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A review by incrediblemelk
The Running Man by Stephen King, Richard Bachman
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Having only ever watched the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie which was very very loosely adapted from this, I found this actually quite cynical and grim to read, with a brusquely, bracingly downbeat ending.
And because it was written in 1972 but is set in 2025, it was really fascinating to see what Stephen King anticipated about our world and what feels really dated.
For instance, King imagines that U.S. voting happens not in booths but in “computer election”, and his vision that “polio had come back strong in 2005” is actually happening now in Gaza, and will soon happen in the U.S. too if Robert ‘Brainworm’ F. Kennedy Jr gets his way.
Yet the tech that keeps the TV show The Running Man going is weirdly quaint and old-fashioned: Ben Richards has to tape himself every day and then drop the tapes in a mailbox to be sent back to the studio.
It’s a completely different approach to the idea from the movie, and other such dystopian stories (eg Rollerball, The Hunger Games, Squid Game) that the game happens in a controlled environment that can be filled with cameras. It’s more like the TV show Alone where the participants film themselves.
But the game actually happens out in regular society, where poor civilians are paid to dob in or even kill the contestants, and the contestants get extra prize money for killing cops. It’s more like a spy story about trust, paranoia, safe houses etc.
Anyway I found it very gripping, especially the way each chapter counts down the hours til the game ends. Edgar Wright is adapting this more faithfully into a new movie starring Glenn Powell as Richards, which is why I read this now. I am so interested to see what he does with it.
And because it was written in 1972 but is set in 2025, it was really fascinating to see what Stephen King anticipated about our world and what feels really dated.
For instance, King imagines that U.S. voting happens not in booths but in “computer election”, and his vision that “polio had come back strong in 2005” is actually happening now in Gaza, and will soon happen in the U.S. too if Robert ‘Brainworm’ F. Kennedy Jr gets his way.
Yet the tech that keeps the TV show The Running Man going is weirdly quaint and old-fashioned: Ben Richards has to tape himself every day and then drop the tapes in a mailbox to be sent back to the studio.
It’s a completely different approach to the idea from the movie, and other such dystopian stories (eg Rollerball, The Hunger Games, Squid Game) that the game happens in a controlled environment that can be filled with cameras. It’s more like the TV show Alone where the participants film themselves.
But the game actually happens out in regular society, where poor civilians are paid to dob in or even kill the contestants, and the contestants get extra prize money for killing cops. It’s more like a spy story about trust, paranoia, safe houses etc.
Anyway I found it very gripping, especially the way each chapter counts down the hours til the game ends. Edgar Wright is adapting this more faithfully into a new movie starring Glenn Powell as Richards, which is why I read this now. I am so interested to see what he does with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism