Un-su Kim

Sora Kim-Russell

A Novel

Plotters

설계자들

• A complex and darkly funny noir thriller that led to a six-way international bidding war in the US • Un-su Kim has been hailed as a rising star of Korean literature. The Plotters is his first novel to be translated into English • A fascinating moral tale about power and corruption in Korean society filled with betrayals, power struggles and effortlessly smooth assassinations • Reseng is a young assassin working for a powerful syndicate of professional killers. But when Reseng steps out of line on his latest job, the hunter becomes the hunted. Will he be next on the kill list? Or will three young women with a subversive plot of their own change the status quo? • In the vein of Roberto Bolaño and Haruki Murakami, The Plotters has all the hallmarks of a thriller paired with a highly original voice and a cast of unusual and notable characters • Much attention has recently turned towards the originality and style of Korean crime fiction, with books such as Han Kang’s The Vegetarian amassing significant literary recognition • Un-su Kim has won the Munhakdongne Novel Prize, Korea's most prestigious literary prize, and was nominated for the 2016 Grand Prix de la Littérature Policière

The Plotters

Frederik De Bosschere

Although the setting should feel like quite the stretch for readers, Kim Un-su still manages to paint a realistic portrayal of a hitman in Seoul's underbelly. The story keeps its pace well, characters are interesting, with plenty of raw humor and snappy dialogue. But ultimately, the book never becomes more than an action movie you've seen before. Good fun though.

From the novelist dubbed "the Korean Henning Mankell" (The Guardian) comes a fantastical crime novel set in an alternate Seoul where assassination guilds compete for market dominance. Perfect for fans of Han Kang and Patrick deWitt. Behind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want? Reseng is an assassin. Raised by a cantankerous killer named Old Raccoon in the crime headquarters "The Library," Reseng never questioned anything: where to go, who to kill, or why his home was filled with books that no one ever read. But one day, Reseng steps out of line on a job, toppling a set of carefully calibrated plans. And when he uncovers an extraordinary scheme set into motion by an eccentric trio of young women--a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair-bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian--Reseng will have to decide if he will remain a pawn or finally take control of the plot. Crackling with action and filled with unforgettable characters, The Plotters is a deeply entertaining thriller that soars with the soul, wit, and lyricism of real literary craft.

Fraser Simons

This was solid and enjoyable. I don’t think it made much of an impression, but it was a fun reading experience that was off kilter for the genre in a good way.

Nico J

Always, I take the Goodreads rating with a grain of salt, and here's another book on which we disagree. While the first half is a bit slow, it does a solid job of worldbuilding and letting us sink into the world of The Plotters and assassins and the rules along with that, which hovers between a grounding reality that we do know and the fanciful ideas of one we don't. There's a jerky sensation during reading, bizarre whiplash, but lets you sink in to the gritty atmosphere. The main character is at once aloof, detached, introspective, flat; it's nihilism with moments of reflection and even tenderness, or as close to it as he gets. There's a satisfaction in what it doesn't spell out for you, what it chooses not to say about its characters. Up until the middle, it's a 3/5 - the second half does a great heel-turn in action and suspense but still with that dreamy, detached feeling that spins it into a 4 for me.

Mateusz

jess

Meniah

Leah Preston

A dark, funny, deliciously different literary thriller about a jaded hitman, set in the criminal underworld of Seoul 'Kill Bill meets Murakami' D. B. John, author of Star of the North'A work of literary genius' Karen Dionne, internationally bestselling author of Home'I loved it!' M. W. Craven, author of The Puppet Show'You'll be laughing out loud every five minutes' You-jeong Jeong, author of The Good Son'A mash-up of Tarantino and Camus set in contemporary Seoul' Louisa Luna, author of Two Girls Down'An incredible cast of characters' Le monde'Smart but lightning fast' Brian Evenson, author of Last Days Plotters are just pawns like us. A request comes in and they draw up the plans. There's someone above them who tells them what to do. And above that person is another plotter telling them what to do. You think that if you go up there with a knife and stab the person at the very top, that'll fix everything. But no-one's there. It's just an empty chair. Reseng was raised by cantankerous Old Raccoon in the Library of Dogs. To anyone asking, it's just an ordinary library. To anyone in the know, it's a hub for Seoul's organised crime, and a place where contract killings are plotted and planned. So it's no surprise that Reseng has grown up to become one of the best hitmen in Seoul. He takes orders from the plotters, carries out his grim duties, and comforts himself afterwards with copious quantities of beer and his two cats, Desk and Lampshade. But after he takes pity on a target and lets her die how she chooses, he finds his every move is being watched. Is he finally about to fall victim to his own game? And why does that new female librarian at the library act so strangely? Is he looking for his enemies in all the wrong places? Could he be at the centre of a plot bigger than anything he's ever known?

Joana Duarte

Jasmine

Anjali Vij

“[A] powerhouse of a novel....It reads as if Haruki Murakami rewrote The Day of the Jackal.” - Locus Magazine "Editor's Choice" New York Times Book Review "The Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2019" CrimeReads “Most Anticipated Books of 2019” Lit Hub "This Winter's Best Thrillers" Chicago Review of Books "Best Books of the Year" Apple A fantastical crime novel set in an alternate Seoul where assassination guilds compete for market dominance. Behind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want? Reseng is an assassin. Raised by a cantankerous killer named Old Raccoon in the crime headquarters "The Library," Reseng never questioned anything: where to go, who to kill, or why his home was filled with books that no one ever read. But one day, Reseng steps out of line on a job, toppling a set of carefully calibrated plans. And when he uncovers an extraordinary scheme set into motion by an eccentric trio of young women--a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair-bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian--Reseng will have to decide if he will remain a pawn or finally take control of the plot. Crackling with action and filled with unforgettable characters, The Plotters is a deeply entertaining thriller that soars with the soul, wit, and lyricism of real literary craft.

Desiree Young

Kyle Curry

Kim Un-Su

Komplocular

Muriel Trystero

Tylar M

Connie

A thriller like you’ve never read one before, from the hottest new voice in Korean fiction

Plotters A Novel

Reviews