Light Novel Spotlight: All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
I became aware of the Japanese “light” novel through my manga reading. Light Novels are usually aimed towards middle grade and Young Adult readers and rarely exceed 300 pages and no more than 40 or 50 thousand words. This novel was the inspiration for the film Edge of Tomorrow starting Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. I saw the movie a few weeks ago so I was excited to read the source material.
From the opening pages this story grabs you and doesn't let go. Keiji Kiriya is a young man who tries to escape his problems by joining the war against the alien Mimics. Keiji quickly realizes his mistake as he is trained quickly and forced on the field of battle.
It’s a short journey as Keiji is killed on his first day of battle. Yet he wakes up hours later thinking his experiences are only a dream, until the day repeats again and again. One day Keiji meets Rita, a tremendous fighter from the American forces. Rita will help Keiji unlock the gift of the time loop he is in despite his hesitancy.
It’s amazing how much character development Hiroshi creates in such a short book. The characters go through tremendous growth and the climax of the novel is exciting and poignant. The creators of the Edge of Tomorrow took a lot of the best parts of the novel especially Rita’s character. I really wish they had taken a risk and filmed the same ending as the novel.
Such a great read! Easily finished in a day yet endlessly satisfying.
This is my 10th book for Coyer Summer Vacation
This is my 13th book for The Summer Library Challenge
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