In 1979 the book The Long Walk by writer Richard Bachman was published. Years later it became clear that Richard Bachman was the pseudonym of the well-known horror writer Stephen King. The Long Walk is a dystopian book about a future where a hundred boys participate in a deadly knockout race. The book is considered one of the best books written by Stephen King today. In 2018, a film adaptation is in progress.
Story
The Long Walk is set in a future where a walking competition is held every year for one hundred boys under the age of eighteen. The participants must adhere to a minimum speed of six kilometers per hour. As soon as they are below this minimum speed for more than thirty seconds, they will receive a warning. Any warning is canceled after one hour of running according to the rules. As soon as someone commits an offense while he has three warnings, this person is shot by a soldier. The boys keep going until only one person is left; whoever wins the trip.
From the outside there is a lot of attention for the tour: it is broadcast completely on television and people also come to watch along the side of the road and encourage their favorite walker. After all, the public can bet money on which runner they think will win the race. However, the public is not allowed to offer help to walkers; the participants are allowed to ask the military for water at any time and every morning at nine o’clock they receive a small supply of food.
Background
The Long Walk was the first book Stephen King ever wrote. He wrote it between 1966 and 1967, in his freshman year at the University of Maine. Ray Garraty, one of the main characters in the book, is from the state of Maine. King focused on a few other books first, so The Long Walk was not published until 1979. Stephen King chose not to mention his own name, but his pen name Richard Bachman as a writer because of the difference in tone with his other books.
Due to the unfamiliarity of the name Bachman, the book sold poorly. It was republished in the bundle in 1985 The Bachman Books, along with the books Rage, Roadwork and The Running Man. In 2018, new editions of The Bachman Books only still The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man due to controversy regarding Rage. The Long Walk is today regarded by critics as the best book written under the pseudonym Bachman, and one of King’s best books overall.
Film adaptation
There have been several attempts to make a film of The Long Walk, but in 2018 this film still has to come. For example, in 1988 George A. Romero was asked to direct the film, but production did not progress further. In 2007 Frank Darabont bought the film rights. He indicated that he wanted to make a strange film with a small budget. However, these rights expired in 2018, after which New Line Cinema announced that it wanted to make a film adaptation. James Vanderbilt will co-produce it with Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.
Photo rally
Since 2009, a walking tour has been organized annually in Sweden based on the one in The Long Walk. This tour is called Photo rally and an average of a hundred walkers constantly walk at a speed of at least six kilometers per hour. After every six hours, participants are allowed to take a break. The walking tour is won by the last person to walk after the rest has given up.
Specifications
- Original title: The Long Walk
- Dutch title: De Marathon
- Writer: Stephen King (as Richard Bachman)
- First published: July 1979
- Genre: Dystopia, Psychological Horror
- Number of pages: 304
- Publisher: Luitingh-Sijthoff
- ISBN number: 9789024578061