*Fandom name: The Long Walk - Richard Bachman (Stephen King) *Tagset fandom: The Long Walk - Richard Bachman *Media type: Standalone novel *Length: Short-ish (~380 pages)
Where can it be found? (Only legal links for this, please.) Anywhere you can find print and e-books; it’s frequently on used book sites. The audiobook is also on Audible. You can read the first chapter on Amazon.
What is it/what is it about? In Stephen King’s retro-futurist dystopian vision of the U.S., 100 teenage boys participate in the annual Long Walk, a competition to see who can walk the farthest from the Canadian-American border through New England, with deadly consequences for the 99 who fall short and a prize of “whatever he wants for the rest of his life” for the winner. Required to maintain a steady pace of four mph, the boys face the elements, physical and mental exhaustion, an ever-growing crowd of ghoulish onlookers, and the looming threat of their own mortality. For fans of “The Lottery,” Battle Royale, and The Hunger Games.
What do you love about it? For me, the beating heart of the novel is the unexpectedly tender and human relationships that form between the Walkers. It’s a coming-of-age story cut horrifically short by the circumstances, which makes the introspection and sense of connection that much more poignant and painful. The protagonist, Garraty, and his friend McVries have this beautifully fraught relationship with all kinds of intriguing ambiguity; it’s not quite canon but you sure can see it from there. And their love and loyalty for each other shines through right up until the very end.
(For King fans, if you love Richie Tozier from It, I'd say McVries will probably be another favorite.)
Regarding world-building, I’m fascinated by the Walkers’ motivations for joining the Walk, as well as the society which has embraced such a brutal pastime. Because Garraty's young and the story is set entirely during the Walk, we get a fairly circumscribed view of the world, with allusions to the broader reality, but that means there’s so much to explore and imagine.
And honestly, this is King at his best. The prose is often lovely, the story is character-driven and achingly vivid, and the horror is as much tragic and haunting as it is frightening. And it is surprisingly funny and warm at turns.
Where should people start? N/A -- it’s just one very sad book!
Do you have any content warnings? Major character death, graphic depictions of violence, death of underage characters (and a dog on p. 309), homophobia (internalized and otherwise), misogyny, racism/racist slurs (infrequent but present), and discussions/expressions of teen sexuality.
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The Long Walk - Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Date: 2024-08-28 02:34 am (UTC)*Tagset fandom: The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
*Media type: Standalone novel
*Length: Short-ish (~380 pages)
Where can it be found? (Only legal links for this, please.) Anywhere you can find print and e-books; it’s frequently on used book sites. The audiobook is also on Audible. You can read the first chapter on Amazon.
What is it/what is it about? In Stephen King’s retro-futurist dystopian vision of the U.S., 100 teenage boys participate in the annual Long Walk, a competition to see who can walk the farthest from the Canadian-American border through New England, with deadly consequences for the 99 who fall short and a prize of “whatever he wants for the rest of his life” for the winner. Required to maintain a steady pace of four mph, the boys face the elements, physical and mental exhaustion, an ever-growing crowd of ghoulish onlookers, and the looming threat of their own mortality. For fans of “The Lottery,” Battle Royale, and The Hunger Games.
What do you love about it? For me, the beating heart of the novel is the unexpectedly tender and human relationships that form between the Walkers. It’s a coming-of-age story cut horrifically short by the circumstances, which makes the introspection and sense of connection that much more poignant and painful. The protagonist, Garraty, and his friend McVries have this beautifully fraught relationship with all kinds of intriguing ambiguity; it’s not quite canon but you sure can see it from there. And their love and loyalty for each other shines through right up until the very end.
(For King fans, if you love Richie Tozier from It, I'd say McVries will probably be another favorite.)
Regarding world-building, I’m fascinated by the Walkers’ motivations for joining the Walk, as well as the society which has embraced such a brutal pastime. Because Garraty's young and the story is set entirely during the Walk, we get a fairly circumscribed view of the world, with allusions to the broader reality, but that means there’s so much to explore and imagine.
And honestly, this is King at his best. The prose is often lovely, the story is character-driven and achingly vivid, and the horror is as much tragic and haunting as it is frightening. And it is surprisingly funny and warm at turns.
Where should people start? N/A -- it’s just one very sad book!
Do you have any content warnings? Major character death, graphic depictions of violence, death of underage characters (and a dog on p. 309), homophobia (internalized and otherwise), misogyny, racism/racist slurs (infrequent but present), and discussions/expressions of teen sexuality.