Battle Royale

[King James]

Is there a pdf version of the novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami translated in english?

[billl]

Maybe you already knew this, but if you are looking for a way to search within the text, then the google books version will be able to do the trick (you'll get a brief snippet of the quoted text, and the page number for where it occurs.):

Battle Royale on Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=1fB8p-dZLSIC&q=battle+royale+takami&dq=battle+royale+takami&cd=1)

If you want to read it on an e-reader, though, this info won't help you (sorry).

[OrphanPip]

Haha, the movie adaptation was classic grade A campy Japanese horror. I don't know if I would be willing to read the novel it was based on though.

[billl]

The translation is a little "semi-professional" but maybe they got the kinks out after a few editions. I haven't seen the film (I defintiely will, sometime), but enjoyed the book--sort of in the same way I enjoyed the handful of Stephen King books I read years ago. A page-turner, with some surprisingly affecting moments.

[OrphanPip]

The entire film is up on youtube, it's a good movie if you're into horror movies. Plus, the story itself is a great concept.

[billl]

The entire film is up on youtube

Wow, thanks for the tip. Still might wait for the DVD sometime--but maybe will go the youtube route...

[King James]

I read the manga though it was all a bit too graphic for my liking. So I thought maybe the book would suit me better.

[billl]

It is pretty easy to get if you are near a "mega-bookseller" like Barnes and Noble (in the U.S.), and it is definitely available online. The book is pretty graphic, too--not pictures, but words, of course. So I can't say you'd like it more or less. Again, be prepared for some awkward translation here and there, if you read it (but it wasn't a big distraction to me, I had fun reading it). I definitely recommend it, with all the caveats I've tried to introduce on previous posts, but I don't know how it'd be for you, after already becoming familiar with the plot (to some degree...).

[Thom Holliday]

I picked this up fairly recently in Waterstones. I've not had a look at it yet, as I have a plethora of other books to read first. It does look interesting though, and at 616 pages I'm thinking it will be a pretty heavy read.

I saw the film when I was 15, and fell in love with it at the time. Like OrphanPip said, the story is really innovative and the film sets up a great portrayal of a dystopian Japan. However the film's sequel, Battle Royale 2, was very poor to be honest. I don't think I've ever managed to watch it the whole way through.

[TheChilly]

It is pretty easy to get if you are near a "mega-bookseller" like Barnes and Noble (in the U.S.), and it is definitely available online. The book is pretty graphic, too--not pictures, but words, of course. So I can't say you'd like it more or less. Again, be prepared for some awkward translation here and there, if you read it (but it wasn't a big distraction to me, I had fun reading it). I definitely recommend it, with all the caveats I've tried to introduce on previous posts, but I don't know how it'd be for you, after already becoming familiar with the plot (to some degree...).

I didn't really notice the awkward translation as much in the three times I have read the novel. I agree that the plot was outstanding, though.