All You Need Is Kill Paperback – July 21, 2009

I often lament to myself that science fiction is either too simple or too complicated. While I enjoy John Scalzi and James S.A. Corey, neither write books of much intellectual substance - lots of style and flash, but little meat. And while I enjoy Alastair Reynolds and Iain M. Banks, both authors write books so thick and complicated that they require great time commitments to chew through.Why can’t authors just do it all? Uncomplicated writing, less than 400 pages, depth of character, depth of insight, excitement, and the kitchen sink? This is one of the reasons that Ender's Game is my all-time favorite book - it has all of these elements. And so does All You Need Is Kill.Don’t get me wrong - I’m not putting Kill on the same plane as Ender’s Game, but but it certainly has more in common with Card’s book than it does with just about anything else on the SciFi bookshelf.The writing is gritty and compelling, but not juvenile (and so special note needs to go to Joseph Reed and Alexander O. Smith for their translation); the plot is action-packed and well-crafted, but not insulting nor confusing; the characters are flawed, but likable and show growth (and they kick @ss), but not cliched; the themes are treated with maturity, but are not preachy nor shallow. All You Need Is Kill is the kind of book I’m trying to find while I read piles and piles of 'Meh' literature. This is the kind of book I could hand to a student who doesn’t like to read. This is the kind of book I could hand to a student who does like to read. This is the kind of book I could hand to a kid who likes to sit and play video games all day. This is the kind of book I need more of.It’s science fiction, it’s action, it’s well-written, it’s intelligent. I love it.P.S. I hate the manga cover. I know a lot of kids who like to read manga, but I know more kids (including myself) who would not be caught dead with a manga in their hands...which is a shame because the book under this manga cover should appeal to a much, much wider audience. Some publisher needs to grab this book and republish it in a more “normal” American cover - it would sell like gang-busters...just sayin’.READING PROGRESS

The title of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's breakthrough novel might be enough to draw a reader into his world, but the book itself stands on its own two legs in the vein of good, pulpy science fiction. Originally published in 2004 in Sakurazaka's native Japanese, the book was heralded by the Japanese science fiction culture and was considered to be his greatest novel to date. It was eventually published in English in 2009 to the same kind of applause and hype. Now slated for a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise called The Edge Of Tomorrow, Sakurazaka's work is slated for further recognition. The plot is genius in its simplicity. The protagonist is a soldier caught in a two-day time loop in which he is forced to die and fight, over and over again. As this repetition occurs, he becomes a better soldier with each revolution through time. The climax of the story is satisfying, and even delivers a bit of the twist that seems to be a favorite story device in recent years. This book is bubblegum for your brain. It is sweet and simple in its simplicity, and yet it lasts just the right amount of time. Any more time in Sakurazaka's world might be too much. This is where he succeeds in weaving a great tale. At a succinct 200 pages, the novel is easily read in one sitting, and it almost insists upon the reader to do so as the final chapters begin to roll in a staccato rhythm. There are few characters to worry about, which allows Sakurazaka the ample time to develop the two central characters without taking away from the story's tempo. The short work comes to an almost screeching halt at the end. This, in the hands of a good reader, is a brilliant story device. The same thing in anyone else's hands might mar the stories potential. Someone who doesn't take the time to fully investigate Sakurazaka's use of tempo might be dissatisfied with the quick and clean outcome of Kill. The double-edged sword for Sakurazaka is that this type of book tends to attract a reader who might not invest the kind of time necessary to evaluate it in the proper light. The solution to this is not clear.Anyone who finds this book to be entertaining should also check out anything written by Robert Heinlein. Any fan of Sakurazaka's should also check out the `80s classic Armor by John Steakley. In fact, Steakley's Armor is almost a must read if Kill finds itself in any way onto a reader's favorite shelf. In the end, Sakurazaka achieves what he set out to, with a fast-paced, easy read that catches your attention early and maintains it throughout. All You Need Is Kill may be all you need for a pleasant evening spent traveling to another world.

Originally purchased this book because of all the trailers on TV advertising Edge of Tomorrow. My brother had initially told me to read the manga (which is also based on this book), though I never got around to it. I dove for it after reading All You Need Is Kill.This novel is based in a time we can assume isn't too far from our own. It's a relatively quick read, so if you want something light to read on the bus or while waiting at a clinic, this would definitely be something to reach for. You get sucked into the story fairly quickly, and though the ending kind of comes to a shock to the system, I personally liked it. I have heard a lot of people saying they disliked it though, so if you're not a fan of open/ambiguous endings, I may stay away from this.Other than that, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a little action and who loves trying to solve riddles and mysteries, because this book certainly has a few of them for you to solve.

Diferente a la película, realmente muy buen libro. Ahora, tengo ganas de ir por una taza de café en su honor.

Just read it. If you expect it to be as good as the movie based on it, I'm sorry to disappoint you. It's a thousand times better.

All You Need Is Kill ist ein frischer, kompromissloser, flüssig geschriebener Science Fiction Roman, vollkommen einzigartig, spannend und temporeich wie kaum ein anderes Werk.Nahtlos knüpft ein Abschnitt an das nächste, ein Kapitel reiht sich dem letzten an und das Weglegen ist völlig unmöglich. Es strotzt voller unorthodoxer wie auch fast schon genialer Einfälle und hält eine wichtige Moral bereit die ich jedem nur ans Herz legen kann.All You Need Is Kill wird jeden modernen Science Fiction Fan begeistern!

Edge of Tomorrow - All You Need Is KillThe book's about a soldier who loops through time, gaining battle skills every time. I saw the movie before I picked up the book. The original story paints a far more chilling account of the invasion and the end isn't rosy like in the movie. But the real reason I wanted to read this was to see how Hiroshi Sakurazaka handled the loop. The movie did a really good job, they learnt it from the book. Now the only book I had read (still unfinished, though) with a similar loop was Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I got bored after the third chapter. It was like reading all the ideas the author had while writing the story - not endearing.In All You Need Is Kill, you barely notice the loop. Also there's a shift in the POV to third person in the middle of the book and then back again to first person a little later. It wasn't as jarring as I thought it would be, but I must admit that the movie handled it better.In All You Need Is Kill the Mimics aren't the conquerors, they are merely an advance team of nanobots sent to terraform Earth. The book could have inspired the Pacific Rim or Battleship. The techs and plots are a lot similar.This is a blazing fast read for action junkies with the taste for alien blood.