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All You Need Is Kill
There’s one thing worse than dying. It’s coming back to do it again and again…
When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War. Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape, or to his final death?
When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War. Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape, or to his final death?
201 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2004
About the author
Hiroshi Sakurazaka
26 books219 followersKanji Name: 桜坂洋
Sakurazaka made his debut in 2002 at the second Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award with the novel Mahō tsukai no netto, which was later published in December 2003 under the name Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahō. This work has subsequently been expanded into a series of light novels and has also been made into an anime. In 2004 he was presented the S-F Magazine Readers Award's best short story award for The Saitama Chain Saw Massacre. His 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill, received high praise from other authors in Japan and has subsequently been published in English by Viz Media.
Sakurazaka made his debut in 2002 at the second Super Dash Novel Rookie of the Year Award with the novel Mahō tsukai no netto, which was later published in December 2003 under the name Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahō. This work has subsequently been expanded into a series of light novels and has also been made into an anime. In 2004 he was presented the S-F Magazine Readers Award's best short story award for The Saitama Chain Saw Massacre. His 2004 novel All You Need Is Kill, received high praise from other authors in Japan and has subsequently been published in English by Viz Media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,091 reviews
April 15, 2018
"She could walk into any hell and come back unscathed."
Rita. Vrataski. They call her crazy. They call her a badass. They call her a lot of names.
Angel of Death. Mad Wargarita. Full Metal Bitch.
Few know the truth. That she's all of those things. And more. And less. Even fewer know the reason why. Keiji Kiriya is about to join their ranks.
This is the story of two ordinary people forced to do the extraordinary; save the human race from an alien invasion. We meet Keiji, a green Japanese recruit, on the day of his first battle. Nothing goes right. It's an ambush, a slaughter. The members of his unit are dropping like flies. Then he's fatally injured.
That's when he meets her. The crazy chick with the broadsword, her armor painted red to draw the enemy straight to her.
"The Full Metal Bitch.
I'd heard stories. A war junkie always chasing the action, no matter where it led her. Word had it she and her Special Forces squad from the U.S. Army had chalked up half of all confirmed Mimic kills ever. Maybe anyone who could see that much fighting and live to tell about it really was the Angel of Death."
Rita is one of the most badass characters I've ever encountered. I think my favorite thing about her is how understated she is. She doesn't run around pounding on her chest, aping masculine displays of dominance while declaring her badassery. Off the battlefield, she's just a regular, small town girl from the midwest. She's curious, a little gullible, and sweet.
And then she puts on an armor suit, heaves a broadsword, and rains down death and destruction from the mother fucking sky.
Keiji is not a badass. At least not in the beginning of this book. But then he kills a Mimic not quite like the others and inherits their strange ability to alter time, resetting it every time he dies.
He's also a regular guy. Actually, he's almost boringly ordinary in the beginning of this. Then he dies. Then he dies some more. Then he dies a lot more. And then he begins to change. He morphs from an average Japanese soldier into a Full Metal Mother Fucker.
This book is incredible. So much better than the movie . Less romance-heavy and more character study meets epic action sequences. And the writing, GAH, the writing. You feel every emotion. You hear every bomb drop:
"I grip the trigger with stiff fingers: my arms shake as I send a rain of scorching steel down onto the enemy. The rifle kicks as I fire it. Vunk. Vunk. Vunk. A beat steadier than my heart. A soldier's spirit isn't in his body. It's in his weapon."
Now, if only I could kill me a Mimic and experience first time reading this over and over again.
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May 24, 2014
I knew about this novel due that it's the basis for the incoming movie Edge of Tomorrow and I am truly glad that I was able to read the original Japanese novel before of watching the movie.
The novel itself is something odd in the Japanese literature culture, since it's a prose novel. I say this, since on Japan, the Manga culture is quite spread and even there are mangas for all tastes, genders and ages. And I must say that the topic and story of this novel could fit quite easily in a manga format presentation, since it's military sci-fi with cibernetic battle suits, involving time travel and an alien invasion. So, finding that the author chose to present this story in a prose novel was something quite brave.
I just found out that it will be a manga adaptation of the story, most likely since the prose novel got a lot of hype due the incoming live action movie. I am a huge fan of manga, but I am truly glad of being able to read first the story on its original format.
To explain quick what you can expect here, it's like Groundhog Day meets Halo.
I really like how smart is this novel. It presents a great characters' development. Also it's a festival of genres, while the military science-fiction is the main genre, you can find too elements of dystopia, mystery, politics and romance. Also, the author did a great work establishing his own sci-fi technology, how it works and how the pilots must use it. Everything in a total adult way.
The main characters are Keiji Kiriya and Rita Vrataski. Something quite amusing when the characters are described is that Rita Vrataski is a petite woman with red hair, but due she is a hero of the army forces, it will be done a movie on U.S. about her, and it's said that the chosen actress is a tall blonde woman, that it's how Emily Blunt will performed the character on the incoming movie.
The interaction between the main characters and the interaction of them with the secondary characters, everything is done masterfully with realism and depth.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
The novel itself is something odd in the Japanese literature culture, since it's a prose novel. I say this, since on Japan, the Manga culture is quite spread and even there are mangas for all tastes, genders and ages. And I must say that the topic and story of this novel could fit quite easily in a manga format presentation, since it's military sci-fi with cibernetic battle suits, involving time travel and an alien invasion. So, finding that the author chose to present this story in a prose novel was something quite brave.
I just found out that it will be a manga adaptation of the story, most likely since the prose novel got a lot of hype due the incoming live action movie. I am a huge fan of manga, but I am truly glad of being able to read first the story on its original format.
To explain quick what you can expect here, it's like Groundhog Day meets Halo.
I really like how smart is this novel. It presents a great characters' development. Also it's a festival of genres, while the military science-fiction is the main genre, you can find too elements of dystopia, mystery, politics and romance. Also, the author did a great work establishing his own sci-fi technology, how it works and how the pilots must use it. Everything in a total adult way.
The main characters are Keiji Kiriya and Rita Vrataski. Something quite amusing when the characters are described is that Rita Vrataski is a petite woman with red hair, but due she is a hero of the army forces, it will be done a movie on U.S. about her, and it's said that the chosen actress is a tall blonde woman, that it's how Emily Blunt will performed the character on the incoming movie.
The interaction between the main characters and the interaction of them with the secondary characters, everything is done masterfully with realism and depth.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
December 28, 2018
I love Groundhog Day movie, especially how the character grew from hopeless person into a great character that proficient using the time loops. so, when I realized the premise in this book is time looping mixed with military SF, I am sold.
When Apple, my GR friend, recommended me this book, I have never heard about Japanese light novel format. (Later I learned that It was basically another name of shorter novel, or novella). So it was an exotic recommendation: a fiction from a Japanese author, a SF story mixing military and time-loop, in unfamiliar format.
From the start, the story is an easy 4 star rating, with a lot of action scenes and the character developments. But when I was reading the table of contents, I was struck.
1. The timeline of the story is not linear, and there is flowchart explaining the timeline of the story. The author is serious in making non linear story and I admit the flowchart is effective to making the reading experience more enjoyable.
2. The book is divided into four parts. The book structure is reminding me of a japanese poem. I read a poem at http://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/12... which is:
Two sisters of a Kyoto silk merchant, pretty as flowers,
One aged twenty, the other eighteen.
Swords of militia can kill multitudes of life,
Seductive glances from these two beauties can slay entire armies.
I had high expectation reading this book. After I finished it, I am satisfied because this book fulfilled my expectation. I was expecting the book was divided into four-part. Just like the poem above; the first line contains the initial phrase; the second line, the continuation of that phrase; the third line turns from this subject and begins a new one; and the fourth line brings the first three lines together.
Oh, I risk indirect spoilers just by quoting the poem. :P
As if I ordered the book written according to my own criteria. An unexpected excellent reading.
When Apple, my GR friend, recommended me this book, I have never heard about Japanese light novel format. (Later I learned that It was basically another name of shorter novel, or novella). So it was an exotic recommendation: a fiction from a Japanese author, a SF story mixing military and time-loop, in unfamiliar format.
From the start, the story is an easy 4 star rating, with a lot of action scenes and the character developments. But when I was reading the table of contents, I was struck.
1. The timeline of the story is not linear, and there is flowchart explaining the timeline of the story. The author is serious in making non linear story and I admit the flowchart is effective to making the reading experience more enjoyable.
2. The book is divided into four parts. The book structure is reminding me of a japanese poem. I read a poem at http://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/12... which is:
Two sisters of a Kyoto silk merchant, pretty as flowers,
One aged twenty, the other eighteen.
Swords of militia can kill multitudes of life,
Seductive glances from these two beauties can slay entire armies.
I had high expectation reading this book. After I finished it, I am satisfied because this book fulfilled my expectation. I was expecting the book was divided into four-part. Just like the poem above; the first line contains the initial phrase; the second line, the continuation of that phrase; the third line turns from this subject and begins a new one; and the fourth line brings the first three lines together.
Oh, I risk indirect spoilers just by quoting the poem. :P
As if I ordered the book written according to my own criteria. An unexpected excellent reading.
May 24, 2019
Aliens combat an Earth force made up of Japanese, American and other nations in All You Need is Kill. The Japanese soldier is caught in a Groundhog Day nightmare of kill, be killed, sleep, and repeat. He doesn't know what is happening to him until he meets an American soldier who is also caught in a time loop.Together they can defeat the aliens, but they have to solve the puzzle in time. A quick read with an interesting premise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2020
War is hell.
The Mimics and the humans have been fighting for decades now, with no end in sight. Relentless, innumerable, and nearly unstoppable, the Mimics keep coming in waves. They've turned most of the world into a desert and killed millions of people.
Keiji Kiriya is just a grunt. The woman he loves, a sweet librarian, won't even look him in the eye, and the way things are now the army seems like his only viable option. Training has turned him into a hard-bodied soldier, but when it comes to battle he's just cannon fodder.
Rita Vratraski is the Full Metal Bitch. U.S. Special Forces - she is the best of the best. She has won so many medals she had to take out a storage facility. But medals don't matter to her. She isolates herself from the rest of the soldiers, and insists on wearing a blood-red Jacket - even though this makes her an attractive target for the Mimics. She slices through them as if she was born to kill. She's a legend. The men talk about her in hushed whispers, and even a glimpse of her on the battlefield boosts morale. She's slaughtered thousands of Mimics, and refuses to use the weapons the army provides - instead she wields a huge battleaxe twice her size.
One day, during battle, Keiji kills a Mimic that he feels is...a bit different. He doesn't know how he knows this...he just does. And after he dies a gruesome death on the battlefield...he wakes up in bed two days ago.
Keiji tries many different things to get out of the time loop. Running away, wounding himself, and eating a bullet. Nothing works. He's damned to live this day over and over and over again.
So he figures he'd better make the best of a bad situation. He starts training, hardcore. One day of training, one day of battle... and then it's back to training day again. He relives these two days over and over hundreds of times, until even though technically he's still a grunt with no battle experience, he's got the skills and reflexes of a grizzled veteran. He's turned himself into Billy Badass.
He sweet-talks the cute, naïve, clumsy engineer into given him a battleaxe like the one that the Full Metal Bitch carries. He starts carving holes in enemy lines.
Then one loop, he and the Full Metal Bitch get to talking...and from then on she's just Rita.
Together, they form an unstoppable team, perfectly attuned to each other as if they'd fought in countless battles together.
And of course, they have.
This is a heartrending, powerful story that I never expected to like. I only read it to prepare for the upcoming movie. (They re-named it EDGE OF TOMORROW for some reason - I infinitely prefer ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, but okay). I never expected to like a war novel written by a man who's played one too many videogames.
I liked Keiji. He could've easily and justifiably been a real a**hole, but instead he's almost a pacifist, never responding to a fight (from a fellow soldier). He also treats women well, I think. There were numerous times when he could've really taken advantage of a situation with a female, and he never did. I know it's stupid to give men credit for NOT doing something horrifying, but I'm disgusted with the recent onslaught of a**hole "heroes" who treat women like trash. I appreciated a bit of restraint and respect on the part of Keiji.
I loved the style that this book was written in. See my status updates if you want samples. Crisp, clear, to the point - exactly my kind of writing. No flowery prose. No long descriptions. No inundation of adjectives. I have no idea whether to credit Sakurazaka for this or credit the Japanese-English translation. I mention this because I really adore the writing style (if not the content) of Swedish and Norwegian books - it doesn't seem to matter who writes them. This leads me to believe that translating into English lends a clear, concise voice to these works. I don't have the same vast experience with Japanese-to-English translations, so the jury's still out. It's only a theory at this point.
I also was pleasantly surprised that Sakurazaka takes the time and energy to show us how Rita sees things, and how she came to be the Full Metal Bitch. I really was expecting this book to be only from Keiji's viewpoint (3rd person viewpoint) and I appreciate that Sakurazaka takes the more difficult route in trying to create three-dimensional characters. Well done.
Lastly, I didn't feel like he pushed the sex/sex appeal/sexy situation angle too hard. It would have been very, very easy to make this book full of questionable sexual content, but Sakurazaka plays it pretty straightforward. I'm very thankful for that.
Tl;dr - a thrilling and worthwhile read, whether you plan on seeing the film or not. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
The Mimics and the humans have been fighting for decades now, with no end in sight. Relentless, innumerable, and nearly unstoppable, the Mimics keep coming in waves. They've turned most of the world into a desert and killed millions of people.
Keiji Kiriya is just a grunt. The woman he loves, a sweet librarian, won't even look him in the eye, and the way things are now the army seems like his only viable option. Training has turned him into a hard-bodied soldier, but when it comes to battle he's just cannon fodder.
Rita Vratraski is the Full Metal Bitch. U.S. Special Forces - she is the best of the best. She has won so many medals she had to take out a storage facility. But medals don't matter to her. She isolates herself from the rest of the soldiers, and insists on wearing a blood-red Jacket - even though this makes her an attractive target for the Mimics. She slices through them as if she was born to kill. She's a legend. The men talk about her in hushed whispers, and even a glimpse of her on the battlefield boosts morale. She's slaughtered thousands of Mimics, and refuses to use the weapons the army provides - instead she wields a huge battleaxe twice her size.
One day, during battle, Keiji kills a Mimic that he feels is...a bit different. He doesn't know how he knows this...he just does. And after he dies a gruesome death on the battlefield...he wakes up in bed two days ago.
Keiji tries many different things to get out of the time loop. Running away, wounding himself, and eating a bullet. Nothing works. He's damned to live this day over and over and over again.
So he figures he'd better make the best of a bad situation. He starts training, hardcore. One day of training, one day of battle... and then it's back to training day again. He relives these two days over and over hundreds of times, until even though technically he's still a grunt with no battle experience, he's got the skills and reflexes of a grizzled veteran. He's turned himself into Billy Badass.
He sweet-talks the cute, naïve, clumsy engineer into given him a battleaxe like the one that the Full Metal Bitch carries. He starts carving holes in enemy lines.
Then one loop, he and the Full Metal Bitch get to talking...and from then on she's just Rita.
Together, they form an unstoppable team, perfectly attuned to each other as if they'd fought in countless battles together.
And of course, they have.
This is a heartrending, powerful story that I never expected to like. I only read it to prepare for the upcoming movie. (They re-named it EDGE OF TOMORROW for some reason - I infinitely prefer ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, but okay). I never expected to like a war novel written by a man who's played one too many videogames.
I liked Keiji. He could've easily and justifiably been a real a**hole, but instead he's almost a pacifist, never responding to a fight (from a fellow soldier). He also treats women well, I think. There were numerous times when he could've really taken advantage of a situation with a female, and he never did. I know it's stupid to give men credit for NOT doing something horrifying, but I'm disgusted with the recent onslaught of a**hole "heroes" who treat women like trash. I appreciated a bit of restraint and respect on the part of Keiji.
I loved the style that this book was written in. See my status updates if you want samples. Crisp, clear, to the point - exactly my kind of writing. No flowery prose. No long descriptions. No inundation of adjectives. I have no idea whether to credit Sakurazaka for this or credit the Japanese-English translation. I mention this because I really adore the writing style (if not the content) of Swedish and Norwegian books - it doesn't seem to matter who writes them. This leads me to believe that translating into English lends a clear, concise voice to these works. I don't have the same vast experience with Japanese-to-English translations, so the jury's still out. It's only a theory at this point.
I also was pleasantly surprised that Sakurazaka takes the time and energy to show us how Rita sees things, and how she came to be the Full Metal Bitch. I really was expecting this book to be only from Keiji's viewpoint (3rd person viewpoint) and I appreciate that Sakurazaka takes the more difficult route in trying to create three-dimensional characters. Well done.
Lastly, I didn't feel like he pushed the sex/sex appeal/sexy situation angle too hard. It would have been very, very easy to make this book full of questionable sexual content, but Sakurazaka plays it pretty straightforward. I'm very thankful for that.
Tl;dr - a thrilling and worthwhile read, whether you plan on seeing the film or not. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
January 11, 2019
As a kid, when I’d first laid eyes on those guns, I thought they were the coolest things I’d ever seen.
The black lacquer finish of their steel instilled an unreasonable sense of confidence in me. Now that I’d seen real battle, I knew with cool certainty that weapons like these could never repel a Mimic attack.
I’ve had my eye on All You Need is Kill for some time now. When I saw that the book is being adapted into a film, I thought that now is as good a time as any to read it. And I’m glad I did, too.
The beauty of Science Fiction is that there is so much a talented author can do with it. This novel is a case in point. All You Need is Kill is a Military Science Fiction story, complete with power armour and malicious Aliens. However…
Attempt #99:
KIA forty-five minutes from start of battle.
…the novel has a great hook. Perhaps things are not quite what they seem. In some respects All You Need is Kill shares DNA with Armor, especially the converging story lines of Kiriya and the Full Metal Bitch.
Genocide was the only way to win this war.
The writing style can be a bit jarring. This could be a side-effect of the translation from Japanese, or perhaps not, since it actually complements the general feel of the novel quite well.
And that is that. Really not more to say.
The fear that permeated every fiber of my being was relentless, it was cruel, and it was my best hope for getting through this.
The black lacquer finish of their steel instilled an unreasonable sense of confidence in me. Now that I’d seen real battle, I knew with cool certainty that weapons like these could never repel a Mimic attack.
I’ve had my eye on All You Need is Kill for some time now. When I saw that the book is being adapted into a film, I thought that now is as good a time as any to read it. And I’m glad I did, too.
The beauty of Science Fiction is that there is so much a talented author can do with it. This novel is a case in point. All You Need is Kill is a Military Science Fiction story, complete with power armour and malicious Aliens. However…
Attempt #99:
KIA forty-five minutes from start of battle.
…the novel has a great hook. Perhaps things are not quite what they seem. In some respects All You Need is Kill shares DNA with Armor, especially the converging story lines of Kiriya and the Full Metal Bitch.
Genocide was the only way to win this war.
The writing style can be a bit jarring. This could be a side-effect of the translation from Japanese, or perhaps not, since it actually complements the general feel of the novel quite well.
And that is that. Really not more to say.
The fear that permeated every fiber of my being was relentless, it was cruel, and it was my best hope for getting through this.
December 28, 2020
DNF at 23%
► Because
► And because
Now that's what I call an in-depth review. But that's all you'll get. Because I have no time for this. And because that's how little I care about this story. And I won't even bother rating this. That's how little I care about this story. I said that already, didn't I? Oh well.
June 3, 2017
For some reason this Tom Cruise movie was a blockbuster bust, but it was because of the excellent movie that I wanted to delve into this concept a bit more. After picking up the book, it's clear almost immediately that the film whitewashed the book and that destroys one of the very simple yet profound themes of this book, which I'll get to in a sec.
Keiji Kiriya is a simple Japanese soldier who finds himself in a time loop, experiencing the same couple days and deaths over and over only to wake up in the barracks once more and experience it all again. The war he's in is against an alien race named the "mimics" who are all but unstoppable, until humanity created mechanized suits, "jackets," to be able to deal with them.
And that's pretty simply it. There's some slight exposition about the aliens and the future this world finds itself in, however, it's mostly focused on Keiji and his time loops.
I don't want to spoil anything too much so I'll give this warning first. In an afterword, the author, Hiroshi Sakurazaka, explains that he got the idea for this book from playing video games. You respawn so much throughout the game, you get really good at it. You also get really good at seeing the things that will be coming at you. In the end of the video game, you're praised as a hero, but really you're just an average Joe who had endless amounts of retries so you ended up getting good!
And that's the brilliance of the book. There are no superpowers, unless you count the futuristic jackets and accompanying weapons. It's just an average guy, a novice even, who finds himself in a really crappy Groundhog Day scenario (at least Bill Murray's deaths were of his own volition), and decides to make the best of it by trying to get better every time.
Great concept both in book and movie form and the book's different enough from the movie (or vice versa) to make it worth reading, especially given the 266 pages mmpb. The only real problem is I want more.
4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)
Keiji Kiriya is a simple Japanese soldier who finds himself in a time loop, experiencing the same couple days and deaths over and over only to wake up in the barracks once more and experience it all again. The war he's in is against an alien race named the "mimics" who are all but unstoppable, until humanity created mechanized suits, "jackets," to be able to deal with them.
And that's pretty simply it. There's some slight exposition about the aliens and the future this world finds itself in, however, it's mostly focused on Keiji and his time loops.
I don't want to spoil anything too much so I'll give this warning first. In an afterword, the author, Hiroshi Sakurazaka, explains that he got the idea for this book from playing video games. You respawn so much throughout the game, you get really good at it. You also get really good at seeing the things that will be coming at you. In the end of the video game, you're praised as a hero, but really you're just an average Joe who had endless amounts of retries so you ended up getting good!
And that's the brilliance of the book. There are no superpowers, unless you count the futuristic jackets and accompanying weapons. It's just an average guy, a novice even, who finds himself in a really crappy Groundhog Day scenario (at least Bill Murray's deaths were of his own volition), and decides to make the best of it by trying to get better every time.
Great concept both in book and movie form and the book's different enough from the movie (or vice versa) to make it worth reading, especially given the 266 pages mmpb. The only real problem is I want more.
4 out of 5 Stars (highly recommended)
March 30, 2019
I’ve only recently found out that the 2014 fun action adventure movie ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ was based on this 2004 Japanese Sci-Fi light read.
Young recruit Keiji Kiriya soon discovers that he’s caught in a time loop against the alien ‘Mimics’, after each death he awakes on the eve of battle and attempts to progress future with the knowledge he’s previously learnt from the last loop.
It’s been so long since I’d watched the Cruise movie adaptation, but I felt that even though the basic premise was similar this felt more character driven.
I really like this kind of story telling and it’s becoming more common place along with Happy Death Day and Russian Dolls, I love the Sci-Fi elements of these Groundhog Day style stories.
I can really appreciate the fact that this book has helped spurn that genre.
It’s so distinctive and different which is mainly due to the great characters, that those who like similar stories should also read this book.
Young recruit Keiji Kiriya soon discovers that he’s caught in a time loop against the alien ‘Mimics’, after each death he awakes on the eve of battle and attempts to progress future with the knowledge he’s previously learnt from the last loop.
It’s been so long since I’d watched the Cruise movie adaptation, but I felt that even though the basic premise was similar this felt more character driven.
I really like this kind of story telling and it’s becoming more common place along with Happy Death Day and Russian Dolls, I love the Sci-Fi elements of these Groundhog Day style stories.
I can really appreciate the fact that this book has helped spurn that genre.
It’s so distinctive and different which is mainly due to the great characters, that those who like similar stories should also read this book.
February 3, 2013
I had a very hard time starting this review. There is much to say and reflect upon, yet “All You Need is Kill” is unlike most novels the American and the European audience has had experience with. Prose, length, storytelling, characterization, internals and general take on the genre; all these elements create unfamiliar alien scenery, which needs discovering and an adventurous spirit to experiment with the unknown.
Science fiction is as wide as the universe it explores, virtually endless and while the Western culture has taken up the undying space exploration themes, colonization and the such, the Eastern have adopted the apocalypse by aliens/humans and made it their own. Try an anime and you will see what I am talking about. “All You Need is Kill” portrays the final stand of humanity against an invading alien force, devoted to turning Earth into a colony. In a sense this is military fiction, but it doesn’t get boring or falls into cliché.
The Japanese are known for their brevity in literature, mostly with the worldwide celebrated haikus, but their sense to get down to the point and write the distilled and concentrated essence of their topic crosses into speculative fiction. Sakurazaka builds his novel more around the internals of the characters and how they process the occurrences in their life much like a report. Compared to what we are used in the West dialogue is overall scarce and actual combat scenes are also few in number, but Sakurazaka creates the illusion that writing war and combat scenes is like the easiest thing in the world.
Despite its 169 pages by Hiroshi offers a full novel experience much like any title ranging from 300 to 600 pages. This proves to show that length in literature is quite subjective and the page count steps down in importance to the use of words, which combination will reduce an idea or image to one concise power pack to the reader.
Characters & Depth: Remarkable in “All You Need is Kill” is the rapid character evolution. Keiji on page one is a rookie with no battle experience and meets his death in a cowardly manner, while Keiji from the last chapter is a veteran with steel nerves and body turned into a killing machine. This metamorphosis once you have invested all your enthusiasm in the story is invisible so to say. You pick up a change, but it is so natural given the situation that he is in a time loop and every day is a struggle to end it. But once you stop to think about it you get the wow effect. At least I have. This wouldn’t have worked, if the novel itself was longer.
The story is told in third person POV and changes from Keiji to Rita aka the Full Metal Bitch, who has become a legendary soldier, because a time loop herself. Her role in the novel is quite interesting and dramatic following the guidelines of Japanese sense of tragedy. She highlights the events that occur in the time loop through her own experience, which gives credible explanation to the constant resurrection of Keiji. Being a tough person in the present, by the same rules we are introduced to her own personal anguish and shattered existence. In the end Keiji and Rita represent two aspects of the super soldier, Keiji is the process of hardening yourself and carrying an unimaginable burden, while Rita is the broken person left in the process. There is this yin-yang polarity so to say.
Worldbuilding & Believability: I wasn’t a great fan in the beginning, when I found out this whole book will revolve over a battle that repeats itself around 160 times. I have seen the idea done before in the show “Tru Calling” and in some movies I don’t remember very clearly, so I wasn’t charmed. But then again the focus came on the internal development of the character and how he tries everything to stop waking up every day on the same date before the same battle. If you view it gamer terms, it’s having to reset the same level 160 times and every time gain new experience after failing, try new strategy and develop mad skills.
The Mimics are the core of the very problem. In the book they are described as dead bloated frogs and are basically made out of nanobots and have evolved from a remodeling tool for colonization to weapons. They even have the technology to reset time and are the culprits for the constant time loops. I won’t say more, because the whole situation is definitely more complex than that and offers twists and thrill rides that leave you “awesome”-ing all the while.
Perhaps the last element in the whole world now that we mentioned the aliens and time loops is the so called Jackets. They are your simple full battle armor with major artillery and a constant in the whole novel, plus they create this whole subculture in the army with special training system, slang and all that to make it interesting.
The Verdict: I love it and advise people to give it a chance. Speaking from a globalization point of view, now more than ever we have the ultimate freedom to touch another culture and explore it. So take a chance and see how the other side of the world does it. You know you want to.
Science fiction is as wide as the universe it explores, virtually endless and while the Western culture has taken up the undying space exploration themes, colonization and the such, the Eastern have adopted the apocalypse by aliens/humans and made it their own. Try an anime and you will see what I am talking about. “All You Need is Kill” portrays the final stand of humanity against an invading alien force, devoted to turning Earth into a colony. In a sense this is military fiction, but it doesn’t get boring or falls into cliché.
The Japanese are known for their brevity in literature, mostly with the worldwide celebrated haikus, but their sense to get down to the point and write the distilled and concentrated essence of their topic crosses into speculative fiction. Sakurazaka builds his novel more around the internals of the characters and how they process the occurrences in their life much like a report. Compared to what we are used in the West dialogue is overall scarce and actual combat scenes are also few in number, but Sakurazaka creates the illusion that writing war and combat scenes is like the easiest thing in the world.
Despite its 169 pages by Hiroshi offers a full novel experience much like any title ranging from 300 to 600 pages. This proves to show that length in literature is quite subjective and the page count steps down in importance to the use of words, which combination will reduce an idea or image to one concise power pack to the reader.
Characters & Depth: Remarkable in “All You Need is Kill” is the rapid character evolution. Keiji on page one is a rookie with no battle experience and meets his death in a cowardly manner, while Keiji from the last chapter is a veteran with steel nerves and body turned into a killing machine. This metamorphosis once you have invested all your enthusiasm in the story is invisible so to say. You pick up a change, but it is so natural given the situation that he is in a time loop and every day is a struggle to end it. But once you stop to think about it you get the wow effect. At least I have. This wouldn’t have worked, if the novel itself was longer.
The story is told in third person POV and changes from Keiji to Rita aka the Full Metal Bitch, who has become a legendary soldier, because a time loop herself. Her role in the novel is quite interesting and dramatic following the guidelines of Japanese sense of tragedy. She highlights the events that occur in the time loop through her own experience, which gives credible explanation to the constant resurrection of Keiji. Being a tough person in the present, by the same rules we are introduced to her own personal anguish and shattered existence. In the end Keiji and Rita represent two aspects of the super soldier, Keiji is the process of hardening yourself and carrying an unimaginable burden, while Rita is the broken person left in the process. There is this yin-yang polarity so to say.
Worldbuilding & Believability: I wasn’t a great fan in the beginning, when I found out this whole book will revolve over a battle that repeats itself around 160 times. I have seen the idea done before in the show “Tru Calling” and in some movies I don’t remember very clearly, so I wasn’t charmed. But then again the focus came on the internal development of the character and how he tries everything to stop waking up every day on the same date before the same battle. If you view it gamer terms, it’s having to reset the same level 160 times and every time gain new experience after failing, try new strategy and develop mad skills.
The Mimics are the core of the very problem. In the book they are described as dead bloated frogs and are basically made out of nanobots and have evolved from a remodeling tool for colonization to weapons. They even have the technology to reset time and are the culprits for the constant time loops. I won’t say more, because the whole situation is definitely more complex than that and offers twists and thrill rides that leave you “awesome”-ing all the while.
Perhaps the last element in the whole world now that we mentioned the aliens and time loops is the so called Jackets. They are your simple full battle armor with major artillery and a constant in the whole novel, plus they create this whole subculture in the army with special training system, slang and all that to make it interesting.
The Verdict: I love it and advise people to give it a chance. Speaking from a globalization point of view, now more than ever we have the ultimate freedom to touch another culture and explore it. So take a chance and see how the other side of the world does it. You know you want to.
July 19, 2022
Perhaps I'm doing a bit of the heavy lifting here, but I thought this was a searing, sardonic look at the atrocity of war and the horror of PTSD. Also there were mech suits, kaiju aliens, and battle glaives!
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-The tone. This translation was excellent. It read seamlessly, and got a lot of humor and sarcasm in there to boot, which is the hardest thing to translate in a way that feels natural. I thought this book nailed it. I was shocked and over my head, I was confused, I was angry, determined, desperate, hopeful and doomed at intervals. And throughout there was this sort of Catch-22-esque undercurrent that this is both tragically futile and dangerously funny.
-The characters. Rita, the sergeant, the mechanic (sorry, I listened to the audiobook and names aren't my strong suit) were all very interesting. I liked seeing a Japanese take on stereotypes and positive characteristics. It was just "not western" enough that I had things to think about during more predictable plot points.
-The imagery. Friends, this is about a very unstable dude in a mech suit with a battle axe, and his even more badass battle-axe wielding lady friend. That's just fun. But aside from that, a lot of the aliens, futuristic elements and the world we glimpse is startling and full of implications.
-Examination of the trauma of war. For the vast majority of the book this felt like the story of someone trying to cope with PTSD, and I thought it was told in a way that resonated with a lot of my knowledge on the topic. It felt bleak but also had a "well, what else are you going to do?" sense to it that felt very honest to people struggling with mental health issues. It wasn't an easy thing to read, but I thought it handled that well.
Things that weren't the best (caution, some spoilers--headings are safe):
-Plot familiarity. It's Groundhog Day meets Catch-22 with mech suits. You know how this story is going to go.
-Overlong battles. The battles weren't the interesting part. As with all stories of this ilk, the psychology of the person stuck in time is what's fascinating. I thought the battles were well-described, but they weren't really what I was here for, after the first few kills so that I could enjoy the battle axe mech component.
-The ending. This was the only point that I'm not sure the translation was perfect. The end came on a bit abruptly and I'm not sure how or why this was what their solution had to be. It also kind of shattered the allegory I had going on (real spoiler) , which was one of the things I enjoyed about the ongoing story.
A 3.5 star read rounded up because I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend this to others who like these types of stories. I also can recommend the audiobook, which I thought was well performed.
Note : I'm aware that the author has stated he just wanted to write a book with game kills/ saves as the plot device, and that's disappointing to me, but art is always a conversation and I am happy with me take on it.
CONTENT WARNING: (no actual spoilers, just a list of topics)
Things to love:
-The tone. This translation was excellent. It read seamlessly, and got a lot of humor and sarcasm in there to boot, which is the hardest thing to translate in a way that feels natural. I thought this book nailed it. I was shocked and over my head, I was confused, I was angry, determined, desperate, hopeful and doomed at intervals. And throughout there was this sort of Catch-22-esque undercurrent that this is both tragically futile and dangerously funny.
-The characters. Rita, the sergeant, the mechanic (sorry, I listened to the audiobook and names aren't my strong suit) were all very interesting. I liked seeing a Japanese take on stereotypes and positive characteristics. It was just "not western" enough that I had things to think about during more predictable plot points.
-The imagery. Friends, this is about a very unstable dude in a mech suit with a battle axe, and his even more badass battle-axe wielding lady friend. That's just fun. But aside from that, a lot of the aliens, futuristic elements and the world we glimpse is startling and full of implications.
-Examination of the trauma of war. For the vast majority of the book this felt like the story of someone trying to cope with PTSD, and I thought it was told in a way that resonated with a lot of my knowledge on the topic. It felt bleak but also had a "well, what else are you going to do?" sense to it that felt very honest to people struggling with mental health issues. It wasn't an easy thing to read, but I thought it handled that well.
Things that weren't the best (caution, some spoilers--headings are safe):
-Plot familiarity. It's Groundhog Day meets Catch-22 with mech suits. You know how this story is going to go.
-Overlong battles. The battles weren't the interesting part. As with all stories of this ilk, the psychology of the person stuck in time is what's fascinating. I thought the battles were well-described, but they weren't really what I was here for, after the first few kills so that I could enjoy the battle axe mech component.
-The ending. This was the only point that I'm not sure the translation was perfect. The end came on a bit abruptly and I'm not sure how or why this was what their solution had to be. It also kind of shattered the allegory I had going on (real spoiler) , which was one of the things I enjoyed about the ongoing story.
A 3.5 star read rounded up because I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend this to others who like these types of stories. I also can recommend the audiobook, which I thought was well performed.
Note : I'm aware that the author has stated he just wanted to write a book with game kills/ saves as the plot device, and that's disappointing to me, but art is always a conversation and I am happy with me take on it.
December 28, 2020
This book is a great read. I watched the movie, "Edge of Tomorrow" first, so read this book with that perspective.
I have to say, the book is fast paced, introspective, and very in the moment. I felt that I could understand the feelings of the characters much better through this novel than I could through the movie.
Whereas the movie focused on the war, the book focused on the individuals and how they dealt with their situation. The movie was a singular event, the book was a continuum of events.
I have to say, the book is fast paced, introspective, and very in the moment. I felt that I could understand the feelings of the characters much better through this novel than I could through the movie.
Whereas the movie focused on the war, the book focused on the individuals and how they dealt with their situation. The movie was a singular event, the book was a continuum of events.
February 9, 2014
"That's the thing with books. Half the time the author doesn't know what the hell he's writing about - especially not those war novelists."
All You Need Is Kill is a military science fiction novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and which follows the tradition of western science fiction works such as The Forever War by Joe Halderman. However, All You Need Is Kill has its own blend of adrenaline and fury that works to convey the themes of the novel wonderfully, even as a translation. That is the mark of a strong science fiction novel: when the themes are conveyed even when translated.
All You Need Is Kill is about to be released as the Tom Cruise film Edge of Tomorrow (with some changes likely to be made to the source material). It was for this reason that I was interested in checking out the novel and seeing what type of book it was. The novel itself features the ideas of time-travel, mech-suits (as with Robert Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers), advanced weaponry and aliens. There are two heroes to this tale if you will, though the main protagonist is Keiji Kiriya, a warrior engaged in a battle against half biological, half mechanical alien warriors called Mimics, for the survival of humanity. During one of these battles he encounters the legendary warrior known privately as the Mad Wargarita (among other names) and dies. Only to reawaken the morning before the battle even began.
As it turns out our hero is caught in a loop reminiscent of the old Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. This cycle of death and rebirth becomes a cycle which allows Keiji to learn and learn and learn, death after death after death. I don't quite consider this a spoiler, firstly because these details can be read on the jacket of the book and secondly because the real details of the novel is found in the way in which Keiji and the female warrior engage with each other as they discover and rediscover each other across this loop. The people in the novel are always the same and yet slightly different: which poses the interesting meta-question 'Are humans changed subtly by their possession of different types of knowledge and by our experiences?'
Of course this book is about far more than simply identity and how our choices and actions define us. As much as it is a science fiction ride it is also a war novel: a novel that confronts how war affects everyone and reshapes every soldier into a machine. At one point Keiji reflects upon the scariness of the Mimics in that they do not inspire primal fear like eagles screeching or bears growling and standing on hind feet. They create fear by being calculating and predatory at the same time. This I think, is what the true horror of modern war is: that it becomes a cold, calculating game of numbers and attrition. In this remark this 'loopy' future (pardon the pun) that Sakurazaka describes is a future not so dissimilar from out own. Minus the alien killing machines.
I used the quote at the beginning of this review because I wanted to highlight the subtly written humour of the novel. It is a novel full of its own in-jokes linked to other aspects of science fiction and in many ways I suppose the particular quote I highlight is a kind of meta-joke. In its own right I suspect one could read this entire book as a meta-joke about science fiction. A work questioning all the possibilities of what can happen across one day if subtle things change every so often.
May 29, 2015
So what do you get when you mix Groundhog Day, a war manga, and Tony Stark's suit of armor he made in a cave? You get All You Need Is Kill. Keiji Kiriya is stuck in a loop fighting aliens to the death...well to his death. Keiji has died during each of his 158 tries to get out of the loop. Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day had it way easier than Keiji Kiriya.
For me All You Need Is Kill is a book with an interesting concept that falls short once Rita Vrataski gets her own point of view. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't explain any more then saying the author should've never tried to explain how the loops work. Perhaps that isn't fair, the best way to say it is don't explain something you don't fully understand. Time travel scenarios can be as messy and annoying as stepping in poop and tracking it all around your home. Let's just say the author was likely walking around a farm with serious nasal congestion before he headed home.
The story itself was intriguing prior to the Vrataski info dump. Poor Keiji has walked into a reasonable facsimile of hell. After the inevitable attempts to run away and commit suicide to escape the loops, Keiji decides to train his mind to help him win the battle. This part was enjoyable to see how he had learned to navigate his day and the battle with the proficient ease of 100 plus attempts.
All I Need Is Kill felt like a case of unfulfilled potential. Perhaps I'll have to watch the movie to find out if they did a better job utilizing the concept.
For me All You Need Is Kill is a book with an interesting concept that falls short once Rita Vrataski gets her own point of view. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't explain any more then saying the author should've never tried to explain how the loops work. Perhaps that isn't fair, the best way to say it is don't explain something you don't fully understand. Time travel scenarios can be as messy and annoying as stepping in poop and tracking it all around your home. Let's just say the author was likely walking around a farm with serious nasal congestion before he headed home.
The story itself was intriguing prior to the Vrataski info dump. Poor Keiji has walked into a reasonable facsimile of hell. After the inevitable attempts to run away and commit suicide to escape the loops, Keiji decides to train his mind to help him win the battle. This part was enjoyable to see how he had learned to navigate his day and the battle with the proficient ease of 100 plus attempts.
All I Need Is Kill felt like a case of unfulfilled potential. Perhaps I'll have to watch the movie to find out if they did a better job utilizing the concept.
May 11, 2022
I do not like this book. It feels like it was written by a high school boy who hasn't grown out of playing with his transformers yet. I stg, not a single woman gets to be in this book without having her tits described. Read for a podcast, and I'll be bitter about it for years. I give it 1 instead of zero stars for the nickname "Full Metal Bitch," which is a cool nickname.
September 23, 2020
Edge of Tomorrow was GREAT!! This was translated from a 2004 Japanese light novel called All You Need Is Kill 🤨 In 2014, it was made into a Hollywood movie starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. The book isn't the same as the movie and has a different ending. BOTH are very good.
Yes, it's full of violence. A lot of killing and deaths, BUT they were between mankind and extraterrestrials (Mimics). The book gives you back stories of the main characters; Rita Vrataski (Angel of Death /Full Metal Bitch) she's the most decorated soldier, killing over 1000 Mimics while Keiji Kiriya (this would be Tom Cruise's character) who started off weak and scared. He avoids being in combat if he could. The book also explains the "loop" that they're in; Kill, die, and comes back the previous day.
I had such a hard time putting this one down. I wish it was longer. Also if you can't stand swearing and cursing, this book isn't for you. 😁
Yes, it's full of violence. A lot of killing and deaths, BUT they were between mankind and extraterrestrials (Mimics). The book gives you back stories of the main characters; Rita Vrataski (Angel of Death /Full Metal Bitch) she's the most decorated soldier, killing over 1000 Mimics while Keiji Kiriya (this would be Tom Cruise's character) who started off weak and scared. He avoids being in combat if he could. The book also explains the "loop" that they're in; Kill, die, and comes back the previous day.
I had such a hard time putting this one down. I wish it was longer. Also if you can't stand swearing and cursing, this book isn't for you. 😁
July 2, 2019
It’s 2.5 stars rounded down for its ridiculously rushed and unsatisfying last third. Until then, I was mostly along for the ride, willing to forgive its casual sexism and shallow approach to the anxieties of soldiers who face their own imminent demise, because I hoped that Sakurazaka was playing a long game, that he would peel back the layers and reveal a beating heart underneath all the artifice. But no, that didn’t happen. Very disappointing.
January 10, 2016
War. Terrible war. Humans vs a race of aliens called Mimics. It's been going on for years now and it seems to go forever - with the odds for humanity growing slimmer with each day that passes. This is the world in which Keiji Kiriya, a Japanese recruit, lives.
Today is gonna be his first battle, and to make him feel even worse, he gets injured.
That's when he meets Rita Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch.
She's the most famous soldier of the war. Her abilities in killing Mimics cannot be outstanded by anyone. Too bad the odds were not with Keiji that day, because in the end he died... only to wake up the day before his battle and feel as if all had been a dream.
Again he goes to war and dies and wakes up in the same way he did the previous time. Over and over again.
Rita Vrataski and Keiji Kiriya may easily be one of the best cast of characters I've read about. None of them is perfect. Keiji is not fearless, for example. He's terrified of death and he's not afraid of telling you that. He also feels alone quite most of the time, and things have never gone the way he plans. He had motives of his own for enlisting in the army.
I liked being inside his head. His narration was easy to follow and it was highly enjoyable. It was funny at some points and I connected with him very fast, which is something that influences a lot in my rating for a book.
I also loved how he grows as a character throughout the book. At the beginning he is no other than a normal guy you could find on the streets, but once he grabs hold of his “ability”, he starts training to become the soldier he dreams to be.
The other character I mentioned, Rita, was by far my favorite, though.
Right now, I can't remember the last time I read about such a kick-ass character. She's strong, brave, she doesn't like people messing with her and she hates Mimics with all her soul. Like, she has a very personal reason to hate them.
Her backstory has just as amazing as herself too. And she's a well developed character as well. I feel like there should be more books with these kind of characters: Strong, badass and confident. And even when she has all those things, she's just a normal girl – no special snowflake.
And don't even get me started on the writing... “Full Amazing Writing” would be the perfect words to describe it. You can feel everything. Full load of feels all over the way. Some times I couldn't help but laugh out loud, some others made me a little sad, others kept me at the edge of my seat because the action was very intense. In summary, I felt, which you already know is something I consider important while reading a book.
My only complaint for this book is that it didn't last longer. Really, I started it at 3 pm this day and I ended it at 10:30 pm. I finished it in 7 effing hours! Never could I stop myself from reading it. Now I just wish to go back and read it again, for entertainment's sake and because it also had some really awesome quotes I'd like to re-read.
Truly recommended.
Today is gonna be his first battle, and to make him feel even worse, he gets injured.
I'm gonna die on a fucking battlefield. On some godforsaken island with no friends, no family, no girlfriend. In pain, in fear, covered in my own shit because of the fear. And I can't even raise the only weapon I have left to fend off the bastard racing toward me. It was like all the fire in me left with my last round of ammo.
That's when he meets Rita Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch.
I’d heard stories. A war junkie always chasing the action, no matter where it led her. Word had it she and her Special Forces squad from the U.S. Army had chalked up half of all confirmed Mimic kills ever. Maybe anyone who could see that much fighting and live to tell about it really was the Angel of Death.
She's the most famous soldier of the war. Her abilities in killing Mimics cannot be outstanded by anyone. Too bad the odds were not with Keiji that day, because in the end he died... only to wake up the day before his battle and feel as if all had been a dream.
I remembered the whole thing. I was nervous about it being my first battle, so I’d decided to duck out a bit early. I had come back to my bunk and started reading that mystery novel. I even remembered helping Yonabaru up to his bed when he came staggering in from partying with the ladies.
Unless—unless I had dreamed that too?
Again he goes to war and dies and wakes up in the same way he did the previous time. Over and over again.
So long as the wind blows, I’m born again, and I die. I can’t take anything with me to my next life. The only things I get to keep are my solitude, a fear that no one can understand, and the feel of
the trigger against my finger.
Rita Vrataski and Keiji Kiriya may easily be one of the best cast of characters I've read about. None of them is perfect. Keiji is not fearless, for example. He's terrified of death and he's not afraid of telling you that. He also feels alone quite most of the time, and things have never gone the way he plans. He had motives of his own for enlisting in the army.
I liked being inside his head. His narration was easy to follow and it was highly enjoyable. It was funny at some points and I connected with him very fast, which is something that influences a lot in my rating for a book.
I was weak. I couldn’t even get the woman I loved—the librarian—to look me in the eye.
I also loved how he grows as a character throughout the book. At the beginning he is no other than a normal guy you could find on the streets, but once he grabs hold of his “ability”, he starts training to become the soldier he dreams to be.
Pretending to be a hero slain in battle was one thing. Dying a hero in a real war was another. As I got older, I understood the difference, and I knew I didn’t wanna die. Not even in a dream.
The other character I mentioned, Rita, was by far my favorite, though.
The Americans called Rita the Full Metal Bitch, or sometimes just Queen Bitch. When no one was listening, we called her Mad Wargarita.
Right now, I can't remember the last time I read about such a kick-ass character. She's strong, brave, she doesn't like people messing with her and she hates Mimics with all her soul. Like, she has a very personal reason to hate them.
If she had a bad headache, she’d go apeshit, killing friend and foe alike. And yet not a single enemy round had ever so much as grazed her Jacket. She could walk into any hell and come back unscathed.
Her backstory has just as amazing as herself too. And she's a well developed character as well. I feel like there should be more books with these kind of characters: Strong, badass and confident. And even when she has all those things, she's just a normal girl – no special snowflake.
Rita’s only other distinguishing feature was the red hair she’d inherited from her grandmother. Everything else about her was exactly like any other of over three hundred million Americans.
And don't even get me started on the writing... “Full Amazing Writing” would be the perfect words to describe it. You can feel everything. Full load of feels all over the way. Some times I couldn't help but laugh out loud, some others made me a little sad, others kept me at the edge of my seat because the action was very intense. In summary, I felt, which you already know is something I consider important while reading a book.
You can’t learn from your mistakes when they kill you. These greenhorns didn’t know what it was to walk the razor’s edge between life and death. They didn’t know that the line dividing the two, the borderland piled high with corpses, was the easiest place to survive. The fear that permeated every fiber of my being as relentless, it was cruel, and it was my best hope for getting through this.
My only complaint for this book is that it didn't last longer. Really, I started it at 3 pm this day and I ended it at 10:30 pm. I finished it in 7 effing hours! Never could I stop myself from reading it. Now I just wish to go back and read it again, for entertainment's sake and because it also had some really awesome quotes I'd like to re-read.
Truly recommended.
July 2, 2012
Wow what a rush this book is. From start to finish this book is non-stop. In a world slowly being overrun by monstrous creatures known as Mimics the United Defense Force fights back. This is Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers with a touch of Mechwarrior.
Keiji Kiriya is new recruit about to enter his first battle only to get killed. Then wake up the previous day. And so the cycle goes and over "time" Keiji learns more about the enemy and how to fight it, especially by watching the world's greatest soldier, American Rita Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch.
I won't say more about the story as it's not a long book and it's best to find it out yourself. There isn't a dull moment and it leaves you wanting more, but in a good way. Read it before Tom Cruise makes a horrible movie adaptation and makes you wish you'd never heard of it.
Keiji Kiriya is new recruit about to enter his first battle only to get killed. Then wake up the previous day. And so the cycle goes and over "time" Keiji learns more about the enemy and how to fight it, especially by watching the world's greatest soldier, American Rita Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch.
I won't say more about the story as it's not a long book and it's best to find it out yourself. There isn't a dull moment and it leaves you wanting more, but in a good way. Read it before Tom Cruise makes a horrible movie adaptation and makes you wish you'd never heard of it.
October 19, 2014
20.0% "Groundhog day mixed with Starship Troopers. Enjoying it more than I thought I would. I like the Full Metal Bitch. She's not what you think."
65.0% "Getting a little restless with Full Metal B*tch's backstory. I'm so ADD."
83.0% "They're drinking coffee."
It's ok. I was more enamored with the beginning than anything else. It'll be interesting to see how the Tom Cruise movie works out. Not hard sf. Only 200 pages though, which is good for me. I think the illustrations are missing, judging by the afterword.
No, the mediocre graphic novel and the text novel are not different editions of the same book. Please fix Goodreads gods.
UPDATE:
Color me disappointed that the name "Full Metal Bitch" wasn't used in the film.
65.0% "Getting a little restless with Full Metal B*tch's backstory. I'm so ADD."
83.0% "They're drinking coffee."
It's ok. I was more enamored with the beginning than anything else. It'll be interesting to see how the Tom Cruise movie works out. Not hard sf. Only 200 pages though, which is good for me. I think the illustrations are missing, judging by the afterword.
No, the mediocre graphic novel and the text novel are not different editions of the same book. Please fix Goodreads gods.
UPDATE:
Color me disappointed that the name "Full Metal Bitch" wasn't used in the film.
October 4, 2022
An action-packed military sci-fi that follows the story of Keiji, who died in a battle but was reborn to win it. It's been years since I've watched Edge of Tomorrow. Finishing this made me want to rewatch it. I really like that Sakurazaka has written a beautiful backstory for Rita Vrataski here because she deserves it. I guess the Rita book version is better than the movie. I really enjoyed this, especially the last chapter, which is the most intense chapter. It's sad that it's short, but I'm giving this 4 stars with Emily Blunt's British accent. 😌
July 10, 2019
All You Need is Kill is a standalone science fiction novel originally published in Japan. It’s very short and fast-paced, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It made a great change of pace from the past several books I’ve read.
This is a Groundhog Day type of story, only with war instead of romance. (For those whose ignorance of popular movies rivals my own, I mean to say that this is a time loop type story.) Also, unlike Groundhog Day, it actually explains the cause of the time loop and manages to do so in a way that seemed logical enough for me to buy into. At least, it was internally consistent enough that I couldn’t find much to complain about, except maybe for some of the main character’s decisions and some aspects of the ending. I wasn’t too thrilled with the end, mostly because I didn’t think it made logical sense, which was a disappointment after feeling like the rest of the book did.
There was an interesting flow chart at the beginning. I kept flipping back to it and using it to predict where the story would go in the next few sections. I never did figure out how the connectors specifically factored into things, aside from the obvious fact that they formed some loops, nor did I ever figure out if the shapes had any particular meaning, but I thought the numbers themselves had an apparent pattern.
I have several spoilery comments for the spoiler tags:
Given some of my complaints I should probably rate this lower, but I had a lot of fun while I was reading it and the story made me think about it while I wasn’t reading it, so I’m going to give it 4 stars.
This is a Groundhog Day type of story, only with war instead of romance. (For those whose ignorance of popular movies rivals my own, I mean to say that this is a time loop type story.) Also, unlike Groundhog Day, it actually explains the cause of the time loop and manages to do so in a way that seemed logical enough for me to buy into. At least, it was internally consistent enough that I couldn’t find much to complain about, except maybe for some of the main character’s decisions and some aspects of the ending. I wasn’t too thrilled with the end, mostly because I didn’t think it made logical sense, which was a disappointment after feeling like the rest of the book did.
There was an interesting flow chart at the beginning. I kept flipping back to it and using it to predict where the story would go in the next few sections. I never did figure out how the connectors specifically factored into things, aside from the obvious fact that they formed some loops, nor did I ever figure out if the shapes had any particular meaning, but I thought the numbers themselves had an apparent pattern.
I have several spoilery comments for the spoiler tags:
Given some of my complaints I should probably rate this lower, but I had a lot of fun while I was reading it and the story made me think about it while I wasn’t reading it, so I’m going to give it 4 stars.
May 29, 2023
4.5 Stars for Edge of Tomorrow (audiobook) by Hiroshi Sakurazaka read by mike Martindale.
This is the book that inspired one of my favorite Tom Cruise movies. It was just so much fun watching Tom get killed over and over and Emily Blunt giving him crap the whole time. Hollywood took a lot of liberties with this one but I think the book and the movie are both great.
This is the book that inspired one of my favorite Tom Cruise movies. It was just so much fun watching Tom get killed over and over and Emily Blunt giving him crap the whole time. Hollywood took a lot of liberties with this one but I think the book and the movie are both great.
December 2, 2015
http://bookslifewine.com/r-all-you-ne...
I decided to read All You Need Is Kill after I watched Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. I really enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow and wanted to see what the source material was like.
Well, they changed A LOT. I know they always do but the changes are pretty interesting and unnecessary. The title character - Tom Cruise - could have stayed the same recruit instead of becoming an officer. I rather enjoyed Keiji Kiriya as a character. The narration was rather dry but Keiji's personality shone through - making me wish that the movie had have starred Keiji Kiriya instead of "Major William Cage." I also wish the movie had more of the Japanese and other diverse characters that appear in the novel. The novel's diversity makes sense as the entire world was trying to push back and/or stop the Mimics.
Another change that I've been pondering was the title change to Edge of Tomorrow from All You Need Is Kill. I've always thought of the title All You Need Is Kill as a twist on that Beatles hit, " All You Need Is Love ." Every time I see the title I'm reminded of the movie The Yellow Submarine and how the Beatles were able to win a similar type of war with only love and music. But in this book/movie the bad guys can't be chased away with music and love - they have to kill them so... "All You Need Is Kill."
I have to admit, All You Need Is Kill is much...grimmer than Edge of Tomorrow. Edge of Tomorrow is a pretty classic Tom Cruise flick - lots of action and violence but removed from the general public. All You Need Is Kill shows the grimness of the Mimic War being fought. The war has been going on for 20-30 years, a lot of the planet has been consumed/destroyed by the Mimics (who eat our soil, destroying it) and it has the deaths of unsuspecting civilians.
I started reading All You Need Is Kill and I was enjoying myself even though I did not expect the grimness of the storyline (after seeing Edge of Tomorrow). I decided to DNF All You Need Is Kill because of the grimness of the storyline. This was 100% a personal thing as a couple of tragedies occurred in my family during this read. After the tragedies happened, I asked my husband what the ending was like. "Sad and unresolved," he told me. I realized immediately that I couldn't handle that so I DNF'd All You Need Is Kill. I do have a trade paperback edition of All You Need Is Kill so I flipped to the end to see the ending. God. So sad. I made a good decision in not continuing.
I do recommend All You Need Is Kill. The writing was rather nice - at times almost lyrical. There were many moments that I wished I was reading the print edition so I could take notes, my favorite being the way Sakurazaka seemed to reference Whitman's Leaves of Grass .
I decided to read All You Need Is Kill after I watched Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. I really enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow and wanted to see what the source material was like.
Well, they changed A LOT. I know they always do but the changes are pretty interesting and unnecessary. The title character - Tom Cruise - could have stayed the same recruit instead of becoming an officer. I rather enjoyed Keiji Kiriya as a character. The narration was rather dry but Keiji's personality shone through - making me wish that the movie had have starred Keiji Kiriya instead of "Major William Cage." I also wish the movie had more of the Japanese and other diverse characters that appear in the novel. The novel's diversity makes sense as the entire world was trying to push back and/or stop the Mimics.
Another change that I've been pondering was the title change to Edge of Tomorrow from All You Need Is Kill. I've always thought of the title All You Need Is Kill as a twist on that Beatles hit, " All You Need Is Love ." Every time I see the title I'm reminded of the movie The Yellow Submarine and how the Beatles were able to win a similar type of war with only love and music. But in this book/movie the bad guys can't be chased away with music and love - they have to kill them so... "All You Need Is Kill."
I have to admit, All You Need Is Kill is much...grimmer than Edge of Tomorrow. Edge of Tomorrow is a pretty classic Tom Cruise flick - lots of action and violence but removed from the general public. All You Need Is Kill shows the grimness of the Mimic War being fought. The war has been going on for 20-30 years, a lot of the planet has been consumed/destroyed by the Mimics (who eat our soil, destroying it) and it has the deaths of unsuspecting civilians.
I started reading All You Need Is Kill and I was enjoying myself even though I did not expect the grimness of the storyline (after seeing Edge of Tomorrow). I decided to DNF All You Need Is Kill because of the grimness of the storyline. This was 100% a personal thing as a couple of tragedies occurred in my family during this read. After the tragedies happened, I asked my husband what the ending was like. "Sad and unresolved," he told me. I realized immediately that I couldn't handle that so I DNF'd All You Need Is Kill. I do have a trade paperback edition of All You Need Is Kill so I flipped to the end to see the ending. God. So sad. I made a good decision in not continuing.
I do recommend All You Need Is Kill. The writing was rather nice - at times almost lyrical. There were many moments that I wished I was reading the print edition so I could take notes, my favorite being the way Sakurazaka seemed to reference Whitman's Leaves of Grass .
May 3, 2015
Since both the manga and the novel came out at almost the same time, and they're practically identical in every detail, I have to assume that it was only a publishing decision to release the manga (in Japan) several months before the prose. Not surprising, really, since most major fiction in Japan is manga.
Being an obsessive anglophile and a fan of the tale in all its incarnations, I wanted to nitpick any plot differences between the movie, manga, and novel. I didn't mind in the slightest that I was rereading the manga. In some ways, the novel was better if only because my mind is allowed to fly free with additional sensory input that doesn't quite exist in the novel. You know. Imagination.
It's a great military novel and the ending is great. I kinda wish that we could have skipped the hollywood ending in the movie, but damn.. you know, it's hollywood.
I'm going to recommend both this and the manga equally. There's no practical difference except in the amount of drawing.
It's one of the best nightmare versions of a daydream I've come across.
Being an obsessive anglophile and a fan of the tale in all its incarnations, I wanted to nitpick any plot differences between the movie, manga, and novel. I didn't mind in the slightest that I was rereading the manga. In some ways, the novel was better if only because my mind is allowed to fly free with additional sensory input that doesn't quite exist in the novel. You know. Imagination.
It's a great military novel and the ending is great. I kinda wish that we could have skipped the hollywood ending in the movie, but damn.. you know, it's hollywood.
I'm going to recommend both this and the manga equally. There's no practical difference except in the amount of drawing.
It's one of the best nightmare versions of a daydream I've come across.
May 24, 2021
Better than the movie, obviously, because it has a back story on how the mimics came and the Hollywood version is more vanilla yet emotionally exhausting at times. A quick and enjoyable read, nothing too complicated like alpha omega blood transfusion and whatnots. Recommended for those who likes (military) scifi. Now I want to read more from this author.
April 25, 2015
Another update:
Raising it up to 4 stars again. I've been thinking about this book and the movie nonstop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll be honest when I say I like the movie better. It's action packed, but the heavy military writing drove me nuts. And I'm not a fan of ending.....
Rita was awesome in this though. She's one bad ass chick. You don't wanna piss her off.
She's seriously one of my top favorite fictional female character.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just saw Edge of Tomorrow and I NEED this book!!
Raising it up to 4 stars again. I've been thinking about this book and the movie nonstop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll be honest when I say I like the movie better. It's action packed, but the heavy military writing drove me nuts. And I'm not a fan of ending.....
Rita was awesome in this though. She's one bad ass chick. You don't wanna piss her off.
She's seriously one of my top favorite fictional female character.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just saw Edge of Tomorrow and I NEED this book!!
October 11, 2020
হিরোশি সাকুরাযাকা'র 'অল ইউ নিড ইজ কিল' আমার পড়া প্রথম লাইট-নভেল। লাইট-নভেলের একটা ব্যাপারে মজা পেয়েছি। যেরকম প্লট, তাতে বি-শা-ল উপন্যাস এমনকি সিরিজ রচনা সম্ভব। অথচ লেখক কেবল ২০৫ পাতার ভেতরেই পরিপূর্ণ একটা গল্প বলেছেন। প্রতিটা জিনিসের ব্যাখ্যা এসেছে এবং তা বর্ণনা করতেও বাড়তি সময় নেননি। এর মাঝেই গতিময়, ডিটেইলড একটা গল্প পেয়েছি, এমনকি ক্যারেক্টর ডেভেলপমেন্টও যথেষ্ট ভালো; চরিত্রদের সাথে পাঠকের এনগেজমেন্ট অনুভব করবেন একপর্যায়ে।
মজার ব্যাপার কি জানেন, এনিমে'র ২/৩ এপিসোডেও কখনো একটা আস্ত লাইট নভেল কাভার হয়ে যায়!
যারা এটার এডাপ্টেশন, টম ক্রুজের সিনেমা Edge of Tomorrow দেখে ফেলেছেন, বইটা পড়ে তারা বুঝতে পারবেন সিনেমার তুলনায় বইটা কত বেশি সুবিচার করতে পেরেছে প্লটের ওপর। আর সিনেমায় অনেক কিছু পাল্টেও দেওয়া হয়েছে... সর্বোপরি, নভেলটা আপনাকে সিনেমা থেকে পুরো আলাদা একটা অভিজ্ঞতা দিবে।
(১) প্লট :
সায়েন্স ফিকশন। এমন একটা ভবিষ্যতের কথা বলে, যখন একদল অ-মানুষ শত্রুর মোকাবিলা করছে পুরো পৃথিবীর মানুষেরা একজোট হয়ে, যাদের 'মিমিক' ডাকা হচ্ছে। পৃথিবীর ভূমিরূপের পরিবর্তন আর মিমিকদের বৈশিষ্ট্যের কারণে ট্যাঙ্ক এবং এয়ার স্ট্রাইক তাদের বিরুদ্ধে কাজের না। তাই আর্মিরা এখন 'জ্যাকেট' নামের প্রযুক্তি পরে সরাসরি যুদ্ধ করে মিমিকদের সাথে।
এই প্রযুক্তি আর যুদ্ধকৌশল কতটা প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ, একইসাথে নীতিনির্ধারকরাও কতটা প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ, তা গল্পের ভেতর সুন্দরভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে। আমার মতে এধরণের ছোট ছোট ব্যাপারগুলো গল্পটাকে আরো বাস্তবিক করেছে।
(২) ডিজাইন এবং ইলাস্ট্রেশন :
কাভার ডিজাইনে অনবদ্য কাজ করেছেন সজল ভাই। শিরোনামের টাইপোগ্রাফি সুন্দর (যেটা নিয়ে আক্ষেপ ছিল। প্রচলিত ফন্টে লেখা শিরোনামের বাইরে বাংলা বই আসছে না কেন)। পাঠক পুরোটা পড়ার মাঝামাঝিতে বুঝতে পারবেন ব্যাক কভারে কেন 160 লেখা আর ফ্রন্ট ফ্ল্যাপে কয়েক দানা কফি কেন পড়ে আছে। ফ্রন্ট ফ্ল্যাপের রক্তাভ লাল আর ব্যাক ফ্ল্যাপের আকাশী-নীল রঙের মানে পাঠক বুঝবেন একদম শেষ পাতায়, রংদুটোর সাথে ইমোশনাল বন্ডিং তৈরী হতেও পারে ততক্ষণে।
বইয়ের অনেক জায়গায় মাঙ্গা থেকে কিছু অংশ কেটে জুড়ে দেওয়া হয়েছে (ন্যারেশানের বাইরে বাড়তি ভিজুয়াল হিসেবে), এটা আমার ক্ষেত্রে উপভোগ্য মনে হয়েছিল। আগে সিনেমাটা দেখে থাকায় চরিত্রদের কল্পনা করা-কে প্রভাবিত করছিল সেটা। মাঙ্গার দৃশ্যগুলো আমার ভিজুয়ালাইজেশনকে বাধা দিলেও, চরিত্র এবং যন্ত্রগুলোকে তাদের অরিজিনের মতো ভেবে নিতে বাধ্য করছিল। আমি এটাকে পজিটিভভাবেই নিয়েছি।
(৩) অনুবাদের মান :
বইটা আদতে 'অনুবাদের অনুবাদ', জাপানিজ থেকে ইংলিশ, তা থেকে বাংলা। কারো অনুবাদ পড়ে 'অনুবাদ মনে না হওয়া'র মতো দক্ষতা খুব বেশি আশা করা যায় না। সেদিক থেকে রক্তিম ভাইয়ের অনুবাদ সম্পর্কেও তা বলা যাবে না, অনুবাদসুলভ অস্বস্তিটা চোখে পড়েছেই। অনুবাদকের এটা দিতীয় কাজ, প্রথম অনুবাদ 'ইন দ্য মিসো স্যুপ' থেকে খুব বেশি উন্নতি চোখে পড়েনি... তবে ভাষা, শব্দ, ছোটখাট এক্সপ্রেশানকে অপরিবর্তিত রেখে দেওয়া অনেক জায়গায় বইটাকে পড়ার পক্ষে সহজ করে দিয়েছে। গল্প জমে ওঠার পর থেকে অনুবাদের অস্বস্তি আমার আর গায়ে লাগে নাই, পড়ে যেতেও বাধা পাইনি।
৩২০ টাকায় কিনতে রেকমেন্ড করব? অবশ্যই। আমি পারতপক্ষে অনুবাদ পড়ি না। আপনি অনুবাদ পড়লে অবশ্যই উপভোগ করবেন।
অল ইউ নিড ইজ কিল
লেখক : হিরোশি সাকুরাযাকা
অনুবাদক : বিমুগ্ধ সরকার রক্তিম
জনরা : সায়েন্স ফিকশন
প্রকাশক : ভূমি প্রকাশ
পৃষ্ঠাসংখ্যা : ২০৬
গাত্রমূল্য : ৩২০টাকা
মজার ব্যাপার কি জানেন, এনিমে'র ২/৩ এপিসোডেও কখনো একটা আস্ত লাইট নভেল কাভার হয়ে যায়!
যারা এটার এডাপ্টেশন, টম ক্রুজের সিনেমা Edge of Tomorrow দেখে ফেলেছেন, বইটা পড়ে তারা বুঝতে পারবেন সিনেমার তুলনায় বইটা কত বেশি সুবিচার করতে পেরেছে প্লটের ওপর। আর সিনেমায় অনেক কিছু পাল্টেও দেওয়া হয়েছে... সর্বোপরি, নভেলটা আপনাকে সিনেমা থেকে পুরো আলাদা একটা অভিজ্ঞতা দিবে।
(১) প্লট :
সায়েন্স ফিকশন। এমন একটা ভবিষ্যতের কথা বলে, যখন একদল অ-মানুষ শত্রুর মোকাবিলা করছে পুরো পৃথিবীর মানুষেরা একজোট হয়ে, যাদের 'মিমিক' ডাকা হচ্ছে। পৃথিবীর ভূমিরূপের পরিবর্তন আর মিমিকদের বৈশিষ্ট্যের কারণে ট্যাঙ্ক এবং এয়ার স্ট্রাইক তাদের বিরুদ্ধে কাজের না। তাই আর্মিরা এখন 'জ্যাকেট' নামের প্রযুক্তি পরে সরাসরি যুদ্ধ করে মিমিকদের সাথে।
এই প্রযুক্তি আর যুদ্ধকৌশল কতটা প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ, একইসাথে নীতিনির্ধারকরাও কতটা প্রশ্নবিদ্ধ, তা গল্পের ভেতর সুন্দরভাবে ফুটে উঠেছে। আমার মতে এধরণের ছোট ছোট ব্যাপারগুলো গল্পটাকে আরো বাস্তবিক করেছে।
(২) ডিজাইন এবং ইলাস্ট্রেশন :
কাভার ডিজাইনে অনবদ্য কাজ করেছেন সজল ভাই। শিরোনামের টাইপোগ্রাফি সুন্দর (যেটা নিয়ে আক্ষেপ ছিল। প্রচলিত ফন্টে লেখা শিরোনামের বাইরে বাংলা বই আসছে না কেন)। পাঠক পুরোটা পড়ার মাঝামাঝিতে বুঝতে পারবেন ব্যাক কভারে কেন 160 লেখা আর ফ্রন্ট ফ্ল্যাপে কয়েক দানা কফি কেন পড়ে আছে। ফ্রন্ট ফ্ল্যাপের রক্তাভ লাল আর ব্যাক ফ্ল্যাপের আকাশী-নীল রঙের মানে পাঠক বুঝবেন একদম শেষ পাতায়, রংদুটোর সাথে ইমোশনাল বন্ডিং তৈরী হতেও পারে ততক্ষণে।
বইয়ের অনেক জায়গায় মাঙ্গা থেকে কিছু অংশ কেটে জুড়ে দেওয়া হয়েছে (ন্যারেশানের বাইরে বাড়তি ভিজুয়াল হিসেবে), এটা আমার ক্ষেত্রে উপভোগ্য মনে হয়েছিল। আগে সিনেমাটা দেখে থাকায় চরিত্রদের কল্পনা করা-কে প্রভাবিত করছিল সেটা। মাঙ্গার দৃশ্যগুলো আমার ভিজুয়ালাইজেশনকে বাধা দিলেও, চরিত্র এবং যন্ত্রগুলোকে তাদের অরিজিনের মতো ভেবে নিতে বাধ্য করছিল। আমি এটাকে পজিটিভভাবেই নিয়েছি।
(৩) অনুবাদের মান :
বইটা আদতে 'অনুবাদের অনুবাদ', জাপানিজ থেকে ইংলিশ, তা থেকে বাংলা। কারো অনুবাদ পড়ে 'অনুবাদ মনে না হওয়া'র মতো দক্ষতা খুব বেশি আশা করা যায় না। সেদিক থেকে রক্তিম ভাইয়ের অনুবাদ সম্পর্কেও তা বলা যাবে না, অনুবাদসুলভ অস্বস্তিটা চোখে পড়েছেই। অনুবাদকের এটা দিতীয় কাজ, প্রথম অনুবাদ 'ইন দ্য মিসো স্যুপ' থেকে খুব বেশি উন্নতি চোখে পড়েনি... তবে ভাষা, শব্দ, ছোটখাট এক্সপ্রেশানকে অপরিবর্তিত রেখে দেওয়া অনেক জায়গায় বইটাকে পড়ার পক্ষে সহজ করে দিয়েছে। গল্প জমে ওঠার পর থেকে অনুবাদের অস্বস্তি আমার আর গায়ে লাগে নাই, পড়ে যেতেও বাধা পাইনি।
৩২০ টাকায় কিনতে রেকমেন্ড করব? অবশ্যই। আমি পারতপক্ষে অনুবাদ পড়ি না। আপনি অনুবাদ পড়লে অবশ্যই উপভোগ করবেন।
অল ইউ নিড ইজ কিল
লেখক : হিরোশি সাকুরাযাকা
অনুবাদক : বিমুগ্ধ সরকার রক্তিম
জনরা : সায়েন্স ফিকশন
প্রকাশক : ভূমি প্রকাশ
পৃষ্ঠাসংখ্যা : ২০৬
গাত্রমূল্য : ৩২০টাকা
February 27, 2016
This was far better than I expected it to be. It is both a modern Kraken Wakes story with a small premise twist, as well as a problem-solution driven tale. I read the whole book yesterday afternoon. I almost didn't read it after the first chapter, but am glad I did.
November 9, 2010
“He died in battle . He was reborn in victory“.
In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray repeatedly wakes up and re-lives the same 24hrs over and over again. Each time the cycle repeats, he learns another valuable lesson about his life. All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurakzaka has a similar premise but instead of being set in Punxsutawney it is set on the muddy battlefields of Japan in the midst of a future war.
Alien creatures called Mimics have landed and are attempting to invade Earth. Slowly they are attacking each country trying to discover where humanities weak points lie. Keiji Kiriya is a fresh faced solider who is starting to panic at the thought of his first impending battle. He has never experienced war. He has no idea of what to expect or how to react. His worst fears are confirmed and shortly after the battle begins he is killed only to re-awake back in the army base where he is forced to relive the build up to his death once more. Keiji quickly comes to realise he is trapped in time and no matter how he tries to escape destiny he will always end up on the battlefield.
We also get to see the battle from the perspective of an American female soldier called Rita Vrataski, known by all around her as the Full Metal Bitch. Rita is the quintessential warrior. She and her colleagues are battle hardened veterans and seem to be the polar opposite of Keiji and his friends. As Keiji relives the battle over and over again, trying to discover a way forward, Rita becomes the only fixed constant in his world.
Where this novel excels is by taking a concept that many readers will already be familiar with, in this case time travel, and adding an interesting new wrinkle. Instead of going forward or back in time great distances, the main protagonist is trapped in the same time period, forced to continue reliving the same moments indefinitely.
I was really pleased when I heard that All You Need is Kill has had the movie rights optioned. Though the story takes place in a small geographical area it reads as epic in scale, certainly something that would translate as a real spectacle on the movie screen. My initial excitement for a movie was somewhat dampened however, when I then read that the character of Keiji is going to be ‘Americanized’. This is a great shame as some of the central concepts of the novel will be lost due to changes in nationality. There is an old samurai principle that is mentioned in the novel, ‘Kiri-oboeru’ which means to strike down your enemy and learn. This sort of detail will become irrelevant if the character is no longer Japanese.
Another concern, while trying to avoid spoilers, is that the book ends on a bittersweet note. I do hope this isn’t changed for the film adaption. I would much rather see a faithful adaption on screen than a schmaltzy saccharin sweet Hollywood happy ending.
The novel isn’t terribly long, only around two hundred pages, so it’s a quick read. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys their science fiction full of action but with in-depth characterization.
In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray repeatedly wakes up and re-lives the same 24hrs over and over again. Each time the cycle repeats, he learns another valuable lesson about his life. All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurakzaka has a similar premise but instead of being set in Punxsutawney it is set on the muddy battlefields of Japan in the midst of a future war.
Alien creatures called Mimics have landed and are attempting to invade Earth. Slowly they are attacking each country trying to discover where humanities weak points lie. Keiji Kiriya is a fresh faced solider who is starting to panic at the thought of his first impending battle. He has never experienced war. He has no idea of what to expect or how to react. His worst fears are confirmed and shortly after the battle begins he is killed only to re-awake back in the army base where he is forced to relive the build up to his death once more. Keiji quickly comes to realise he is trapped in time and no matter how he tries to escape destiny he will always end up on the battlefield.
We also get to see the battle from the perspective of an American female soldier called Rita Vrataski, known by all around her as the Full Metal Bitch. Rita is the quintessential warrior. She and her colleagues are battle hardened veterans and seem to be the polar opposite of Keiji and his friends. As Keiji relives the battle over and over again, trying to discover a way forward, Rita becomes the only fixed constant in his world.
Where this novel excels is by taking a concept that many readers will already be familiar with, in this case time travel, and adding an interesting new wrinkle. Instead of going forward or back in time great distances, the main protagonist is trapped in the same time period, forced to continue reliving the same moments indefinitely.
I was really pleased when I heard that All You Need is Kill has had the movie rights optioned. Though the story takes place in a small geographical area it reads as epic in scale, certainly something that would translate as a real spectacle on the movie screen. My initial excitement for a movie was somewhat dampened however, when I then read that the character of Keiji is going to be ‘Americanized’. This is a great shame as some of the central concepts of the novel will be lost due to changes in nationality. There is an old samurai principle that is mentioned in the novel, ‘Kiri-oboeru’ which means to strike down your enemy and learn. This sort of detail will become irrelevant if the character is no longer Japanese.
Another concern, while trying to avoid spoilers, is that the book ends on a bittersweet note. I do hope this isn’t changed for the film adaption. I would much rather see a faithful adaption on screen than a schmaltzy saccharin sweet Hollywood happy ending.
The novel isn’t terribly long, only around two hundred pages, so it’s a quick read. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys their science fiction full of action but with in-depth characterization.
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