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Book Review By Ken Muller
The Long Walk by Richard Bachman

Join 16 year-old Ray Garraty on "The Long Walk," the annual May classic featuring 100 chosen youth and the highways and byways of New England. Stumble, fall down, or take a break, and you will be warned. Three warnings only, then you will be served your ticket...

Garraty is every-teen, struggling with identity, life, and love. The Long Walk is the road to fortune for one, and death's highway for the 99 others. Earn your ticket and you will shot to death by stoic soldiers perched with their rifles upon the ever-present halftrack.

Garraty befriends other walkers, only to watch them succumb to the rigors of the constant 4 mile-per-hour pace. Time marches on, and so must the boys. As the days go by, the boys contribute their view on life and The Long Walk. One by one, boys fall victim to the final offer of everlasting rest as they buy their ticket.

In the end, base instincts push aside all else and emotions struggle just to survive.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Repressive society story Yes
Repressive because:
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 %

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - a teen

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Earth setting: - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - descript of touching personal anatomy
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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