The Long Walk (1979)

The Long Walk (1979)

The French title is ‘Marche ou Crève’, which could be translated as ‘Sink or Swim’ or ‘Walk or Die’

I have a long history with this book. It was written in 1979. It took twenty years before I heard of it. In fact, back in 1999, a friend at the time told me about this book, as well as Thinner. He summarised the story for me and it really made me want to read it! However, I didn’t read it for several years before finally getting round to it in 2018. I loved it… and it took until 2026 for me to write my review.

I’d read Cujo in 1997, if I’m not mistaken. In the early 2020s, another friend had just read it. And when we talked about it, he thought I’d just read it, I remembered certain details so well. So, we’ll be relying on my memory for this review as well.

Around a hundred young people are to take part in a very special march. They must walk until they are completely exhausted. As soon as anyone can no longer walk, they are executed. If any try to escape, they are also shot down. And the aim is for only one to remain…

There you go! The tone is set. The horror is only just beginning!

Obviously, the fact that the film The Long Walk (2025) has been released plays a big part in why this is pretty much the last chance to write my review. I’d like people to remember the book, not just the characters on screen. I haven’t seen the film, as I’m determined to gather together the memories my imagination created before mixing them with actual visual memories.

Stephen King is regularly criticised for his familiar style, his use of gore, and the perceived excessive length of some of his novels. Conversely, his storytelling, his vivid and colourful characters, and his ability to play on readers’ fears are widely praised.

This book is the second he wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, following on from Rage (1977). He used other pseudonyms such as John Swithen and Beryl Evans. He wrote seven books under the name Richard Bachman. This one was published in paperback in July 1979. Written ten years earlier, it is a dystopian tale in which the United States has become a military dictatorship and where a great march involving a hundred young people is organised annually, with a fortune promised to the last surviving marcher. It is often considered the best novel published under the pseudonym Bachman. It was released just before The Dead Zone (also 1979, as it happens).

Dead Zone, on the other hand, was written under his real name. In fact, King wasn’t allowed to publish more than one book a year and was struggling with the media pressure. It is also said that he lacked confidence and had convinced himself that people only bought his books because his name was on them. Yet a literary critic had been thoroughly taken in by the pseudonym Richard Bachman and had even written that the novel ‘could have been written by Stephen King if he knew how to write’. That says it all!

This book does drag in places, to be sure! But I loved it all the same. It has its flaws and the ending (quite poetic and artistic) isn’t very clear. It leaves a lot to the imagination and interpretation. Which isn’t the case with the film, apparently. The film and the book probably have different endings, from what I’ve read or heard.

As I read and finished this story, I hoped there would never be a film adaptation. But one has to admit that this sort of wish doesn’t stay feasible for long. It had to be done one day, one way or another. But I don’t think Francis Lawrence was a wise choice as director. Already known for The Hunger Games, he has worked quite a lot with Jennifer Lawrence, including on Red Sparrow (2017), which is a disaster. I can’t quite remember what his I Am Legend (2007) was like, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me.

No, the best choice would obviously have been Frank Darabont, who created three masterpieces with his adaptations of The Shawshank Redemption (1995), The Green Mile (1999) and The Mist (2007). Unfortunately, since 2010, he hasn’t been very active in feature films, focusing instead on TV series. And, even then, he doesn’t really make that many…

It’s worth noting that David Cronenberg made a magnificent adaptation of Dead Zone (1983). The Long Walk and Dead Zone are more relevant than ever today!

A science fiction novel and a psychological thriller. I wonder how certain writers, musicians or artists of all kinds can be so avant-garde. King described reality TV long before it actually came into being. A keen observer who also predicted that a new dictator would come to power or that a virus would make headlines, as in The Stand.

This book is gripping. I’ve never forgotten the name of its main character, Garraty. He stayed with me for several days after I’d finished the book. I felt for him. I had suffered alongside him. He had become my friend for the duration of the story.

Stephen King manages to show us the worst horrors, yet he manages to make us forgive him, for he possesses the sensitivity required to be fully aware of the atrocity he depicts. He even manages to make us laugh whilst showing us the worst things. He made me sweat with fear in Misery (1987), and he made me weep bitter tears in Firestarter (aka Charlie).

Yes, I felt a lot of emotion. There are passages I’ve read several times, powerful moments that brought a lump to my throat, moments of revulsion where I couldn’t look away, just like when I’m staring at a screen. You can’t skip over the words in a book. Or, if you do, you really need a remarkable ability to ignore what you haven’t read.

Whether you like it or not, The Long Walk is a must-read. And, quite frankly, I couldn’t care less what French teachers say, or people who don’t like reading, those who don’t like horror, or those who only like French literature.