There are some aspects about this story I don't really want to get into in this blog. The story has a lot to do with racism and such, and I just don't want to bother with the topic. Instead, I want to talk about what this story does really well.
Fight scenes are hard. You have to carry along how the fight happens without taking too long on any given moment. It has to move quickly without losing all of the violent detail. "Battle Royal" does this really well and for a surprising amount of time.
It also isn't just a fight between two people. It is a close-quarters free-for-all with some extra trickery mixed in, such as money thrown into the arena and parts of the floor being electrified. It is a crazy read, and I have to commend the author for doing such a good job at portraying a scene that might baffle other writers.
That is what is good about this story, and given the title, that is all that really needed to be good. That said, however, I did not know this was a chapter out of a greater novel when I read it. I have no interest in the novel itself. I can only recommend this to people who might be interested in learning about writing crazy fighting scenes. Other than that, I don't have much more to say.
This blog was written on August 29, 2026.
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We had to read this book when I was in college. It is Communist propaganda. Its popularity is political rather then literary. That the author was black was emphasized by the professor to an annoying agree, as if we weren't allowed to question his work or we are racist. That said, good writing is good writing regardless. The story within the story is an example of such.
ReplyDeleteYou know... I had a feeling I had no reason to read that book even before you said anything. Glad you confirmed it.
DeleteMy main concern when writing about combat is to keep things moving. The more extraneous details you add, the less authentic it feels. Imagine describing the fight to someone else, because you are.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta keep things moving!
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