5 stars for Kaleidoscope of Death (Like a Dream book 1) by Xi Zi Xu |《死亡万花筒》入梦【上】西子绪著.
It has been a long time since I read a Chinese novel. I read this novel because I watched the Chinese drama, The Spirealm |《致命游戏》. I like the drama story so much that I watched it twice successively. But somehow, I find that it is still not enough. Then I realised why - I want very much to know the original story that was penned by the author, not just the one that has been re-scripted by the drama production team. So, I went ahead to place my order to buy the books and read them for myself. It is never too late to start reading the original work.
Indeed, the Chinese drama, The Spirealm |《致命游戏》originates from a suspenseful online novel, Kaleidoscope of Death |《死亡万花筒》written by author Xi Zi Xu. It is serialized in Jinjiang Literature City. The full text has a total of 857,083 words and has been completed. It tells the story of a man called Lin Qiushi who accidentally entered a strange world called "Door". Behind each door lies a different horror scene and life-and-death test. Due to its popularity, the story is now available in dead tree version. The box set is divided into two volumes, Like a Dream |《入梦》and Break the Cocoon |《破茧》. Each volume has two books - a total of four books.
I enjoyed reading this book immensely. Even though I already know much of the story and its development from watching the Chinese drama, it is still a joy reading the book. For one, a drama will never be filmed and portrayed exactly as it is intended in the book. So, there will always be room for enjoyment.
Like a Dream book 1 |《入梦》【上】is as mysterious as its title. The book concentrates on the lower level doors in an alternate world where the two main characters, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu, enter to find themselves in unexpected strange encounters. To survive, they work together to find clues that will lead them to a key to open a door - the door that will bring them back to the relative safety of the real world. In the process, they have to face not only the terrifying creatures and strange events behind the door, but also uncover the deep connection between themselves and the world. There are a total of four doors in this book 1, all of them equally scary and bizarre.
For my own reference, I am putting down name of the doors here as listed in the book (the former) as opposed to what the drama has it termed (the latter). Though name of the doors could be the same, the door content and its sequence as showned in the drama does not always follow that of the book. Also, as what the author has pointed out, I want to highlight that the number of doors in the title is based on the number of doors entered by character Lin Qiushi, not the level he entered.
Book Door 1《独自莫凭拦》vs Drama Door 1《雪村》
Book Door 2《菲尔夏鸟》vs Drama Door 2《菲尔夏鸟》
Book Door 3《阿姐鼓》vs Drama Door 3《阿姐鼓》
Book Door 4《雨中女郎》vs Drama Door 7《雨中女郎》
I have not read much this year, yet it took me only a week to finish reading this entire book 1. Well, I guess that says a lot about how brilliant this author is, in spinning a captivating tale that is not only spine-chilling but also sprinkled with lighthearted moments and an element of (sexual) innuendo.
I think I have found and gotten back what I have lost in the past year - the motivation to read and my love for reading.