Rating: 
Summary: Its a crime not to read this book.
Review: I would have to say that Battle Royale is one of the greatest books of our time. Koushun Takami weaves an enchanting tale of violence, love, hate, drama, and mistrust better than any other author. He puts authors like Dean Koontz and Stephen King to shame.Battle Royale's characters are very real. They show fear, hurt, and ruthlessness as they are forced to play this horible game of kill or be killed. Some hide out until the end when they are slain, while others go out and play. The main characters (Shuya, Noriko, Shogo, Kazou, and Mitsuko) are all very diffrent and add variety to the book. Shuya is a popular boy who doesn't want to hurt anyone, but does want to get off the island. Noriko is a quite girl who follows Shuya around, trying not to get shot in the process. Shogo is a mysterious exchange student who wants to help Shuya and Noriko escape. Kazou is a ruthless killer who has no heart of emotions. And Mitsuko is a child prostitute/porn star who will do anything to win, including shooting her friends, manipulating people, and even suducing people. (she's my favorite character :p, so evil) With a deverse cast of characters and a well spun story with plenty of action, and drama I would give Battle Royale 10 out of 5 stars. No one should not read this book, it is simply a crime.
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Summary: Get with the "Program" !!
Review: Book like this don't come around very often. That being said, go and get this one RIGHT NOW! This is the book that inspired the mega-hit movie of the same title in Japan (which is also excellent). The plot is built around an intriguing,yet simple premise: a class of junior high students forced to kill or be killed. It comes off as a sort of hybrid of "Lord of the Flies", "Jurassic Park", and "The Running Man" at first, but one of its best elements is the human factor of the story. Relationships between characters are fully fleshed out. Nobody (except for one or two in particular) wants to kill off their classmates. The story is violent, but it seldom glorifies it.
All in all, this book is top-notch. Even the translation is good. Pick this one up today!
Rating:
Summary: Quite the Novel Novel
Review: The book is, in a word, disturbing. A sort of a mix between "Lord of the Flies" and Quake III, "Battle Royale" is a written adrenaline rush, filled with murder and mayhem, with believable characters and unbelievable results. Great read, if you can handle the corpulent blood supply.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful novel that will never get the credit it deserves
Review: I've been a fan of Battle Royale since I first saw the movie over a year ago. In it's native Japan, the book was immediately labeled by many critics as sheer, gross violence with no real story; as was the movie, directed by the late Kinji Fukasaku. Despite this, the book sold millions of copies, and the movie became a hit, being nominated for best picture in the Japan Academy Awards. Battle Royale is the story of 42 Japanese junior high school students who, forced by their government, are sent to an island and must kill one another till one is left. Nothing's against the rules. The students are unsure in the beginning; kill a classmate? But the game gets the best of them and some students begin to play. Some form alliances, wishing to find a peaceful way off the island while others want to get back at the government that put them there. Some seek revenge from their fellow classmates, while others just go insane, blindly striking down anybody who gets in their way to victory. Do you need to be smart to win the game? Do you need to be strong? Or maybe a little of both? The novel illustrates how a group of 9th graders would probably react to this situation. It is not just random bloodhsed and violence, either. The novel shows how simple human values can be reduced to nothing if there's enough pressure against them. It tells the stories of the 42 students, their own personal opinions and reactions towards the game. This book is not for the lighthearted. It has an amazing surprise effect, and will truly get you thinking. Morals are pushed aside so this story can take it's true effect. Koushun Takami wants you to think, "What would I do in this situation?". What would you do? Could you kill your friends just so you could survive? It's an awful question to hear but that's what the students in Battle Royale must ask themselves if they want to survive.
Rating:
Summary: Now I know why the movie is so great
Review: Easy...it had excellent material to base itself on. The book is so graphic and particular in it's descriptions that there were times where I simply grimiced at what I was reading. HOWEVER...because of this I simply couldn't put it down. The characters are much more deep in the bok than in the movie (since there is MUCH more time for development). To any fan of the movie...this is a MUST BUY.
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Summary: Battle Royale from 42 to 1 in 3 days max
Review: Well picked up this novel yesterday, @ borders finally. Battle Royale the novel has marvelously been translated by the people @ viz pulp section, with the approvale of the author so you know this is a top quality release. The book has the same stream as the movie just it goes into much more details, some scenes are marvelously described by the author. I can just suggest this book to any avid battle royale fan or anyone that thinks outside of the box that society has placed you into.
Rating:
Summary: 21st century literature
Review: This book is addictive. The experience of reading it is more like watching a film or riding a rollercoaster. It moves at a pace that is fast enough to give the reader whiplash. The subject matter (kids killing kids) is of coarse controversial but undeniably compelling. It's important to note however that this book isn't simply about death, because the human element, the development of the characters, how they interact and connect and how they live is ultimately the glue that holds this piece together.
Rating:
Summary: Simply extraordinary!
Review: "Battle Royale" is one of those books that makes you think more than you think it should. Although shocking in the fact that it *is* about a class of 9th graders killing each other, it delves beyond the killing to tell us all about the characters themselves. Along with the superb character development there are messages about less-than-democratic governments. This is too good a book to review! 11 stars out of 5!
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Summary: EXCELLENT ¿ a page-turner and instant Japanese pulp classic!
Review: I'm not the type who likes extreme violence, guts, and gore (which this book is filled with, but for good reason), but I really, really enjoyed this book. It is the best pulp fiction I've ever read. Keep in mind, though, that it is no masterpiece along the lines of Shakespeare and Fitzgerald in terms of language usage (it was translated from the Japanese language, and I thought the translator still did a fine job). However, "Battle Royale" is a very memorable book; you will be surprised how all the events stay in your mind. Despite there being some 42 kids with difficult Japanese names, I remembered each character, how they lived, and how they died. And this book is literally impossible to put down-it's v. v. compulsive reading. I finished it in one sitting. You probably already know what this book is about, but here's a quick plot summary anyway: the Japanese government institutes "Battle Royale," and randomly selects 50 ninth-grade classes for the program. Each class is left on a deserted island, supplied with different weapons, and forced to kill each other until there is only one survivor. Most are unsure of each other's intentions and cannot trust anyone; this is what the government wants: for no one to trust each other well enough to form a group against the government. "Battle Royale" has understandably been criticized as violent exploitation (esp. since these kids are 14-15 and some are more than willing to hack each other up), but there is something much more deeper than that. The book explores tricky relationships between people, and there are many questions asked in the film, like "Who can I trust?", "Can I trust my best friend?", "Can I trust my boyfriend/girlfriend?", "What is right/wrong?", "Can we fight the system?", "Since we're dying anyway, should I tell you I have a crush on you?", etc. These are all v. interesting questions and the author does a fabulous job of answering them, showing the devastating results. The description of violence is v. graphic as to be over-the-top and distracting sometimes, and the writing is sometimes corny and painful, but as a whole, the book moves extraordinarily well. On the whole, most of the characters are developed well and we understand why they are doing what they are. In every page, we find teenage angst, lust, love, treachery, betrayal, goodness, jealousy, suspicion, hatred, and all those goodies. Although many of the characters do unspeakable things to their classmates (either willfully or out of fear), we feel for them. We understand them and therefore, feel pity for them when they die or are wounded. Only good books can elicit that kind of feeling for 42 different characters. I highly recommend the book. Don't expect to be blown away by the writing style, but do expect to be blown away by an interesting and irresistible premise, thoughtful ideas, and a GREAT story of friendship and other human relationships. (If you enjoy the book, you should definitely watch the movie "Battle Royale", which is the best movie coming out of Japan in years. I read the book before I saw the movie, and although I think the book is better, the movie is also incredible. Some of the scenes in the movie, especially the lighthouse scene with Yukie, even outdo the book. Of course, some characters aren't as well developed, but that's expected and understandable. With excellent acting, great direction, fantastic use of classical music, and a superb story, the movie is definitely a must-see.)
Rating:
Summary: Bloody awesome (no pun intended)
Review: First thing I have to say is that I hate gore and I usually hate most horror. But Battle Royale is more than just gore and well, horror. Though I'm not going to deny that there isn't a lot of gore - there is. Sickening amounts of it. But there's just something else about it.
The characters are realistic. Some try to team up with their classmates, some go crazy from fear, and some kill each other. The suspence kills you too. (no pun intended...well, kind of) But, just like the characters say, you can't trust nothing (no one). This book isn't the average children break the system story. It definitly isn't what you expect.
But either way, it is impossible to put down one you open it.
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