Battle Royale

42 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.

Criticized 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.

Author: Koushun Takami

Publisher:  Gollancz

Released Date: 2003

ISBN: 9780575080492