Rating: 
Summary: One of the creepiest books I've ever read
Review: I first read "The Long Walk" about three years ago, and found that it stayed with me for nearly every step I've taken since then. Any walk of a mile or longer invariably brought up memories of the deadly Long Walk taken by a hundred fictional teenagers in the alternate-history Earth of this early King classic.As other reviewers have noted, just to read this book is to feel physically tired. The characters start walking, at a grueling pace of four miles per hour, early in the first chapter, and never stop. There are only two ways out of the contest: death or victory... and, out of the 100 contestants, there can only be one winner. "The Long Walk" takes place over five days in May, and by the final day, the Prize may no longer seem worth winning. As painful as your legs will feel by the final chapter, you'll be equally intrigued by the little alternate-history hints King drops throughout the book. With references to John Travolta and the handover of the Panama Canal, "Long Walk" is still very much a product of the 1970s. But when the characters mention "April 31st", or New Hampshire's provisional governor, or the German bombing raids over the East Coast in World War II, you'll find yourself wondering just how the world of the "Long Walk" came to be. Most intriguing is a fictional quote from the "second Clay-Liston" fight, which ends even worse for Sonny Liston than did the actual Ali-Liston fight in our own 1965. The only thing that disrupts "The Long Walk" is the ambiguous final page. King points out in the introduction to this edition that his Bachman persona did not specialize in happy endings, and of course we know that King writes insanity quite convincingly. I've beem vaguely dissatisfied with the ending after both my readings -- but, taken by itself, the final line is still a creepy finale to a very creepy book...
Rating:
Summary: Doggone it! King has done it again!
Review: This work by Stephen King is entitled "The Long Walk,": and is 'written by his alter-ego' Richard Bachman. Mr. King's work's a phenominel, and this is no exception.
I'll admit, at the beginning King tried to make a big mystery what happens to the walkers who 'get their ticket.' Also, you could obviously tell what the ending would be like. What I thought would happen did, but at the same time, it didn't. I know, I know. You guys are think, 'How the hay did this chump 'know' but 'didn't know' the ending?' Well, my answer to that is relatively cheesy. You have to read this novel to find out. I should stop blabbing on about my opinion now, and get down to some business about what this book is really about. Ray Garrarty is young boy who makes the tough decision to participate in the most grueling competition known to man. The ultimate prize awaits the winner, but for the ninety-nine losers, an award also awaits them. Their eternal rewards. Back to the opinion... it sounds boring, and basically that is all the plots about. If someone tried to convince me to read a book with just that, I would think that they were crazy! But the thing is, King takes this plot that seems to go nowhere, and he extends it to make it the ultimate thrill, that cannot even be captured on a roller coaster! In conclusion, all I have to say is, "Doggone it! King has done it again!"
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, Amazing, Mind Blowing, Wow!
Review: "The Long Walk" is my favorite novel by Stephen King. Considering he's my favorite author and I've been devouring his work since I was a wee lass of 10, that's saying a lot. It's not exactly classic horror. The horror is mostly in the psychology, rather than in the words themselves. It takes place in the future or perhaps in a parallel world. Much like in "The Running Man," games are played for all to watch. However, in these games the losers die. Eerily like the current reality based game shows, "The Long Walk" is about a contest played by young men in their teens. They consider themselves to be lucky to be chosen to compete. The winner receives fame, fortune, their hearts desire. The concept of the game is to just walk. The 100 contestants walk, and walk, and walk... if one fails to walk, he gets a warning. If he gets 3 warnings, well, he gets his "ticket" and is out of the game. The last remaining "survivor" wins the game. The game is televised and is watched by nearly everyone. People look forward to this game every year and show up alongside the streets where the boys walk to cheer for their favorite contender. You might think it's boring, one book about a bunch of boys and all they do is walk, or don't walk as the case may be. While they walk, they talk. They talk about their deepest desires, their reasons for walking, their relatives, everything except, in most cases, what happens if they don't happen to win.
I read this book for the first time several years ago. I recommend it to everyone and keep going back to reread it time and again. Pick this one up. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: We can make it...just dont slow down
Review: Slowing down is one thing that this novella does not do. The pace of the action, and the development of the characters, and the true compassion you start to feel for the poor "walkers" all draw further and further into the web that Stephen King weaves. The Long Walk was orginally published in paperback as part of a compilation known as "The Bachman Books." The Bachman books contained three other short stories, one of which is no longer published anywhere due to recent controversy over shootings in high schools. The long walk is about a competition in which 100 people walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour, until there is one man standing. If a walker slwoed past 4 miles per hour, he received a warning. Three strikes, and you were shot on the spot. The ending of the book is so powerful, I still begin to think about it whenever I watch a marathon on TV, or watch people on the treadmill at the gym. This book is a work of absolute wonder, and is more than worthy of all the praise that I could possibly give to it.
Rating:
Summary: can't slow down
Review: I thought Stephen King did an excellent job keeping my attention in The Long Walk. I'm not much of a reader and I must say this book makes me want to read more often. I really like the way Stephen King doesn't clue you in on what is going to happen next. He surprised me through out the whole book. I never expected 'buying a ticket' meant death. I honestly thought it meant a ticket to go back home. From the moment I found out what a 'ticket' really was I did not want to put the book down at all. When i did need to stop reading I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next and who would be the next to 'buy a ticket'. Stephen King kept me on the edge of my seat at all times with the unexpected occuring.Another aspect of this book I like is the way I feel like I personally know the characters, especially Ray Garraty. Although you don't know much about the characters when the book starts, you find out more and more of almost every character as the Walk goes on through the stories the boys share with one another. Stephen King uses such great descriptions I could see the boys walking down the streets like I was there myself. The ending of the book took me by complete surprise. Honestly, I didn't understand it at first and had to read it a couple more times and have my mom explain it to me. This was the way I didnt want the book to end and it even made me upset. I can proudly say I am very happy I chose this book as an outside reading project for school and will most definitly read it in the future. This was absolutely the best book I have read so far. {=0)
Rating:
Summary: A true, horrifying masterpiece
Review: Stephen King's "The Long Walk" was a great story. As well as following through on King's natural horror story lines, King also depicts a horrible truth about mankind and it's search and thirst for entertainment. The crowds that line the roads to watch the Long Walkers, cheer even louder as child after child is shot, after falling and passing out from exhaustion or just being driven to the point of insanity, and... ripping his throat out. In the book, a boy named Ray Garraty, signs up for The Long Walk. A contest where the losers are given a "ticket" and shot. 100 boys begin the contest, one ends it, one lives. Ray walks on as he sees his own life compromised and watches boys just like him have thier blood paint the road. I STRONGLY reccomend reading this book. As well as chilling you and causing temporary insanity, hehe just kidding, this book will truly horrify you. "The Long Walk" should be read by anyone looking for a scare and a stomach to handle King's signiture, extremely detailed descriptions.
Rating:
Summary: the best of bachman
Review: A terrifying dystopia, this is the kind of novel that makes me want to become a high school English teacher. I read this over the summer and was really surprised that it's one of King's lesser-known and lesser-loved works, because it is equal to (if not better than) It and The Shining and many other King classics. This is the story of a nationwide competition held annually: the Long Walk. Every year, one hundred men begin walking. The competition ends when all but one are dead. The rules? You must keep walking at a pace of 4 miles per hour. If you drop below that pace, you are warned. After three warning, you are removed from the competition - with the shooting of guns. The pacing of this novel is languid and nerve-wracking as you get to know the boys in the Long Walk and watch them die one by one. Not a read for the faint of heart, this book will change the way you think about reality television and our society in general. Full of interesting philosophical questions and observations on society, The Long Walk was one of the most enjoyable literary journeys I took this summer.
Rating:
Summary: Not an endurathon of a read
Review: The Long Walk has got to be one of Stephen King's greatest short story accomplishments, up there with the highlights of the Skeleton Crew. The story is about an endurathon contest, where 100 boys just start walking, and if any competitor falls under 4 miles an hour, he is issued a warning. However, if a competitor slows down to under 4 miles after receiving 3 warnings...he is shot dead. King introduces many unique characters to us, and we begin to almost feel their personalities, and the annoying little habits that they have. King does a masterful job of removing some of the characters from the story with not much detail, really placing an emphasis on the mental drain that is occuring with the competitors in The Long Walk, they are so tired they dont even notice how or when some of their friends are being killed. The final surge towards the end of the walk is written quite ingeniously, and is even quite surprising. Overall, I would highly recommend this short story. ALthough the book may be about an endurathon, it is certainly not an endurathon of a read, the pages will just fly by.
Rating:
Summary: A true, horrifying masterpiece
Review: Stephen King's "The Long Walk" was a great story. As well as following through on King's natural horror story lines, King also depicts a horrible truth about mankind and it's search and thirst for entertainment. The crowds that line the roads to watch the Long Walkers, cheer even louder as child after child is shot, after falling and passing out from exhaustion or just being driven to the point of insanity, and... ripping his throat out. In the book, a boy named Ray Garraty, signs up for The Long Walk. A contest where the losers are given a "ticket" and shot. 100 boys begin the contest, one ends it, one lives. Ray walks on as he sees his own life compromised and watches boys just like him have thier blood paint the road. I STRONGLY reccomend reading this book. As well as chilling you and causing temporary insanity, hehe just kidding, this book will truly horrify you. "The Long Walk" should be read by anyone looking for a scare and a stomach to handle King's signiture, extremely detailed descriptions.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read, but not immortal stuff.
Review: King is a master plot-spinner. His pacing, with the possible exception of the last couple of chapters, is superb, and he's great at keeping the tension high. This is not, however, a novel for the ages. It's got engaging characters, several of whom you come to feel for, but they all too often speak with a kind of erudition that belies their years. There's a kind of commentary on the human condition, here, and a critique of contemporary society's obsession with the public display of pain & humiliation (think "Fear Factor" & "Jerry Springer") that, in a 1979 novel, seems pretty prophetic. But, when all is said and done, this is basically a beach book, and not the kind of work that repays the "only-novel-you'd-take-to-a-desert-isle" treatment.
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