The Long Walk

De: Stephen King

Narrado por: Kirby Heyborne

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

The brilliant and chilling first novel Stephen King ever wrote tells the tale of the contestants of a diabolically cruel competition where 100 boys start the “long walk” and there is only one winner—the one that survives.

In a dystopian near-future, America has fallen on hard times. 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 day and night, without ever stopping. The winner gets “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher. 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—forever.

Written by King when he was a college student and published in 1979 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk is an unforgettable and timeless masterpiece that showcases King’s genius for character building and his visionary storytelling.

Wish they would fix the editing

I LOVE this book. I had never read this particular King/Bachman book and decided to try it out. I have now listened to it 8 or 10 times. The only issue is that the editing department got a little too excited and cut off sentences too soon. You can still understand the book and the meaning but it does mess with the flow of the character's conversations and the "reader"/listener's concentration.

Before the Hunger Games there was ...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have recommended this book. Written years before all the dystopian teen sacrifice stories, this one rules them all.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Garrety of course but also McVrees is the typical tragic hero.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one particular scene stood out but the story still haunts me.

If you could rename The Long Walk, what would you call it?

Farewell to Youth.

Good story, problems with audio

What did you love best about The Long Walk?

Excellent plot, very compelling. Watching the characters develop is almost painful at times. (in a good way)

What other book might you compare The Long Walk to and why?

The running man

What about Kirby Heyborne’s performance did you like?

his characterization is superb. By the end of the first hour you know every character by voice and mannerisms. Outstanding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

absolutely

Any additional comments?

dozens of times throughout the playback the narrator's last word of a sentence is clipped and the next sentence starts with no gap. I though it was my internet but the same thing occurs on my iPhone and at my work PC. It doesn't impact the story but it's really very annoying.

Awesome story and performance -- bad recording edits

I loved this story so much (then again, I am a King fan) and I thought the performance was most excellent...totally invested and thoughtful. But who, oh who was the audio engineer??? The ends of words are frequently chopped off and moments where a pause is necessary are just cut right out. I feel so terrible about not giving it five stars overall...sad that the reader put so much time and attention in to have moments butchered by a thoughtless edit. Still...i was totally sucked in. Just had to rise above those awful cuts.

Great story, not so great performance

This is a book that really draws you in. It is well written and breathtaking but unfortunately the experience is overshadowed by Kirby Heyborne's slightly annoying way of reading the book. I particularly found his way of handling the shouting characters disruptive and even though Mr. Heyborne is quite profound with the different voices and accents the shouting parts just make me think of poor story telling. All in all a good experience that leaves something to be desired.