Book Review
Title: Battle Royale
Author: Koushun Takami
Genre: Horror
Rating: *****
Review: In the opening of Battle Royale, we are introduced to the Ninth Grade Class B from Shiroiwa Junior High in Kagawa who are heading on a school trip this includes Shuya and his classmates. Nothing seems amiss until they all fall asleep and wake up in a classroom similar to the one in their school, but they all have collars on a man tells them they have been entered into the Program. The Program takes place randomly and one class is chosen, they are taken to a secret location and forced to kill each other until there is only one man standing who is the “winner”. Before the Program has even started two students are killed and one is injured, and things are only going to get worse. I have read Battle Royale before and seen the movie which I highly recommended to everyone.
As the game begins 2 more students end up dead as the rules are explained. The island they are on is divided into sections and throughout the day and night announcements will be made telling the students which zones are forbidden and which students have died. However, it’s more complicated than that as anyone in a forbidden zone after the announcement will have their collars explode and if no one is killed within the first 24 hours, everyone dies. Shuya is the first to notice that some students are too calm about their current situation and grabs Noriko to get them to a safe place and hopefully find some of their friends. Meanwhile, other students are torn between running and hiding except for a few that either jump headfirst into the game like Kiriyama or choose not to play at all like Sakura and her boyfriend.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, students are beginning to drop like flies as they are now down to 29. Noriko and Shuya are sticking together and they are soon joined by Kawada who seems to know a lot more about the game and the Program than he is letting on but as he saved Shuya’s life, he isn’t asking too many questions at the moment. We are beginning to see the students divide into 3 categories; students who are willing to kill anyone they come across, students who don’t want to kill at all and those caught in the middle like Shuya who will kill to survive but they aren’t happy about it. The way the Program is structured is amazing as it leaves the students with no choice but to kill each other and as many other Programs have taken place in the past, there is no chance of finding an escape or loophole in the way the Program operates.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the level of gore is getting higher and higher, but I love this kind of novel, the movie adaptation is equally bloody, and I’d highly recommend it. Shuya and Noriko are getting along well with Kawada and his knowledge is keeping them alive but Shuya can’t help but feel he is keeping something from them. It turns out that Kawada has been in the game before and won and he doesn’t intend to die this time around. I really like the fact that Battle Royale is a more realistic, more horrific version of The Hunger Games, so if you enjoyed that, then Battle Royale might be for you.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we are beginning to see the differences between the students. There are some who will kill to survive, some who will kill for the sake of killing and those like Shuya who don’t want to kill at all but will if their own life is at risk. Kawada and Shinji also have plans to escape the game and they have the skills to pull it off. However, Kawada’s plan will only work if he, Shuya and Noriko are the last three left alive which means witnessing all their classmates die unless they can get a few more to accept their plan but with tensions running high and everyone on edge that may not be an option. By the time we reach the halfway point in the novel the group has been reduced to a mere 22 and among this 22 are a small few who are truly sadistic seeking out people to kill for the thrill of the hunt and these are the most dangerous people on the island as they seem to know what they are doing and have no hesitation when it comes to killing, even those they had considered their closest friends before the game are no longer safe.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Kawada is proving to be an invaluable friend as he saves Noriko’s life from possible sepsis and keeps them safe. Meanwhile, Shinji has figured out how the collars work and have already put a plan in place from him and a friend to escape from the island. While I have a bad feeling about what is to come I do know the outcome as I have read this book before and watched the movie adaptation which I highly recommend to horror fans. As we approach the endgame more students die reducing the number of players to a mere 17. So far a few of my favourites have died but I can’t wait for the finale. As I mentioned earlier, there are a few students that are taking the game very seriously and I can’t wait for the inevitable clash between them and the students we are rooting for.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the number of students is dwindling which means that the one kill per 24 hours is getting harder to fulfill and students that had previously not wanting kill are now doing just that in order to get through the next day. Meanwhile, Kawada, Noriko, and Shuya have had to split up after being cornered by Kiriyama. With Shuya gravely injured he must try to survive but luckily for him he is rescued by 6 girls from the class that have barricaded themselves in the lighthouse, but he knows he has to get back to Kawada and Noriko as soon as he can. Due to the nature of the game, things suddenly go very badly for Shuya as a misunderstanding and pure fear cause the girls to turn on each other until only Yuko and Shuya remain. While she was the cause of the misunderstanding when Shuya tries to save her she realises her mistake and ends up taking her own life bringing in the number of players down to only 8, including Shuya, Kiriyama, Kawada, and Noriko.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, there are only just over 100 pages left in the novel, for Kawada, Noriko, and Shuya to escape the island. As Shuya re-joins Noriko and Kawada only 5 students, remain, the trio, Kiriyama and another student who has remained hidden until not Mizuho. Mizuho has played the long game and remained hidden and alone for most of the game but Kiriyama is set on winning the game with only four people left to kill to make it a reality, he seems more determined than ever and he also carries an arsenal of weapons with him meaning anyone he comes across doesn’t really stand a chance against him. To say the ending of Battle Royale is explosive is an understatement but the way the trio work together and ultimately defeat the game is brilliant to read. While the movie adaptation focuses on the gore rather than the relationships between the characters I would recommend it but definitely read the book first.
Buy it here:
Paperback: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
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