The Long Walk - Stephen King

When Stephen King did the stunt of writing under a different name for a while, Richard Bachman, this was put under some of the titles. For Valentine's Day i bought my boyfriend the compilation of the Bachman Books along with RAGE , The Running Man and another story, but I will talk about the others seperately. I decided to read with him this story and I absolutely loved it. It was so compelling and everytime we had to put it down, I found myself thinking about the story and imagining the setting in my head. It swam through my thoughts until I had to finish the book. *Phew* However i will will ... more

It is the in-depth story of how a boy named Garraty must survive the greatest challenge of his life: the Long Walk. This annual event is summarised as follows: 100 boys start walking; if you walk under 4 miles per hour, you get a warning; after 3 warnings, if you slow down again, you are shot dead. The winner of the Long Walk is the last boy left walking. The prize: You can wish anything you want! Stephen King (as known as Richard Bachman) introduces and develops the characters of many of the boys in the event. As the reader, you get to learn about Garraty, Pete McVries, Hank Olson, Art Baker ... more

As the title states this is the single most disturbing book i've ever read, and i've read quite a few. Being a large stephen King fan books like The Stand and The Shining fall into your lap easily due to their fame and quotes written on the front such as, Number one bestseller and so on. My Girlfriend bought me the Long walk and i fell into reading it quickly as it was one of the only books by king i hadn't ever heard of. The Stand, thats a brilliant book theres no doubting that, it's also quite horrible. Misery is another spine tingling book, very graphic, in fact pretty much all of king's ... more

The Long Walk is part of the Bachman Books which also includes the superb Running Man(dont' think Arnie cos it ain't like that), rage (think The Body with violence) and Roadwork(bizarre). This is my favourite of the collection. Firstly, as soon as the walk starts you know what is going to happen. Don't let that stop you reading to the end as it doesn't detract from the story. The story is based in an American future were the ultimate endurance sport is a 450 mile last man standing marathon organised by the Major (the leader of the country).Competitors must maintain a speed of 4mph or they will ... more

The story of Garraty (Maine's own) and his entry into the most surreal national competition in America. The basic story invoves a group of boys who have entered the greatest competition there is- to walk over 4 mph. Now that might sound odd, and perhaps boring, but I assure you this is not the case. The characters, the rules of the game, even the crowd, and the competitors' family support contribute to an unbelievably gripping, enthralling and terrifying novel. The skill in which King creates the story and reveals the shocking elements is truly magical. I don't want to spoil the story by ... more