Reviews

The Running Man by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

jsdrown's review against another edition

3.0

A novel ahead of it's time. Young adult writers have been borrowing from The Running Man and The Long Walk since they were first published.

esmeevl's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

bradley_clarke96's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Loved this book. Very tense, not massively predictable. Lots of good ol’ fashion Stephen King gore. Thought the world was interesting as a completely terrible place to live in. Funny to see his predictions for 2025 (maybe floating cars will come out next year?). Only thing was the quite frequent use of different slurs, even by the main character. As this is a Bachman book, it could be seen as a bit of a cheap tactic to seem “edgier”. Instead I choosing to believe that it’s to show their world as being much more divided and much more horrible than ours. With even the main character having flawed thinking, being a product of that world. Also maybe people thought it was more acceptable back in 1982? 

jenhurst's review against another edition

4.0

One of the better Stephen king books out there. I found it really fun and action packed. I love the concept of games/reality shows so I was sold.

sci_mom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

ryanreadsstuff's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

manuthebooknerd's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.25

ambrose_7's review against another edition

4.0

When reading this book I felt it was a combination of the Hunger Games Series and Fahrenheit 451. I liked it more then both of the above and was morbidly turning each page to find out what would happen next. It really hits the dystopian theme well, if you don’t like dark depressing books that suck hope for mankind out of you I don’t think you’d like this. I felt fully connected with the protagonist and his plights throughout the book. I found the government terrifying and the side characters especially important. I like this side of King which might say something about me. I think this books a view of humanity that’s scary and shouldn’t be the only side a person looks at, but a side that is there, and can be observed if you keep your eyes open for it.

literatetomato's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

art3mis9's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book; similar but not as great as the Hunger Games. I figured the ending would be the way it was, but it was a very short ending. very large buildup to a short ending. though, very easy read.