Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
Plot itself becomes the problem with The Plotters – there’s plenty of explanation of its mechanics and not enough story in its telling. For all its literary ambition, the strength of this book lies in its visual sense. Kim conjures a gloriously dreamlike alternative Korea, with vibrant settings, heightened reality and choreographed ultra-violence. One feels more like a viewer than a reader, observing this world rather being absorbed within it. It isn't a lie when I say the plot is filled with holes, unclear ending, seemingly a classic massive network of syndicates which exist due to the greed of the people in power. However for people who seek their in-depth story, compelling flow of the plot, and clusters of ugly truths adaptive in life, this is the one. I personally felt the power impacted from the way the author narrates the story is outweighing the missing aspects of this story. In fact, at my first glance, I loved it to such extent. However, having pondered for a whole day, I've gathered the pros and cons of the story, and truth to be told, I still love this book. "It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice.“ might be my favorite one so far.
What does a man who is raised in a library run by hitmen grow up to be? A philosophical hitman. A surprisingly thought provoking look inside the mind of a young man born into crime in Korea. I really enjoy reading fiction that takes place in different countries. Not only do you get fresh scenery, but you get different cultural attitudes. The story is violent and bloody, as you would expect from a book about hitmen. I still really enjoyed it though!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
This book about Reseng, a South Korean assassin, sounded a lot more interesting than it was in the end. I was expecting to be dealing with an intricate world full of people willing to kill others, seeing the hierarchy and how and more importantly, why someone orders a murder. What I got was a lot of blood, drinking beer, some sort of existential crises and very little explanation to anything.
That being said, this wasn't a bad book, it just didn't meet my expectations. Many of the characters remain shallow, you don't get to know more than their names and what they do in the killing business. And when the plot twist comes, it doesn't get properly explained and you're left confused for a good while. I think the flashbacks are trying to give Reseng a backstory, but to me they were unnecessary detours from the actual story.
And yes, the ending is about as violent as you can imagine and then some. This clearly wasn't my cup of tea, but I still don't quite understand all the hype. As far as crime novels go, this is a decent mediocre one, but not much more. Definitely not something I'll remember in detail a few months from now.
(Also, I think the Finnish name misses the point of the book. It's "The Killers", putting more emphasis on the people doing the dirty deeds, instead of the people who are planning it all together. And I think those behind the scenes were the ones we were supposed to focus on.)
That being said, this wasn't a bad book, it just didn't meet my expectations. Many of the characters remain shallow, you don't get to know more than their names and what they do in the killing business. And when the plot twist comes, it doesn't get properly explained and you're left confused for a good while. I think the flashbacks are trying to give Reseng a backstory, but to me they were unnecessary detours from the actual story.
And yes, the ending is about as violent as you can imagine and then some. This clearly wasn't my cup of tea, but I still don't quite understand all the hype. As far as crime novels go, this is a decent mediocre one, but not much more. Definitely not something I'll remember in detail a few months from now.
(Also, I think the Finnish name misses the point of the book. It's "The Killers", putting more emphasis on the people doing the dirty deeds, instead of the people who are planning it all together. And I think those behind the scenes were the ones we were supposed to focus on.)
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?
The Plotters written by Un-su Kim tells the story of Reseng, an assassin in Korea, who was raised by Old Raccoon who teaches him to become an assassin. When Reseng doesn’t follow an assassination exactly the way his plotter told him too he finds himself in trouble and possibly on a hit list. When he meets up with three ladies, a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian things get really interesting.
This book was beautifully written. The descriptions felt poetic even the violent parts however, this really is not the type of book I would normally read so I had a hard time getting into it. It wasn’t until about halfway through when the ladies were introduced that I got into it. I did root for Reseng the entire time and felt for him even though he is an assassin. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Plotters written by Un-su Kim tells the story of Reseng, an assassin in Korea, who was raised by Old Raccoon who teaches him to become an assassin. When Reseng doesn’t follow an assassination exactly the way his plotter told him too he finds himself in trouble and possibly on a hit list. When he meets up with three ladies, a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian things get really interesting.
This book was beautifully written. The descriptions felt poetic even the violent parts however, this really is not the type of book I would normally read so I had a hard time getting into it. It wasn’t until about halfway through when the ladies were introduced that I got into it. I did root for Reseng the entire time and felt for him even though he is an assassin. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Väldigt rolig i början även om det handlar om en yrkesmördaren, bästa karaktären var lätt "den lurvige" och han e bara en support karaktär eller vad de nu heter på svenska. Reseng kändes lite som en barn unge som gnällde hela tiden speciellt i slutet av boken. Men han va också ganska cool i vissa ögonblick. Boken handlade inte om det jag förväntade mig. Typ det står på baksidan händer i typ i slutet av boken.
Sen läste jag inte heller de sista 30sidorna, problemet e om jag tar för lång tid att läsa ut en bok så tappar jag intresset. Förlåt bok xD
Sen läste jag inte heller de sista 30sidorna, problemet e om jag tar för lång tid att läsa ut en bok så tappar jag intresset. Förlåt bok xD
dark
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore
Minor: Child death
Korealainen kirjailija ja "kiva" kansi (värit), joten kaikkitännemullehetinyt. Onneksi kirjan löysin Storytelin valikoimista niin kärsimätön luonteeni sai heti tyydytystä. Ja täytyypä sanoa, että en ole aikaisemmin lukenut kirjaa palkkatappajista. Virkistävän erilaista vaikka tyyppejä putoilee kuin lehtiä puista eli ei herkimmille, mutta ehkä aihe jo paljastaakin sen. Tämä kirja voisi olla suositeltavissa henkilöille, jotka eivät yleensä lue, mutta pitävät äksönistä. Kirja kuin suorastaan HUUTAA, että heihei, tehkää minusta elokuva!