A harrowing, deeply disturbing novel of loss and ultimate authority, The Long Walk is probably the most upsetting of the Richard Bachman novels. It follows the basic structure of the other Bachmans. The Walkers, (like Charlie Decker of
Rage, Barton Dawes of
Roadwork, Ben Richards of
The Running Man, Billy Halleck of
Thinner, and the residents of Poplar Street in
The Regulators) have been cut off from society by some outside Authority figure. Time is measured in death, and, like the other major Bachman characters, hope is something left at the starting gate. Depressing yet beguiling, upsetting yet enthralling, The Long Walk is truly a dark and memorable experience.
[
