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Kotaro Isaka

Bullet Train: A Novel Paperback – March 15, 2022

by Kotaro Isaka (Author), Sam Malissa (Translator)

1,212 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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A dark, satirical thriller by the bestselling Japanese author, following the perilous train ride of five highly motivated assassins—soon to be a major film from Sony starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, and Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and more

Satoshi—The Prince—looks like an innocent schoolboy but is really a stylish and devious assassin. Risk fuels him, as does a good philosophical debate, such as questioning: Is killing really wrong? Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to The Prince, and Kimura has tracked him onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board.

Nanao, also nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” is put on the bullet train by his boss, a mysterious young woman called Maria, to steal a suitcase full of money and get off at the first stop. The lethal duo of Tangerine and Lemon are also traveling to Morioka, and the suitcase leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it off alive?

A bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds up to the last station.

Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harry N. Abrams
Publication date

March 15, 2022
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.4 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

1419756397
ISBN-13

978-1419756399
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Zippily translated by Sam Malissa for The Overlook Press, this is one novel that lives up to its title. Fueled by a seductively explosive premise, it's fast, deadly and loads of fun… At once outlandish and virtuoso, Bullet Train is like one of those dazzling balance beam routines that keep you hoping the gymnast will stick the landing.”

―NPR's Fresh Air

“A great end-of-summer beach read, as the action moves fast -- just like the bullet train of the title. Isaka will definitely keep you guessing to the end…”

―Collider

“Breakneck pacing, masterful character development, and well-timed comic relief set Isaka's pitch-perfect (and seamlessly translated) thriller up for blockbuster status."―Kirkus (starred review)

“Isaka keeps the suspense high throughout. Fans of intricate action fiction will be enthralled.”

―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Isaka has created an off-beat, fast-paced, and humorous thriller, unlike any other thriller you’ll find on the bookshelves.”

―Your Money Geek

About the Author

Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning writer whose books have sold millions of copies around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers’ Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams (March 15, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419756397
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419756399
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.4 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #11,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Lawyers & Criminals Humor
- #114 in Fiction Satire
- #172 in Assassination Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,212 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		48%
4 star		29%
3 star		15%
2 star		5%
1 star		4%

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Crazy, intense action from Kotaro Isaka

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

Bullet Train was first released in Japan in 2010. A movie based on the book was recently released.

“A bunch of bad guys are on a high-speed train headed to Tokyo. They all have different agendas even though some were hired by the same person.
Mayhem ensues!”

This is a book full of villians, bad guys, assassins and henchmen…and one complicated crime lord.
Guys named Tangerine and Lemon. And Lemon bases his philosophy on the characters from Thomas the Tank Engine. Comes in handy near the end of the ride. There’s a teenage psychopath that’s horrifying. And a surprising, long-in-the-tooth assassin team that comes out of retirement.
This is a great book if you’re looking for some entertaining action with some humor.

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Amazon Customer

A stunning achievement, a mystery with non-stop action.

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2022

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One of the best books I’ve ever read, it follows the adventures of five assassins, (or are there more than five?) when they board a Tokyo bullet train for different reasons. This wonderful story examines how these individuals approach what they do and why and raises alarming questions about how societies sometimes look the other way at wrong doing, including killing. Things aren’t going to go well, but will there be justice when it’s all said and done? Why wait for the movie when you can find out now.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rodrigo Lopez

Amazing thrilling story!

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2022

Verified Purchase

There are so many characters and scenes going on it was fun to keep up with! I enjoyed this book so much and was eager to finish it as I couldn’t guess what happened next!

One person found this helpful

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Matthew Austin

Compelling

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

It was a good book with a compelling plot that kept me reading, but I didn’t think it quite lived up to the reviews I’d read.
I’m still looking forward to seeing the movie, which I hope will be fun and high energy as teased in the trailer, but I’m a bit fearful they put too much in the trailer and combined with a less complex plot than I thought might be in the book anyway, I may be a bit disappointed again.

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Molly

Swift, fun and exciting

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

The story takes place on a Japanese shinkansen travelling to Morioka, just like it's setting, this book is just as swift as the movement of a bullet train. This book takes it's appeal to the next level and gives a complete feeling. Do not feel pressured to question the side characters as they have just as of a unique background as the five assassins on this train.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Carissa Janes

Had to finish to find out the ending

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

I could picture this book playing out like an Oceans 11 storyline of perfect timing, planned heists, shenanigans, and unexpected twists. Some of the dialogue and descriptions were tiresome and unrealistic (possible translation issues?), but the story got told in an entertaining way.

4 people found this helpful

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W. CREED

Closest thing to a book version of a Tarantino film.

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

Violent, humorous and unpredictable . Very much like a Tarantino film but with a better ending. The characters are outrageous and the plot byzantine .

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Wild ride

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

Crazy book! Just when you think you can figure it out, it changes!! So many descriptive characters throughout. Dialogue is a little long in some places, but the ending is worth the wait.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Tracy CompulsiveReaders

Bullet Train

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

This isn’t a book I would have normally chosen to read, however a fellow blogger raved about it on publication day and I popped it on my wishlist in April 2021 and when it was reduced to 99p in May 2021 I bought it, downloaded it to my over flowing kindle and promptly forgot about it until I saw a trailer on IMDB featuring Brad Pitt and then bumped it to the top of my tbr pile.

I recommended it to my sister and brother-in-law for their “one book a year” on holiday (don’t ask, it shames me that my blood relatives only read on holiday) and they really enjoyed it, so I started to read it.

You know that saying “lost in translation”?, well this book is so bonkers in English that I can’t imagine what it must be like in Japanese.

Take 5 deadly assassins, 1 suitcase full of money, 1 speeding train and several dead bodies, include enough mayhem to make the story veer into the absurd and Bullet Train will leave you breathless and amused.

Billed as a dark, satrical thriller, this book reminded me of “The Keystone Kops” meets “In Bruges” with a huge dash of slapstick, ridiculous dialogue and the odd accidental murder.

Fast paced, as you would expect for a book about the Bullet Train, short chapters, ridiculous characters and situations that you can’t help laughing at and an overall feeling of WTF have I just read? Never, did I think at my age I would be reading about Thomas the Tank Engine again.

I can see why this book has been made into a film and having watched the trailer, I can’t wait to see it myself.

Recommended if you need a bonkers book with fast action, fast dialogue and a fast train.

5 people found this helpful

Lagoon

I was totally onboard.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

A eclectic band of assassins are on a train. Some of them are working together, some against each other, some have their own agendas. And just because someone may not fit the profile of a hired killer, it doesn’t mean that they are any less deadly. So, some crossed wires are pretty much assured.

The vast majority of the story takes place on the train but several passages add background to one of the principal characters. There’s no doubt that the happenings on the train are the most entertaining and they are certainly the most germane.

Being that exterior locations are at a premium here, you have to rely on the strength of the characters to keep you engaged. Thankfully, you are in very good company. Having one of the killers obsessed with a children’s television programme was utterly bizarre and yet, so very in keeping with the Japanese psyche.

I am lucky enough to have traveled to Japan and to have ridden the bullet train. Sadly, I was somewhat mis-sold the experience. I didn’t get a seat, the train didn’t pick up any great speed and the whole journey was no more exciting than my morning commute to work. That’s certainly not the case here though. The storyline is multifaceted and you certainly don’t get the full picture early on in the piece.

Very entertaining and it’s testimony to the strength of the writing that you don’t feel like pulling the emergency cord after the first few stops in what is a pretty long book.

7 people found this helpful

flyinglib

Struggling with this one

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this Kindle version because I like experimental outré fiction. I am struggling to engage with the story and the translation however. The writing is as rough as an off-road track, it flows in a simplistic staccato way and generally lacks style. The characters are all miserable outsiders with a horrible nasty streak. It reads like Reservoir Dogs on the Orient Express with none of the charm or inventiveness. The chapter headings are marked by positions in the cars on a thumbnail rendering of the train and this is the most stylistic piece of the book so well done.
I think if you were a 12 year old who likes to watch violent car crash movies and easy killings, this would be a great book.

5 people found this helpful

Mr. Peter Webb

assassin black humour

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Set in Japan on a bullet train from Tokyo with a suitcase full of money, the kidnapped son of a mobster, a youth psycho and a handful of assassins/gangsters all on-board and other more dangerous gangsters not on-board. Their paths cross; something has got to give. Not everything is what it seems. Who is working for whom? Killings increase the suitcase changes hands the psycho feels he’s in control. Who is going to survive the journey? Each gangster has a trait which the author draws out and has a bearing on his outcome
It’s very readable with numerous twists and a satisfying outcome. There’s a degree of black humour not too dissimilar to Pulp Fiction within the story as bad luck, panic, poor decision making and over confidence all play a part in the downfall (or escape) of the gangsters. One could easily see a Tarantino or Coen brothers film based on this story

One person found this helpful

Jaka G.

Fun, Darkly Comic and Cool

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

I brought this in anticipation for the Movie Adaptation and it didn’t disappoint. The Dark humour and every growing twists and turns for the characters kept me engaged and wanting to read the next chapter throughout. I find it easier to picture who’s playing who in the book from the film so I pictured Joey King as the Prince instead of a teenage boy as the character was described and Brad Pitt as Nanou/LadyBird instead of a young up and comer hitman. But my favourite characters in the story were Tangerine and Lemon. Tangerine is the professional assassin and his partner Lemon is a Thomas The Tank Engine obsessed simpleton, but they work great together. Definitely recommend this book. I’m already re-reading this one. Can’t wait for the movie even more now! 5 Stars!!!

2 people found this helpful

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