Customer Reviews
fantastic - By: Captain Joe Boston, 24 Apr 2008 
reallly reallly 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
You will be with them every step of the way - By: Bezerus Bezby, 06 Dec 2007 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 essentiallly means being shot.
King creates a vivid picture of the hopelessness & pain the long walkers experience. If you want to win, you must accept that alll 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 & 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 & I will admit to shedding a tear or two.
Not the best but still a bloody good read - By: Sophie Brown, 15 Aug 2007 
I have read most of Stephen King's books & as I enjoyed The Regulators I thought I'd give another Bachman a try. The story of the Walk is very easy to get involved in; I read the whole thing reallly quickly cos I was wrapped up in the characters & the very simple premise of if you get three warnings you die. The ending is dark but I think it tells a lot about life in general & the nature of reality "entertainment" (though I hope even the godawful Big Brother isn't headed this way to gain viewers!!) & the ending does appear quicker than I thought it would!
I would recommend this as it's a decent read but it's definately not the same standard as my favourites (The Shining, Christine etc).
Just keep picking em up, and laying em down... - By: D. Thompson, 01 Aug 2007 The Long Walk is simply exhausting to read. I found myself keep drifting in & out of sleep, needing to eat, drink, & use the bathroom. But most of alll, my feet ached a little more after each page. This is not because the book was bad & that I was losing attention, it was simply because I was so involved in the story. I was walking WITH them.The premise is simple & I'm sure if you're reading this review you're aware of what its about. The fact that the story is so simple, alllows for it to become deeper on so many different levels.
At the end of the book I found myself questioning everything, not because the ending left me unfulfilled but because it made me realise so much about life.
The Long Walk is depressing, exhausting & brutal. But ultimately it is a beautiful story that makes you aware how great it is to be alive.
At this time of writing this review (1st August 2007), the rights to making a film have been bought by Frank Darabont, director of the Shawshank Redemption & The Green Mile. I read The Long Walk as part of the Richard Bachman compilation of 4 novels, Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork & The Running Man.
whatsadealwiththeending - By: wysiwy-f-g, 19 Jun 2007 I found this book more than a little disturbing! When i came to pick the book up again aftr short breaks my stomach would sink at the horror of the situation. I felt slightly ashamed for reading such sick content & even more so for ENJOYING it! I found some of it didn't add up entirely.
All of the walkers had to pass a medical to walk & if they passed they might then get a place. Such as perhaps the army, the walkers seemed to have been conned into their involvement in the race & there was pressure on them to contend once they had been given a number, & if one was to decline they would be probably "sqauded" which would have resulted in death too.
I don,t understand why people thought that the ending was bad. It seemed fitting to me, he had won the prize, but didn't realise as he was obviously mad from lack of sleep & alll he had to endure which of course he may or may not recover from. I think your imagination has to fill in the rest.....
