In the near future, there is a group of countries ruled by an unseen dictator called The Greater Republic of East Asia. Many things such as rock music and even certain imported shoes are banned and can only be bought through the black market. Every two years the "government" holds a competion simply called The Program. Every school in the country is entered in a lottery to compete on the Program. The winner will never have to pay for anything for the rest of his life.If the player lose the competion...he dies! The program is a battle to the death that pits friend against friend and classmate against classmate. The students are supplied with food,water, a map, a watch, and a randomly selected weapon.
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Shuya Nanahara is a normal high school student. Great at athletics. Somewhat average grades. Plenty of friends. One day shuya's class is to go on an overnight study trip. While on the bus everyone mysteriously falls asleep. When they all wake up, they find themselves in a classroom that looks strangely like their own. They also find that they each have metal colars around their neck! They then find out that they are on an island and that they have been selected for The Program!
The rules are explained and they find out that these colars are set to explode if they step foot into a computer selected "forbidden zone". One by one, the students are given a "day pack" and forced to leave the classroom. The "game" starts off quickly when one student kills another, and is in turn killed by another. Shuya wants to unite his entire class but soon learns that he can't when he is attacked by the class president who has a gun! After a while, the students are picked off by Kazuo Kiriyama who is killing because of a coin flip!
The "game" starts some unexpected allegiances and betrayals. Also crushes are revealed in this book to add in a romantic touch. But one by one, students are killed.
The review of this Book prepared by Spencer Adams
The story follows 42 ninth graders who are left on a deserted island as part of a program by a totalitarian Japanese government. Each is given a random weapon and the rules of the "game" are to kill each other off until there is only one student standing. If they refuse or no one gets killed within 24 hours then a metal collar which has been placed on the necks of the students will explode. All their actions and conversations are recorded and monitored by the government and all contact away from the island and escape is near impossible. Despite the violent, bizarre and often gory events that happen throughout the book there is a lot of character development too. The reader is plunged into the minds of these teenagers and it is easy to understand their fears and how desperation makes them do what they do.
Battle Royale has been dubbed as a modern day Lord of the Flies. It is full of teenage angst and a taste of how things would be if a totalitarian government could inflict terror on society.
The review of this Book prepared by Victoria Miller
