The Long Walk is the second book that Stephen King released under the
Richard Bachman alias, but it is the first novel that he completed
some ten years before its publication. The structure of the book is
simpler than the later works, the story of a "last boy standing"
marathon is told quite linearly as the contestants walk for five days
until there is only one left. Along the way, the 99 other walkers
have been shot (due to slowing down and getting four warnings from
some army dudes on an army vehicle) or died of exhaustion or suicide.
We meet the main character Ray Garraty (contestant 47) as he arrives
at the race's start location and follow him through the horrible
tribulations and realities of the race. There are some flashbacks
that reveal bits of Garraty's background, but we never get any
insight into his actual motivations for taking part in the race.
After just a couple of chapters I could foresee the structure of
the rest of the book, as well as the outcome of the race. There
were few surprises along the way, and the book felt like a bit of a
chore to get through. Which is fitting enough for a story about
walking hundreds of miles without rest. My least favourite book by
King so far, by a clear margin.
A movie adaptation of The Long Walk was just released a few weeks
ago. Maybe I'll watch it, maybe I won't.
