Battle Royale
Staff Pick
Battle Royale
Stop me if you've heard this before: a group of people sent by their own government against their will into a meat-grinder arena where the rules are kill or be killed. No, it's not Suzanne Collins circa 2008, it's Japanese novelist Koushun Takami from 1999. His forty-two protagonists, armed with food, water, and one random weapon, play the game until only one student remains alive. "Battle Royale" is "Hunger Games" without the whimsy, a dystopian world where Japan's citizens lost faith in their government and the government took a hard stance to curb the rebellion. Thus: the Program now played by Shuya Nanahara and his classmates. Takami's prose is fierce and florid, laced with violence and irony, and a surprising amount of characterization and back-story for the kids who survive past the first few hours. Ultimately confronting the reader with a paralyzing scenario ("Who can you trust when everyone's playing to win?"), this is a must-read for fans of dystopian literature, "Lord of the Flies," and Star Trek's own no-win scenario, the Kobayashi Maru. By the end of this 600-page monster, you'll ask yourself, "Suzanne WHO?"
In a country ruled by a ruthless totalitarian government, a group of ninth-grade students are confined to a small isolated island where they must fight each other for three days until only one survivor remains, as part of the ultimate in reality television.
- Condition: Used - GoodHPB condition ratings
- New: Item is brand new, unused and unmarked, in flawless condition.
- Fine/Like New (F): No defects, little usage. May show remainder marks. Older books may show minor flaws.
- Very Good (VG): Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Good (G): Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Fair (FR): Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Poor (P): All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Format: Paperback
- Sold by: HPB Distribution Center
- Seller rating:
- Language: English
- Publisher: Viz
- ISBN-13: 9781569317785
- ISBN: 156931778X
- Publication Year: 2003
- New: Item is brand new, unused and unmarked, in flawless condition.
- Fine/Like New (F): No defects, little usage. May show remainder marks. Older books may show minor flaws.
- Very Good (VG): Shows some signs of wear and is no longer fresh. Attractive. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Good (G): Average used book with all pages present. Possible loose bindings, highlighting, cocked spine or torn dust jackets. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Fair (FR): Obviously well-worn, but no text pages missing. May be without endpapers or title page. Markings do not interfere with readability. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- Poor (P): All text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Reading copies and binding copies fall into this category. Used textbooks do not come with supplemental materials.
- New: Mint condition or still sealed (SS). Absolutely perfect in every way. New.
- Fine/Like New (EX): No defects, little sign of use, well cared for. Plays perfectly. Close to new. Not necessarily sealed or unused, but close. Could be an unopened promotional or cut item. Sometimes called: mint-minus.
- Very Good (VG): Will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.
- Good (G): Attractive and well cared for, but no longer fresh. Minor signs of wear, scuffing or scratching, but will play almost perfectly. For vinyl: barely detectable crackles or pops.
- Fair (FR): This item is in okay condition. For vinyl: good is not so good and the record may have low level crackles or pops when playing. CD: one or more tracks may skip.
- Poor (P): Obviously well-worn and handled. Most vinyl collectors will not buy good or below, but some tracks on CD or vinyl will play.
- New: This movie is unopened and brand new.
- Fine/Like New (EX): Near new. No defects, little sign of use. Plays perfectly. Not necessarily sealed or unused, but close. No skipping; no fuzzy or snowy frames in VHS.
- Very Good (VG): Attractive and well cared for but no longer fresh. Minor signs of wear, but will play almost perfectly. For VHS: barely detectable distortion or very few fuzzy or snowy frames.
- Good (G): This item is in okay condition and basically works well. There may be some minor distortion on VHS tape; slight scratching or wear on DVD.
- Fair (FR): Basically plays, but may be obviously well-worn with some scratching or tape distortion.
- Poor (P): Disc or tape is intact, but may be scratched or stretched. There may be skips or distortion or product defects.