Rating: 
Summary: Send the translators on a writing course
Review: I wouldn't dispute that it's a great story, and the translation may well be accurate, but only a very bad writer would ever use phrases like "Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine what awaited him there" and its ilk, unless writing for a pre-teen audience. I suspect that the translators majored in Japanese rather than English Literature. Mind you, that's fairly impressive in itself.
Despite that, still a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good...
Review: I'd have to say it was a really good book, only the japanese names drove me nuts, i kept on forgetting who was who, but overall it explained the movie somewhat, even though the plot was a little different, definitely worth reading!
Rating: 
Summary: A Look into Modern Japanese Literature
Review: I've been sneaking around bookstores and websites for the last few months and checking out "Ring" and I finally bought it a few weeks ago. I could barely contain myself as I began to read the first chapter, I realized most my excitement came from the fact I had seen "The Ring" and definitly wanted some more insight on the source material (although I haven't seen "Ringu" yet). "Ring" is exactly that, a unique twist on the story we all know and love.The writing style, although what some people say, is to the point. Not to much description (In fact, Suzuki does describe the main character's pyschial apperance much at all) but enough to keep you from feeling as if the book is rushed. Then again, as Asakawa's seven day period spirals down to the final day, I do feel that the characters are struggling to find answers to the videotape that started. While the movies deal more with the videotape itself and its images, "Ring" goes more into the story behind the tape and takes a completely different direction from the movies. I found myself re-reading parts and saying "What?!" in surprise. Overall, this book is good if your looking for somewhere to start the Ring franchise and simply to expand on your Ring knowledge. I highly suggest it to anyone who wants more Ring goodness or a smart thriller/mystery (I read it in two days!).
Rating:
Summary: CREEEEPY!
Review: IF THERE IS ONE BOOK THAT I REALLY LIKED, IT WOULD BE RING. I'M SURE YOU'VE SEEN THE RING MOVIE AND MAYBE SEEN IT'S MUCH BETTER ORIGINAL, RINGU, BUT, GEEE... THIS IS SO MUCH DIFFERENT! FIRST OF ALL, ASAKAWA IS A MAN! YA KNOW, THE REPORTER, MAIN CHARACTER? SECONDLY, SADAKO, THAT CREEPY LITTLE BLACK HAIRED GIRL, IS ANYTHING BUT CREEPY. SHE IS A SEDUCTRESS TYPE PERSON, WITH EVIL POWERS. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENCES THAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN. BUT, IF YOU LIKE THE MOVIES, CHECK THIS OUT. I GIVE IT THUMBS UP. 5 STARS. WHATEVER. JUST READ IT.
I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND THIS BOOK TO YOUNGER READERS, MOSTLY TOWARD AN OLDER AUDIENCE, DUE TO ADULT CONTENT.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy read
Review: It is entertaining, but lacks a certain intelectual quality that one looks for in a novel. Drags on a bit, but an easy read.
Rating: 
Summary: Scary ideas
Review: It is hard to review Ring, by Koji Suzuki without mentioning the film versions from both Japan and the USA. It was the popularity of these films that provided the push to have a translated version of the novel printed for the fans in the US. The initial story line remains intact in the films, the differences being a bit of dumbing down in regards to the history behind the cursed video tape, a change in the meaning of the title. As well as the addition of more sympathetic, if not more interesting characters.
This being said the novel engages us with questions of morality, creation, and the power of belief. True the text sometimes suffers in translation but the seeds for the rather complex origin for the cursed tape are sown for the very start of the novel. It leaves us with questions of the nature of evil on a biological and spiritual level. This is further expressed through the initially cold main character Asakawa, his seemingly moral less friend Ryuji. If at times in the novel Ryuji seems to be a Dues ex Machina, it is perhaps because he is more a missing part of his friend Asakawa. This would fit well with the novel's ideas of halves and wholes, but really it is for the reader to decide. Like some of the best horror fiction Ring leaves you with more questions then answers and stays with you long after the last page. I would love to read the next two books in the trilogy, lets hope we in the US get to see were Suzuki was headed.
Rating:
Summary: DAMN!
Review: It starts off scary. Then the scare goes away. But when it comes back, WATCH OUT!
Rating:
Summary: If you liked the movie, you'll absolutely love the book
Review: Koji Suzuki is the Stephen King of Japan! His writing is amazing! I saw the movies; both Ring and Ringu, and had to read the book. It's a little pricy, but the paperback is coming out! I thought it was so good, I have to read the sequal, Spiral also coming out in April! I think it's a great book for adults as well as pre- teens and teens!
Rating:
Summary: Whoa...
Review: Koji Suzuki, Ring (Vertical, 1991)
So you've seen The Ring. Or, better yet, the Japanese film Ringu. Or both. (You should watch both. See Ringu first.) Or you haven't. It doesn't matter. You must read Ring. The story is relatively similar, but both Nakata and Verbinski took very large liberties with the original text (for example, both made Asakawa's character female-- which allowed the world to get weak-kneed at seeing Nanako Matsushima and Naomi Watts gracing screens again, but was otherwise seemingly gratuitous), including some major messing with the backstory. So if you've seen the films, the book will be familiar, but will still end up being a whole new experience. Asakawa is a reporter. He was disgraced a couple of years ago during a sudden, unexplained outburst of popularity of stories about the occult in Japan (though you don't find out exactly how early on). One night, on the way home, he catches a cab, and he and the driver strike up a conversation about an event that happened a month previously to the cabdriver: a kid on a motorbike died of sudden heart failure. The death is eerily similar to that of Asakawa's niece on the same night. And from that coincidence, Asakawa starts to research the connection between the two deaths, which turns out to be far more than he bargained for. What made for a creepily effective thriller on screen actually reads more like a hardboiled detective thriller (those familiar with the premise will note the obvious similarity to certain crime films of the past, notably D. O. A.). Suzuki keeps the horrors even farther offscreen than did Nakata (and the difference in the "revelation" at the end will surely startle those who are expecting the same kind of special-effects extravaganza Nakata used as a payoff), focusing on the mystery and the bond between Asakawa and his best friend, Ryuji, who gets involved in the investigation with him. The book's flaws are minor, and conducive to mystery writing. Asakawa's edtor is a dead ringer for Tony Vincenzo (the editor in "Kolchak: The Night Stalker"), and a few of the other minor characters are about as shallow. Still, there are less obvious "kill me" characters running around, and the minor characters aren't really given enough screen time to make it an issue. Compelling, well-written, expertly translated, and full of twists, even for those who have seen the movie. Highly recommended, and a shoo-in for this year's ten-best list. **** ½
Rating:
Summary: Excellent as a supplement to the movies, or by itself!
Review: Like so many others, I read this after seeing both The Ring and Ringu. However, with several months gap between the experiences, I was able to start this book with only the faintest memories of the movies, other than the lingering fear that refuses to disperse to this day. Besides having a story and plot that will suck you in deep with all its twists and turns, it's also an interesting glimpse at modern Japanese culture. Westerners will spot the differences imediately, both in way Suzuki-san's words were translated and in the cultural peculiarities themselves. However, as with Ringu, I believe this only enhances the effect of the story; the slightly foreign feel both adding to the unease one feels and letting us pull away just enough so that we feel we are only skimming the surface of something greater. Indeed, as Asakawa and Ryuji (and consequently, the readers) spiral closer and closer to learning the true nature of Sadako's (Samara's) curse, we find that it's something far greater than anyone can possibley imagine. It's terrifying in it's simplicity, yet the scope of what it can lead to is so large that it boggles the mind. Nothing about this book is predictable, even if you read it soon after seeing the films. The basic plot may be the same, but the ideas and concepts it encompases are wildly different and hold you glued to the page until the very last word. The scientific explanations are all written and explained so as to be easily understood by any reader, but at no time (unlike some American pieces) does the author talk down to his reader. The characters, while restrained in a way that only the Japanese can be, still hold your attention and make you WANT them to live, even the dispicable Ryuji. A thoroughly enjoyable read, whether you enjoy mystery/horror or not!
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