Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
The Plotters follows Rensang, an assassin for hire who works for Old Raccoon, the man who raised him in the Doghouse Library. In this world, plotters move around assassins and key powerful figures as though they are chess pieces on a board. This includes Reseng, his friends Trainer and Chu, and the mysterious and deadly Barber. But when things start to go wrong, Reseng has to decide whether to remain a passive player in the Korean underworld or take charge of his life once and for all.
Kim seems to have a better grasp on his male characters than his female ones and there were some unanswered questions left hanging. The ending was a little too rushed and overly dramatic. But I did get a lot more out of the ending after the family book club discussion.
There are lots of literary references (esp existential ones) as Reseng is an avid (but oddly disinterested) reader and similar themes from his books pop up now and then. The ending is definitely a callback to one of the books mentioned earlier. And, for what it's worth, my mom said that the English translation sounds like it is very close to the original Korean text.
Kim seems to have a better grasp on his male characters than his female ones and there were some unanswered questions left hanging. The ending was a little too rushed and overly dramatic. But I did get a lot more out of the ending after the family book club discussion.
There are lots of literary references (esp existential ones) as Reseng is an avid (but oddly disinterested) reader and similar themes from his books pop up now and then. The ending is definitely a callback to one of the books mentioned earlier. And, for what it's worth, my mom said that the English translation sounds like it is very close to the original Korean text.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
"Ace of Spades" got me started on a thrillers kick which is something I thought I'd never say! That, along with #mansemarch, #koreadathon, and #koreanmarch lead me to pick this up.
"The Plotters" written by Un-su Kim is about Reseng, who is raised by Old Raccoon in a library in Korea. There, he teaches Reseng to become an assassin where he carries out plotters instructions to kill people. Eventually, after disobeying orders, he finds himself in trouble and on a hit list. The ending felt bizarre, and overall it was very different from what I expected; more violent/gorey and less fantasy/tense.
"The Plotters" written by Un-su Kim is about Reseng, who is raised by Old Raccoon in a library in Korea. There, he teaches Reseng to become an assassin where he carries out plotters instructions to kill people. Eventually, after disobeying orders, he finds himself in trouble and on a hit list. The ending felt bizarre, and overall it was very different from what I expected; more violent/gorey and less fantasy/tense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This translation was brilliantly written and gave me definite Tarantino vibes. As much as I loved the writing style, i have a lot of unanswered questions and struggle to understand the characters' motives. This feels much more like a movie than a book but I enjoyed this unique reading experience nevertheless
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated