The Long Walk
Ratings341
Average rating3.8
Even though it wasn’t his first published, this was apparently the first book Stephen King wrote, and I gotta say: I’m pretty damn impressed by that!
The premise here is somewhere between the Hunger Games saga and King’s (or Bachman’s) own The Running Man. Although the reader isn’t given much story behind the dystopian society, it’s apparently some sort of military dictatorship where young men sacrificing themselves is the main source of entertainment each year.
I really liked the premise and I really liked the cast of characters, but the story fell flat in a few ways for me. For one, the book was very uneven. About 75% of the book tells of the first 1/3 or so of the Walk. The last quarter rushes things. My other gripe is that, even though my suspension of disbelief allowed me to buy the premise, I didn’t feel that the walkers’ stamina was very realistic. Even with extensive vetting, I can’t believe that more people weren’t out within the first 25 miles nor can I believe how long the Walk went on. The stories for why people decided to join were mostly silly too.
A few tweaks and the book could be perfect imo. I see that they’re making a movie. Maybe they can smooth over some of those things.
Even though it wasn’t his first published, this was apparently the first book Stephen King wrote, and I gotta say: I’m pretty damn impressed by that!
The premise here is somewhere between the Hunger Games saga and King’s (or Bachman’s) own The Running Man. Although the reader isn’t given much story behind the dystopian society, it’s apparently some sort of military dictatorship where young men sacrificing themselves is the main source of entertainment each year.
I really liked the premise and I really liked the cast of characters, but the story fell flat in a few ways for me. For one, the book was very uneven. About 75% of the book tells of the first 1/3 or so of the Walk. The last quarter rushes things. My other gripe is that, even though my suspension of disbelief allowed me to buy the premise, I didn’t feel that the walkers’ stamina was very realistic. Even with extensive vetting, I can’t believe that more people weren’t out within the first 25 miles nor can I believe how long the Walk went on. The stories for why people decided to join were mostly silly too.
A few tweaks and the book could be perfect imo. I see that they’re making a movie. Maybe they can smooth over some of those things.
