2024 the best books of stephen king review

Price: $0.99
(as of Dec 13, 2024 01:29:17 UTC - Details)

In this number-one national best seller, "master storyteller" (Houston Chronicle) Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, tells the tale of the contestants of a grueling walking competition where there can beonly one winner - the one who survives.

In the near future, when America has become a police state, 100 boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Among them is 16-year-old Ray Garraty, and he knows the rules - keep a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings and you're out - permanently.

With an introduction by Stephen King on "The Importance of Being Bachman".

Reviewer: drhendersonneecancilla
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ONE OF MR. KINGS BEST...
Review: I am an avid reader of NON-FICTION; that is all I ever read...with the single exception of Stephen King short stories and books. This book was exhausting...literally. I could FEEL the exhaustion the walkers felt as the walk progressed. This would have been a page turner in a regular book but I ordered this through my Kindle so it was a page clicker. When I began reading this story, it sounded like a fun walk. 100 boys sign up for a walk and whoever outlasts the other 99 is the winner. Sounds simple. Then you learn that the rules state the walkers must keep up a pace of at least 4mph. Should they fall below, they get a warning. After three warnings, they "buy" their ticket. This is explained early in the book. So gullible me is thinking, "oh they just lose; they are out of the walk". They certainly are. After the third warning, they get a bullet in the head! I nearly fell off my chair when I got to the first person who buys their ticket! Cheeeesh! Some of the less favorable reviewers state that this was not a good book in their opinion because who would allow their child to enter such a contest? Well, it is really unfair to give a poor review based on that. This is a book of FICTION created by one of the worlds most fascinating authors with a mind and imagination that I would LOVE to have! Stephen King is a gifted, and fascinating writer. The only NEGATIVE I can say about him is his penchant for killing dogs and cats in his stories. I've yet to read one book of his that has a dog or cat in it that doesn't meet some horrid fate such as in "Pet Semetary" and "Cujo" and all the others. Even in THIS book towards the very end, one of the guards watching the walkers KILLS an INNOCENT DOG! HAD I KNOWN that was in this book, I never would have bought it. I cannot bear to read anything where a dog gets killed...fiction or not. It breaks my heart as a dog lover and dog guardian. I cannot understand why he kills dogs in his stories. That is the only negative I can state in this story; however, I could not rate it less than five stars as the part where the dog gets killed is only a couple of sentences. THAT part of the story could have been omitted entirely and would not have affected this suspenseful "edge of your seat" thriller. The dogs in Mr. Kings books and stories (that I've read so far) always meet a tragic end. It has gotten so that whenever he publishes a new book, I find out if there is a dog in the story; and if there is, I refuse to read it. Silly, I know, as it is only fiction...but this is something that not only upsets me but every dog loving friend I have, as I've asked. I know Mr. King happens to have both a dog and a cat as pets and loves them...so why does he always seem to bring them to some awful fate in the stories he creates with dogs and/or cats? I would really like to know. In "The Long Walk", the part of the dog getting killed was just a minor mention, and probably why I didn't catch it before beginning the read. Had that been in the beginning of the story, I never would have finished it; would have deleted it from my Kindle right at that moment. I realize a lot of people will think my opinion regarding this part of the story is silly, but unless you're a TRUE lover of dogs, something like this...even though it is fiction, is very upsetting. I really wish he wouldn't do that in the stories that have dogs and cats in them; but he IS one of the greatest writers I've ever come across, and his books are the ONLY fiction I ever read.

Reviewer: Kimba
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Really?!
Review: I’ve always been a fan of King. This story takes you along on a seemingly unending walk. Surprisingly, I was entertained all the way through. One would think it would be difficult to write about nothing other than a long walk, but King made the journey interesting by delving into the psychological aspects of those who chose to make the attempt to be the last man standing. I thoroughly enjoyed each page until I reached the end. The conclusion reminds me of the final episode of the Sopranos. Once you arrive at the ending you’re hugely disappointed (at least I was). However, the surprise of it in itself was actually climactic. Definitely worth reading. I took one star off because of the way King elected to close the story, but I’m sure many may appreciate the way King chose to finish this tale that delves into what we have within ourselves, good and bad.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Compelling!
Review: King keeps readers engaged as if they too were in The Walk. Storytelling at its finest! My only regret is the abruptness of the ending.

Reviewer: KEVIN BRIAN
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Nightmare Poetry
Review: I just finally finished reading, or rather, taking 'The Long Walk' last night. And it was exhausting.The idea of a 100 young men walking on a suicide mission sounded so different from King's other horror-type novels that I had to check it out.Though, for me, it did try my patience. Especially towards the last 100 pages or so. I even found myself going back often, rereading certain chapters, trying to remember who was who, who got what warnings, and who was ticketed.Though I found the story in whole riveting, and at times downright horrific, I was somewhat put off when King would jump narrative and start swimming in and out of poetic passages. It just alienated me from the core action.But yet I get it. I totally understand why so many people enjoy this book. Some of King's detours are so beautiful and out of the blue that they truly are haunting.Here are a few moments, or characters, that I found myself obsessing over during 'the Walk'. Spoiler Alerts!Early on, Garraty watches Stebbins, the boy in purple pants and green jacket, eating a jelly sandwich in a tree and starts to wonder about him throughout the entire race. It gets to the point where Garraty is so fixated on this mysterious kid that it starts to border homoeroticism. The more Garraty pondered about the jelly eating boy, the more I pondered too.Their strange connection forms into a love/hate relationship that is tested to the very last minute of the race. And, it turns out, that Stebbins has a few secrets of his own, that really caught me off guard. There's also a moment during a rain storm where Stebbins is clutching his stomach as Garraty watches, thinking that he may be in trouble. But it turns out that he is only trying to protect his last jelly sandwich from getting wet. These little moments were so fascinating to me that I felt like I was actually taking the walk with them.Another standout moment for me was when the little hick boy wearing overalls, a curious spectator, simply starts walking along with the guys in the game. Then, after about a mile, gets tired and plops down on the side of the road and watches them go by. How ironic and bittersweet. For all we know, this same curious little boy could be walking the race, for real, in the next five years and taking a bullet in the head. This passage was so powerful to me that I dog-eared the page just so that I could go back and read it over and over again. No kidding.And, towards the end, when Garraty starts to loose it while watching the last of his friends wither down, like death walking in a parade, was pretty hard to take. Creepy stuff to swallow.What made all of this frustrating for me is that I wanted the boys desperately to revolt against the soldiers. For Garraty to confront the Major. But I knew it wasn't that kind of tale. But I guess, that just shows how invested I was in the story. But, nevertheless, it was still frustrating at times. And it just seemed like it was stuffed with too much padding.By the way, I have my own take on the ending, but I would like to hear other people's opinions.Did Garraty just go bonkers at the end? Running away when the Major came to honor him? I'm sure anyone in that situation would. And, him seeing all the dead walkers coming up the road behind him was also an interesting bit. Knowing King's fascination with the supernatural, could this have been intended for the open-minded? Maybe I'm reading too much into it for being so close to the fire right now. But, it still would be intersting to hear from others. Thanx for reading- Kevin Brian

Reviewer: Mark G.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Dark and dystopian
Review: Quick and easy read that examines the psychological horror of a dystopian game that pits contestants in a walk to the death.I've read this one 4 or 5 times. No need for monsters, this one lets humanity and a dark alternative society be the villain.

Reviewer: Monica T.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ending left unanswered questions
Review: Good book overall, delving into human nature and relationships. I enjoyed the read until the end… no closure (unless I’m missing something?)

Reviewer: uebel8
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Amazing book. It's not for the faint of heart.
Review: One of the best books I have read this year. It's dark and twisty. It reminded me of The Hunger Games, Survivor, and The Red Shoes. These boys, children, ages 12 to 17 volunteer to a walk to the death. They start out as just numbers. The book gets harder to read as you become more invested, learning about the young men. Some days I could only handle a page or two. This is a book that will stay with you.

Reviewer: C.hamilton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Really enjoyed this. Young men are sort of drafted into what is called THE LONG WALK.They are snot if they stop for any reason .

Reviewer: Ada Chivers (@soterradaporlivros)
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Foi minha terceira leitura desse livro e num período péssimo onde eu tava com a concentração péssima e ler um livro tão pesado nesse momento não foi uma boa ideia. Mas dessa vez era uma LC então não tinha escapatória.Segue sendo meu livro preferido do King, mesmo se quem escreveu foi o Bachman, e mesmo eu achando que não é o melhor livro dele.Mas a história me assusta (ela é muito diferente do que acontece nos reality shows atuais? Eles só não terminam com a morte dos competidores) e ao mesmo tempo me emociona. Pobres meninos...

Reviewer: Kami
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Such a great book, it's really slow and I think you will have a better time when you know what the book actually symbolizes and that it's a metaphor for war.

Reviewer: Elise
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I can't say much without spoiling, but it is, in my opinion, one of the best Stephen King book. It is however, hard to read as it touch on difficult topic.

Reviewer: rinni thakur
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Newly Packed