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David McK (3791 KP) rated The Long Walk in Books

Nov 13, 2022  
The Long Walk
The Long Walk
Richard Bachman | 1979 | Fiction & Poetry
5
8.6 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
I like going for long walks.

Not sure I'd like to participate in The Long Walk, though!

An early King novel, writing under the pseudonym Richard Bachamn, this is (or was, I think, at the time of writing) a near-future-set dystopian novel where the national pastime has become The Long Walk that happens once a year, where 100 teenager contestants (all male, although I don't know whether that's part of the rules or not!) participate in The Long Walk: basically, walk for days on end without being allowed to drop below a certain pace (4 miles per hour), and with 3 warnings given before you're out for good.

Out out, as in that (more modern) episode of Dr Who with the Weakest Link ripoff - shot by the soldiers pacing the Walkers in their relative safety and comfort.

The novel, as a whole, relies on character development, which there is no denying happens throughout. I just wish, well, that something actually *happened* (apart from a few brief scenes), and that more background had been given into how this state of affairs came about.

It also has a very open-ended 'ending' (it just sort of stops), which is a matter of taste whether you prefer that or not - personally, I could have done with a bit more clarity around that!