The Long Walk

Dead Man Walking

How far could you walk without stopping?

First released in 1979 under King's pen name Richard Bachman, The Long Walk may force you to rethink your answer. In King's strangely surreal early novel, the rules are simple: maintain a constant speed of four miles per hour; don't deviate from the set course; don't interfere with the other walkers; and do not stop. If a walker stops or slows below four miles an hour, they receive a warning. Thirty seconds later if they have not resumed pace another warning is issued, and a third thirty seconds after that. A walker will not receive a fourth warning; instead they will be unceremoniously executed on the roadway. The walk only ends when one walker remains.

How far do you think you could walk now?

That's the question that continuously pulses through you as you try to keep pace with the walkers and the degradation of their bodies and minds. Though this story may sound sadistic (and admittedly it is, somewhat) what makes it so engrossing, what makes it so exciting, is learning about the characters, their friendships, their immense constitutions, and why they ever thought being in the Long Walk was a good idea in the first place.

The applicants for the Walk are chosen from a nationwide lottery and, before the contest even begins, are catapulted into the media spotlight. People choose favorites, Vegas makes odds, and the populace lovingly embraces the event and its Romanesque pageantry. Each Long Walk is presided over by a sort of authoritarian figure known only as "The Major." The Major embodies the archetype of the totalitarian leader both feared and revered. He is the first person to congratulate the winner when the race is over, and his grip on the country seems to reach much farther than the event.

Centering around sixteen-year-old narrator Ray Garraty, the novel begins with the boys only an hour away from the start of the walk. The mood is convivial, laughter abounds, and it's obvious that the boys are having a pretty good time. However, like in most of King's writing, the peace is short-lived. As the walk progresses, legs cramp up, feet get sore, stomachs begin to rumble, and each walker begins to question how much stamina they really have. Should they just give up instead of agonizing on? What's the point of continuing when only one will survive? When the first walker (a boy named Curley) is gunned down because of a charley horse the truth becomes all too real for the ninety-nine that remain. The revelatory mood slips away and they quickly realize it's time to settle in and concentrate on the road.

As time goes by and more of them fall, the real fear of death creeps in and the walkers begin to open up, knowing that these will be their last conversations. This is when The Long Walk is at its best -- the dialogue between Ray Garraty and his newfound companions (including the enigmatic Stebbins) ranges from their families, to girlfriends, to the Major, to death, and ultimately on to the Long Walk itself and its prize of anything the winner wants for the rest of their life. Interestingly, many winners of the walk have died shortly after winning due to the immense physical burden their bodies have endured and the caustic violence they've witnessed.

The Long Walk is the work of an angry, impulsively fresh voice, and it's as real as it gets. Fans of Lord of the Flies, The Running Man, or more obscure titles like Battle Royale or Crimson Labyrinth will not be able to put it down. The debilitating suspense will leave you trying to catch your breath after every single page.

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