Edge of Tomorrow novelization review

This week I decided to review the novel Edge of Tomorrow, also published as All You Need is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Usually I avoid reviewing movie novelizations but this one is so different from the movie, sharing only basic plot elements, and a couple of character names that I made an exception. When the novel begins a young soldier named Keiji Kiriya is part of an offensive against the Mimics that has gone horribly wrong. The Mimics are a group of alien machines which landed in various points of the ocean and have been conquering coastal areas and islands around the world for decades leaving them uninhabitable by humans as they strive to convert Earth into a paradise for their creators. Keiji is killed in action only to wake up the day before the battle. He fights the battle over and over eventually meeting an American soldier who shares his power, She tells him that to defeat the Mimics and break the loop he must destroy the lieutenants of the Mimc command unit overseeing the battle, then destroy the command unit. After several more tries he seems to achieve this only to have the day reset again with the Mimcs launching an all-out offensive against the base he is stationed in. And as the battle rages he discovers the final horrifying truth of his power and Keiji must decide if victory is worth the price that must be paid to break the loop and win the battle…

I give this book an 8 out of 10. Despite seeing slight variations of the same events multiple times the book manages to remain interesting, and while I wish the Mimc objective been explained in a way that blended with the story rather than being a side chapter with little or no connection to the main plot it was an interesting, if chilling scene, made more so by the fact I could easily see humanity trying something similar if placed in the same position.  The ending was a little too dark for my tastes but fit well with the story.