Who Would Like This Book:
If you love high-stakes thrillers with a dystopian twist, Battle Royale delivers an absolutely gripping survival story. The pacing is relentless, and despite a huge cast, the story gives everyone a moment in the spotlight. It’s fascinating - and chilling - to watch ordinary students forced into an ugly, violent situation, and the book isn’t afraid to explore psychological depths: trust, fear, and what it means to go full survival mode. Fans of The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies, horror lovers, and anyone who appreciates a good dose of dark satire and moral complexity in their fiction will find this unforgettable. Just prepare yourself - it’s intensely violent and emotionally rough, but that’s part of the experience.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This book is not for the faint of heart. If you’re averse to graphic violence, gore, and disturbing content involving teenagers, it’s best to steer clear - this pulls zero punches. Some readers also struggle with the sheer number of characters (it can be tricky to remember who's who), and others found the translation a bit clunky and the prose repetitive at times. A few people didn’t connect with the main characters or found aspects of the plot far-fetched or emotionally distant. If you’re looking for subtlety, elegant prose, or feel-good vibes, this might not be your cup of tea.
About:
In 'Battle Royale' by Koushun Takami, a class of Japanese junior high school students is taken to a deserted island by the government and forced to participate in a survival game where they must kill or be killed by their classmates. Equipped with various weapons, the students engage in a brutal fight for survival, with only one student allowed to live. The story follows the students as they navigate the violent and harrowing game, exploring themes of fear, self-preservation, and the lengths people will go to in extreme situations. The writing style is described as intense, gripping, and immersive, drawing readers into a dark and twisted world where the characters must confront their deepest fears and darkest desires.
The novel delves into the psychological and emotional impact of the brutal game on the students, offering a nuanced exploration of human nature under extreme circumstances. With a gripping plot filled with action, suspense, and moral dilemmas, 'Battle Royale' presents a thought-provoking narrative that challenges readers to consider the consequences of violence, fear, and survival instincts. The book is praised for its detailed character development, vivid descriptions of the island setting, and the way it keeps readers on edge from start to finish with its relentless pace and shocking twists.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Battle Royale include graphic violence, murder, psychological trauma, and themes of government oppression.
From The Publisher:
In an alternative future Japan, junior high students are forced to fight to the death! L to R (Western Style). Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan-where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller-Battle Royale is a Lord of the Fliesfor the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic, now available for the first time in the English language. A group of high school students are taken to small isolated island and forced to fight each other until only one remains alive! If they break the rules a special collar blows their heads off. Koushun Takami's brutal, high-octane thriller is told in breathless. blow-by-blow fashion. Battle Royale is a contemporary Japanese pulp classic now available for the first time in English.
Ratings (39)
Incredible (13) | |
Loved It (22) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (3) |
Reader Stats (128):
Read It (40) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (61) | |
Not Interested (26) |
5 comment(s)
wow!
“The room grew silent again. Everyone now knew. This was real. It was no mistake, nor was it a prank. They were going to be forced to kill each other.”
Insane premise that you know is real but doesn’t feel like the characters will play along, until they do. Lots of twists and lots of character story line getting you to root for specific groups/kids.
I read the first hundred pages of Battle Royale and fell asleep. That night I dreamt that I was in The Program. (I remember fleeing a pretty intense gunfight and thinking nonsensically:
dammit, at least I'm getting good exercise.)
I hardly thought about it until the next evening, when I began to read again and only finished as the sun rose.
You cannot know gunfights or car chases until you've read
Battle Royale.
It's fantastical, it's pulpy, and it's brilliant. I wish it had been written with more realism, but you can't have everything. Perhaps Koushun Takami will write another, some day.
Boring
My favorite book! So much better than the movie!
What can you read after
Battle Royale?
About the Author:
Koushun Takami was born in 1969 in Amagasaki near Osaka and grew up in Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku, where he currently resides. After graduating from Osaka University with a degree in literature, he dropped out of Nihon University's liberal arts correspondence program. From 1991 to 1996, he worked for the prefectural news company Shikoku Shihnbun, reporting on various fields including politics, police reports, and economics. Although he has an English teaching certificate, he has yet to visit the United States. Battle Royale, completed after Takami left the news company, was rejected in the final round of a literary competition sponsored by a major publisher due to the critical controversy it provoked among jury members. With its publication in Japan in 1999, though, Battle Royale received widespread support, particularly from young readers, and became a bestseller. In 2000, Battle Royale was serialized as a comic and made into a feature film.Mr. Takami is currently working on his second novel."
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