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The Long Walk | 
| Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Signet Book
Category: Book
Buy New: £4.99
New (16) Used (12) from £2.16
Avg. Customer Rating:  87 reviews
Sales Rank: 3308
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4
ISBN: 0451196716
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780451196712
ASIN: 0451196716
Publication Date: December 7, 2001
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...
 Horror made by humans for humans November 17, 2008
I found this story by Stephen King a little unusual to his typical style of horror, but nevertheless, I thought it was an excellent idea and a gripping read. The horror in this book doesn't come from ghosts, vampires or an alien force, but from human terror inflicted by an imaginary/future government who organize an annual long walk for teenage boys. The winner has everything to gain and the losers have everyting to lose. The Long Walk is a frightening event and along it, the participants must learn how far they can push their bodies and minds.
One of King's best! October 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found myself thinking about this book long after it was read.
Its a simple plot, enter a competition, walk for as long as you can and if your the last man standing, claim the ultimate prize. Yet, the simplicity of the plot contrasts with the emotional turmoil which plagues the contestants. They soon come to realise that fatigue is not the only challenge they face...and whilst they walk and fight for their lives, the Crowd watch on.
Not a scary book like Salems Lot but rest assured, this is horror. There are monsters, but not the type you would expect. In a way it feels a little similar to The Mist, the real enemy is the enemy within. spooky :)
One viewer gave this a 1 star rating because you don't find out the prize at the end of the story. I might be wrong but the prize is not relevant to the story or the reader. Worst of all, at the end of the book, the prize isn't even relevant to the contestants either.
Read it, love it.
Enjoy.
fantastic April 24, 2008
really really good. i can't believe this isnt a film yet. it's such a great idea. it got me thinking about it for weeks. my advice would be though, get the bachman books collection, instead of buying the novels seperately
One of the best books King has ever written April 22, 2008
This novel was the first full-length novel King ever wrote (completed whilst studying at the University of Maine when he was 19-20). It didn't see the light of day for another ten years until published under his Bachman pseudonym. Charting a competition where the winner takes a large prize in a dystopian future society, it follows the lead characters quest to win. If competitors fall below a certain minimum miles per hour walking pace they are shot. It is written in a very tight style (not used much in the horror novels he is famous for) and the reader is induced into a fast pace of reading in line with the competitors walking pace. I couldn't put the book down and had to read it at one sitting. The competition is a lottery where the defeated are killed and I think there is a strong allegorical parallel with the fate of young American boys during the Vietnam War (which was raging when the book was first written).
All around I think this is one of the finest of his books and deserves to be much better known. (It is now published as a stand-alone title, but can also be found within "The Bachman Books" title.
If you like this review, why not buy my own novel on amazon - "Freya's Quest" by Julian Lawrence Brooks
You will be with them every step of the way December 6, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
One of King's finest tales- a brutal depiction of America as a militant state, where the mysterious major has devised a gruelling marathan- a 450 mile walk. It's only as the walk gets underway that you realise that opting out essentially means being shot.
King creates a vivid picture of the hopelessness and pain the long walkers experience. If you want to win, you must accept that all those with you must die. Ray Garraty, the hero of the story, questions why he entered the competition but never seems to question why it exists.
So well does King set the scene, that I swear my feet ached after reading this book. It is by no means a cheerful tale, but it is a tale of friendship, hope over adversity, tragedy and mildly like George Orwell's 1984. This is one of King's finest- certainly in the same league as the Shawshank redemption. It is also very moving and I will admit to shedding a tear or two.
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