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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence
Minor: Suicide
**Originally posted on Sci-Fi & Scary.**
I think this may be my first South Korean novel ever, in any genre. It’s definitely my first South Korean thriller, and it has for sure piqued my interest in the genre.
The Plotters is a crime thriller at its heart, but it is the slowest of slow burns. The plot meanders back and forth a ton. We visit Reseng’s childhood in The Doghouse, his attempts at leaving the assassin lifestyle, the loss of friends, all interspersed into his present situation following an assassination where maybe he hasn’t followed the provided plot to the letter. And the plotters aren’t fond of twists in their stories.
That probably doesn’t sound like the most exciting of stories, but it completely hooked me. The action here tends to come in extremely slow build-ups followed by short, explosive bursts of violence, but the character development between those explosions was more than enough to keep me engaged. The writing is incredibly wry and witty. There’s a surreal edge to how Reseng’s experiences are presented, and a sort of deadpan humour carries throughout the novel. For a book with a pretty dark, depressing premise, I found myself chuckling a few times at the absurdity of Reseng’s situation and actions.
The characters are charming as all get out, and I especially loved the relationships that Reseng builds with some of the other rather unexpected players in his game. I won’t say much more than that regarding these relationships for fear of spoiling, but they’re bizarrely pure and innocent given that this entire cast of characters (minus one or two and a couple of cats with silly names) is up to no good.
This was a totally unique read, and I had a blast with this book. I’m sure that Reseng et. al. will stay with me for quite a while. I’d absolutely recommend this one if you’re looking for a thriller that falls way outside the genre’s typical box!
**Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
I think this may be my first South Korean novel ever, in any genre. It’s definitely my first South Korean thriller, and it has for sure piqued my interest in the genre.
The Plotters is a crime thriller at its heart, but it is the slowest of slow burns. The plot meanders back and forth a ton. We visit Reseng’s childhood in The Doghouse, his attempts at leaving the assassin lifestyle, the loss of friends, all interspersed into his present situation following an assassination where maybe he hasn’t followed the provided plot to the letter. And the plotters aren’t fond of twists in their stories.
That probably doesn’t sound like the most exciting of stories, but it completely hooked me. The action here tends to come in extremely slow build-ups followed by short, explosive bursts of violence, but the character development between those explosions was more than enough to keep me engaged. The writing is incredibly wry and witty. There’s a surreal edge to how Reseng’s experiences are presented, and a sort of deadpan humour carries throughout the novel. For a book with a pretty dark, depressing premise, I found myself chuckling a few times at the absurdity of Reseng’s situation and actions.
The characters are charming as all get out, and I especially loved the relationships that Reseng builds with some of the other rather unexpected players in his game. I won’t say much more than that regarding these relationships for fear of spoiling, but they’re bizarrely pure and innocent given that this entire cast of characters (minus one or two and a couple of cats with silly names) is up to no good.
This was a totally unique read, and I had a blast with this book. I’m sure that Reseng et. al. will stay with me for quite a while. I’d absolutely recommend this one if you’re looking for a thriller that falls way outside the genre’s typical box!
**Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
The plotters follows the life of an assassin, living in a world controlled by "plotters". They decide who dies, when they die and how they die. The main concept of this book is fascinating and it's definately a different take on the assassin genre. The use of a library as a front immediately drew me in along with the idea of the assassins having rules and a hierarchy (very John Wick style).
I would personally describe this book as being very character driven, in that if you don't vibe with the main character, Reseng, you're probably not going to like this book that much. I found the pace of this book to be perfect, with things happening just at the right time and each chapter was a joy to read through.
The writing style was very easy to read. Not to say that it was simple. Because it wasn't. But it also wasn't very flowerly or embelished. In fact, most of the time, and probably because Reseng was the main character, everything was straight to the point. And I love that. Especially, with the noir-thriller genre. Kim Un-Su did an amazing job at keeping up the suspense using his sharp humour and cynical tone throughout the novel.
The only thing that I have a minor problem with is the ending. I would have liked an epilogue to maybe flesh things out a bit with the side characters and how they're living life after everything. Not to say that I don't like the book's ending because I do. It fits perfectly with the story as well as the general mood set throughout the novel. I just wish Kim Un-Su would release a short story of what happened to the market place and the assassins after the events of the book.
Overall, this book was an easy read. It drew me in completely to the point that I would be reading page by page not realising that I've read half the book and that it's already three in the morning. Reseng was a joy read about and his take on the world of assassins, the "normal" world and the consequences of being raised in one over the other was truly fascinating. The other characters weren't anything to scoff at either as all of the were well-developed, a rare thing to come by these days.
I would personally describe this book as being very character driven, in that if you don't vibe with the main character, Reseng, you're probably not going to like this book that much. I found the pace of this book to be perfect, with things happening just at the right time and each chapter was a joy to read through.
The writing style was very easy to read. Not to say that it was simple. Because it wasn't. But it also wasn't very flowerly or embelished. In fact, most of the time, and probably because Reseng was the main character, everything was straight to the point. And I love that. Especially, with the noir-thriller genre. Kim Un-Su did an amazing job at keeping up the suspense using his sharp humour and cynical tone throughout the novel.
The only thing that I have a minor problem with is the ending. I would have liked an epilogue to maybe flesh things out a bit with the side characters and how they're living life after everything. Not to say that I don't like the book's ending because I do. It fits perfectly with the story as well as the general mood set throughout the novel. I just wish Kim Un-Su would release a short story of what happened to the market place and the assassins after the events of the book.
Overall, this book was an easy read. It drew me in completely to the point that I would be reading page by page not realising that I've read half the book and that it's already three in the morning. Reseng was a joy read about and his take on the world of assassins, the "normal" world and the consequences of being raised in one over the other was truly fascinating. The other characters weren't anything to scoff at either as all of the were well-developed, a rare thing to come by these days.
Tämän kirjan lukemisessa vierähti pitkä tovi, kiitos lukujumin. Kirja varmasti kärsi pätkittäisestä lukemisesta ja monien päivien tauoista. Välillä innostuin kirjasta todella, välillä vain odotin että se loppuisi. Kaiken kaikkiaan mielenkiintoinen ja erilainen lukukokemus. Korealaista kirjallisuutta voisi lukea enemmänkin.
dark
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
loved this! it seems wrong to call it a 'fun time' given the contents but it was entertaining and engaging and tense and so, yeah, a fun time. it's been so long since I've read a book I'd actually recommend to people but on every page this ticked another box. Kim maintains this fantastic balance between creating dynamic characters and emphasising the horrific acts every single one of them has committed.
one point I would note is that the 'Tarantino meets Han Kang' thing is a mESS. maybe Tarantino (as much as any violent crime-comedy) but absolutely not Han Kang. I can just imagine whoever wrote that furiously googling South Korean writers, because that's the only way I can see you connecting this (still great!) book with the International Booker Prize winning queen herself.
one point I would note is that the 'Tarantino meets Han Kang' thing is a mESS. maybe Tarantino (as much as any violent crime-comedy) but absolutely not Han Kang. I can just imagine whoever wrote that furiously googling South Korean writers, because that's the only way I can see you connecting this (still great!) book with the International Booker Prize winning queen herself.
Really enjoyed this thriller translated from Korean. The main character, Reseng was compelling and the book really held my attention. Highly recommend
3.5 stars. Serious moments of brilliance in this book, but I never fully engaged with it emotionally. The book summary mentions female plotters which is why I was drawn to this book and they were indeed great. However, they don't appear until pretty late in the game so that was disappointing. On the other hand, this made me curious about reading more Korean fiction. The tone was a standout to me - one part Grosse Point Blank, one part Kill Bill, one part grim noir. It's always difficult to tell for sure unless you've read both versions, but the translator seems to have done a really great job with this.
For fans of Leon: The Professional, this is a thriller set amongst the world of South Korean assassins. They get their orders from The Plotters, and rarely question them. But hitman Reseng begins to have his doubts about his career path after he takes out an old Plotter. He begins to question everything he always knew, as he was raised in The Library from infancy by a Plotter. Lots of twists and turns, and it's hard to know what's paranoia when they really are all out to get you!
This story is similar to Robert Sheckley's The Seventh Victim in which assassins are everywhere and pretty darn active. Plenty of them in The Plotters too, along with Plotters, Trackers, Contractors and Cleaners. Not at all a 'western' crime book but a distinctive Asian feel and sensibility to near future Korea. Its brutal and funny. Its intriguing and clever and different from the the average crime book. I will sure look at Mr. Kim's next translated novel. This one was originally written 10 years ago so there's more out there. Bring 'em on.