Newly translated into English, the novel that spawned the hyper-violent disturbing movie Battle Royal is now in America. Hurray. I never saw Battle Royal, but remembered that my friends had talked about it, So when I saw this book at the store, I decided to buy it.
Whoa. This book is simultaneously gripping and repellent. The description of: "Like Lord of the Flies, but with guns" is pretty accurate. There are some heart wrenching scenes, and some stomach turning ones. There is some black comedy, and lots of guns.
The basic plot line is: A class of 42 high school students are selected for The Program, which is run by the fascist government "The Greater Republic of East Asia". Each student is attached to a small bomb (located in a coller on their necks) And the basic rules are
1) If no one dies for 24 hours, every bomb goes off
2) Tampering with the coller makes the bomb go off
3) There can only be one winner.
Ugh. This book freaks me out just by reading it, because it makes me think: Would I be able to survive in a similar situation. If I was pitched into a deadly fight, where only one person could survive...would I? The creepiest thing is the reactions feel very real. Some student's panic. Others throw themselves fully into the game. Others jump off cliffs rather than kill one another.
So I'd say, if your a fan of fast action and deep thinking, and can stand a lot of gruesome/horror elements, Battle Royal is worth your time. I'd rate it 5/5 stars, with a MPAA rating of R.
Whoa. This book is simultaneously gripping and repellent. The description of: "Like Lord of the Flies, but with guns" is pretty accurate. There are some heart wrenching scenes, and some stomach turning ones. There is some black comedy, and lots of guns.
The basic plot line is: A class of 42 high school students are selected for The Program, which is run by the fascist government "The Greater Republic of East Asia". Each student is attached to a small bomb (located in a coller on their necks) And the basic rules are
1) If no one dies for 24 hours, every bomb goes off
2) Tampering with the coller makes the bomb go off
3) There can only be one winner.
Ugh. This book freaks me out just by reading it, because it makes me think: Would I be able to survive in a similar situation. If I was pitched into a deadly fight, where only one person could survive...would I? The creepiest thing is the reactions feel very real. Some student's panic. Others throw themselves fully into the game. Others jump off cliffs rather than kill one another.
So I'd say, if your a fan of fast action and deep thinking, and can stand a lot of gruesome/horror elements, Battle Royal is worth your time. I'd rate it 5/5 stars, with a MPAA rating of R.
