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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is definitely one of those classic horrors it’s hard not to love. However, the misogyny is pretty strong in this book which I do not love.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book fan fun until it wasnt👻
2.5/5
Several years back, I binged every single film, both Japanese and English, of 'Ring' and 'The Grudge' that I could get my hands on over the course of a week. Why, you ask? One, I get nightmares once every three to six months, if I get any at all, so when it comes to horror, unlike how it is with my energy levels or digestive tract, I rarely have to pay for my indulgences. Two, the first US version of 'Ring' is still one of the best horror films I have ever seen, and the inevitable adulteration that occurred in successive sequels couldn't completely mask the first's diabolical influence. Three, as I've probably said elsewhere, while, these days, most mysteries are hardly mysterious and most horror relies almost entirely on jumpscare to get their dread on, combinations of the two, when done both uniquely and well (see the relatively recent film adaptations of Waters' [b:The Little Stranger|7234875|The Little Stranger|Sarah Waters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407105269l/7234875._SY75_.jpg|5769396] and Jackson's [b:The Haunting of Hill House|89717|The Haunting of Hill House|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327871336l/89717._SY75_.jpg|3627]), reach a special level of terror that stick with, even haunt, you years after, until one thing or another inspires you to return and revel in the old and discover the new. Nine years ago, I digitally committed to reading this work, and thanks to my habitual sacrificing of the horror and/or mystery sections for the sake of more time with other genres, it took me nine years and a drastic book sale miscategorization for me to acquire a copy of this. Flash forward a few months, and this proves a perfect candidate for my focus on modern day works that have been on one shelf or another for far too long.
Now, I will admit that my rating has been compromised by that fact that my fraternization on certain Wiki pages had spoiled me of certain key particulars. There is also the more important matter that, these days, so that particular trope was dead in the water before it even reared its head. Still, it was fascinating to note the differences between the myriad narratives I've audio-visually experienced over the years and the original material. Using the already referenced US adaptation of the first Japanese film, while that particular rendition is certainly less complex than the original material, it also doesn't rely so heavily on the narrative's more peanut-gallery-thrills aspects. Indeed, the film's overall toning down of the cloying machismo and resultant womb-terror that saturates the written text leaves in its place the kind of tautly strong and fiercely flexible backbone that the longest surviving fairy tales are often equipped with: simple in concept, undeniable in its results. Still, while that's the sort of thing I can appreciate in my films and the slimmer sort of finely crafted written material, I don't mind tumbling down a rabbit hole a two in my books, and I've acquired enough confidence in my base level critical reading skills that, if the much-foreshadowed sequel to this ever crosses my path in a reasonably priced package, I'd more likely than not pick it up. Variety is the spice of life, and while I don't see myself returning to the limited-by-necessity horror-packed reading days of my youth, it wouldn't hurt to every once in a while scratch the otherwise much neglected itch with something that wasn't a complete waste of time.
So, insipid tropes aside, this work managed to hold up relatively well over the near decade it took me to get around to it. The world of Sadako and co. has its morbid charms, and I did appreciate the various contextualizings, both historical and otherwise, that invoked recollections of things such as post-WWII white occupation of non-white countries, ancient Buddhist figures of power, and, weirdly enough, Mann's [b:The Magic Mountain|88077|The Magic Mountain|Thomas Mann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403170928l/88077._SY75_.jpg|647489]. It wasn't enough to renew my once regular intake of horror and its tangential genres in my reading, but it did demonstrate to me once again that, every so often, the mass media pop culture machine gets it right, and a creative work that steadily took imaginations by storm in the year I was born still has a significant amount of power nearly thirty years later. Indeed, after years chipping away at various vaunted calcifications of the written word and never finding the results anywhere near as holistically qualified as I had been led to believe, I'm beginning to think that these brief jaunts I take into the much sniffed at mortal planes of reading material are good for me, or at least for my overall sense of perspective. Commit yourself to reading only what people tell you, in one way or another, to read, and, eventually, you won't have anything of yourself left to read with.
Several years back, I binged every single film, both Japanese and English, of 'Ring' and 'The Grudge' that I could get my hands on over the course of a week. Why, you ask? One, I get nightmares once every three to six months, if I get any at all, so when it comes to horror, unlike how it is with my energy levels or digestive tract, I rarely have to pay for my indulgences. Two, the first US version of 'Ring' is still one of the best horror films I have ever seen, and the inevitable adulteration that occurred in successive sequels couldn't completely mask the first's diabolical influence. Three, as I've probably said elsewhere, while, these days, most mysteries are hardly mysterious and most horror relies almost entirely on jumpscare to get their dread on, combinations of the two, when done both uniquely and well (see the relatively recent film adaptations of Waters' [b:The Little Stranger|7234875|The Little Stranger|Sarah Waters|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1407105269l/7234875._SY75_.jpg|5769396] and Jackson's [b:The Haunting of Hill House|89717|The Haunting of Hill House|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327871336l/89717._SY75_.jpg|3627]), reach a special level of terror that stick with, even haunt, you years after, until one thing or another inspires you to return and revel in the old and discover the new. Nine years ago, I digitally committed to reading this work, and thanks to my habitual sacrificing of the horror and/or mystery sections for the sake of more time with other genres, it took me nine years and a drastic book sale miscategorization for me to acquire a copy of this. Flash forward a few months, and this proves a perfect candidate for my focus on modern day works that have been on one shelf or another for far too long.
Now, I will admit that my rating has been compromised by that fact that my fraternization on certain Wiki pages had spoiled me of certain key particulars. There is also the more important matter that, these days,
Spoiler
I have no time for cis/dyadic/perisex mumbo jumbo voyeurism porn,Spoiler
queerphobicSo, insipid tropes aside, this work managed to hold up relatively well over the near decade it took me to get around to it. The world of Sadako and co. has its morbid charms, and I did appreciate the various contextualizings, both historical and otherwise, that invoked recollections of things such as post-WWII white occupation of non-white countries, ancient Buddhist figures of power, and, weirdly enough, Mann's [b:The Magic Mountain|88077|The Magic Mountain|Thomas Mann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403170928l/88077._SY75_.jpg|647489]. It wasn't enough to renew my once regular intake of horror and its tangential genres in my reading, but it did demonstrate to me once again that, every so often, the mass media pop culture machine gets it right, and a creative work that steadily took imaginations by storm in the year I was born still has a significant amount of power nearly thirty years later. Indeed, after years chipping away at various vaunted calcifications of the written word and never finding the results anywhere near as holistically qualified as I had been led to believe, I'm beginning to think that these brief jaunts I take into the much sniffed at mortal planes of reading material are good for me, or at least for my overall sense of perspective. Commit yourself to reading only what people tell you, in one way or another, to read, and, eventually, you won't have anything of yourself left to read with.
A tore through this book very quickly and it took me a while to figure out one of the main plot point reasonings, which kept my interest and I enjoyed. You really get a feel for the locations the narrator is in as a lot of detail takes you through his travel to and from places. I enjoyed that as it gave me sense of place, culture, and precious time the narrator didn't have while traveling to build the slow anxious feeling. There were only a few small sections that got my heart racing, but they were all placed well enough to keep my interest. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of the trilogy.
My main and really only complaint is the entire part about Sadako having male genitalia and that being so important in the reasoning of certain story points.
My main and really only complaint is the entire part about Sadako having male genitalia and that being so important in the reasoning of certain story points.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Violence
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No