Battle Royale

1999 | Science Fiction/Fantasy | Thriller

Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of 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.

Criticised 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. Some even refer to it as the original Hunger Games.

Koushun Takami (Author)