This is an older review of mine and a bit long winded, but it is still one of my favorites.
Title: Battle Royale
Author: Koushun Takami
Format: Paperback, 576 pages
Publication Date: February 26, 2003 (English version)
Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms 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 a 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 English language. (via Goodreads)
“Someone else will finish you off if you get too hung up on every person you kill.” – Shogo