The Long Walk

Stephen King

Jan 2016 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Kirby Heyborne

About this audiobook

In this #1 national bestseller, master storyteller Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, tells the tale of the contestants of a grueling walking competition where there can only be one winner—the one that survives.

Against the wishes of his mother, sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as the Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour without ever stopping...with the winner being awarded “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But, as part of this national tournament that sweeps through a dystopian America year after year, there are some harsh rules that Garraty and ninety-nine others must adhere to in order to beat out the rest. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—permanently...

Ratings and reviews

It's an interesting book and it speaks to our baser nature which makes us morbidly fascinated with death and accidents. also puts me in mind of how we veiw war and the military without shock although it's almost a parallel to this idea. Not exactly because these boys were after a prize and not fighting for the ideals of their country or for freedom but anyway... couldn't help but wonder why some of the contestants didn't train for the walk. The competition involved in simple games and athletics have men and women training for years to be prepared and they only get a trophy, they only lose the game...not their lives! Along those same lines...we read about people who take drugs or steriods to tip the games in their favor yet none of these boys had taken speed,cocaine,steroids,or even caffeine to beat the odds? Only a few of them pack real food? What about taking otc medication even to stop diarrea or alleviate some of the pain? You see what I'm saying?😊 Maybe Stephen King left these story lines out on purpose but it seems to me it would've been more realistic.

Simply one of his most underrated books. Such great characters, great story telling and an awesome ending. I read it in my teens and it continues to be a favorite today. I just reread it and fell in love all over again.

brutal, yet amazing, right up to the end. don't listen to this book if you care about happy endings. don't read any Richard Bachman books if you care about happy endings.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.