Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Do not read the foreword of this book until you finish, it contains spoilers!!!
The Richard Bachman books seem to be King at his most unhinged. This book was completely insane and I ate up every second of it.
I was unfortunately spoiled by the foreword written by King, he completely gives away the ending of the book and ruins what should have been a tense and climactic ending. Despite that, this novel was filled with tension and excitement and I was intrigued to read the series of events that would lead to that final moment.
This book feels very Black Mirror-esque, full of dystopian, futuristic horrors. Made more fun for me when I learned that this book was set in 2025, I didn't know until I started reading which was pretty cool.
Some of the game shows listed in this book included great titles such as "How Hot Can You Take It" and "Treadmill to Bucks", (the latter in which contestants can only participate IF they have a heart condition, and have to run whilst answering questions to earn money, which I think is all that you need to know about the world they are living in).
I liked the problematic character of Ben Richards. Despite not being the best guy himself, he is thrust into a world where you have to root for him. I loved all the side characters he encountered whilst on the show too, they made great additions to the novel.
I do have to say that there is a lot of problematic language in the book, a lot of racism and sexism etc. is present which really doesn't age well. Putting that to the side though I just can't help but be addicted to the writing of Stephen King. I'm yet to meet a King book that hasn't left me intrigued and desperate for more.
The Richard Bachman books seem to be King at his most unhinged. This book was completely insane and I ate up every second of it.
I was unfortunately spoiled by the foreword written by King, he completely gives away the ending of the book and ruins what should have been a tense and climactic ending. Despite that, this novel was filled with tension and excitement and I was intrigued to read the series of events that would lead to that final moment.
This book feels very Black Mirror-esque, full of dystopian, futuristic horrors. Made more fun for me when I learned that this book was set in 2025, I didn't know until I started reading which was pretty cool.
Some of the game shows listed in this book included great titles such as "How Hot Can You Take It" and "Treadmill to Bucks", (the latter in which contestants can only participate IF they have a heart condition, and have to run whilst answering questions to earn money, which I think is all that you need to know about the world they are living in).
I liked the problematic character of Ben Richards. Despite not being the best guy himself, he is thrust into a world where you have to root for him. I loved all the side characters he encountered whilst on the show too, they made great additions to the novel.
I do have to say that there is a lot of problematic language in the book, a lot of racism and sexism etc. is present which really doesn't age well. Putting that to the side though I just can't help but be addicted to the writing of Stephen King. I'm yet to meet a King book that hasn't left me intrigued and desperate for more.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liked having a very fast-paced story with clear characters & King's storytelling in <350 pages.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Imagine a combination of 1984, black mirror, the most dangerous game, and with a dash of fight club and you will get the running man
This book has the feel of the John Carpenter movie they live with an equal amount of social commentary that is as relevant today as the day it was written
This book has the feel of the John Carpenter movie they live with an equal amount of social commentary that is as relevant today as the day it was written
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m so glad I decided to read this. I had been in a bad reading slump for a few months, and there’s no better cure for that (for me at least) than to read some Stephen King.
This felt very different from his usual work, which I know was his intention with his Bachman books, but it still feels different from say The Long Walk, or even Rage (by far his worst book that I’ve read). King is always a character guy, first and foremost, but with The Running Man it felt like he was focused a bit more on the ideas and the world. Ben Richards is a pretty interesting character, but compared to the usual King protagonists, he’s not too deep. Richards serves as more of a vessel for King to build up this dystopia, and I think he works very well. I really like that he’s kind of a dick and rather unlikable. There’s a lot of interesting ideas that King cooks up here, I assume some of them are heavily influenced by the early Reagan era based on when it was written. The class divide, the control of information, lots of great stuff that he explores, maybe not in the most sophisticated or in depth way, but still interesting enough. King is also pretty clearly heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury, specifically Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury always talks about how that book is supposed to be about how television is evil and making the public dumber (love how everyone just kinda ignores that when teaching and discussing that book), and King takes that idea and runs with it. This is such an enjoyable and interesting thriller, and I’m very glad that I read it. Just saw on Wikipedia that it apparently only took him a week to write this entire book. It’s not very long but goddamn, that’s just nuts. People always shit on King for not being able to write a good ending (I have always disagreed with this take), but I think he nails this one. I didn’t see it coming, even though I probably should have, and I’m glad that I never had it spoiled for me. I like that he resolves the story but also leaves some things up in the air, gives me a lot more to think about.
I’ll finish this review by mentioning one line from one of the last few chapters that was memorable to me. “Say your name over 200 times and discover you are no one”. I like that you can take this literally, as names (all words really) start to look like gibberish when you repeat them too many times. But it also leaves me with a lot to think about, both in the context of the book, and in a vacuum as it’s own sentence.
This felt very different from his usual work, which I know was his intention with his Bachman books, but it still feels different from say The Long Walk, or even Rage (by far his worst book that I’ve read). King is always a character guy, first and foremost, but with The Running Man it felt like he was focused a bit more on the ideas and the world. Ben Richards is a pretty interesting character, but compared to the usual King protagonists, he’s not too deep. Richards serves as more of a vessel for King to build up this dystopia, and I think he works very well. I really like that he’s kind of a dick and rather unlikable. There’s a lot of interesting ideas that King cooks up here, I assume some of them are heavily influenced by the early Reagan era based on when it was written. The class divide, the control of information, lots of great stuff that he explores, maybe not in the most sophisticated or in depth way, but still interesting enough. King is also pretty clearly heavily influenced by Ray Bradbury, specifically Fahrenheit 451. Bradbury always talks about how that book is supposed to be about how television is evil and making the public dumber (love how everyone just kinda ignores that when teaching and discussing that book), and King takes that idea and runs with it. This is such an enjoyable and interesting thriller, and I’m very glad that I read it. Just saw on Wikipedia that it apparently only took him a week to write this entire book. It’s not very long but goddamn, that’s just nuts. People always shit on King for not being able to write a good ending (I have always disagreed with this take), but I think he nails this one. I didn’t see it coming, even though I probably should have, and I’m glad that I never had it spoiled for me. I like that he resolves the story but also leaves some things up in the air, gives me a lot more to think about.
I’ll finish this review by mentioning one line from one of the last few chapters that was memorable to me. “Say your name over 200 times and discover you are no one”. I like that you can take this literally, as names (all words really) start to look like gibberish when you repeat them too many times. But it also leaves me with a lot to think about, both in the context of the book, and in a vacuum as it’s own sentence.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes