Name: All You Need Is Kill
ISBN: 9781421527611

Hiroshi Sakurazaka

When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally--the female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death? Now a major motion picture starring Tom Cruise!

All You Need Is Kill

High Fidelity

Thousands of shells, burning through the sky—slices of metal no bigger than your finger—and it only takes one to kill you. Only takes one to turn your best buddy into a steaming side of meat.

“Sex ain’t got nothin’ to do with respect. From the lowest peon to His Majesty the general, everybody wants to do a little poundin’ between the legs. All I’m sayin’ is that’s how we evolved—”

In war, fear is the woman your mother warned you about. You knew she was no good for you, but you couldn’t shake her. You had to find a way to get along, because she wasn’t going anywhere.

Ryan LaFerney

This is a smart, fast-paced, action adventure military sci-fi prose novel, which was the inspiration for the film Edge of Tomorrow. As one reviewer noted its basically Groundhog Day meets Halo except I would say that this is a rather serious look at the effects of war. The premise revolves around young recruit Keiji Kiriya who discovers that he’s caught in a time loop against the alien ‘Mimics. He is shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and is sent out to kill, only to die on the battlefield, then reborn each morning to fight and repeat the same battle. 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. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a female soldier, the warrior known as The Full Metal Bitch, who might be the key to escape or his final death. Truly, as John Scalzi says on the cover: This is smart science fiction for the adrenaline junkie.

Janice Hopper

I went back to read this after watching the movie Edge of Tomorrow. It's my second attempt to read this book. I was about half-way through the paperback edition when somehow it went into the washing machine with a load of clothes. O.o

Then we watched the movie. I found an ebook version on Scribd and read that.

The movie did depart from the book in significant ways, but probably not as much as I thought it would after I saw the movie. The basic elements are there in the movie, seen through a skewed sort of lens. Stories of time travel/time loops are headache-inducing at the best of times. In a story like this, you kinda just have to hang on and go with it.

In the author's afterword, he mentioned being a big gamer. He talked about what it took to finish a game at the hardest levels, playing over and over and over till he won. That really clarified for me what was going on in this story. 

I quite liked the book. I'm not sure, however, that I think the ending was quite right. But it made a kind of sense, I guess. And it definitely wasn't a Hollywood ending. I hate those.

Sarah Escorsa

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.

Asia B.

I don’t know why I love this story so much, but I do. 
I read also the manga and I love the art, it’s perfect; but the novel is what strikes the right chords to make you love the characters. I personally love keiji personality and how hard working he is, how he admires Rita despite always growing stronger. I love Rita and how she remains the fullmetal bitch until the very end and how that is her best way to save everyone, because she is that caring of a person.
Also, I love the description of the fightings, the military setting and the quite romantic and anime-like use of the environment from the author (the sea scape, the red sunsets, the infinite blue sky and the colours that always match the emotions of the moment).

As for the American film... they botched the story just like the collectionable figures did in the book to the characters ahah = stay away from it

Luke Kanies

A really interesting setup, and an even better experience of it. Books with time travel are tough, and this one does it really really well. And it's a great book about fighting and aliens. :)

Ben Nathan

Fun and a bit mindless. Exactly what I needed.

Aaron Bach

Great premise overall, but it's just too short/fast-paced to really drag you into the narrative.

Michael Camilleri

This is a fantastic concept (albeit one that's basically Groundhog Day with mechs) that's let down by poor writing, flat characterisation and an almost incomprehensible conclusion.