I finished The Long Walk a few days ago, and I think I'm ready to post a few thoughts about the novel. This novel has really been stuck in mind ever since I finished it, and it hasn't been easy to wrap my head around it, especially the ending. I think that says a lot about what King has written here. I'm amazed that SK was so young when he wrote The Long Walk, a fact I didn't learn until after reading the novel. Some very deep stuff for such a young writer!
For some reason, I've always enjoyed stories that take place entirely in one place. 12 Angry Men would head that list for me. I throw The Long Walk into that category because the story takes place exclusively on the road, albeit throughout the state of Maine. It takes a talented writer to craft an engaging story which takes place in one "location", and with a relatively small cast of characters.
I enjoyed the ambiguous ending as well. It's been on my mind since I finished the final page, which was, no doubt, the author's intent. Personally, I believe Garraty died soon after winning the competition. Throughout the novel, he and the other contestants slowly come to terms with their impending deaths, and I believe Garraty truly "lived" in the end by facing his own mortality. He finally learned there are no winners in The Long Walk.
Not my favorite King novel, but light years ahead of Rage, the only other Bachman novel I have read thus far. This is one that will stay with me, and may creep up my personal rankings as time goes on.
Rating: 8/10
Up Next: The Dead Zone
For some reason, I've always enjoyed stories that take place entirely in one place. 12 Angry Men would head that list for me. I throw The Long Walk into that category because the story takes place exclusively on the road, albeit throughout the state of Maine. It takes a talented writer to craft an engaging story which takes place in one "location", and with a relatively small cast of characters.
I enjoyed the ambiguous ending as well. It's been on my mind since I finished the final page, which was, no doubt, the author's intent. Personally, I believe Garraty died soon after winning the competition. Throughout the novel, he and the other contestants slowly come to terms with their impending deaths, and I believe Garraty truly "lived" in the end by facing his own mortality. He finally learned there are no winners in The Long Walk.
Not my favorite King novel, but light years ahead of Rage, the only other Bachman novel I have read thus far. This is one that will stay with me, and may creep up my personal rankings as time goes on.
Rating: 8/10
Up Next: The Dead Zone