Battle Royale

Koushun Takami


4.21 · 34 ratings · Published: 21 Apr 1999

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
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 deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided with weapons 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 Lord of the Flies for 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 UK.

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