Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266867 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

Synopsis
In a country ruled by a ruthless totalitarian government, a group of ninth-grade students are confined to a small isolated island, armed only with a map, some food, and various weapons, where they are forced wear special exploding collars and must fight each other for three days until only one survi

Customer Reviews

No mercy
Imagine this: Japan is run by a totalitarian government, which occasionally selects groups of ninth graders to methodically destroy each other. On TV.

There now, isn't that chilling? It's the creepy, all-too-real premise of Koushun Takami's "Battle Royale," an intricate novel about a parallel universe, where Japan is part of a brutal, coldhearted empire. Takami's writing style is a bit too spare at times, but he's still able to inspire a sense of haunting terror in his readers.

A group of third-year high-schoolers are being transported on a bus, when they are gassed to unconsciousness, and taken to a distant island. When they awake, they have silver collars around their necks, and a man explains that they have been chosen for the Program: a military training exercise where you must kill or be killed. If you don't play, or stay in one place too long, the collars explode.

The teenagers slowly weed one another out, armed with weapons and random household tools, and monitored by the authorities to make sure they don't plot. Finally the entire class is weeded down to three young adults, including Shuya Nanahara and his girlfriend Noriko. But if they refuse to kill, then they must escape the fascist nightmare... which no one has done before.

"Battle Royale" was condemned in Japan for being so violent, and having a bunch of normal high schoolers killing each other off. So of course, it became a massive bestseller. But "Battle Royale" would have been striking even if it hadn't been publicized like that -- not only is it well-written, but it asks the question straight-out: how much will people do to survive?

Maybe it's also a parable about high-school life, and the struggle to succeed at all costs in Japan. However, Koushun Takami avoids any outright preaching or pondering. Instead he uncoils the tense plot, all about the kids fighting (they're told to "show no mercy") as they try to find a way out of their dilemma alive. Will any of them make it? There's a little glimmer of hope, since Shuya is trying to think his way out.

The pacing is pretty slow and intricate -- considering the large cast, it's not surprising. But the careful plot is punctuated with bursts of nasty action. And Takami writes in a spare, taut style, full of little details to add atmosphere and keep it from being TOO stark ("Under the moonlight, the bluish-white concrete pier gleamed like bone").

Shuya and Noriko are the main characters, and most of the novel's action is through their eyes. These are nice, normal, everyday kids like the ones who live down the street, but suddenly they're faced with their friends and classmates... wanting to kill them. Takami does a great job exploring their emotions as they struggle to keep their sanity and lives.

Violent, creepy and wonderfully atmospheric, "Battle Royale" is a brilliant cult novel that takes an exaggerated look at what it takes to stay ahead. Excellent piece of work.

film vs book, suffers by comparison
first off, i saw the film before i read the book and it's probably my fave film of all time - have reviewed it here too. so of course i was looking forward to the book. order is important though - just think of one of your favourite songs and imagine its been covered by some muppets (example - anyone remember an saw-style cover of 'baker street' early 90s????). conversely, take brian adams' retch inducing 'everything i do' and enjoy every moment of the fatima mansions launching a well-deserved two-foored tackle on it - quality! so can another version improve on something you already love, or does it detract from it?

i found the book helpful in some ways and irritating in others. beyond the documented grammatical and spelling mistakes (like i'm one to talk...) it added some depth to the film, filling in on the thumbnail sketches - the girl (sorry, can't remember names) who (accidentally and) tragically poisons her classmates in the lighthouse has more than a fear of shuya as her reasons. we see another character slowly going insane (oddly enough, same for her friend who attacks kiriyama (??) near the end). i felt though that major characters suffered in the book. shuya for instance is made into something like a teen god and seems less human for it, and therefore less likeable. likewise kiriyama seems to be painted in an oddly godlike manner (gifted artist, skilled musician) despite his little problem - someone who kills because he has no sense of right or wrong about it, rather than the cold blooded monster who wings his way insolently through the film (fine distinction perhaps, but mine to make). oddly enough mitsuko is perfectly written, even though like in the film its alarming, if somewhat different circumstances.
missing too was a lot of the sly humour, which seemed to be injected by director and son to relieve the somewhat straightlaced narrative here. get the feeling the author is almost trying too hard to tell us he's deadly serious.

agree totally with the reviewer who commented on the 'music' listed as rock and roll in the book - the beatles, lennon and bob dylan - a man whose FANS booed him when he went electric, which tells you all you need to know. dunno whether this is an indication of what the author was trying to say was most popularly available outside a closed society or just an echo of the safemusic/ wallpaper/ incidental music (copyright me, proud of all three terms) that permeates/ pollutes the airwaves. pity either way cos if its guitar music he's after i was hoping to play shuya some stuff by oceansize, opeth and the jesus lizard. now THAT'S rock...poor lad wouldn't know what had hit him.

Just Very Very Poor...
If you are a twelve year old boy who is keen on guns, bombs and war, you might enjoy this book. Otherwise don't bother. The weak writing manages to shine through the dodgy translation and at the end you will not have experienced anything new or even entertaining.