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, armed only with a map, some food, and various weapons, where they are forced wear special exploding collars and must fight each other for three days until only one survivor remains, as part of the ultimate in reality television. Original.
- 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 St Charles
- 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.