Kotaro Isaka

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 Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird--the self-proclaimed "unluckiest assassin in the world"--boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase--and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, "the Prince," with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose. When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear. A massive bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with an incredible energy and surprising humor as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwind. Award-winning author Kotaro Isaka takes readers on a tension packed journey as the bullet train hurtles toward its final destination. Who will make it off the train alive--and what awaits them at the last stop?

Bullet Train

マリアビートル

Five killers find themselves on a bullet train from Tokyo competing for a suitcase full of money. Who will make it to the last station? An original and propulsive thriller from a Japanese bestseller. Satoshi looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a viciously cunning psychopath. Kimura's young son is in a coma thanks to him, and Kimura has tracked him onto the bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Nanao, the self-proclaimed 'unluckiest assassin in the world', and the deadly partnership of Tangerine and Lemon are also travelling to Morioka. A suitcase full of money leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will get off alive at the last station? A bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller which fizzes with an incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds to the last station.

maique madeira

Eugene

The concept? Brilliant. The execution? Wild. But I honestly preferred the movie.

The book delivers quirky assassins, nonstop chaos, and sharp twists, all confined to the claustrophobic pressure cooker of a train. The characters are fun and weirdly endearing, especially the unlucky hitman and the kid’s-show-obsessed duo. Flashbacks added depth, but the ending felt muddled—not quite the punch it needed.

It’s a clever ride, but for me, the film packed more punch and polish.

Liana

The concept? Brilliant. The execution? Wild. But I honestly preferred the movie.

The book delivers quirky assassins, nonstop chaos, and sharp twists, all confined to the claustrophobic pressure cooker of a train. The characters are fun and weirdly endearing, especially the unlucky hitman and the kid’s-show-obsessed duo. Flashbacks added depth, but the ending felt muddled—not quite the punch it needed.

It’s a clever ride, but for me, the film packed more punch and polish.



elissa

I've never hated a character more than the Prince. 

Megan Christensen

Barbara Williford

This book had so much potential. The story line would have been really good of the author didn’t try to “mansplain” EVERYTHING! He even explained how we should feel about the characters. That was just too much content and made the book drag on and on and on. There were a lot of “chasing rabbits down the rabbit hole” with all the psychology explained and all the political rants. No! Just No! This was supposed to be a psychological thriller, leave it at that. Let the reader interpret and feel for themselves about the characters. Also, some of the characters were beyond unbelievable even by fiction standards.

The plot: The train is full of people in the “business” all working for unknown contractors. When they all start getting killed off, it’s a matter of survival and the last man standing.

Trigger warnings: graphic violence, strong language, abuse against children and animals .

Wunderbare Wendungen, sehr viele Morde und ein zufrieden stellendes Ende! Ein Buch ganz nach meinem Geschmack. 

The Prince war wirklich ein faszinierender als auch hardcore verstörender Charakter, während Lemon mit seinen Zügen mir echt den Tag versüßt hat. Ihn würde ich gerne mit Tangerine shippen, aber nun gut. 

Empfehlung geht auf jeden Fall raus, wenn man auf Romantik verzichten kann und einen Serienmörder interessieren^^

Leon

Wunderbare Wendungen, sehr viele Morde und ein zufrieden stellendes Ende! Ein Buch ganz nach meinem Geschmack. 

The Prince war wirklich ein faszinierender als auch hardcore verstörender Charakter, während Lemon mit seinen Zügen mir echt den Tag versüßt hat. Ihn würde ich gerne mit Tangerine shippen, aber nun gut. 

Empfehlung geht auf jeden Fall raus, wenn man auf Romantik verzichten kann und einen Serienmörder interessieren^^

This book had so much potential.  The story line would have been really good of the author didn’t try to “mansplain” EVERYTHING!  He even explained how we should feel about the characters.  That was just too much content and made the book drag on and on and on.  There were a lot of “chasing rabbits down the rabbit hole” with all the psychology explained and all the political rants.  No!  Just No!  This was supposed to be a psychological thriller, leave it at that.  Let the reader interpret and feel for themselves about the characters.  Also, some of the characters were beyond unbelievable even by fiction standards.

The plot:  The train is full of people in the “business” all working for unknown contractors.  When they all start getting killed off, it’s a matter of survival and the last man standing.

Trigger warnings:  graphic violence, strong language, abuse against children and animals .

This book had so much potential.  The story line would have been really good of the author didn’t try to “mansplain” EVERYTHING!  He even explained how we should feel about the characters.  That was just too much content and made the book drag on and on and on.  There were a lot of “chasing rabbits down the rabbit hole” with all the psychology explained and all the political rants.  No!  Just No!  This was supposed to be a psychological thriller, leave it at that.  Let the reader interpret and feel for themselves about the characters.  Also, some of the characters were beyond unbelievable even by fiction standards.

The plot:  The train is full of people in the “business” all working for unknown contractors.  When they all start getting killed off, it’s a matter of survival and the last man standing.

Trigger warnings:  graphic violence, strong language, abuse against children and animals .

lily

Overall a pretty good book! 

Whoever was in charge of translating the Japanese text to English, they made a lot of the dialogue seem kind of corny, which I wasn’t too keen on. I’m the type of person to get attached to characters really easily, and from that point on, if I really like the characters, I can consume whatever media it is pretty easily, unless it’s REALLY bad. However, this isn’t the type of novel I usually find myself reading (it was a gift) and I wasn’t really attached to anyone for a while. Not until a certain character died did I realize I had an attachment. 

But as the book went on, the quick pace and cliffhangers got me genuinely intrigued in how the story would continue, and eventually I stopped taking notice to the corny dialogue. 

There were quite a few moments that had me frustrated, given who I had found myself rooting for, but that had me eager to read more in hope that things would turn around for the better. 

I liked the ending well, I wouldn’t have changed much, and overall I think it was a good read!! I would recommend if you’re into quick paced thrillers, but i’m not sure if that’s saying much because i’m not too familiar with thrillers!

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.

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as reading a book pre-emptively, but that's what I did with this, when I heard that there is a big budget film adaption coming in August (starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, amongst others).

It's probably not the kind of book I usually read, but it turned out to be absolutely glorious, violent fun. In reviews, I've often seen comparisons to Pulp Fiction, and it's easy to see why - a Shinkansen full of a collection of professional hit men of various levels of competence, and other assorted criminals and psychopaths with conflicting aims, all having random discussions covering a whole range of bizarre philosophical questions and - more than anything else - Thomas the Tank Engine, while attempting to kill each other, or at least avoid being killed.

It's full of clever twists and turns, and towards the end there is one final particular twist that is so unbelievably delicious, if I told you I would have to kill you. But it's not really a spoiler to note that by the time the Shinkansen reaches its final destination, the number of dead bodies on the train vastly outnumbers those still alive.

Mario Menti 

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as reading a book pre-emptively, but that's what I did with this, when I heard that there is a big budget film adaption coming in August (starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, amongst others).

It's probably not the kind of book I usually read, but it turned out to be absolutely glorious, violent fun. In reviews, I've often seen comparisons to Pulp Fiction, and it's easy to see why - a Shinkansen full of a collection of professional hit men of various levels of competence, and other assorted criminals and psychopaths with conflicting aims, all having random discussions covering a whole range of bizarre philosophical questions and - more than anything else - Thomas the Tank Engine, while attempting to kill each other, or at least avoid being killed.

It's full of clever twists and turns, and towards the end there is one final particular twist that is so unbelievably delicious, if I told you I would have to kill you. But it's not really a spoiler to note that by the time the Shinkansen reaches its final destination, the number of dead bodies on the train vastly outnumbers those still alive.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this finished book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Bullet Train

Author: Kotaro Isaka

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: Japanese characters and setting

Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thriller, Japan based and characters

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Recommended Age: 16+ (Violence, gore, death)

Explanation of CWs: Lots of violence and gore. Some death.

Publisher: Abrams Publishing

Pages: 432

Synopsis: Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird—the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world”—boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase—and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, “the Prince,” with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose.

When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear.

Review: For the most part this was an ok book. I liked the way the book was written and it was a fun assassin novel. The book also had a good mix of comedy and action for me.

However, the plot failed to keep my interest throughout the book and it book reads as a first in a series of novels as it overexplains and goes into too much detail about the train and the characters on board.

Verdict: It’s good, just not for me.

I sette killer dello Shinkansen

Luca Conti

After reading 1/3 I decided to stop. It's not a page turner as they sold it. It's starts to be repetitive and boring like a too long movie. There're better books you can read 

Anyaconda

I usually love Japanese fiction, but this was a miss.
I did like the concept of the book, but disliked the dialogue and writing style. What I also found strange was that there wasn't that much interaction or focus on any of the other passengers. You can't tell me that nobody else would notice that something weird is going on?! Not believable at all.
I agree with the other reviewers that this would be better as a 90 minute movie. Unfortunately this didn't meet my expectations.

Thanks netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Janine Rosario

Maru Pérez

Isabella Chiara Vicco 

Ils sont cinq tueurs à bord du Shinkansen... Qui arrivera à destination ?

En gare de Tokyo, Kimura s'apprête à monter dans le Shinkansen, le train à grande vitesse japonais, avec une arme à feu cachée dans son sac. Sa cible ? Un collégien qui a poussé son fils de 6 ans du haut d'un toit, le laissant entre la vie et la mort.

Mais Kimura ignore qu'il est loin d'être le seul passager armé. Parmi les voyageurs se trouvent aussi Citron et Mandarine, les hommes de main d'un gangster qui doivent lui ramener son fils, victime d'un kidnapping – ainsi que la valise contenant la rançon. Et puis Nanao, un assassin malchanceux chargé de récupérer ladite valise.

Une situation explosive, en particulier quand tout ce petit monde est voué à se croiser dans les compartiments du bullet train...

Jemima Scott

Samantha Glass

Samuel Campoli

Marius Lindenmeier

bernice’

Liz Prinz

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 Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird—the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world”—boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase—and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, “the Prince,” with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose. When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear. A massive bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with an incredible energy and surprising humor as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwind. Award-winning author Kotaro Isaka takes readers on a tension packed journey as the bullet train hurtles toward its final destination. Who will make it off the train alive—and what awaits them at the last stop?

Bullet Train

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