Beautifully orchestrated chaos. That is Bullet Train in three words.
Did I pick up this book because I watched the 2022 film by the same title? Yes, yes I did. To be fair, I honestly had no idea it was a book until the end credits of the film were rolling. As soon as I saw it was a novel, I knew I absolutely had to track it down and read this chaotic story.
(Also if you’ve not seen the film, I highly recommend!!) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
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 pondering whether killing is truly wrong. Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to the Prince, and, to exact his revenge, Kimora has tracked the Prince onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka.
But Kimora soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board.
Nanao, nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” has been put on the bullet train by his boss, and 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 reveal their hands.
Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it out alive?
Bullet Tain by Kotaro Isaka
What I Loved
Character Variety
Bullet Train is very much a plot-driven story, however it does not suffer in characters because of this fact. The plot gives this novel substance obviously, but the characters bring all the flavor.
So much flavor…
From the synopsis it’s no spoiler that the bullet train serving as the story’s setting, is peppered with assassins and unsavory types. What stood out to me, is how so many characters that essentially all do the same line of work, are all so very different and unique.
Just because a character is an assassin, does not mean they all talk alike or have the same background, reactions, or motivations.
I do want to add, that though the story is again, plot-driven, our characters are awarded more than simple background paragraphs. Some get more of a microscope view than others, but no one really is introduced and not explained. And some of that talked about background is so random, that you’re left wondering how it ties in to what is going on, which is yet another appeal of this novel to me.
Pacing
Much like the bullet train our characters are on, this story goes by quick.
If you are someone who leads a chaotic and busy life, or let’s just face it, a normal life because even “normal” is busy and chaotic, this is an easy book to follow even if it takes you a while to finish.
Chapters are relatively short, and in The Overlook Press edition I have each chapter is numbered, states what characters you are with, and what train cars these chapters will take place in. So even if you have to sit the book down for a bit like I did due to sickness, you can easily pick it back up and you know who you’re with and where you are at.
The Big Bad(s)
Most stories have a “big bad” a villain, an event, etc. Most stories, have a primary main character. Not Bullet Train.
Why have one, when you can have many?
This kind of ties in with Character Variety, mentioned above, but this novel is so great in my opinion, because there is no clear hero or villain. There are a few that are on the top of the list probably, but really we are presented with a bunch of people, all morally grey at minimum, and they all do a bunch of bad shit during our time with them.
Who are the good guys? That’s a good question.
Who are the bad guys? Everyone? That’s a good question too.
The Plot
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned how Bullet Train was beautifully orchestrated chaos. It’s true for the film and the novel.
I love stories that seemingly have several strings going at once. I love finding the connections. I enjoy the suspense of wondering how this is going to relate to another chapter or another character I’ve already met.
Reading this novel, and watching those strings unravel and overlap only to start coming together toward the end, was intoxicating. How everyone is connected in one form or another, was chef’s kiss. The more along I was in the story, the faster I began to read.
What I Didn’t Love
If I had to put anything in this section, it would be that due to the short and quick chapters I started reading way too damn fast toward the end when the action was all culminating. But that’s more a me problem of not pacing myself versus the story’s pacing.
I’m sure some people will have issues with this book. But for me, there was nothing I didn’t enjoy.
In Closing
I really loved everything about this novel. It was a lot different, from my normal, but I think that speaks highly of it considering I had nothing for the “What I Didn’t Love” section.
I’m used to reading romances of the paranormal sort, fantasies, etc. So reading what I would consider an action-thriller, something a little more out of my comfort zone, and not having a single problem with it…
Obviously, I would highly recommend giving Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka a shot.
I know I definitely am going to look into more of his translated works, because if they are anything like Bullet Train, they’re going to be quite the ride.
I gave Bullet Train
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Until Next Time,
