The Long Walk by Richard Bachman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Long Walk is a Dystopian novel by Stephen King, originally published in December of 1978, under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman.
Eventually, it was included in the bind-up of The Bachman Books, along with Rage, Roadwork and The Running Man.
I read this book as a Tween, but have not visited it since. Recently, I have begun reading King’s works from the beginning, in the order they were originally published according to his website.
This project will mostly be rereads for me, but I NEVER get tired of revisiting King’s stories. I feel like each time I read them, depending on where I am in my life, it becomes a whole new experience. Also, the more versed you are in the Kingverse, the more connections you begin to see.
In this story we are following 16-year old, Maine native, Ray Garraty, who has been chosen to participate in the annual Long Walk, along with 99-other teen boys.
The boys start the Walk in Northern Maine, and must maintain a steady pace of 4-mph, or risk being eliminated, not just from the Walk, but from life. They are walking straight through, no rest stops, no pee breaks, no sleep, until only one remains; the winner.
The winner is awarded the big prize, said to be anything he wants for the rest of his life. In this dystopian world, that’s a hell of a good offer, one these boys are willing to risk their lives to attain.
This quick little story sure manages to pack a punch. The commentary and character work are a masterclass in how to pull your audience in and make them feel invested. Even though it was only Garraty’s perspective that we were given, I felt such empathy for so many of these characters.
The Long Walk feels like a precursor to more recent stories, such as The Hunger Games, inspiring many other works of fiction. I actually discovered after I started my reread there’s going to be an adaptation released later this year.
I’m very excited, though nervous, to check that out.
I loved how this slowly developed and the psychological depths it went into. These waters run dark and deep. I was eating it up. I’m so glad I finally reread this one.
I would recommend this to anyone who hasn’t read it yet, or to anyone who enjoys a Dystopian story. This is gripping and powerful; a timeless tale of human endurance.
