Stephen King Fans discussion

Discuss the Long Walk here. Please mark all spoilers for those reading along.

This is a fantastic book, you guys are in for a treat.

This is one of my very favorite King's. I always recommend it to teens that want to read him and my three did reports on it in their teens as well. It's so brutal and raw and so ahead of the curve when it was written.

It is also one of my favorite King books. I loved it soooo much. I never though I would love a book that is only about a walk but it was fascinating.

Angie wrote: "It is also one of my favorite King books. I loved it soooo much. I never though I would love a book that is only about a walk but it was fascinating."

That's because it's not really about the walk! ;-)

That’s right it’s about a looooooooong walk... ;-)

I hope you all have your walking shoes on I think I could walk forever.

This is one of my favorites, and my fingers are still crossed that we’ll get a movie adaptation at some point. I’m surprised we didn’t get one during the whole Hunger Games/Divergent/Maze Runner trend.

Also, in case folks need it, here’s the spoiler code: <spoiler>Darth Vader is Luke’s dad!</spoiler>

I’m a few chapters in. I’m only a few books into King. Started this year in memory of my dad who was a big King fan and passed away 8 years ago. Finished the Shining for the first time a few weeks ago. So far I’m really liking The Long Walk. The problem with old books is avoiding spoilers. So far I’m still fresh.

240 pages in. Olson is haunting - how the body keeps trying to survive no matter what, long after the mind is broken. This book is so complex for such a simple concept and really makes you think about the difference between surviving and living.

I read this years ago and just reread it again a few months ago. It was still as brilliant as I remembered. You get to care about the characters which makes it harder the closer you get to the end. If they do make a film it needs to remain gritty and intelligent like the book and not just another Hunger games etc.

Paul wrote: "I read this years ago and just reread it again a few months ago. It was still as brilliant as I remembered. You get to care about the characters which makes it harder the closer you get to the end...."

Frank Darabont needs to be the one to make this movie!

Remember one foot in front of the other.

audible did have this on sale for 5.95? just this past weekend.

I have 6 weeks off from work so I will be reading this one for sure LOL.

I hope you are on holiday Mr. Brooks, if so, very nice and I hope you enjoy.

Every time I've read The Long Walk, it gets into my dreams and under my skin. This time is no different. A very uneasy sleep last night and I'm expecting the same tonight. Just trying to race through to get this over with. Brilliantly written, but for whatever reason it gets to me

When I read it I wake up with sore feet and tired legs, don't know why

mrbooks wrote: "When I read it I wake up with sore feet and tired legs, don't know why"

Exactly. This is such an immersive book. I'm drawn and repelled simultaneously. Brilliant and so disturbing

Starting this tonight. I haven’t read it it in a very long time.

Matt wrote: "Every time I've read The Long Walk, it gets into my dreams and under my skin. This time is no different. A very uneasy sleep last night and I'm expecting the same tonight. Just trying to race throu..."

I am so glad you wrote this. I had a dream about The Long Walk last night and, I swear, I woke up more tired than when I went to bed, The tone of the story is breathtaking.

I thought it was very disturbing. Stephen King wrote that Richard Bachman wasn't a nice guy and I tend to agree with him.

Summer wrote: "This is one of my favorites, and my fingers are still crossed that we’ll get a movie adaptation at some point. I’m surprised we didn’t get one during the whole Hunger Games/Divergent/Maze Runner tr..."

This is one of my favorite books. It's so simple, yet complex.

I'm not sure it would make a good movie though. The drama and complexity comes from within, and that never makes for good movies.

Tracy wrote: "Summer wrote: "This is one of my favorites, and my fingers are still crossed that we’ll get a movie adaptation at some point. I’m surprised we didn’t get one during the whole Hunger Games/Divergent..."

Have to agree with this. As much as I loved the book I just don’t think it would translate to the screen too well. It’d likely become unrecognisable from the book, with a few action scenes shoehorned in for the non-King fan movie-goers.

I finished last night. I had read it so long ago that I pretty much forgot everything so it was almost like reading something new.

There is a lot going on psychologically in this book.

I was thinking back to the late 1970’s when I was in 7th and then 8th grade and I would walk in the March of Dimes Walk-a-Thon and it was 20 miles. It took all to day walk at your own pace. I learned early on that you don’t sit. When you get up to walk again suddenly your feet hurt when they didn’t before you sat down.

There is a real life version of The Long Walk, inspired by the book. It’s been going on since 2009.

http://fotrally.se

The 2018 winner walked for 87 hours and 48 minutes. That’s almost 4 days!

Michael wrote: "Those of you who felt THE LONG WALK won't translate well into a movie may be on to something. Perhaps that's why, after almost 40 years since publication, there hasn't been one."


I have to agree as well it would end up like the running man, the movie ruined the story glad I read the story before I saw that pitiable excuse of a movie.

Latasha wrote: "audible did have this on sale for 5.95? just this past weekend."

The audio is fantastic, it is so chilling and creepy

I think it could make a movie. A small, independent kind of movie. It might not have enough action for mainstream audiences but it could be really cheap to make.

Part of the allure to this story is the veiled references to a changed society. With that being said, I wish we knew more. I wish we knew more about the societal changes that led to The Long Walk being acceptable. I wish we knew more about the squads. On this reread, I am trying to be more aware of references and they are subtle.

The writing is so intense in this novel. I find myself getting sucked in especially when a character has a cramp or something goes wrong, it really makes me nervous and my heart races. One of King's best works in my opinion.

I've read quite a few of Sai King's novels (a decidedly un-unique characteristic among this audience, I'm sure), and this one really got to me. There are instances of brutality and gross-out in many of these novels, but this one just felt so raw. Really, really enjoyed it.

I thought this inspired the Hunger Games.

Nick wrote: "I thought this inspired the Hunger Games."

I was thinking the same thing while I was reading it. I looked it up and apparantly this book wasn’t listed as an inspiration.

Still the shared theme is striking. Maybe the similarity is to close to own up to.

Battle Royale was inspired by the long walk. Koushun Takami has said so. The Hunger Games was inspired by Battle Royale according to Suzanne Collins, so you could say that The Long Walk inspired The Hunger Games.

Everything I can find, Suzanne Collins does not mention Battle Royale as an inspiration for the Hunger Games. In several interviews she says was a Greek myth and channel surfing and seeing the war in Iraq and game shows on TV.

https://uinterview.com/news/author-su...

I have never heard of Battle Royale and I can’t seem to find any interviews or references that it was inspired by The Long Walk.

I saw her at ComicCon at a YA panel and she talked about it at length.

Interesting. So why in interviews does she say something else?

Nancy wrote: "Interesting. So why in interviews does she say something else?"

I'm not sure, except that the panel was basically about Dystopic YA and almost every single writer on the panel talked about reading The Long Walk and being blown away. About the idea festering in the back of their minds, and so obviously influencing their take on YA Dystopia.

Battle Royale is a fantastic read, by the way.

Aghh I really wanna read this... but I gotta order it on the internet somewhere cuz we dont have it in my local library or bookstores 😣 actually here in Finland we are really poor on King in the bookstore s 😣 luckily I found a finnish website that has quite many of his works.

Kandice wrote: "Battle Royale is a fantastic read, by the way."

I was just coming to ask if you had read it!

Nick wrote: "I thought this inspired the Hunger Games." I agree 100% that thought had occurred to me while I read The Long Walk.

Michele wrote: "Aghh I really wanna read this... but I gotta order it on the internet somewhere cuz we dont have it in my local library or bookstores 😣 actually here in Finland we are really poor on King in the bo..."

Does your library have a streaming service for audio or e-books? I've had better luck at getting King's books that way than in a physical form. Something like Libby or Overdrive? I don't know if that is a strictly American thing.

Kandice wrote: "Michele wrote: "Aghh I really wanna read this... but I gotta order it on the internet somewhere cuz we dont have it in my local library or bookstores 😣 actually here in Finland we are really poor o..."

I haven't checked actually🤔 I prefer physical books though😅😅

eBay has them...

I LOVE "The Long Walk". I'm not sure how many total times I have read this book, at least four or five times, probably many more than that. I was really excited to read a news story that it will finally be made into a movie. Hopefully they do a good job with the movie version.

I'm with you on this Amy I also have read it at least 5 times. I would love to see it made into a movie but fear they will marginalize the characters or they will mess up the plot like they do in most of his books they make into movies.

I haven't been on GR for awhile. I was on a haunted-house reading binge. When I returned to GR I was super stoked to see we are reading The Long Walk for July. I only read this once, 30 yrs ago! I'm a little worried about reading it because I have no recollection of its plot and usually I have read his books at least 2 times (It, The Stand and Tommyknockers 3 or 4). I'm familiar with his Bachman books and know I have read it. I guess I'll see when, in the book, my "ah-huh!" moment pops-up. lol

mrbooks wrote: "I'm with you on this Amy I also have read it at least 5 times. I would love to see it made into a movie but fear they will marginalize the characters or they will mess up the plot like they do in m..."

I also fear they will mess up the plot, but I'm hoping they do a good job. I'm so excited for the movie.