Customer Reviews

All You Need Is Kill

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a United States soldier. Being that I really cant stand to read war novels or anything military related. In fact I like to read anything that can get me as far from reality as I can.

I was looking in the public selection on the bookshelf and I noticed this title staring me down. The cover art was brilliant. Big suit of cybernetic armor with Japanese style of art. I said to myself this book has to be good. I know your not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I did.

I took it to my rack and began to read it. I was shocked to find how similar it is with our real world yet so far apart I felt like I was in another reality.

It had all the basics of the military in it. The Japanese 301st ID and the United Stated special forces. It was also interesting to see the military tactics used portrayed in this novel.

This book is Excellent for anyone who just wants to get away for the day or any anime scifi war zone action buff. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Though short, I think this book was worth more than a lot of legends we know today.

Well worth the price.

Groundhog's Day meets Starship Troopers is the best way to describe the story in All You Need Is Kill. It's a whole lot of fun and a wild ride. At just about 200 pages it's an exciting quick read that's just begging to be flown through. The only thing that puts me off is the $14 price tag on the cover that's a little steep for a 200 page paperback but it's definitely a lot of fun if you're a sci fi or anime buff.

It's too bad the English edition didn't keep the interior artwork from the original Japanese light novel. Even without it, this is an excellent book. Without giving away more than is on the back cover. Private Keiji is a green recruit, about to face his first battle against an implacable and incomprehensible alien foe. He dies, only to wake up and do it all over again. And again. And again. How many painful deaths can he face? Is he trapped alone in a personal hell, or is there a way out? The ending works quite well; like most good war novels, it refuses to allow an easy "and they all lived happily ever after!" cop-out.

Really, the point of the book is about suffering, and how people face it. The old saying is that "a coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies only once". But not poor Keiji: whether a hero or a coward, he dies over and over and over...

Pretty good for what it is: a short, sweet, fun sci-fi story. I thought the dramatic structure could have used some brushing up, but given the deliberate repetitiveness of the timeline, that would probably be a difficult task. I think adding some length to it could have helped to flesh out the supporting cast and to build the dramatic tension, but then I would probably be on here complaining that it was too long for a popcorn book of this type :/

I would recommend this book to anyone just looking for a quick escape. It shouldn't take you more than a few hours to read. Given the short amount of time it requires, I thought it was worth it.

I believe a film adaptation is in the works, though, and I think the story will likely work much better on screen. The book includes a lot of scenes that imply some killer visuals, but the author didn't quite have the chops to make the images come alive through words.

Caught word across Collider that the script by the same title had been sold to WB studios. I have to admit the title alone sold me on the book, and looking through the summery just prompted me to put the order in then and there.

Having read it over a couple times I have to say it's one of the better science fiction short stories out there. It's a brilliant blend of "Aliens", "Groundhogs Day", and battle mech. But the strongest part of the book is the character's growth from greenhorn to hardened veteran. In that it happens almost without you noticing it, as the progression moves very naturally and without those stand out scenes of "oh now he knows the tiger stance and now he knows the crane" etc. It's all through subtle changes in the language of the narrative that shifts the tone.

A very smooth and well developed short read. I would recommend this to anyone who's a fan of science fiction and action narratives.

This novel is almost written to be read in one sitting. I read it in 90 minutes, and cannot stop thinking about it. The language is simple, and tries to get out of the way of the story the author wants to write, which is a RPG-Shooter game in light novel format. While some reviewer complain about the ending, I have no issue with it.

I would love to see an anime adaptation of it.

I bought this book without expecting too much but the final conclusion is that it was definitely a good choice. It is simple yet interesting.

The idea of the main character having to fight the exactly same fight over and over again and suffering the mental stress of knowing that he is going to die every day, is really amazing. What can you do today in order to survive the next fight? How can little things change dramatically if you have to repeat them a hundred times? And don't forget the most important fact, the feeling that your are completely alone and without help.

I really recommend this book if you want to spent a little of your time reading something that will not let you down.

Having just read this book today from start to finish, I have to say it exceeded all my expectations. Having just read 1Q84 and a third of the Hunger Games, I have to say it completely and utterly exceeded what I could have possibly hoped for.

This story starts off with an interesting premise but it actually follows through and builds on it. The main character develops and evolves. A lot of interesting, thought provoking tidbits is thrown in throughout the story. A few unexpected development occurs that spices things up. All this in a compact page turner with no fillers and mindless repetitions. Never in the book did I felt the author went with the easy route or threw in cliche just for the hell of it.

In many ways I would compare this to Starship Troopers, the novel. It is mainly character driven without a whole lot of technical jargon to trip up the reading experience. At the same time it was not completely mindless and spoon feed you with a load of unnecessary facts.

All in all I highly recommend it and I hope Hollywood doesn't completely butcher it in the adaptation.

I read this 200-page book in less than a day. It's a very easy, quick read, but that's not to say it's not worthwhile. The time loop concept is handled very well, from the beginning of the book when the main character is still trying to figure out what's going on until the end of the book when he knows how to escape but isn't quite sure he wants to go through it. With each new revelation and each new trip through the same day, the story pulls you in just a little bit more.

The action and some of the more far-out elements (like the robotic suits they fight in and the goofy amphibious aliens) can seem a little hokey at times, but this is a fluff book, so don't go into it expecting Neuromancer and you'll be fine. It's the literary equivalent of a summer action movie, and it's a very good one at that.

This book is very dark, very violent, very intense at points. This is part of what makes me love it. It is a far cry from Slum Online in terms of content, but the writing and themes are still great. Like his other book, it's got a bit of cliche subject matter, but still does it somewhat uniquely. Be aware, this is a gritty book though. Dark, and at times humorous in unexpected ways.

This book has some great contributors as well, that in my opinion should of been used to sell the book. Yoshitoshi aBe who created Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei, and others, contributed the cover art. I guess he also might of contributed some art that didn't make it to the English edition. The author of Yukikaze, one of my favorite books, contributed ideas as well. Both are amply thanked in the authors note. You can really tell though, once you've read through and think about it.

It's a great, dark, but still hopeful book. The characters suffer and fight every day, but it just strengthens the main characters resolve. If you like violence, grit, action, well done plot and writing, then I really think you should try it. It is now one of my favorite books as well.

As an additional note for those who don't know, aBe is responsible for what is considered some of the smartest anime. This book doesn't reflect the kind of stuff you see in Lain, but it's not dumb scifi like you tend to see, filled with pure sex, hot aliens, and no plot. At the same time, it avoids being overly technical.