The Long Walk

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

In this number-one national best seller, "master storyteller" (Houston Chronicle) Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, tells the tale of the contestants of a grueling walking competition where there can beonly one winner - the one who survives.

In the near future, when America has become a police state, 100 boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Among them is 16-year-old Ray Garraty, and he knows the rules - keep a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

With an introduction by Stephen King on "The Importance of Being Bachman".

©1979 Richard Bachman (P)2010 Penguin Audio

Don’t be put off by the audio glitches!

I was initially put off from checking this out from other reviews bemoaning the audio editing of this book. Sure there are some sentences where the last syllable is chopped off - it happens maybe 50 times. Sounds like a lot but it never got in the way of the story for me, and I’m really glad I dived in regardless.

This book clearly came from the same place in Bachman’s brain as The Running Man. It’s set around a sort of Battle Royale / Hunger games scenario that’s stripped back to a super basic core - walking. Non stop walking.

It would be hard for most authors to take something so basic and make it enjoyable for so long, but not King / Bachman. Here he does what he does best and brings us troubled characters with stories to tell up against grim odds. I heartily recommend you go along for the walk!

Awesome story, almost awesome performance

The story is great, I honestly can't believe king wrote it when he was only 18! The guy reading it, did a hell of a job, voice acting all the parts, with different voices, so you know who's who... Whoever cut the thing all together, got snip happy, and often cuts the last, consonant syllable in his sentences, which isn't really a huge problem, it just sounds like he's getting interrupted ALL THE FREAKING TIME! It really throws off your groove, but otherwise, if you're on a Steven King binge, and you believe his non horror stories are his best work, like I am, and do, it's a wonderfully painful story to listen to!

An exhaustingly long walk

What did you like best about The Long Walk? What did you like least?

The performance was great. The story was pointless.

Would you ever listen to anything by Stephen King again?

Yes, but not on the basis of this book.

What does Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Brings life to the lifeless

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No way.

Any additional comments?

!00 teen boys walk until only one survives. Now you don't have to read it.

cool! thought provoking.

loved it. you wouldn't think that a bunch of kids walking to death would make a good story. but it's pretty good.

Holy sh*t

History is doomed to repeat itself, the saying goes. Imagine if the US government had offered a huge prize to the Native American who reached the reservation first during The Trail of Tears? (That's NOT the subject of this book, but the thought is relevant.) For me, the most terrifying horror novels are the ones that could actually happen someday, and with The Long Walk, the shoe fits.. and it's a bloody shoe, indeed.

Editing and Narration is wont to be desired.

One of the defining reads from my childhood, along with Rage (which you can't find now) from Bachman, and of course, the early King works. Hence, I was pretty stoked to give this a listen.

A story can definitely go the way of the narrator, and to me, this guy checked out in the first paragraph or two. No inflection, just...monotony. On top of that, the editing is horrid as it cuts off sentences, fades in and out, etc.

I still love the story, always will, but reading it is way better.

Excellent book, poor reader

, but the reader has zero idea how to make distinct voices and his “character shouting” voice is terrible. Still a good listen.Very deep and well written story

Good story

I couldn't wait for the ending to see how it turned out. I was a little let down by the way it ended. Otherwise it was very engrossing and I enjoyed the story.

The movie will have a tough act to follow!

Stephen King does it again! The legend continues, and now we'll see how the movie turns out.

Fantastic

It is one of the best books I’ve ever heard. And I’ve had about 400 on audible only. It rips you apart from the beginning to the end and makes you laugh and weep every other minute.