Battle Royale (Gollancz S.F.)

Very descriptive and violent, very enjoyable!

Just finished reading this, AMAZING! One of the best books I've ever read, definitely in my top 5 and definitely one I could read again. Need to see the film now!

Has there ever been a better idea for a b movie slasher flim? Though the film is so much more than a B movie still not as good as the book

satire about how there is no clear easy resolution to any problem and the extremes we can go to in order to survive in the dog eat dog world.

A very, very good book with vibrant, vivid characters, tense action and emotional relationships. The film is also good but in different ways, as is the manga, which has a lot of sex and violence, reading almost like Miike Takeshi's take on the whole thing. The book though delves in a way that only literature can and allows a personalised perspective on Shuya's plight against the tyranical...more

A very, very good book with vibrant, vivid characters, tense action and emotional relationships. The film is also good but in different ways, as is the manga, which has a lot of sex and violence, reading almost like Miike Takeshi's take on the whole thing. The book though delves in a way that only literature can and allows a personalised perspective on Shuya's plight against the tyranical Battle Royale programme- where he's forced to kill off his classmates in order to live. Well worth the read.   hide

Bloody, violent, but very exciting. In some cases the description of bodily harm is too realistic.

Compelling but disturbing. At first it could me a while to get used to the character names, but within 50 pages I was hooked. I really wanted most of these characters to survive. Even though I knew the ending as i saw the film the previous week, I was still gripped. Well worth a read. Lord of the flies doesn't even come close to this.

I highly recommend reading this book if you get a chance. Once you get started reading it, I guarantee that you won't be able to stop. This book is a page turner.

Ultra-violence should always be written in this way, no-frills, no mess, just purest unadulterated human anger.