100 Sci-Fi Novels - BATTLE ROYALE by Koushun Takami

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The sixth video in my series about the 100 novels that I think best represent 20th Century Science Fiction. #battleroyale
1. Forty Thousand in Gehenna by C. J. Cherryh - 1983
2. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - 1996
3. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin - 1971
4. Gateway by Frederik Pohl - 1977
5. Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh - 1988
6. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami - 1999
7. ????

[@stevena.7022]

Suzanne Collins swears that before writing Hunger Games she had never even heard of the Battle Royale... or Japan.

[@inerdius]

I know, and sure, it's entirely possible she came up with the idea independently just by speculating about ancient Rome's gladiator games being adapted to a future society like she created. I suspect she probably heard or read about BR somewhere and then forgot about it, but the idea crept into her subconscious.

[@leviathonCage]

I appreciate the concept behind many of your entries, choosing books that are prime examples/representative of sub genres within sci-fi (i.e., a first contact themed work, a battle royale/death game themed piece). Keep up the good work! I look forward to your upcoming entries!

[@inerdius]

Thanks! The great thing about this is, some slots in this list can be filled by any number of titles. I'll be doing a wrap-up and breakdown of the first 20 in the series, hopefully pretty soon.

[@obara7366]

One of my absolute favourite novels! I borrowed it from a friend, and was glued to every page even though its thicker than the bible. Ngl, I found the movie underwhelming even though I really liked it. The book tho? That blew me away years after having seen the movie. The battle royale/death game is one of my favourite genres, but it is so rarely done well, imo. Or rather, I haven't seen most of the good ones. This was such an enlightening review.

[@inerdius]

Thanks! Yeah, I had no idea what to expect when I first read the novel and really liked it. I am going to re-read it one of these days, for sure. And you're right about the whole "death game" subgenre, it was rarely done well. I actually just finished reading and making edits on my own attempt at it. I'm pretty happy with it. After I put the changes in and do some rewriting, it will be even better.

[@notsosmart-369]

have you read the manga. Gramps if no please read it's a good visual representation :)

[@inerdius]

I haven't, yet. I'm actually going to be doing a separate video series on sci-fi manga and comics later on. One of these days...

[@Caliburnius]

I never had (or have) any interest in Hunger Games or The Squid Game so I'm dubious. I don't object to such stories -- I don't believe in imposed censorship of any kind, only your own personal preferences -- and I'm not naive about how thin the veneer of civilized behavior is (people easily and quickly devolve to violent animalistic behavior, that's no secret), I'm just not sure if it would be time-worthy. I did notice that it has not been converted to an e-book (which might be a censorship thing?) though it, and other books by the same author, are available on Amazon and elsewhere. I checked and e-Bay has the DVD. I think I'll put this one on the "I'll think about it and decide later" list. Thanks for drawing attention to it, though. 😀

[@inerdius]

I've always had a fascination with "death game" stories, and also a fascination with gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome, the purpose that it served, etc. That said, I gave up on Squid Games because it seemed pointless. The Hunger Games books were an easy read, especially the first book which I read in one sitting. As much as I love Battle Royale, though, the best of the genre is Rollerball, although a recent viewing exposed a number of flaws, but also a number of subtle, incredibly artful moments. And the ending is a direct homage to an early Frankenstein movie.