Reviews

The Crimson Labyrinth by Yusuke Kishi

hotsake's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a very entertaining read. The tagline said this was like Battle Royale but really it was closer to Survivor. I wouldn't really call this a horror novel but more of an action-adventure tale of survival. The pacing was good throughout with it only fizzling out a little during the wrap-up.

embo's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.25

jennadoyle's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense

4.0

greyreads's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

thenthememoriesfade's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

vivian_bookaholic's review against another edition

4.0

Trò chơi sinh tử rùng rợn - lựa chọn của chính bạn quyết định số mạng bạn trong trò chơi!

Một nhóm người sau khi tỉnh lại phát hiện mình ở một nơi xa lạ, mất đi một phần trí nhớ, trong trạng thái khó hiểu về mọi thứ xung quanh mà bắt đầu tham gia vào trò chơi giành một vé sinh tử cho chính mình.

1/3 khúc đầu cốt truyện khá là nhàn, chưa có cao trào gì nhiều, chỉ miêu tả cách thức , luật lệ chơi, cách từng nhóm dần dần tìm đến đích đến, mà chủ yếu là nhóm của anh nhân vật chính trong truyện. Quả thật một sự lựa chọn cơ bản ngay từ giây phút đầu tiên bắt đầu cuộc chơi sẽ quyết định toàn bộ vận mệnh của từng nhóm bọn họ trong suốt cuộc hành trình. Mãi đến nửa phần sau của câu chuyện, mọi thứ mới bắt đầu lên cao trào khi các nhóm bắt đầu tàn sát lẫn nhau, thậm chí xử lý nhau theo kiểu...rất kinh dị mà mình đọc mà hồi hộp theo từng trang luôn!

Nói chung, theo mình cốt truyện khá hấp dẫn. Càng về sau thì mình càng đọc không dứt ra được, và thực sự là dù có đọc đến tận chương cuối vẫn không thể đoán được ý đồ của trò chơi này là gì, bạn phải đọc đến tận trang cuối cùng mới hiểu rõ tường tận được tất cả.

Điểm trừ duy nhất : Sự tương tác của các nhóm tham gia trò chơi không nhiều. Mình muốn thấy nhiều sự chạm mặt, gặp gỡ, đụng độ tranh giành của các nhóm hơn.

Rate: 4/5 sao.

noleek's review

dark informative 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

4.0

This made me just want to reread Battle Royale. I gave it extra points because of how thoroughly and well planned the research was.

trudilibrarian's review

3.0

I was so psyched to get my hands on a copy of this book. I mean, the premise is AWESOME. It's [b:The Running Man|11607|The Running Man|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333160557s/11607.jpg|3652165] meets [b:Battle Royale|57891|Battle Royale|Koushun Takami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331235272s/57891.jpg|2786327] with smatterings of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337857402s/2767052.jpg|2792775] running all through it. I just can't get enough of these demented dystopias of staged survival competitions destined for public consumption played in extremis to satiate society's blood lust. In his review Gavin writes: "humanity knows no bounds for violence in a voyeuristic capacity" and isn't that the truth? My favorite of all these stories is Stephen King's Bachman novel - [b:The Long Walk|9014|The Long Walk|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309212400s/9014.jpg|522169]. I've read nothing that comes close to King's imagining of such a deathly scenario, this book included.

Nevertheless, [b:The Crimson Labyrinth|55448|The Crimson Labyrinth|Yusuke Kishi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320402814s/55448.jpg|54034] is still quite good, with lots of pulpy action and nail-biting peril. Japanese horror writer Yusuke Kishi puts his own spin on the "deadly games" theme by introducing some pretty twisted plot elements I haven't seen before. I also enjoyed how he takes his time building the suspense. The first half of the novel is a man vs. nature survival scenario with a group of people pitted more against their environment than against each other. Kishi shows a fondness for details, describing the landscape, food, and other items and information the group collects from each of their "checkpoints".

This is a "game", but the players don't know how they got to be where they are, or more importantly why. The why remains a mystery until the very end, and some readers may be underwhelmed by the explanation. I thought it was a fairly interesting twist, but came a little too close to the end out of nowhere almost as an afterthought with no real confirmation to send you away with a satisfying "a-ha" feeling. Still, Kishi presents a very tantalizing possibility.

Character development is at a minimum here and I would have liked to get the story from more points of view rather than the two main characters, especially from those characters who meet such unpleasant ends. Details please. What is lacking in character though, Kishi makes up for in style and action. This is quite the thrilling, adrenaline ride. Not the best I've read in the genre, but I am definitely recommending it!!!!

codeliusthe2nd's review

4.0

A very quick and entertaining read that had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

unluckycat13's review

Extremely, extremely sexist. Author writes women in a cringe inducing way which objectifies them for the main character, who is also not particularly likable.