Another Haikasoru book, and one that I liked a lot (not quite as much as Usurper of the Sun or The Next Continent). James Nicoll has been reviewing the Haikasoru books, and gives a good run down of this one here.
We have Keiji Kiriya, a Japanese solider fighting against the "Mimics", aliens which are invading Earth (they appear to be part of a "terraforming" process for the eventual intelligent aliens). Even with power armor (called Jackets here) humans are having trouble holding their own.
Keiji dies in his first combat experience...and then wakes up the day before the battle. He learns that he is in some sort of time loop, returning after each combat death to the same moment the day before. He can alter events within the loop, but always returns upon his death.
In each iteration, he notices Rita Vrataski (the "Full Metal Bitch") who is a legendary American solider. He then finds out that Rita is aware of the loops, and knows how to break the cycle.
This is a short book, so there's not a lot of depth in the other characters, though the author does give you background on Rita. Keiji is falling in love with Rita (and she with him) but there will be a price to be paid for causing the loop to end.
This is a fast moving, well written book, and I hope it gets some traction here in the US. I will say that based upon the cover art, it's not a book that I would have normally picked up, though it does help that it has a cover blurb from John Scalzi.
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