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Battle Royale - Koushun Takami


 Battle Royale - Koushun Takami Printed Book
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Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

 
Description: ISBN 0575080493 / Author: Koushun Takami / Genre: Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Publisher: Gollancz / Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane ... more
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami ... thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of 42 junior high school students are taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are electronically collared, provided with weapons of varying potency, and sent out onto the island. If they are in the wrong part of the island at the wrong time, their collars will explode. If they band together to save themselves a collar will explode at random. If they try to escape from the island, they will be blown up. Their only chance for survival lies in killing their classmates. 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 Flies for the 21st century, and a potent story of politics and survival 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, and is now available for the first time to the UK mainstream.

Newest Review: ... do become quite attached the characters: the sportstar and genius Shinji Mimura, the beautiful yet deadly Mitsuko Souma, even ... more

 ... the heartless Kazuo Kiryama. You don't want any of them to be harmed, you want Shinji to succeed, you want Mitsuko to keep going, and you want Kazuo to continue his murderous ways. But, as the game rules reveal, thats not going to happen. Still, each death is like a heartbreak, a disapointment, and a bit of a relief, all rolled into one. The books exploration of human nature, in doubt and mistrust, naivety and fear are all shown, clear and horrifying. While times have changed since the book was written, and films l...more

trickmirror
Premium Review Battle Royale - Koushun Takami: Fight to the death (225 words)
by - written on 04/02/08 (Very useful, 23 readings)
Rating:

I am a big fan of pretty much everything that comes out of Japan. Battle Royale is one of my favourite films. This book was pretty much a nessecisity to have in my collection. However when it came to reading it, i found it a plesent and easy read and was overly impressed. For those who have not seen or read this, its the story of an oppressive nation, who has a programe called Battle Royale. This is where each year a randomly selected class of 15 year olds are taken to a remote island where they have to fight to the death or die. As far as stories go it sounds like its a pretty rough one. However i believe it is a well made book and insight into ...  Read the complete review

happy_squirrel
Premium Review Battle Royale (263 words)
by - written on 30/07/08 (Very useful, 19 readings)
Rating:

Battle Royale is set in an alternate modern Japan, where the youth rebelled and so the government brought in the BR Act; every year fifty classes of third year junior high school students are knocked out and isolated, the students then required to fight to the death until only one remains. They are each given a bag containing some food, water, a map and a random item which could be a saucepan lid or a machine gun. They all have a neck collar placed on them that will explode if they try to escape or if they are caught in a danger zone. If nobody has died within three days, all he collars will explode. We follow Shuya Nanahara as he tries to survive and to save his ...  Read the complete review

wings09
Premium Review Battle Royale - Koushun Takami: Bloody, entertaining and brilliant (570 words)
by - written on 31/10/09 (Very useful, 15 readings)
Rating:

I'd first heard of Battle Royale (as i think most people have) through the brilliant film that was released in 2000. I first watched the movie a few years ago and I thought it was really good, but I was surprised to find out recently that it was based on a book. Knowing this I immediately got on the internet and ordered a copy for myself, hoping it would be as good as the movie. Not only is it as good as the movie, it is so much better. This is the product description on Amazon - Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of 42 junior high school students are taken to a ...  Read the complete review

georgesvinsky
Premium Review A corrupt regime. A class full of teenagers. A game that ord ... (308 words)
by - written on 04/11/09 (Very useful, 9 readings)
Rating:

A corrupt regime. A class full of teenagers. A game that orders them to kill each other... As the time runs out, and their classmates are being murdered by those that they once considered to be their friends, the young heroes and heroines of the book are driven to ever more desperate measures to remain alive. As you progress through the book, you really do become quite attached the characters: the sportstar and genius Shinji Mimura, the beautiful yet deadly Mitsuko Souma, even the heartless Kazuo Kiryama. You don't want any of them to be harmed, you want Shinji to succeed, you want Mitsuko to keep going, and you want Kazuo to continue his murderous ...  Read the complete review

vendettagirl
Premium Review Battle Royale - Koushun Takami: Battle Royale (168 words)
by - written on 09/01/09 (Useful, 11 readings)
Rating:

Koshun Takami's Battle Royale is depicted as a modern day Lord of the Flies in which school children are forced onto an abandoned and remote island, and ordered to kill each other off until only one student remains. This book highlights the underlying shallowness of friendships and social structures, as while some friends attempt to band together to defy the system, many students are prepared to kill off their fellow classmates and friends for the sake of their own survival; some pupils will kill off their classmates purely for their own sadistic enjoyment. Amongst the bleak scenario, there are often instances of macabre humour which break up the otherwise fairly graphic ...  Read the complete review

 

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Battle Royale - Koushun Takami