medical variety.
But Suzuki is not finished. He now gives us Loop amd we once again are thrown off the cliff in this convoluted trilogy. Our new protagionist is Kaoru, a bright young man in a world with an unstoppable cancer threatening the human race. Where this ends up I will not say but we are 180 degree from Ring and in a world similiar to what Crichton may have written, except Suzuki can actually write. Loop weaves and punches all the way through, leaving the reader spinning on the mat. This is a winning novel that surprises and rewards even though the reader may be disoriented by the way it veers from the original. But it veers masterly and with few holes and perfect logic. Koji Suziki may or may not be the Japanese Stephen King. But, as much as I love King, I've never seen King writes with this much intelligence or finesse. The author writes Loop in a way that it stands alone but I highly recommend you read all three books in chronological order to get the full wonderful effect.
No? Then onward.
Most everyone knows the plot of Ring due to the popularity of the movie of the same name. People watch a video and die seven days later. The first book is mainly in the horror genre and of the supernatural realm. Spiral turns that on its head. We discover that the video installs a virus in the viewer that is quickly mutating. All of the sudden, we are now reading a technological horror thriller of the medical variety.
But Suzuki is not finished. He now gives us Loop amd we once again are thrown off the cliff in this convoluted trilogy. Our new protagionist is Kaoru, a bright young man in a world with an unstoppable cancer threatening the human race. Where this ends up I will not say but we are 180 degree from Ring and in a world similiar to what Crichton may have written, except Suzuki can actually write. Loop weaves and punches all the way through, leaving the reader spinning on the mat. This is a winning novel that surprises and rewards even though the reader may be disoriented by the way it veers from the original. But it veers masterly and with few holes and perfect logic. Koji Suziki may or may not be the Japanese Stephen King. But, as much as I love King, I've never seen King writes with this much intelligence or finesse. The author writes Loop in a way that it stands alone but I highly recommend you read all three books in chronological order to get the full wonderful effect.
January 21, 2010
I read The Ring and Spiral a while back and couldn't really remember much about what happened but that's ok as half way through there's a whole summary chapter recounting the events from the previous stories. Rather superfluous perhaps though in this case I couldn't complain.
After a long, slow prologue we jump forward a decade and everything grinds to a further halt. We're stuck sharing the sympathies (the few of them he has) of an irritating main character. Despite his lowly status as a medical student he seems remarkably up to date and conversant with complex physics and evolutionary biology and comes across very smug and childish. He has no patience for anyone else's viewpoint, especially those he supposedly loves and at times makes remarkable leaps of thought with no basis.
This would have got one star except I really liked the concepts at work tying everything together. It improves when the story switches to the US though the storytelling falls apart and it turns into extensive exposition. Still, the concepts and the grander universe created are intriguing. Maybe something's been lost in translation somewhere along the line. If you've read the other two and want to know how it ends then it's worth reading, otherwise skip it.
After a long, slow prologue we jump forward a decade and everything grinds to a further halt. We're stuck sharing the sympathies (the few of them he has) of an irritating main character. Despite his lowly status as a medical student he seems remarkably up to date and conversant with complex physics and evolutionary biology and comes across very smug and childish. He has no patience for anyone else's viewpoint, especially those he supposedly loves and at times makes remarkable leaps of thought with no basis.
This would have got one star except I really liked the concepts at work tying everything together. It improves when the story switches to the US though the storytelling falls apart and it turns into extensive exposition. Still, the concepts and the grander universe created are intriguing. Maybe something's been lost in translation somewhere along the line. If you've read the other two and want to know how it ends then it's worth reading, otherwise skip it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2016
I'm lost for words with this book, it went in the most unexpected direction that I think I've ever experienced. I can't even tell you if that's a good or bad thing!
I can't tell you anything about the plot, as even a small amount would be a spoiler. This book has blown my mind, but I don't know how to rate it. I'm not sure whether the direction the author has taken is awe inspiring or disappointing. What I do know is that this review will be useless for any thinking of reading Loop.
I have got a feeling that I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about this book. In fact, just through writing this I'm revising my initial 3 star to a 4 stars. However I still can't tell you how I feel!
I can't tell you anything about the plot, as even a small amount would be a spoiler. This book has blown my mind, but I don't know how to rate it. I'm not sure whether the direction the author has taken is awe inspiring or disappointing. What I do know is that this review will be useless for any thinking of reading Loop.
I have got a feeling that I'm going to spend a lot of time thinking about this book. In fact, just through writing this I'm revising my initial 3 star to a 4 stars. However I still can't tell you how I feel!
January 17, 2023
Again, Suzuki blows me away. This book can be read as a standalone, but is really best if read after Ring and Spiral. There was a point in this book where I said to myself "this is good, but how does it connect to the other boo...OH MY F***ING GOD"
One thing is for sure, the implications in Loop are far scarier than anything Sadako could have done.
One thing is for sure, the implications in Loop are far scarier than anything Sadako could have done.
July 26, 2021
Batshit nuts.
If you threw the Matrix sequels, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and The End of Evangelion into a blender...you might get something akin to Loop.
If Spiral recast the story of Ring in terms of modern biology, then Loop recasts Spiral as apocalyptic (weirdly prescient?) science fiction.
Koji Suzuki conjures up a world ravaged by killer viruses, and filled with hyper-powered sentient digital simulations, retreats into atavistic superstition, and conspiratorial paranoia. Sound...a bit too familiar? This was published in Japan back in 1998, but the gonzo vision here feels about 20 years ahead of its time.
This is also (inexplicably) the most polished book of the Ring trilogy. The writing is sharper and better focused, and the plot, while basically fuck-nuts, actually coheres better than its more mundane predecessors. Even when Loop veers into the sort of mind-bending territory typically occupied by sci-fi gurus like Cixin Liu and Philip K. Dick, it still manages to be engaging and maintain a humane core in ways that Ring and Spiral struggled to do.
There's still the eye-rollingly bad writing about women, and while a bit less monotonous than in the previous volumes...it's still gross.
What the hell happened to Suzuki in the 7 year span when this trilogy was published? This story was originally about a VHS tape that kills you a week after you watch it. By the end of it...we're conceptually a couple of galaxies away from that pulpy premise.
I can't think of any trilogy of novels I've ever read that have evolved in such stark, unexpected ways.
If you threw the Matrix sequels, William Gibson's Neuromancer, and The End of Evangelion into a blender...you might get something akin to Loop.
If Spiral recast the story of Ring in terms of modern biology, then Loop recasts Spiral as apocalyptic (weirdly prescient?) science fiction.
Koji Suzuki conjures up a world ravaged by killer viruses, and filled with hyper-powered sentient digital simulations, retreats into atavistic superstition, and conspiratorial paranoia. Sound...a bit too familiar? This was published in Japan back in 1998, but the gonzo vision here feels about 20 years ahead of its time.
This is also (inexplicably) the most polished book of the Ring trilogy. The writing is sharper and better focused, and the plot, while basically fuck-nuts, actually coheres better than its more mundane predecessors. Even when Loop veers into the sort of mind-bending territory typically occupied by sci-fi gurus like Cixin Liu and Philip K. Dick, it still manages to be engaging and maintain a humane core in ways that Ring and Spiral struggled to do.
There's still the eye-rollingly bad writing about women, and while a bit less monotonous than in the previous volumes...it's still gross.
What the hell happened to Suzuki in the 7 year span when this trilogy was published? This story was originally about a VHS tape that kills you a week after you watch it. By the end of it...we're conceptually a couple of galaxies away from that pulpy premise.
I can't think of any trilogy of novels I've ever read that have evolved in such stark, unexpected ways.
April 7, 2024
(re-read) ??????????????????
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2. ??????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? objectify ?????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????????????? (?????????????????) ?????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????
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4. ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????/???????????????
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6. ??????????????????? ??????????????????????? ????????????????
1. ??????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? (?????????????????????????????????????????????????????) ??????????????????????? (???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????) ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (???????????) ??????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (???????????? ???????????????????????????????)
2. ??????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? objectify ?????????????? ??????????????? ??????????????????????? (?????????????????) ?????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????
3. ??????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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March 13, 2015
Even though the book was complicated, with many medical terms and scientific explorations and explanations that were difficult to easily digest, I still enjoyed reading this because it went beyond my expectation,
Suzuki Koji never failed to amaze me! I will be looking foward into reading the Ring 4: Birthday!
December 24, 2018
In this conclusion to the Ring series (#3), the story arc again takes another turn. I found it quite fascinating but it's now transitioned more and more into the realm of sci-fi or speculative fiction and really can't be considered horror anymore. I think pure horror fans would understandably find this disappointing. While I can't say the writing and pacing were excellent, I really liked the way the writer so cleverly expanded the storyline.
One thing about this instalment is that Suzuki repeats a lot of the first two books. My guess is he didn't want people reading this as a standalone to not be able to follow what was going on. I found the reminders helpful but other readers may not agree. [Rating: 3.75*]
Note: Overall, I enjoyed reading the whole series and finished the three books in about 5 days.
One thing about this instalment is that Suzuki repeats a lot of the first two books. My guess is he didn't want people reading this as a standalone to not be able to follow what was going on. I found the reminders helpful but other readers may not agree. [Rating: 3.75*]
Note: Overall, I enjoyed reading the whole series and finished the three books in about 5 days.
January 31, 2020
*MINOR SPOILERS*
This book certainly was different than it predecessors. While the writing itself was consistent with the earlier books, it was odd and disconcerting that the first 60% wasn't anything like Ring or Spiral, but was instead all about cancer and viruses and science and gravity. No real horror or Sci-fi elements. Then, the book goes off in really unexpected directions, proving to have a bizarre connection to the series. It honestly felt more like the way Hollywood decides to make a sequel to successful movies and comes up with a weird tangential connection to justify continuing the series many years later. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Blake Crouch's "Wayward Pines" series, where books 2 and 3 divert significantly from the first book. I can't say I was a big fan of where this story led.
This book certainly was different than it predecessors. While the writing itself was consistent with the earlier books, it was odd and disconcerting that the first 60% wasn't anything like Ring or Spiral, but was instead all about cancer and viruses and science and gravity. No real horror or Sci-fi elements. Then, the book goes off in really unexpected directions, proving to have a bizarre connection to the series. It honestly felt more like the way Hollywood decides to make a sequel to successful movies and comes up with a weird tangential connection to justify continuing the series many years later. In a lot of ways it reminded me of Blake Crouch's "Wayward Pines" series, where books 2 and 3 divert significantly from the first book. I can't say I was a big fan of where this story led.
December 3, 2020
2020 reread:
Okay, A, this sure hit different reading during a pandemic. The trippiest of the original trilogy, this book was still a great read, though I have some issues with Suzuki's portrayal of women. (Like isn't Kaoru kinda rape-y with Reiko??)
I enjoy the fun Suzuki poked at the premise of the Ring being juvenile and fictional, then to have, you know, the premise of this one.
On to read "Happy Birthday" now that Loop is fresh in my mind, and, at long last, "Es."
Original read:
Whelp, that was fucking cool. This whole trilogy kept amping up the stakes with each book, this one may be my absolute favorite.
Shame it took so long to read.
Okay, A, this sure hit different reading during a pandemic. The trippiest of the original trilogy, this book was still a great read, though I have some issues with Suzuki's portrayal of women. (Like isn't Kaoru kinda rape-y with Reiko??)
I enjoy the fun Suzuki poked at the premise of the Ring being juvenile and fictional, then to have, you know, the premise of this one.
On to read "Happy Birthday" now that Loop is fresh in my mind, and, at long last, "Es."
Original read:
Whelp, that was fucking cool. This whole trilogy kept amping up the stakes with each book, this one may be my absolute favorite.
Shame it took so long to read.
November 10, 2020
"The images on the tape had not been created mechanically, by a television camera or any similar device. Instead, the individual responsible had utilized his or her own psychological power to project them directly onto the videotape. Psychic photography, ¡°thoughtography¡±. Psychic power had imprinted those images onto a blank tape that had been left in the VCR by pure chance. The Loop was a closed world. Going strictly by the physical laws that obtained there, such a thing was not possible. That wasn¡¯t the way the set-up worked. Kaoru began to feel as if he were watching a movie¡ªa well-made one, to be sure, but based on some pretty juvenile premises."
February 21, 2021
I don¡¯t even know where to begin. It¡¯s hard not to spoil this book, so I¡¯m going to keep it short.
¡®Loop¡¯ is essentially the by-product of Koji Suzuki¡¯s acid trip after watching ¡®The Matrix¡¯ and thinking ¡°okay, but make it Ring.¡±
Yes, ¡®Loop¡¯ had moments where my mind was blown ¨C there were twists and turns that I didn¡¯t expect. However, nothing really happened in this book ¨C it felt like filler chapter after filler chapter. There was some connection to these chapters at the end, but did we really need 200+ pages of it?
In the end, Suzuki¡¯s inability to logically explain the ¡®Ring Virus¡¯ brings the original trilogy to its knees.
¡®Loop¡¯ is essentially the by-product of Koji Suzuki¡¯s acid trip after watching ¡®The Matrix¡¯ and thinking ¡°okay, but make it Ring.¡±
Yes, ¡®Loop¡¯ had moments where my mind was blown ¨C there were twists and turns that I didn¡¯t expect. However, nothing really happened in this book ¨C it felt like filler chapter after filler chapter. There was some connection to these chapters at the end, but did we really need 200+ pages of it?
In the end, Suzuki¡¯s inability to logically explain the ¡®Ring Virus¡¯ brings the original trilogy to its knees.
August 14, 2023
Stupid. The first book was intriguing, the second one was genuinely creepy, this on started out so strong and then fell into the depths of absolute nonsense. The author got too caught up trying to write "gotcha!" plot twists that he forgot to make it both interesting and a sequel to the books prior. There was no reason for this to have been part of the Ring series. Every mystery it "answered" was a made up dilemma introduced in this book and this book alone. I think he wrote a different book and then realized he had this one due so he just changed some names and phoned it in. It was such a disappointing read. I'm truly mad about this one. Such a disappointment.
June 12, 2021
?ioje dalyje atsiskleid?ia dar daugiau ?domi? siu?eto vingi?.
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