Battle Royale Book Review

The odds are in your favor when you have less than a 1 in 800 chance of your class being chosen to participate in “The Program,” a ruthless game in which junior high students must battle until only one is left standing. Still, 50 classes are chosen a year and Battle Royale tells the story of the Third Year Class B of Shiroiwa Junior High School. This great book has a wide variety of characters, is action packed, and told in a unique way.

Shuya Nanahara was a 15 year old junior high student on a study trip with his class when they were put to sleep with a gas. Later, he woke up to a nightmare, his class had been chosen for “The Program.” Now, his class of 42 students, were released onto an island with no chance for escape and left to battle until only one was left alive.

The book has such a grand variety in characters. All 42 students had different traits and attitudes. Throughout the book we see the contrast between students. Some characters may wish to commit suicide instead of participating while others have no problem with it at all. The characters themselves vary greatly as well. You see some athletic stars, some leaders of thugs, one who is very privileged and now must deal with the “vulgar masses,” and one who plays the entire game as a space warrior. The different perspectives and ideas add a lot to the story.
The story has you wanting to read more with its action and suspense as they try to survive one another as well as the fascist government forcing them to participate. Each student had a different weapon and, just like the characters, we see a wide variety ranging from an Ingram MAC-10 machine pistol to a simple fork. Not only do the weapons provide action, so do the students themselves. With some students hunting the rest we must read on to find who they will get to next. A great thing the novel added is the fact that the main character is not immortal and does not escape completely unscathed. The characters and their actions keep you on the edge of your seat as you continue to read.
The way the story is told adds to what you experience while reading. It is not simply told from the main character's point of view. The story has a third person narration that permits you to know the thoughts of not just one student’s view but almost all of them. During a confrontation you see both student’s thoughts and yet not enough to spoil what happens. The story also has humour but not too much as to take away the suspense the story generates.
Battle Royale is a very well written story filled with action that I would definitely recommend. It makes you want to keep reading and is told in a way that fits well with this type of story.