The Long Walk is a short story by Richard Bachman, aka a much younger and much more cynical Stephen King. It centers around Ray Garraty, one of the 10
The Long Walk is a short story by Richard Bachman, aka a much younger and much more cynical Stephen King. It centers around Ray Garraty, one of the 100 boys selected to participate in this year’s Long Walk. What is the Long Walk you ask? Exactly what it sounds like: a long fucking walk.
The Rules: Keep walking. Keep up the pace. If you don’t, there are armed guards there to put a bullet in your head. Get too tired? Get shot. Stop to chat? Get shot. Run off and try to get free? Get shot. Slow down? Get shot. Catch pneumonia and struggle to keep up? Get shot.
What happens if you are the last man standing walking? Well, you get whatever you want for the rest of your life, or so the story goes. You get all the riches. You get comforts unimaginable. But will it matter if your mind is gone?
This book is just one giant mindfuck from start to finish. We are inside the mind of Garraty and we get the firsthand experience of what it’s like to walk nonstop day and night through the elements. He’s supplied water and a lovely food supplement that’s squeezed through a tube along with some crackers for good measure.
Garraty is interested in learning about the other boys who willingly volunteered to partake in this walk, the biggest sporting event of the year. He’s still not sure why he volunteered, but it’s buried somewhere deep in his mind. Will he find the answers he is looking for? Will he come out on top or will his be one of the 99 bodies scattered along the side of the road?
I loved this book the first time I read it many years ago, and I loved it even more the second time around on audio. For a book where the premise seems simple and boring, it is an enthralling read. No matter what format you choose, you will not be disappointed.
Graveyard Shift is a book that I am not sure if I read before now or not. I almost think I did back when I was a wee lad teenager. I am almost certain Graveyard Shift is a book that I am not sure if I read before now or not. I almost think I did back when I was a wee lad teenager. I am almost certain I read the first book in the collection. I remembered the rats. *shudders* Oh yes. I remembered the rats.
This short story collection didn't do much for me. It wasn't my least favorite- Full Dark, No Stars. But it was by far not my favorite either- Different Seasons. The stories were decent but only 2 really stood out to me.
Instead of reviewing each story individually I will just talk about the two I liked best.
The first one that stood out to me was The Man Who Loved Flowers- a truly creepy tale. The whole time the guy is talking about getting flowers for his date and what it will mean to his girl. But what you find out is that this girl has no idea who he is. Definitely a 5-star story.
The other one that should be fairly obvious is Jerusalem’s Lot. This is not to be confused with Salem’s Lot though the two are talking about the same place. This tale is one I had read prior to reading it in this collection and is the hands-down winner in this book.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times. King’s short stories are hit and miss with me. This collection had both. It had a couple of greats, a couple not so great and one right in the middle. It’s one of his more known works but I am not sure why. I wasn’t very impressed.
Also- if you're thinking of doing audio, I wouldn't. The narration was about as lackluster and unentertaining as my review... ...more
I guess I will start by saying that this is in no way my favorite short story collection put out by Stephen King. I was actually quite disappointed wiI guess I will start by saying that this is in no way my favorite short story collection put out by Stephen King. I was actually quite disappointed with this one and I am hoping it is because I listened to it on audio and that it was just the narration that I didn’t care for. However, I will try to keep this review strictly on point of the stories and not on the narration.
1922- This story felt so familiar to me and I think it might be because I had literally just finished Dolores Claiborne. They were, if I am to be honest, completely different stories, but the similarities were a little much for my liking. The wife murders the husband by putting him down a well; the husband kills the wife and then stuffs her in the well…It also didn’t feel plausible to me. I could get behind the father coercing the son into going along with it, but I couldn’t get behind the guy’s motive. King has ALWAYS made the most ridiculous situation seem so realistic but this one just felt mehhhh to me. I give it a 3.5 because as I have said a thousand times a “bad” King story is better than most by anyone else.
Big Driver- OK, so this story definitely did not feel familiar. I actually really-for lack of a better word-enjoyed (?) the premise for it, but not the execution. It, again, did not feel as realistic as many other King stories. I’m not going to say much else on the topic because I can’t say how I would react and I do not want to offend anyone by putting my two-cents in on something I really know little about. With that being said I give this a 2.5 star rating.
Fair Extension- This one was particularly difficult for me to read. It might not have been if not for the fact that my father has been battling cancer for the last 2 and ½ years, but as the saying goes- it is what it is. This was a neat little story though about selling your soul to the Devil in exchange for your own good fortune. It was neat…but I, again, found the motive behind his actions to fall short. It just didn’t seem justifiable to me. And knowing the horrific things my father has gone through as a result of his cancer I know that he would NEVER under any circumstances wish it on anyone else- even if he were given the chance. But, it was a story, right? Right. So, as far as a story goes, I give it 3.5 star rating. I did enjoy that I was able to go back to Derry…Oh how I have missed Derry…
A Good Marriage- Ok, this one made up for what was lacking in the others. I absolutely loved this story. What a terrifying scenario! It just goes to show that you can never truly know someone. Here she was married to this guy for almost 30 years and finds out one day he is a malicious serial killer…Talk about creepy. I have always hated that I can’t be inside someone else’s head- see their motives, thoughts, reactions etc., and HERE is a good example of why that might be handy. This story had my mind reeling and I was sympathetic with the main character…to just come across something in your garage that reveals the horrifying truth about the man you have loved for the last 27 years of your life! Yowza! Nice one, King. Thanks for making me question everything in my life….LOL a 5-star short story!
I think my overall impression of these stories was heavily influenced by my dislike of the narrators. They seemed to read these stories- which are dark and serious, with an airy, laughing tone. It really felt wrong to me. I have decided that someday I will revisit this collection in hopes that I can appreciate them better. Just to be clear, it was not the content of the stories that bothered me- it was the narration and some of the plausibility of the characters’ actions was lacking for me. I really enjoyed King’s afterword as well. Any time he is giving me a description of where he found the inspiration for his story it makes my heart smile. It is like knowing a really juicy secret. For now, my rating-as a collection- is remaining at 3.5 and I don’t feel good about rating anything by Stephen King that low. ...more
When I first read Just After Sunset there were only a small handful of shorts in it that I actually liked. King’s short stories for me have always bee
When I first read Just After Sunset there were only a small handful of shorts in it that I actually liked. King’s short stories for me have always been hit or miss. But N. was an instant favorite. N. was compulsive and addicting. I loved it from the start and it finished strongly too- another of King’s big Hit or Miss topics.
When I made my trip to Bangor in April I was able to visit a real bookstore…and a real comic book shop! Now, this may seem like nothing to all of you who live where there are such things as book stores. But where I live my nearest book store is over an hour away. I hate it.
Anyway, I went into a real-life comic book shop and was right in my glory. There were so many choices I just didn’t know where to start. I was torn. I wanted everything; I wanted nothing. And then after going through boxes, shelves and racks of comics I somehow stumbled across the graphic novel version of N. I had a vague awareness that it had been made into a comic book but seeing it with my own two eyes was a different story. It was one of those glorious moments where the lights of the heavens shine down and you hear the angels sing. You all know what I’m talking about…
I have to confess something here. I wasn’t wowed. I thought the artwork was decent, nothing surely, to write home about. But it didn’t exactly bring the story to life either. I honestly think my own imaginings were a better vision of the story than how this artist created it.
Let’s talk, for a moment, about comics/graphic novels. I think the point of them, and I’m sure I’ll be told repeatedly by comic junkies everywhere that I am wrong, is to give us a story through pictures and a limited use of words. Emphasis on the word limited. The comics I like most are the ones that have just the right amount of words to match beautiful artwork.
This is a case of ok artwork and way, way too many words. Don't get me wrong here- I am very fond of words. I read all the time. BUT when I want to read a comic book it’s for a reason. I want a break from the word overload. I want pictures and speech bubbles and some cool sound effects. Maybe that’s not what comic book lovers everywhere want, but it’s what I want and this didn't fit the bill.
The short story is much better. Read that and then visit this if it appeals to you. I am very glad I bought it in Maine though. The story behind it is worth more to me than anything.
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