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丕賱赖丕乇亘
廿賳賴 丕賱毓丕賲 2025 賵賱賯丿 鬲胤賵乇 鬲賱賮夭賷賵賳 丕賱賵丕賯毓 廿賱賶 丨丿 賲乇丕賴賳丞 丕賱賲卮鬲乇賰賷賳 毓賱賶 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賱賯丕亍 廿賲賰丕賳賷丞 丨氐賵賱賴賲 毓賱賶 孬乇賵丞 囟禺賲丞.
亘賳 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 賮賷 賵囟毓 賲丕賱賷 賷丕卅爻, 賵賴賵 亘丨丕噩丞 廿賱賶 丕賱賲丕賱 賱賲毓丕賱噩丞 賲乇囟 丕亘賳鬲賴 丕賱胤賮賱丞. 賲賱丕匕賴 丕賱兀禺賷乇 丕賱廿卮鬲乇丕賰 賮賷 亘乇賳丕賲噩 賲亘丕乇賷丕鬲 鬲賱賮夭賷賵賳賷丞 丕爻賲賴 "丕賱赖丕乇亘", 丨賷孬 丕賱賴丿賮 賴賵 賲乇丕賵睾丞 乇噩丕賱 丕賱卮乇胤丞 賵丕賱丕爻鬲賯氐丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賷賱丕丨賯賵賳賴 賱卮賴乇 賰丕賲賱. 丕賱噩丕卅夭丞 賴賷 亘賱賷賵賳 丿賵賱丕乇 兀賲乇賷賰賷. 丕賱賲卮賰賱丞 兀賳 噩賲賷毓 爻賰丕賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賷鬲丕亘毓賵賳賴 賵賴賲 毓賱賶 丕爻鬲毓丿丕丿 賱賱賯亘囟 毓賱賷賴 賵鬲爻賱賷賲賴 賲賯丕亘賱 賲賰丕賮兀丞 賲丕賱賷丞..
亘賳 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 賮賷 賵囟毓 賲丕賱賷 賷丕卅爻, 賵賴賵 亘丨丕噩丞 廿賱賶 丕賱賲丕賱 賱賲毓丕賱噩丞 賲乇囟 丕亘賳鬲賴 丕賱胤賮賱丞. 賲賱丕匕賴 丕賱兀禺賷乇 丕賱廿卮鬲乇丕賰 賮賷 亘乇賳丕賲噩 賲亘丕乇賷丕鬲 鬲賱賮夭賷賵賳賷丞 丕爻賲賴 "丕賱赖丕乇亘", 丨賷孬 丕賱賴丿賮 賴賵 賲乇丕賵睾丞 乇噩丕賱 丕賱卮乇胤丞 賵丕賱丕爻鬲賯氐丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賷賱丕丨賯賵賳賴 賱卮賴乇 賰丕賲賱. 丕賱噩丕卅夭丞 賴賷 亘賱賷賵賳 丿賵賱丕乇 兀賲乇賷賰賷. 丕賱賲卮賰賱丞 兀賳 噩賲賷毓 爻賰丕賳 丕賱兀乇囟 賷鬲丕亘毓賵賳賴 賵賴賲 毓賱賶 丕爻鬲毓丿丕丿 賱賱賯亘囟 毓賱賷賴 賵鬲爻賱賷賲賴 賲賯丕亘賱 賲賰丕賮兀丞 賲丕賱賷丞..
285 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1982
1,913 people are currently reading
80.2k people want to read
About the author
Richard Bachman
45听books4,627听followersThis is a Stephen King pseudonym.
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run鈥攁nd then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman鈥揟urner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books鈥�Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)鈥攖o people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source:
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run鈥攁nd then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman鈥揟urner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books鈥�Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)鈥攖o people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,300 reviews
October 7, 2017
I ended up reading this book in one day!
Fast-paced action pack book that will keep you on adrenaline. Would recommend!
Fast-paced action pack book that will keep you on adrenaline. Would recommend!
March 24, 2025
Stephen King wrote an exercise book?!
Well, count me in!
womp, womp
Random Goodreader, it is with a heavy heart that I report this is not a book designed to get the flabby fan in shape.
So what is it about?
The skinny gist is that in a somewhat dystopian future (2025!) the United States economy is in the shitter. The have-not reallllly have not. And our hero, Ben Richards, is desperate to save his 18 month old daughter from the pneumonia that is settling into her lungs due to the flu. Antibiotics are unaffordable, jobs for men in his class are scarce, and the ones that are available will probably give you some kind of testicular cancer.
The government-mandated television Network (Free Vee) is piped into everyone's home "free" to keep the masses placated with violent propaganda thinly veiled as entertainment.
The programming centers on reality television with a cruel twist - think Survivor if the backstabbing was done with real knives.
The Running Man is the highest rated show with the biggest payout. No one has ever survived it, so the contestants who sign up are all just desperate for the money their families will get as a payout and try to last as long as possible to get the highest death benefit.
In a last-ditch effort to help his wife and child, Ben signs on the dotted line...and away we go!
Fair warning, this isn't so much about Ben "fixing" the system, as it is Stephen King as Richard Bachman showing readers how broken and rigged the system can be.
It is also a frighteningly realistic portrayal of mass delusion based on media persuasion. There will always an agenda, there will always be propaganda, and there will always be lies hidden inside truths.
But there's no such thing as good versus evil.
It is, and always has been, money and power versus money and power, and the people who have it painting themselves and their rivals with different brush strokes.
And the only way to win is to not play their game.
Other reviewers have mentioned this, but in some of the editions, Stephen King writes the foreword and spoils the ending. I didn't care, but I know that it might ruin things for a lot of readers.
Having said that, I think it's 100% worth your time to read the foreword when you're done. King is one of those authors who is just charming to listen to, and I think that affability is one of the reasons he is such a popular author. I want to like his stuff because he comes across as a fan of his fans.
One thing I'd like to know is whether or not our overlords at Amazon actually have a sense of humor, or if some clever grunt managed to get them to name their ad-laden television offering Freevee after the corrupt Network in The Running Man.
Kudos, either way.
Recommended.
Well, count me in!
womp, womp
Random Goodreader, it is with a heavy heart that I report this is not a book designed to get the flabby fan in shape.
So what is it about?
The skinny gist is that in a somewhat dystopian future (2025!) the United States economy is in the shitter. The have-not reallllly have not. And our hero, Ben Richards, is desperate to save his 18 month old daughter from the pneumonia that is settling into her lungs due to the flu. Antibiotics are unaffordable, jobs for men in his class are scarce, and the ones that are available will probably give you some kind of testicular cancer.
The government-mandated television Network (Free Vee) is piped into everyone's home "free" to keep the masses placated with violent propaganda thinly veiled as entertainment.
The programming centers on reality television with a cruel twist - think Survivor if the backstabbing was done with real knives.
The Running Man is the highest rated show with the biggest payout. No one has ever survived it, so the contestants who sign up are all just desperate for the money their families will get as a payout and try to last as long as possible to get the highest death benefit.
In a last-ditch effort to help his wife and child, Ben signs on the dotted line...and away we go!
Fair warning, this isn't so much about Ben "fixing" the system, as it is Stephen King as Richard Bachman showing readers how broken and rigged the system can be.
It is also a frighteningly realistic portrayal of mass delusion based on media persuasion. There will always an agenda, there will always be propaganda, and there will always be lies hidden inside truths.
But there's no such thing as good versus evil.
It is, and always has been, money and power versus money and power, and the people who have it painting themselves and their rivals with different brush strokes.
And the only way to win is to not play their game.
Other reviewers have mentioned this, but in some of the editions, Stephen King writes the foreword and spoils the ending. I didn't care, but I know that it might ruin things for a lot of readers.
Having said that, I think it's 100% worth your time to read the foreword when you're done. King is one of those authors who is just charming to listen to, and I think that affability is one of the reasons he is such a popular author. I want to like his stuff because he comes across as a fan of his fans.
One thing I'd like to know is whether or not our overlords at Amazon actually have a sense of humor, or if some clever grunt managed to get them to name their ad-laden television offering Freevee after the corrupt Network in The Running Man.
Kudos, either way.
Recommended.
January 29, 2020
English () / Italiano
While I am enjoying the sci-fi / dystopia of acclaimed TV series such as "Black Mirror" or "The Handmaid's Tale", the novel "The Running Man" falls into my lap. The fact is that this novel inspired the 1987 movie of the same name. And the fact is that I am one of the few that loved that movie. Therefore, I immediately buy the novel. wrote it in his "Bachman" phase, maybe it's a minor novel. No matter, I bought it... and thank God!
The concept of reality shows is exacerbated, and actual life live turns into death live in the future that King presents us. Future in which there are sadistic TV prize contests, such as "Treadmill to Bucks", where the unfortunate individuals (usually with cardiac disease) must answer some questions as they run on a rotating cylinder. But the crown jewel of the prize contests on live TV is the "The Running Man", a manhunt that practically pushes you against everyone, against the world. Need to hide. Prestigious hotels, decadent motels, sewer. One place as good as the next, the important thing is that you never stop in the same place for more than one day. Otherwise you're fucked.
Hell of a ending, direct, essential, minimal. Hell of a future.
Vote: 8
Mentre mi entusiasmo per la fantascienza / distopia di acclamate serie TV quali "Black Mirror" o "The Handmaid's Tale", mi ritrovo per le mani "L'uomo in fuga", che scopro aver ispirato il film "L'implacabile". Il fatto 猫 che io sono probabilmente uno dei pochi fan di questo film del 1987. Quindi compro immediatamente il libro. lo ha scritto in fase "Bachman", forse si tratta di un libro minore. Non importa, lo compro. E meno male: minore il caspito!!
L'idea dei reality show viene esasperata, e la vita in diretta del nostro presente diventa morte in diretta nel futuro che ci presenta King. Futuro in cui vi sono sadiche trasmissioni TV a premi, come "Il macinadollari", dove i malcapitati (tendenzialmente cardiopatici) devono rispondere a delle domande mentre corrono su di un cilindro rotante. Ma la vera punta di diamante dei concorsi a premi in diretta TV 猫 "L'uomo in fuga", una caccia ai concorrenti che praticamente ti mette contro tutti, contro il mondo intero. Bisogna nascondersi. Alberghi, motel decadenti, fogne. Un posto vale l'altro, l'importante 猫 non fermarsi mai nello stesso luogo per pi霉 di qualche giorno. Altrimenti sei fottuto.
Gran bel finale, diretto, essenziale, minimale. Gran bel futuro.
Voto: 8
July 26, 2020
Gladiator games, dystopic government systems controlled by consumerism and companies promoting slaughter fun, and the beginning of the debate who reinterpreted what fuse to a piece of literary history.
One of my favorite, sick, and inhuman Sci-Fi tropes tuned to perfection by the young master himself, and I also don麓t know who stole what, but this is definitively the first version of it and that speaks for itself, sorry Battle Royale and Hunger Games. On the other hand, there might be elder novels or short stories with similar ideas that inspired King so that it could be seen as harsh that King roasted the Hunger Games.
Interestingly, he used his pseudonym especially for novels some people might find鈥� a bit controversial, because he still wasn麓t famous enough to risk a loss of reader and reputation by being related to this entertaining, and indirectly very sociocritical, massacres. Officially he said that he wanted to try out if he would sell without his famous name, but I deem a bit of this element in there too.
If Kind would be more prone to Sci-Fi, more of these pearls would have been produced and all the poor Sci-Fi authors would have shivered in agony and fear regarding their sales, as Sci-Fi has even more potential for gore and violence than the fantastic and horror genre tropes King is famous for, they are endless lands of new potential for agony and abnormality, this future worlds.
The second layer of terror next to the personal drama, executed by an inhuman, authoritarian oligarchy, gives the setting an extra icing of omnipresent fear of secret police torture chamber primetime fun for being chosen for any kind of very adult entertainment. Not to forget the social criticism, allegories, exaggerations, and innuendos to a, very softened, already existing system and the question if it might first be realized in a more or less direct and bigoted dictatorship on Earth or in space in a few hundred years, where no legislation makes sure that nobody hears you scream or if, it doesn麓t matter.
The interesting question is if one might watch it or not as soon as it麓s socially accepted and not watching it would make one an outsider and/ or suspicious for the death squad.
Knocking at the door.
鈥濿e麓ve been informed that you are not really enthusiastic about the TV program we are so generous to provide for free, Sir.鈥�
鈥濶o, I love it, my kids and I always watch it toget鈥︹€�
鈥濿hat are the names of the contestants?鈥�
鈥潍尘鈥︹赌�
Military policeman gives an electric shock
鈥濻top lying you rat, our brainwave detectors show that you are just doing as if you enjoy watching it and you missed 3 whole episodes, read about it later, and lied to have watched it!鈥�
And the latest candidate is鈥� you!
It could instead be done with robots and cyborgs, empty clones bred without the ability to fear or have physical pain instead and without dictatorship, but nobody would watch this, of course not, cough, cough. But with real human beings? Come on, wouldn麓t that be the ultimate irony, living in a potential post scarcity society with immortality and future tech and the rather logical goal to focus on exploring the endless space, learn more, and become a species of scientists and geniuses instead of replaying the soo stereotypical bread and circuses battle to the death game. But we are brutal apes, so鈥�
At least I admit that I麓m a hypocrite, but if there are no victims, why can麓t we be both, literate and fascinated by gore, doesn麓t that sound like a perfect combination, a duality as so many things in life and physics?
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
One of my favorite, sick, and inhuman Sci-Fi tropes tuned to perfection by the young master himself, and I also don麓t know who stole what, but this is definitively the first version of it and that speaks for itself, sorry Battle Royale and Hunger Games. On the other hand, there might be elder novels or short stories with similar ideas that inspired King so that it could be seen as harsh that King roasted the Hunger Games.
Interestingly, he used his pseudonym especially for novels some people might find鈥� a bit controversial, because he still wasn麓t famous enough to risk a loss of reader and reputation by being related to this entertaining, and indirectly very sociocritical, massacres. Officially he said that he wanted to try out if he would sell without his famous name, but I deem a bit of this element in there too.
If Kind would be more prone to Sci-Fi, more of these pearls would have been produced and all the poor Sci-Fi authors would have shivered in agony and fear regarding their sales, as Sci-Fi has even more potential for gore and violence than the fantastic and horror genre tropes King is famous for, they are endless lands of new potential for agony and abnormality, this future worlds.
The second layer of terror next to the personal drama, executed by an inhuman, authoritarian oligarchy, gives the setting an extra icing of omnipresent fear of secret police torture chamber primetime fun for being chosen for any kind of very adult entertainment. Not to forget the social criticism, allegories, exaggerations, and innuendos to a, very softened, already existing system and the question if it might first be realized in a more or less direct and bigoted dictatorship on Earth or in space in a few hundred years, where no legislation makes sure that nobody hears you scream or if, it doesn麓t matter.
The interesting question is if one might watch it or not as soon as it麓s socially accepted and not watching it would make one an outsider and/ or suspicious for the death squad.
Knocking at the door.
鈥濿e麓ve been informed that you are not really enthusiastic about the TV program we are so generous to provide for free, Sir.鈥�
鈥濶o, I love it, my kids and I always watch it toget鈥︹€�
鈥濿hat are the names of the contestants?鈥�
鈥潍尘鈥︹赌�
Military policeman gives an electric shock
鈥濻top lying you rat, our brainwave detectors show that you are just doing as if you enjoy watching it and you missed 3 whole episodes, read about it later, and lied to have watched it!鈥�
And the latest candidate is鈥� you!
It could instead be done with robots and cyborgs, empty clones bred without the ability to fear or have physical pain instead and without dictatorship, but nobody would watch this, of course not, cough, cough. But with real human beings? Come on, wouldn麓t that be the ultimate irony, living in a potential post scarcity society with immortality and future tech and the rather logical goal to focus on exploring the endless space, learn more, and become a species of scientists and geniuses instead of replaying the soo stereotypical bread and circuses battle to the death game. But we are brutal apes, so鈥�
At least I admit that I麓m a hypocrite, but if there are no victims, why can麓t we be both, literate and fascinated by gore, doesn麓t that sound like a perfect combination, a duality as so many things in life and physics?
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
October 25, 2022
First time I've read this as a stand alone. Completely different to the film - Ben Richards is compelled to take part in The Running Man in this dystopian nightmare world, to save the lives of his family, but the Games have no idea just how difficult Richards will be to kill. Dark, thrilling and definitely a hardcore dystopian future shock classic! A strong Four Star read for another relentless Bachman jam with an 8 out of 12.
2017 read
2017 read
April 15, 2024
The future for Mr. Ben (Benjamin ) Richards is not grand, not bright in the year 2025 it's dreary, the economy has sunk the poor are poorer, the harsh government doesn't care they just want to rule. Stephen King writing in 1982 under the pen name Richard Bachman in order to have unbridled freedom from his reputation makes this novel as hopeless as possible for the sake of the plot, a not very accurate forecast of coming events yet entertaining, it remains be warned however, a no holds barred of brutality and cruelty which dominates...the action. Who knew the author has such venom. Ben has a sick daughter maybe dying, Cathy and a plain looking wife Sheila, he is frequently fired for not being able to follow instructions by his superiors , full of hate to any in authority, consequently no money and living in a squalid slum the mother of the child walks the streets... he only loves his little family. Lately Richards has been glued to the television set viewing the most watched show on the air, The Running Man, big prizes for anyone that survives for 30 days while hunters try to eliminate the contestants they never fail. Cathy needs medicine and the depressed father is willing to sacrifice himself for their well- being. After a long process the desperate gentleman admittedly stretching the term gets the job, an anti-hero unlike the popular Scifi film, obviously with a much changed story line . The anger against all the well- off explodes and I'm not writing about Mr. Richards but the sleazy people who work for the government sponsored television program they pay the price. Planes, numerous cars , hapless victims, and buildings evaporate as the eager hunters track down the fleeing fugitive all over the country, red liquid spills frequently . The ending will surprise and bring back bad memories to many a similar occurrence happened in the recent past, Stephen King will in the succeeding years ease the throttle there was no choice...If he wanted to continually be read. The traveling contestant shows unusual cunning, escaping seemingly demoralizing situations and the audience begins to change their opinion of Ben, from criminal butcher to an icon. The government does not tolerant this for long and the heavy hitters are brought in to finish the task of making Richards obsolete and be liquidated. A novel which is quite different from the usual books from the famous author...much more pessimistic in atmosphere yet still a good read for some.
July 12, 2017
After , there was The Running Man
Before , there was The Running Man
After , there was The Running Man
Before reality TV, there was The Running Man
This is a disturbing and enthralling cautionary tale predicted by our fore fathers, seen in new dystopian novels, and becoming all too real in this age of political turmoil, social media, and reality overload.
One of King鈥檚 early novels under his Pseudonym Richard Bachman, he mentions in the foreward that it has a darker tone that he tended to use when writing as Bachman. The foreward is a very interesting addition to the story and was updated from the foreward included in the original Bachman Books (which is where I first read this story).
Oh, and that jogs another memory. Not only did I read this in the original Bachman Books, it was the first Stephen King book I ever read! I was probably 12 at the time 鈥� likely too young to be reading this, but, hey, I did it anyway! I had seen the move The Running Man, which, while it is not much like the book is, in my opinion, a fantastically campy and entertaining 80s action flick. Some people think it is awful 鈥� I think King even believes that 鈥� but I am not ashamed to say that I loved it! Anyway, I knew my dad was into Stephen King and had all his books up to that point so I figured that I should give it a go. I was not disappointed at the time and I was not disappointed this time either.
If you like cautionary dystopian tales, I think you have to read this. There is just too much going on here for dystopian fans that you do yourself a disservice if you do not read it.
Before , there was The Running Man
After , there was The Running Man
Before reality TV, there was The Running Man
This is a disturbing and enthralling cautionary tale predicted by our fore fathers, seen in new dystopian novels, and becoming all too real in this age of political turmoil, social media, and reality overload.
One of King鈥檚 early novels under his Pseudonym Richard Bachman, he mentions in the foreward that it has a darker tone that he tended to use when writing as Bachman. The foreward is a very interesting addition to the story and was updated from the foreward included in the original Bachman Books (which is where I first read this story).
Oh, and that jogs another memory. Not only did I read this in the original Bachman Books, it was the first Stephen King book I ever read! I was probably 12 at the time 鈥� likely too young to be reading this, but, hey, I did it anyway! I had seen the move The Running Man, which, while it is not much like the book is, in my opinion, a fantastically campy and entertaining 80s action flick. Some people think it is awful 鈥� I think King even believes that 鈥� but I am not ashamed to say that I loved it! Anyway, I knew my dad was into Stephen King and had all his books up to that point so I figured that I should give it a go. I was not disappointed at the time and I was not disappointed this time either.
If you like cautionary dystopian tales, I think you have to read this. There is just too much going on here for dystopian fans that you do yourself a disservice if you do not read it.
May 24, 2023
賮賳 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賵丨卮
賰賲 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 賵 丕賱兀賮賱丕賲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賯氐 毓賱賷賳丕 賰賷賮 鬲毓賷丿 丕賱賲賷丿賷丕 氐賷丕睾丞 丕賱毓賯賵賱責! 賰賷賮 鬲丨賵賱 卮禺氐 毓丕丿賷 廿賱賶 亘胤賱 賵 兀賷賯賵賳丞 賵 賰賷賮 鬲丨賵賱 丕賱賲馗賱賵賲 廿賱賶 賲噩乇賲 爻賮丕丨 賵 賰賷賮 鬲鬲賱丕毓亘 亘丕賱毓賯賵賱 賮鬲氐賵乇 丕賱丿賷賰鬲丕鬲賵乇 亘胤賱 賵 夭毓賷賲 賵 鬲氐賵乇 丕賱丨丕賰賲 丕賱毓丕丿賱 囟毓賷賮 賵 賲賴夭賵夭 賵 賮丕爻丿!
賰賲 賲賳 亘乇賳丕賲噩 鬲賱賮夭賷賵賳賷 兀賵 丨賲賱丞 廿毓賱丕賲賷丞 乇賮毓鬲 兀賯賵丕賲丕 賵 禺賮囟鬲 兀賯賵丕賲丕 亘睾賷乇 賵噩賴 丨賯 賵 賰賲 賲賳 賲爻禺 賲賳 賲爻賵禺 丕賱卮丕卮丕鬲 賯賱亘賵丕 丕賱丨賯 亘丕胤賱丕 賵 丕賱亘丕胤賱 夭賷賳賵賴 賱賱賳丕爻.
賱賷爻鬲 賲噩乇丿 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳 鬲賱賰 丕賱賯氐氐 賵 賱丕 丨鬲賶 賷賲賰賳 賲賯丕乇賳鬲賴丕 亘丕賱賮賷賱賲 丕賱爻丕匕噩 丕賱賲兀禺賵匕 毓賳賴丕 賱賱亘胤賱 丕賱爻丕匕噩 丿丕卅賲丕 兀乇賳賵賱丿 卮賵丕乇夭賳賷噩乇.
賯亘賱 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 孬賱丕孬賷賳 毓丕賲丕 賰鬲亘賴丕 賰賷賳噩 賱鬲丿賵乇 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 丕賱賲馗賱賲 丕賱鬲毓爻 丨賷賳 鬲卮乇賮 丕賱兀乇囟 毓賱賶 丕賱賮賳丕亍 賵 鬲鬲丨賰賲 丕賱賲賷丿賷丕 賮賷 丕賱亘卮乇 亘賯賷丕丿丞 胤睾賲丞 賲賳 丕賱兀卮乇丕乇 鬲丨乇賰賴賲 丕賱廿毓賱丕賳丕鬲.
賵 賱兀賳賴 賰丕賳 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賲 1982 賵 鬲禺賷賱 兀丨丿丕孬賴丕 鬲丿賵乇 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賲 2025 賮賯丿 馗賳 兀賳賴 兀爻乇賮 賮賷 丕賱禺賷丕賱 廿賱丕 兀賳 丕賱賵丕賯毓 賮丕賯 賲丕 鬲氐賵乇 賵 噩丕亍鬲 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賵 賰兀賳賴丕 兀丨丿丕孬 爻亘鬲賲亘乇 丕賱卮賴賷乇丞 丕賱鬲賷 兀丿鬲 賱賳爻賮 丕賱亘乇噩賷賳 賮賷 賲丕賳賴丕鬲賳. 賮賲丕匕丕 賱賵 賰鬲亘賴丕 丕賱毓亘賯乇賷 丕賱賰賷賳噩 賮賷 丕賱鬲爻毓賷賳丕鬲 兀賵 丕賱兀賳.
兀賳鬲 毓丿賵 賱賱卮亘賰丞. 賴匕丕 賲丕 賷賯賵賱賵賳賴 毓賱賶 卮丕卮丞 賮乇賷 賮賷. 乇兀賷鬲 亘毓囟 賴匕賴 丕賱兀毓賲丕賱 丕賱賲孬賷乇丞 賱賱廿卮賲卅夭丕夭 丕賱鬲賷 賯賲鬲 亘賴丕.賱賱乇毓亘 賵噩賴 兀禺乇
爻兀賱 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿夭: 兀鬲毓乇賮賷賳 賲丕 賴賵 丕賱賲孬賷乇 賱賱廿卮賲卅夭丕夭責 兀卮毓賱 爻賷噩丕乇丞 賲賳 賱賵丨丞 兀噩賴夭丞 丕賱爻賷丕乇丞. 爻兀禺亘乇賰. 廿賳 丕賱賲孬賷乇 賱賱廿卮賲卅夭丕夭 兀賳 賷胤乇丿賵丕 兀丨丿賴賲 賱兀賳賴 賱丕 賷乇睾亘 亘丕賱毓賲賱 賮賷 賵馗賷賮丞 毓賳丿 噩賷賳乇丕賱 兀鬲賵賲賰爻 鬲爻亘亘 丕賱毓賯賲. 廿賳 丕賱賲孬賷乇 賱賱廿卮賲卅夭丕夭 賴賵 兀賳 鬲噩賱爻 賮賷 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賵 鬲卮丕賴丿 夭賵噩鬲賰 賵 賴賷 鬲賰爻亘 兀賲賵丕賱 丕賱亘賯丕賱丞 賲賳 丕賱亘睾丕亍. 廿賳 賲賳 丕賱賲孬賷乇 賱賱廿卮賲卅夭丕夭 賴賵 賲毓乇賮丞 兀賳 丕賱卮亘賰丞 鬲賯鬲賱 丕賱賲賱丕賷賷賳 賲賳 丕賱兀卮禺丕氐 賰賱 爻賳丞 亘爻亘亘 鬲賱賵孬 丕賱賴賵丕亍 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 丕賱匕賷 亘廿賲賰丕賳賴賲 鬲氐賳賷毓 賲乇卮丨丕鬲 兀賳賮賷丞 亘賲亘賱睾 爻鬲丞 丿賵賱丕乇丕鬲 賱賰賱 賵丕丨丿.
賱丕 孬賵乇丞 賱賱噩賷丕毓 賵 賱丕 卮賷賵毓賷丞 爻鬲爻賷胤乇 毓賱賶 賴匕丕 丕賱賰賵賰亘 丨鬲賶 賱賵 丕囟胤乇乇賳丕 賱鬲丿賲賷乇賴 鬲賲丕賲丕
爻賷馗賱 丕賱賮賯賷乇 賷毓賲賱 賵 賷毓賲賱 賵 賷毓賲賱 賱賷氐亘丨 兀賰孬乇 賮賯乇丕 賵 賷氐亘 丕賱賳賯賵丿 氐亘丕 賮賷 噩賷賵亘 丕賱兀睾賳賷丕亍
爻賳囟胤乇 賱毓夭賱 丕賱兀睾賳賷丕亍 賵 丕賱賴丕亍 丕賱賮賯乇丕亍 賵 賵囟毓 兀睾卮賷丞 爻賲賷賰丞 毓賱賶 兀毓賷賳 丕賱噩賲賷毓 賮賱丕 賷乇賶 兀丨丿 丕賱丕 賳賮爻賴
爻鬲毓賱賵 兀爻賵丕乇 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓丕鬲 丕賱乇丕賯賷丞 賵 鬲毓賱賵 鬲賱丕賱 丕賱賯賲丕賲丞 賵 丕賱賯丕匕賵乇丕鬲 賮賷 兀丨賷丕亍 丕賱賮賯乇丕亍 賵 賷鬲毓丕賷卮 丕賱噩賲賷毓 噩賳亘丕 丕賱賶 噩賳亘 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷丿乇賷 兀丨丿賴賲 卮賷卅丕 毓賳 丕賱兀禺乇.
July 28, 2019
Relentless.
Stephen King鈥檚 1982 novel, published under the pen name of his darker alter ego Richard Bachman, describes a feral dystopian landscape where over population, under employment, financial segregation of society along cultural and class lines and woefully deficient in fundamental healthcare has led to an almost Roman decadence of survival games and cheap entertainment for the pitiful masses. King鈥檚 malnourished and desperate Ben Richards is nothing like the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 Paul Michael Glaser film. King鈥檚 protagonist signs up for the games to get money to assist his family when pneumonia threatens the life of his infant child.
Told with an inevitable countdown to the brutal end, King portrays Richard鈥檚 plight as he is a contestant on The Running Man, a nationally viewed show where the hunted has to stay alive as long as possible to earn more money. All the while he is pursued by professional hunters and his whereabouts are televised in a surreal man hunt, carnivalesque in it's absurdity.
Published 26 years before Suzanne Collins鈥檚 , there is no flash or Hollywood style heroism, King depicts an ugly, frantic fight to live in a world made brutal and dreadfully harsh.
[image error]
Stephen King鈥檚 1982 novel, published under the pen name of his darker alter ego Richard Bachman, describes a feral dystopian landscape where over population, under employment, financial segregation of society along cultural and class lines and woefully deficient in fundamental healthcare has led to an almost Roman decadence of survival games and cheap entertainment for the pitiful masses. King鈥檚 malnourished and desperate Ben Richards is nothing like the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 Paul Michael Glaser film. King鈥檚 protagonist signs up for the games to get money to assist his family when pneumonia threatens the life of his infant child.
Told with an inevitable countdown to the brutal end, King portrays Richard鈥檚 plight as he is a contestant on The Running Man, a nationally viewed show where the hunted has to stay alive as long as possible to earn more money. All the while he is pursued by professional hunters and his whereabouts are televised in a surreal man hunt, carnivalesque in it's absurdity.
Published 26 years before Suzanne Collins鈥檚 , there is no flash or Hollywood style heroism, King depicts an ugly, frantic fight to live in a world made brutal and dreadfully harsh.
[image error]
April 12, 2024
賱賲丕 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 丕鬲爻兀賱 賴賳丕 毓賱賷 噩賵丿乇賷丿夭 : 丕賷賴 兀賰鬲乇 乇賵丕賷丞 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 亘賷賴丕 賵 丕賳鬲 亘鬲賰鬲亘賴丕責
賯丕賱 廿賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 The running man ( 丕賱赖丕乇亘) 賱丿乇噩丞 廿賳賴 禺賱氐賴丕 賮賷 10 兀賷丕賲 亘爻 !
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰丕賳鬲 賲卮毓賱丞 賱賱丨賲丕爻 賵 賯丕胤毓丞 賱賱兀賳賮丕爻 貙 賰賲丕 賱賵 氐乇鬲 兀賳鬲 賳賮爻賰 丕賱赖丕乇亘 .
賮賷 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賴賱 爻賷乇賯賷 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 廿賱賷 丨賱賲 丕賱賲丿賷賳丞 丕賱賮丕囟賱丞 貙 兀賲 爻賷賴亘胤 廿賱賷 賯丕毓 爻丨賷賯 責
賷乇爻賲 賱賳丕 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 毓丕賱賲丕賸 禺賷丕賱賷丕賸 丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕賸 賮賷 爻賳丞 2025 - 賵 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 賷氐乇 亘毓賷丿丕 丕賱丕賳 - 賵 賰毓丕丿丞 丕賱丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕 賱賳 鬲氐賷乇 賲賲鬲毓丞 廿賱丕 廿匕丕 賰丕賳鬲 亘賳馗乇丞 鬲卮丕丐賲賷丞 賯丕鬲賲丞 馃寶.
賮賷 爻賳丞 2025貙 賷毓賲 丕賱賮賯乇 賵 賷賳鬲卮乇 丕賱賮爻丕丿 賵 賰賳鬲賷噩丞 賲亘丕卮乇丞 鬲丨丿孬 賲賮丕乇賯丞 氐丕乇禺丞 賮賷 丕賱胤亘賯丕鬲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓賷丞 貙 賵 鬲夭賷丿 丕賱賮噩賵丞 丕賱爻賵丿丕亍 亘賷賳 丕賱賮賯賷乇 賵 丕賱睾賳賷 賱鬲亘鬲賱毓 噩賲賷毓 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵 賱丕 賷亘賯賷 爻賵丕 丕賱噩卮毓 賵 丕賱丨賯丿 賵 丕賱鬲丨丕爻丿 貙 賱賷毓賷丿 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賳賮爻賴 賵 賱賰賳 賮賷 丨購賱丞 丨囟丕乇賷丞 丨丿賷孬丞 .
亘胤賱賳丕 ( 亘賷賳 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿夭) 賷賳噩亘 亘賳鬲丕賸 賱賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯丕爻賷 賵 賲丕 夭丕丿 賲賳 賯爻賵鬲賴 廿氐丕亘丞 亘賳鬲賴 亘賲乇囟 賮賷 丕賱乇卅丞 貙 丨賷賳賴丕 賱丕 賷噩丿 ( 亘賷賳) 丨賱丕賸听 爻賵賷 丕賱賲卮丕乇賰丞 賮賷 賲丐爻爻丞 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘.
賲丐爻爻丞 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 鬲丕亘毓丞 賱賱丨賰賵賲丞 貙 賲丐爻爻丞 賱賱鬲爻賱賷丞 貙 賱廿卮睾丕賱 丕賱賵賯鬲 貙 賱鬲賳丕爻賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓貙 丨賷孬 賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 丕賱賮賯乇丕亍 賵 兀氐丨丕亘 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賲夭賲賳丞 賲賳 兀噩賱 丕賱賲丕賱 .
賲夭賷噩 乇丕卅毓 賲賳 丕賱爻丕丿賷丞 賵 丕賱賵囟丕毓丞.
賲丕 賴賷 丕賱賱毓亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 爻賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷賴丕 (亘賷賳) 責 賰賷賮 爻鬲賰賵賳 賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕責
賱毓亘丞 賲賳爻賵噩丞 亘毓亘賯乇賷丞 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 賲氐賳賵毓 賲賳 毓賳丕氐乇 賱丕 鬲禺鬲賱賮 賰孬賷乇丕 毓賳 毓賳丕氐乇賴 丕賱丨丕賱賷丞 丨賷孬 丕賱賳賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賲鬲卮丕亘賴丞 貙 兀賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱乇賵賲丕賳 賷丨亘賵賳 兀賳 賷乇賵丕 兀賵賱卅賰 丕賱賲賯丕鬲賱賷賳 賷毓丕乇賰賵賳 丕賱兀爻賵丿 賵 丕賱賵丨賵卮 賱賱賲鬲毓丞 責
賳卮乇 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 爻賳丞 1982 鬲丨鬲 丕爻賲賴 丕賱賲爻鬲毓丕乇 ( 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 亘丕賰賲丕賳 ) 貙 賱兀賳 乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賮賯胤 亘丕爻賲 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 賮賷 丕賱爻賳丞 賰丕賳鬲 賯賱賷賱丞 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賴 馃槄 賮賯乇乇 賳卮乇 兀賮賰丕乇賴 丕賱兀禺乇賶 亘丕爻賲 丌禺乇.
賵 賱丕 賷禺賮賷 鬲兀孬乇 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賮賱丕賲 賵 丕賱賰鬲亘 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞.
賱賲 鬲賰賳 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 噩賷丿丞 賱賱兀爻賮 貙 賲賳 丕賱賲賲賰賳 亘爻亘亘 賱睾丞 賰賷賳噩 丕賱賲鬲賯丿賲丞 貙 賴賳丕賰 鬲乇噩賲丞 賱丿賰鬲賵乇 兀丨賲丿 禺丕賱丿 鬲賵賮賷賯 賵 賱賰賳賷 賱賲 兀噩乇亘賴丕.
賱賴丕 賮賷賱賲 賵 賱賰賳賴 賯丿賷賲 噩丿丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷賵丕夭賷 噩賲賵丨 禺賷丕賱 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 貙 鬲丨鬲丕噩 賱賳爻禺丞 賮賷賱賲 噩丿賷丿丞 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賷亘 丕賱毓丕噩賱. 馃帴
爻賷氐賷乇 毓賲乇賶 賲孬賱 毓賲乇 丕賱亘胤賱 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓丕賲 2025 貙 賵 兀卮賰乇 丕賱賱賴 兀賳賷 賱賳 丕囟胤乇 賱賱賲卮丕乇賰丞 賯乇賷亘丕 賮賷 廿丨丿賷 賴匕賴 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 馃対.
兀賵 乇亘賲丕 亘丕賱賮毓賱 賳丨賳 賳卮丕乇賰 賱賰賳 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 馃.
賯丕賱 廿賳賴丕 乇賵丕賷丞 The running man ( 丕賱赖丕乇亘) 賱丿乇噩丞 廿賳賴 禺賱氐賴丕 賮賷 10 兀賷丕賲 亘爻 !
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰丕賳鬲 賲卮毓賱丞 賱賱丨賲丕爻 賵 賯丕胤毓丞 賱賱兀賳賮丕爻 貙 賰賲丕 賱賵 氐乇鬲 兀賳鬲 賳賮爻賰 丕賱赖丕乇亘 .
賮賷 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 賴賱 爻賷乇賯賷 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 廿賱賷 丨賱賲 丕賱賲丿賷賳丞 丕賱賮丕囟賱丞 貙 兀賲 爻賷賴亘胤 廿賱賷 賯丕毓 爻丨賷賯 責
賷乇爻賲 賱賳丕 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 毓丕賱賲丕賸 禺賷丕賱賷丕賸 丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕賸 賮賷 爻賳丞 2025 - 賵 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 賷氐乇 亘毓賷丿丕 丕賱丕賳 - 賵 賰毓丕丿丞 丕賱丿賷爻鬲賵亘賷丕 賱賳 鬲氐賷乇 賲賲鬲毓丞 廿賱丕 廿匕丕 賰丕賳鬲 亘賳馗乇丞 鬲卮丕丐賲賷丞 賯丕鬲賲丞 馃寶.
賮賷 爻賳丞 2025貙 賷毓賲 丕賱賮賯乇 賵 賷賳鬲卮乇 丕賱賮爻丕丿 賵 賰賳鬲賷噩丞 賲亘丕卮乇丞 鬲丨丿孬 賲賮丕乇賯丞 氐丕乇禺丞 賮賷 丕賱胤亘賯丕鬲 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓賷丞 貙 賵 鬲夭賷丿 丕賱賮噩賵丞 丕賱爻賵丿丕亍 亘賷賳 丕賱賮賯賷乇 賵 丕賱睾賳賷 賱鬲亘鬲賱毓 噩賲賷毓 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 賵 賱丕 賷亘賯賷 爻賵丕 丕賱噩卮毓 賵 丕賱丨賯丿 賵 丕賱鬲丨丕爻丿 貙 賱賷毓賷丿 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賳賮爻賴 賵 賱賰賳 賮賷 丨購賱丞 丨囟丕乇賷丞 丨丿賷孬丞 .
亘胤賱賳丕 ( 亘賷賳 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿夭) 賷賳噩亘 亘賳鬲丕賸 賱賴匕丕 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯丕爻賷 賵 賲丕 夭丕丿 賲賳 賯爻賵鬲賴 廿氐丕亘丞 亘賳鬲賴 亘賲乇囟 賮賷 丕賱乇卅丞 貙 丨賷賳賴丕 賱丕 賷噩丿 ( 亘賷賳) 丨賱丕賸听 爻賵賷 丕賱賲卮丕乇賰丞 賮賷 賲丐爻爻丞 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘.
賲丐爻爻丞 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 鬲丕亘毓丞 賱賱丨賰賵賲丞 貙 賲丐爻爻丞 賱賱鬲爻賱賷丞 貙 賱廿卮睾丕賱 丕賱賵賯鬲 貙 賱鬲賳丕爻賷 丕賱賵丕賯毓貙 丨賷孬 賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 丕賱賮賯乇丕亍 賵 兀氐丨丕亘 丕賱兀賲乇丕囟 丕賱賲夭賲賳丞 賲賳 兀噩賱 丕賱賲丕賱 .
賲夭賷噩 乇丕卅毓 賲賳 丕賱爻丕丿賷丞 賵 丕賱賵囟丕毓丞.
賲丕 賴賷 丕賱賱毓亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 爻賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷賴丕 (亘賷賳) 責 賰賷賮 爻鬲賰賵賳 賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕責
賱毓亘丞 賲賳爻賵噩丞 亘毓亘賯乇賷丞 賮賷 毓丕賱賲 賲氐賳賵毓 賲賳 毓賳丕氐乇 賱丕 鬲禺鬲賱賮 賰孬賷乇丕 毓賳 毓賳丕氐乇賴 丕賱丨丕賱賷丞 丨賷孬 丕賱賳賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賲鬲卮丕亘賴丞 貙 兀賱賲 賷賰賳 丕賱乇賵賲丕賳 賷丨亘賵賳 兀賳 賷乇賵丕 兀賵賱卅賰 丕賱賲賯丕鬲賱賷賳 賷毓丕乇賰賵賳 丕賱兀爻賵丿 賵 丕賱賵丨賵卮 賱賱賲鬲毓丞 責
賳卮乇 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 爻賳丞 1982 鬲丨鬲 丕爻賲賴 丕賱賲爻鬲毓丕乇 ( 乇賷鬲卮丕乇丿 亘丕賰賲丕賳 ) 貙 賱兀賳 乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕丨丿丞 賮賯胤 亘丕爻賲 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 賮賷 丕賱爻賳丞 賰丕賳鬲 賯賱賷賱丞 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賴 馃槄 賮賯乇乇 賳卮乇 兀賮賰丕乇賴 丕賱兀禺乇賶 亘丕爻賲 丌禺乇.
賵 賱丕 賷禺賮賷 鬲兀孬乇 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱兀賮賱丕賲 賵 丕賱賰鬲亘 亘丕賱乇賵丕賷丞.
賱賲 鬲賰賳 丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 噩賷丿丞 賱賱兀爻賮 貙 賲賳 丕賱賲賲賰賳 亘爻亘亘 賱睾丞 賰賷賳噩 丕賱賲鬲賯丿賲丞 貙 賴賳丕賰 鬲乇噩賲丞 賱丿賰鬲賵乇 兀丨賲丿 禺丕賱丿 鬲賵賮賷賯 賵 賱賰賳賷 賱賲 兀噩乇亘賴丕.
賱賴丕 賮賷賱賲 賵 賱賰賳賴 賯丿賷賲 噩丿丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷賵丕夭賷 噩賲賵丨 禺賷丕賱 爻鬲賷賮賳 賰賷賳噩 貙 鬲丨鬲丕噩 賱賳爻禺丞 賮賷賱賲 噩丿賷丿丞 賮賷 丕賱賯乇賷亘 丕賱毓丕噩賱. 馃帴
爻賷氐賷乇 毓賲乇賶 賲孬賱 毓賲乇 丕賱亘胤賱 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 毓丕賲 2025 貙 賵 兀卮賰乇 丕賱賱賴 兀賳賷 賱賳 丕囟胤乇 賱賱賲卮丕乇賰丞 賯乇賷亘丕 賮賷 廿丨丿賷 賴匕賴 丕賱兀賱毓丕亘 馃対.
兀賵 乇亘賲丕 亘丕賱賮毓賱 賳丨賳 賳卮丕乇賰 賱賰賳 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 馃.
July 13, 2017
Let me give you the most important information you need before you read this book:
Do not read the forward by Stephen King before you read the story!! He spoils his own book's ending in it!
Yeah, that really sucked because I knew what would eventually happen and it was so suspenseful that it would have been awesome to be kept wondering if this poor shlub would actually make it. But, even knowing what I unfortunately knew, I was still on the edge of my seat for the entire book. That Stephen King always gets me. He's the master.
Okay, maybe I don't like him THIS much. But, he's damn good.
So, this book was written in the 1980's and basically shows that SK was a psychic or something because he predicted reality television shows would rule the world by now. Granted, they are a little more brutal than what we have right now, but within the next few years, when the book is set, I'm sure we'll have advanced to this level ofevil entertainment.
Here are the names of some of the reality shows that are popular:
Swim with Crocodiles
Fun Guns
How Hot can You Take it?
Dig your own Grave
and Treadmill to Bucks (you have to have a heart condition to play this one)
In some of these shows, you are just maimed or end up in a hospital, but the biggest show, "Running Man", is the most popular. The contestant in that one ends up dead. But, hey, they rack up $100. for every hour they survive for their family, so unless dad is a selfish ass, he will do it for his family.
Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.
Our MC is on Running Man. His goal is to stay alive as long as possible while there is a nationwide man-hunt for him. He's given money and a head-start, and then there are hunters looking for him. Viewers get $100. if they spot him and call in, and $1,000. if it leads to capture/death. The contestants are always portrayed as horrible criminals, so the public generally wants to see them killed and feel it is justified.
The funny thing is that there was a real reality show that had this same premise, but without the killing part. It wasn't very interesting to me. Maybe if they had added in the killing I would have watched. So, in other words, we are totally ready for this. And, with our new president and most-likely entry into our own dystopia, maybe it will be soon.
It's either the Hunger Games or the Apes. Maybe we can have another vote on which one we prefer?
Or, you can write-in Ants.
This book was non-stop action and I really couldn't put it down. You are rooting for him, but he's not likable. You are disgusted by the society, and there is also a feeling of despair and depression. It's not hopeful, but it's hard not to hope that he will somehow topple the powers that be. If I hadn't been spoiled, I'm not really sure how I would have handled the ending, but it was a helluva ending.
Trigger warnings: everything. There is so much offensive crap in this book that you might not even want to try it if you are sensitive in any way. There is racism, homophobia, offensive language, and gruesome violence.
Do not read the forward by Stephen King before you read the story!! He spoils his own book's ending in it!
Yeah, that really sucked because I knew what would eventually happen and it was so suspenseful that it would have been awesome to be kept wondering if this poor shlub would actually make it. But, even knowing what I unfortunately knew, I was still on the edge of my seat for the entire book. That Stephen King always gets me. He's the master.
Okay, maybe I don't like him THIS much. But, he's damn good.
So, this book was written in the 1980's and basically shows that SK was a psychic or something because he predicted reality television shows would rule the world by now. Granted, they are a little more brutal than what we have right now, but within the next few years, when the book is set, I'm sure we'll have advanced to this level of
Here are the names of some of the reality shows that are popular:
Swim with Crocodiles
Fun Guns
How Hot can You Take it?
Dig your own Grave
and Treadmill to Bucks (you have to have a heart condition to play this one)
In some of these shows, you are just maimed or end up in a hospital, but the biggest show, "Running Man", is the most popular. The contestant in that one ends up dead. But, hey, they rack up $100. for every hour they survive for their family, so unless dad is a selfish ass, he will do it for his family.
Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.
Our MC is on Running Man. His goal is to stay alive as long as possible while there is a nationwide man-hunt for him. He's given money and a head-start, and then there are hunters looking for him. Viewers get $100. if they spot him and call in, and $1,000. if it leads to capture/death. The contestants are always portrayed as horrible criminals, so the public generally wants to see them killed and feel it is justified.
The funny thing is that there was a real reality show that had this same premise, but without the killing part. It wasn't very interesting to me. Maybe if they had added in the killing I would have watched. So, in other words, we are totally ready for this. And, with our new president and most-likely entry into our own dystopia, maybe it will be soon.
It's either the Hunger Games or the Apes. Maybe we can have another vote on which one we prefer?
Or, you can write-in Ants.
This book was non-stop action and I really couldn't put it down. You are rooting for him, but he's not likable. You are disgusted by the society, and there is also a feeling of despair and depression. It's not hopeful, but it's hard not to hope that he will somehow topple the powers that be. If I hadn't been spoiled, I'm not really sure how I would have handled the ending, but it was a helluva ending.
Trigger warnings: everything. There is so much offensive crap in this book that you might not even want to try it if you are sensitive in any way. There is racism, homophobia, offensive language, and gruesome violence.
November 9, 2016
Well now........This was not what I expected. AT. ALL.
THE RUNNING MANis not only different from the movie (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) but has a much deeper storyline and greater sense of desperation and hopelessness among the very interesting characters.
THE RUNNING MAN is still a TV Reality Show (broadcast on the Free-Vee) that survives by ratings and is still corrupt in its methods of revealing less than the truth to further incite wrong-doing by the participants and gain a greater audience.
THE RUNNING MAN contestant hopefuls, as our Ben Richards are all miserable, hungry and filled with despair knowing the only way left to survive in their dark world is to qualify for the game of death and outrun the hunters for as many days as possible to earn the much needed New Dollars for their families.
This intense and suspenseful sci-fi thriller does have a few graphically expressed gross-out moments that are hard to stomach but is filled with "crazy" good non-stop action all the way and worth the read!
January 28, 2024
Can a father with an issue of authority, fervent distaste for the world, and limited inner strength be a shining light to the general masses who want him dead? That鈥檚 a question that teeters through Steven King鈥檚 鈥淭he Running Man,鈥� a book that carries underline critiques of corruption and hampers on the social injustice of class structure.
The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?
|| "Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing" ||
Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.
|| "These people,鈥� Richards said, 鈥渙nly want to see someone bleed. The more the better." ||
Once Ben鈥檚 feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry. 馃ぁ馃巿 There, he somewhat befriends a member of the higher class and uses her as a hostage to help turn his image around and bring about some truth to his situation.
King uses this depraved state of things to hone in on topical ideas such as pollution, socialization, misinformation, trust, privacy, security, and more. Almost every character that Ben meets is used as a conduit to help explore these thoughts.
|| "Hopelessness filled him like cold water. There was no base of communication with these beautiful chosen ones. They existed up where the air was rare." ||
Like Henry Bowers, Annie Wilkes, and Brady Hartsfield, as well as many other King characterizations that are tethered to morally bankrupt ideals, 鈥淭he Running Man鈥� does not really have that one outlier. That said, King does a great job painting the entire TV network with a grimy sleaze that you want to get their just desserts, though it is not until the last few pages鈥攕tamped with typical King snark鈥攖hat you see things pay off.
This book was enjoyable and packed with tension. Each chapter even has a countdown until the end. Give it a go; just make sure you are not eating spaghetti towards the end. For some reason lately, I have had the worst luck timing gross-out moments with lunch and/or dinner.
馃幍触 Soundtrack 触馃幍
鉂� TOOL 鈥� The Grudge
鉂� Greta Van Fleet 鈥� Black Smoke Rising
鉂� Work of Art 鈥� Can鈥檛 Let Go
鉂� Mudvayne 鈥� World So Cold
猸� | Rating | 猸�
鉂� 4 out of 5 鉂�
The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?
|| "Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing" ||
Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.
|| "These people,鈥� Richards said, 鈥渙nly want to see someone bleed. The more the better." ||
Once Ben鈥檚 feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry. 馃ぁ馃巿 There, he somewhat befriends a member of the higher class and uses her as a hostage to help turn his image around and bring about some truth to his situation.
King uses this depraved state of things to hone in on topical ideas such as pollution, socialization, misinformation, trust, privacy, security, and more. Almost every character that Ben meets is used as a conduit to help explore these thoughts.
|| "Hopelessness filled him like cold water. There was no base of communication with these beautiful chosen ones. They existed up where the air was rare." ||
Like Henry Bowers, Annie Wilkes, and Brady Hartsfield, as well as many other King characterizations that are tethered to morally bankrupt ideals, 鈥淭he Running Man鈥� does not really have that one outlier. That said, King does a great job painting the entire TV network with a grimy sleaze that you want to get their just desserts, though it is not until the last few pages鈥攕tamped with typical King snark鈥攖hat you see things pay off.
This book was enjoyable and packed with tension. Each chapter even has a countdown until the end. Give it a go; just make sure you are not eating spaghetti towards the end. For some reason lately, I have had the worst luck timing gross-out moments with lunch and/or dinner.
馃幍触 Soundtrack 触馃幍
鉂� TOOL 鈥� The Grudge
鉂� Greta Van Fleet 鈥� Black Smoke Rising
鉂� Work of Art 鈥� Can鈥檛 Let Go
鉂� Mudvayne 鈥� World So Cold
猸� | Rating | 猸�
鉂� 4 out of 5 鉂�
February 12, 2025
袩褉械锌褉芯褔械褌芯褏 褋懈 屑薪芯谐芯 谢褞斜懈屑邪 泻薪懈谐邪 芯褌 谐芯谢械屑懈褟 小褌懈胁褗薪 袣懈薪谐... 鈥炐懷徯承把壭秆徰� 褔芯胁械泻鈥� 械 锌械褉褎械泻褌械薪 褌褉懈谢褗褉 芯褌 薪械谐芯胁芯褌芯 褉邪薪薪芯 褌胁芯褉褔械褋褌胁芯, 泻芯泄褌芯 懈 锌褉懈 胁褌芯褉懈褟 锌褉芯褔懈褌 锌褉懈泻芯胁邪 胁薪懈屑邪褌械谢薪芯 屑懈, 邪 懈 屑懈 写芯薪械褋械 褋褗褖懈褌械 褋懈谢薪懈 械屑芯褑懈懈!
袙 斜谢懈蟹泻芯褌芯 斜褗写械褖械 袙褋械芯斜褖邪褌邪 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟 褌芯褌邪谢薪芯 械 锌褉芯屑懈谢邪 屑芯蟹褗褑懈褌械 薪邪 薪邪褋械谢械薪懈械褌芯, 锌芯褋褌邪胁褟泄泻懈 褏芯褉邪褌邪 胁 褋褗褋褌芯褟薪懈械 薪邪 薪械胁械卸械褋褌胁芯 懈 锌芯写褔懈薪械薪懈械. 袘械薪 袪懈褔邪褉写褋 械 械写懈薪 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯褌芯 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褔械褌邪褌 泻薪懈谐懈 懈 薪械 褋械 锌芯写写邪胁邪褌 薪邪 屑械写懈泄薪懈褌械 屑邪薪懈锌褍谢邪褑懈懈... 袨斜邪褔械 械 屑薪芯谐芯 斜械写械薪, 邪 锌褗泻 写褗褖械褉褟 屑褍 械 斜芯谢薪邪 懈 褋械 薪褍卸写邪械 芯褌 谢械泻邪褉褋褌胁邪, 蟹邪褌芯胁邪 褌芯泄 褉械褕邪胁邪 写邪 泻邪薪写懈写邪褌褋褌胁邪 蟹邪 褍褔邪褋褌懈械 胁 薪褟泻芯械 芯褌 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈芯薪薪懈褌械 锌褉械写邪胁邪薪懈褟 褋 锌褉懈屑邪屑谢懈胁懈 锌邪褉懈褔薪懈 薪邪谐褉邪写懈. 小谢械写 泻邪褌芯 屑褍 锌褉邪胁褟褌 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 褌械褋褌芯胁械, 芯褌 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟褌邪 谐芯 褉邪蟹锌褉械写械谢褟褌 胁 薪邪泄-褋泻褗锌芯锌谢邪褌械薪芯褌芯, 薪芯 懈 褋屑褗褉褌芯薪芯褋薪芯 褉懈邪谢懈褌懈 褕芯褍 - 懈屑械薪薪芯 鈥炐懷徯承把壭秆徰� 褔芯胁械泻鈥�. 袗泻芯 褍褋锌械械 写邪 芯褑械谢械械 械写懈薪 屑械褋械褑, 写芯泻邪褌芯 褋锌械褑懈邪谢薪懈 谢芯胁褑懈 谐芯 锌褉械褋谢械写胁邪褌 褋 褑械谢 写邪 谐芯 褍斜懈褟褌, 褌芯泄 褖械 褋锌械褔械谢懈 械写懈薪 屑懈谢懈邪褉写 写芯谢邪褉邪. 孝芯胁邪 械 锌褉械写邪胁邪薪械 褋 芯谐褉芯屑械薪 褉械泄褌懈薪谐 懈 褋褗芯褌胁械褌薪芯 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪懈褌械 褏芯褉邪 褋邪 谢芯胁泻芯 屑邪薪懈锌褍谢懈褉邪薪懈 芯褌 袙褋械芯斜褖邪褌邪 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟, 褌邪泻邪 褔械 写邪 薪邪屑褉邪蟹褟褌 斜械蟹褍屑薪芯 袘械薪, 邪 锌褗泻 懈 泻芯泄褌芯 锌褉械写邪写械 懈薪褎芯褉屑邪褑懈褟 蟹邪 薪械谐芯 褖械 锌芯谢褍褔懈 锌邪褉懈. 袩褉械褋谢械写胁邪薪械褌芯 褋褌邪胁邪 写芯褋褌邪 褋褌褉邪褏芯胁懈褌芯 懈 袘械薪 械 胁 锌芯褋褌芯褟薪薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌...
袨褋胁械薪 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯 薪邪锌褉械谐薪邪褌 褌褉懈谢褗褉, 鈥炐懷徯承把壭秆徰� 褔芯胁械泻鈥� 械 褋褗褖芯 褌邪泻邪 懈 褟褉泻芯 邪薪褌懈褍褌芯锌懈褔薪芯 褔械褌懈胁芯... 袟邪 褉邪蟹谢懈泻邪 芯褌 鈥炐斞娦恍承把傂� 褉邪蟹褏芯写泻邪鈥�, 胁 褌邪蟹懈 泻薪懈谐邪 谐谢邪胁薪懈褟褌 谐械褉芯泄 薪邪锌褗谢薪芯 芯褋褗蟹薪邪胁邪 蟹谢芯胁械褖邪褌邪 写械泄褋褌胁懈褌械谢薪芯褋褌, 泻邪泻褌芯 懈 胁 泻邪泻胁芯 褋械 械 蟹邪斜褗褉泻邪谢, 薪芯 褋褗斜懈褉邪 褋屑械谢芯褋褌 写邪 褋械 锌褉芯褌懈胁芯锌芯褋褌邪胁懈 薪邪 褋懈褋褌械屑邪褌邪.
鈥炐⑿拘� 斜械褕械 写懈薪芯蟹邪胁褗褉 胁 褌邪蟹懈 械锌芯褏邪. 袠 斜械蟹 写邪 械 谐芯谢褟屑 懈谢懈 褋褌褉邪褕械薪, 胁褋械 锌邪泻 褋懈 斜械褕械 邪薪邪褏褉芯薪懈蟹褗屑 - 芯褌谢芯屑泻邪 芯褌 写褉褍谐芯 胁褉械屑械, 芯褌 写褉褍谐 褋胁褟褌. 袧懈褖芯 褔褍写薪芯 褍 薪械谐芯 写邪 褋械 泻褉懈械褕械 薪械褖芯 芯锌邪褋薪芯, 薪械褖芯 蟹邪锌谢邪褕懈褌械谢薪芯... 袚芯谢械屑懈褌械 斜褍褉械薪芯褋薪懈 芯斜谢邪褑懈 褔械褋褌芯 褋械 芯褎芯褉屑褟褌 芯泻芯谢芯 薪邪泄-薪械蟹邪斜械谢械卸懈屑懈褌械 褔邪褋褌懈褑懈.鈥�
袙 斜谢懈蟹泻芯褌芯 斜褗写械褖械 袙褋械芯斜褖邪褌邪 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟 褌芯褌邪谢薪芯 械 锌褉芯屑懈谢邪 屑芯蟹褗褑懈褌械 薪邪 薪邪褋械谢械薪懈械褌芯, 锌芯褋褌邪胁褟泄泻懈 褏芯褉邪褌邪 胁 褋褗褋褌芯褟薪懈械 薪邪 薪械胁械卸械褋褌胁芯 懈 锌芯写褔懈薪械薪懈械. 袘械薪 袪懈褔邪褉写褋 械 械写懈薪 芯褌 屑邪谢泻芯褌芯 芯褋褌邪薪邪谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 褔械褌邪褌 泻薪懈谐懈 懈 薪械 褋械 锌芯写写邪胁邪褌 薪邪 屑械写懈泄薪懈褌械 屑邪薪懈锌褍谢邪褑懈懈... 袨斜邪褔械 械 屑薪芯谐芯 斜械写械薪, 邪 锌褗泻 写褗褖械褉褟 屑褍 械 斜芯谢薪邪 懈 褋械 薪褍卸写邪械 芯褌 谢械泻邪褉褋褌胁邪, 蟹邪褌芯胁邪 褌芯泄 褉械褕邪胁邪 写邪 泻邪薪写懈写邪褌褋褌胁邪 蟹邪 褍褔邪褋褌懈械 胁 薪褟泻芯械 芯褌 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈芯薪薪懈褌械 锌褉械写邪胁邪薪懈褟 褋 锌褉懈屑邪屑谢懈胁懈 锌邪褉懈褔薪懈 薪邪谐褉邪写懈. 小谢械写 泻邪褌芯 屑褍 锌褉邪胁褟褌 褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 褌械褋褌芯胁械, 芯褌 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟褌邪 谐芯 褉邪蟹锌褉械写械谢褟褌 胁 薪邪泄-褋泻褗锌芯锌谢邪褌械薪芯褌芯, 薪芯 懈 褋屑褗褉褌芯薪芯褋薪芯 褉懈邪谢懈褌懈 褕芯褍 - 懈屑械薪薪芯 鈥炐懷徯承把壭秆徰� 褔芯胁械泻鈥�. 袗泻芯 褍褋锌械械 写邪 芯褑械谢械械 械写懈薪 屑械褋械褑, 写芯泻邪褌芯 褋锌械褑懈邪谢薪懈 谢芯胁褑懈 谐芯 锌褉械褋谢械写胁邪褌 褋 褑械谢 写邪 谐芯 褍斜懈褟褌, 褌芯泄 褖械 褋锌械褔械谢懈 械写懈薪 屑懈谢懈邪褉写 写芯谢邪褉邪. 孝芯胁邪 械 锌褉械写邪胁邪薪械 褋 芯谐褉芯屑械薪 褉械泄褌懈薪谐 懈 褋褗芯褌胁械褌薪芯 芯斜懈泻薪芯胁械薪懈褌械 褏芯褉邪 褋邪 谢芯胁泻芯 屑邪薪懈锌褍谢懈褉邪薪懈 芯褌 袙褋械芯斜褖邪褌邪 褌械谢械胁懈蟹懈褟, 褌邪泻邪 褔械 写邪 薪邪屑褉邪蟹褟褌 斜械蟹褍屑薪芯 袘械薪, 邪 锌褗泻 懈 泻芯泄褌芯 锌褉械写邪写械 懈薪褎芯褉屑邪褑懈褟 蟹邪 薪械谐芯 褖械 锌芯谢褍褔懈 锌邪褉懈. 袩褉械褋谢械写胁邪薪械褌芯 褋褌邪胁邪 写芯褋褌邪 褋褌褉邪褏芯胁懈褌芯 懈 袘械薪 械 胁 锌芯褋褌芯褟薪薪邪 芯锌邪褋薪芯褋褌...
袨褋胁械薪 褋褌褉邪褕薪芯 薪邪锌褉械谐薪邪褌 褌褉懈谢褗褉, 鈥炐懷徯承把壭秆徰� 褔芯胁械泻鈥� 械 褋褗褖芯 褌邪泻邪 懈 褟褉泻芯 邪薪褌懈褍褌芯锌懈褔薪芯 褔械褌懈胁芯... 袟邪 褉邪蟹谢懈泻邪 芯褌 鈥炐斞娦恍承把傂� 褉邪蟹褏芯写泻邪鈥�, 胁 褌邪蟹懈 泻薪懈谐邪 谐谢邪胁薪懈褟褌 谐械褉芯泄 薪邪锌褗谢薪芯 芯褋褗蟹薪邪胁邪 蟹谢芯胁械褖邪褌邪 写械泄褋褌胁懈褌械谢薪芯褋褌, 泻邪泻褌芯 懈 胁 泻邪泻胁芯 褋械 械 蟹邪斜褗褉泻邪谢, 薪芯 褋褗斜懈褉邪 褋屑械谢芯褋褌 写邪 褋械 锌褉芯褌懈胁芯锌芯褋褌邪胁懈 薪邪 褋懈褋褌械屑邪褌邪.
鈥炐⑿拘� 斜械褕械 写懈薪芯蟹邪胁褗褉 胁 褌邪蟹懈 械锌芯褏邪. 袠 斜械蟹 写邪 械 谐芯谢褟屑 懈谢懈 褋褌褉邪褕械薪, 胁褋械 锌邪泻 褋懈 斜械褕械 邪薪邪褏褉芯薪懈蟹褗屑 - 芯褌谢芯屑泻邪 芯褌 写褉褍谐芯 胁褉械屑械, 芯褌 写褉褍谐 褋胁褟褌. 袧懈褖芯 褔褍写薪芯 褍 薪械谐芯 写邪 褋械 泻褉懈械褕械 薪械褖芯 芯锌邪褋薪芯, 薪械褖芯 蟹邪锌谢邪褕懈褌械谢薪芯... 袚芯谢械屑懈褌械 斜褍褉械薪芯褋薪懈 芯斜谢邪褑懈 褔械褋褌芯 褋械 芯褎芯褉屑褟褌 芯泻芯谢芯 薪邪泄-薪械蟹邪斜械谢械卸懈屑懈褌械 褔邪褋褌懈褑懈.鈥�
October 13, 2018
Yeeeeeeah I don't know. Not his best work.
I was bored most of the time and I feel like a lot of things just worked out for the protagonist out of luck (or simply because of our beloved plot device "deus ex machina" - which is kind of funny because King talks about that in his book "Misery").
I actually liked the ending though, which he sucks at most of the time so that's good lol - and I'll forever adore his writing style!
I was bored most of the time and I feel like a lot of things just worked out for the protagonist out of luck (or simply because of our beloved plot device "deus ex machina" - which is kind of funny because King talks about that in his book "Misery").
I actually liked the ending though, which he sucks at most of the time so that's good lol - and I'll forever adore his writing style!
June 6, 2023
King's a great storyteller but, man, are his old books dated. The commentary on black people (n-words galore), gay men (f-words galore) and women (breasts, breasts and more breasts) is awkward to read today.
December 7, 2012
WARNING: Do NOT read the author foreward. It totally gives away a climactic ending. Thanks to the GoodReads community for warning me.
I feel like I just ran a marathon with a heart condition. As soon as I opened the book, I was swept up in the story and couldn't stop until the fiery, breathless end. I don't say this often. It takes a while for me to feel comfortable in a new book. I like to feel things out, come to my own conclusions. But Stephen King, in his insidiously masterful way, lured and cocooned me from the first page like spider pouncing on a hapless little moth stuck in a web.
Plot Summary
Our main character is Ben Richards. He's an average Joe type of guy, eking out a life in a vastly dystopian future US of A. In this version of our future, the disparity between the poor and rich is greater than ever. The wealthy have access to luxury cars, groceries, and top notch medical care. The poor...well, you can imagine when we read Richards' home situation: his wife is a prostitute and the main breadwinner of the family, and his baby girl is bedridden with influenza because they can't afford legitimate medicine. As his daughter's condition worsens, Richards enters himself in a live TV game show called Running Man. For as long as he can survive, Richards will flee across the country and earn 100 New Bucks for every hour he is alive. That is, if he can evade professional Hunters hired to track and kill him, and also disguise himself from the locals who are given money rewards if they report a sighting.
This concept should hearken to other familiar works of popular fiction:
And even another King novel with a similar concept,
There are probably many more that I haven't read or even heard about. But at the same time, THE RUNNING MAN was, even to my Hunger Gamed-out mind, an adrenalin rush.
In essence, THE RUNNING MAN is an example of pure action driven storytelling that is done in a compelling way. You don't really get to understand why the world is the way it is, why the people enjoy watching human beings being treadmilled to death or being hunted like rats for a little cash, or why no one can muster up sympathy for children dying from cancer. There's just not enough time to sit back and absorb the people and the environment. When you think you can stop to breathe, someone shoots a gun or sirens blare in the background, and you're off and running again.
Granted, the characters Richards meets on the run are an interesting assortment of people. But again, though I sympathized with them, I couldn't bring myself to care for them more than resolving that burning question, what happens next.
Consequently, Richards doesn't lend himself to deep, solemn questioning of the morality of the government or his own actions. He's a good guy, but he shoots and kills and blows things up because it's what he needs to do to survive and make enough money for his family. He's a likeable character, sure, but he's three dimensional in a flat way. He has motives and moments of moral ambiguity, but overall he's a wildly functioning cog in the dream machine that is the story. It's the story, I think, that gets the spotlight this time around.
Overall, THE RUNNING MAN was a fantastic read that is dark, action-packed, and a little wonky, if you will. The prose is littered with some anachronistic slang. The world building, while physically stark, is thematically hazy because explanations are sparse and far in between. But the story itself is fantastic and definitely well worth the read.
3.5 to 4.0 stars and highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, dystopian fiction.
I feel like I just ran a marathon with a heart condition. As soon as I opened the book, I was swept up in the story and couldn't stop until the fiery, breathless end. I don't say this often. It takes a while for me to feel comfortable in a new book. I like to feel things out, come to my own conclusions. But Stephen King, in his insidiously masterful way, lured and cocooned me from the first page like spider pouncing on a hapless little moth stuck in a web.
Plot Summary
Our main character is Ben Richards. He's an average Joe type of guy, eking out a life in a vastly dystopian future US of A. In this version of our future, the disparity between the poor and rich is greater than ever. The wealthy have access to luxury cars, groceries, and top notch medical care. The poor...well, you can imagine when we read Richards' home situation: his wife is a prostitute and the main breadwinner of the family, and his baby girl is bedridden with influenza because they can't afford legitimate medicine. As his daughter's condition worsens, Richards enters himself in a live TV game show called Running Man. For as long as he can survive, Richards will flee across the country and earn 100 New Bucks for every hour he is alive. That is, if he can evade professional Hunters hired to track and kill him, and also disguise himself from the locals who are given money rewards if they report a sighting.
This concept should hearken to other familiar works of popular fiction:
And even another King novel with a similar concept,
There are probably many more that I haven't read or even heard about. But at the same time, THE RUNNING MAN was, even to my Hunger Gamed-out mind, an adrenalin rush.
In essence, THE RUNNING MAN is an example of pure action driven storytelling that is done in a compelling way. You don't really get to understand why the world is the way it is, why the people enjoy watching human beings being treadmilled to death or being hunted like rats for a little cash, or why no one can muster up sympathy for children dying from cancer. There's just not enough time to sit back and absorb the people and the environment. When you think you can stop to breathe, someone shoots a gun or sirens blare in the background, and you're off and running again.
Granted, the characters Richards meets on the run are an interesting assortment of people. But again, though I sympathized with them, I couldn't bring myself to care for them more than resolving that burning question, what happens next.
Consequently, Richards doesn't lend himself to deep, solemn questioning of the morality of the government or his own actions. He's a good guy, but he shoots and kills and blows things up because it's what he needs to do to survive and make enough money for his family. He's a likeable character, sure, but he's three dimensional in a flat way. He has motives and moments of moral ambiguity, but overall he's a wildly functioning cog in the dream machine that is the story. It's the story, I think, that gets the spotlight this time around.
Overall, THE RUNNING MAN was a fantastic read that is dark, action-packed, and a little wonky, if you will. The prose is littered with some anachronistic slang. The world building, while physically stark, is thematically hazy because explanations are sparse and far in between. But the story itself is fantastic and definitely well worth the read.
3.5 to 4.0 stars and highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, dystopian fiction.
April 12, 2020
A fast-paced Dickensian, Sci-Fi dystopia thriller. Perhaps too fast-paced. Not much character development or appreciable ambiance.
December 11, 2013
When Ben Richard's daughter gets pneumonia, he turns to the Network for help and becomes a contestant on the deadliest of reality shows, The Running Man. Can Richards run long enough to earn the money for his daughter's medicine? And what will he learn as he runs for his life for the amusement of the public watching The Running Man?
This is the best book made into a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger I've ever read. Actually, apart from a couple character names, the dystopian setting, and the concept of a reality show where the contestants will likely die, it has very little resemblance to the Arnold flick.
Richard Bachman really liked his dystopias, didn't he? This one bears a startling resemblance to our current reality tv situation. Funny, Bachman predicting the rise of reality tv decades before it came to pass.
Ben Richards is an unemployed loser with a wife that occasionally turns tricks to make ends meet. In order to make some money, he winds up on The Running Man, running for his life in a polluted world that's falling apart.
The suspense in this thing builds and builds as Richards gets deeper into the game. Can he trust anyone? How is the Network tracking him? Will his daughter still be alive when the much needed money gets to her? Things start falling apart for him near the end and the tension is almost unbearable.
Richards is a much deeper character than the Arnold version. As his sense of desperation grows, one can't help but imagine him or herself in Richard's situation.
Like a lot of people, I think The Running Man is likely one of the parents of the Hunger Games, along with The Long Walk.
That's pretty much all I can say. It's a gripping, breezy read, far from the bloated gargantuas ofStephen King's Richard Bachman's later books. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This is the best book made into a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger I've ever read. Actually, apart from a couple character names, the dystopian setting, and the concept of a reality show where the contestants will likely die, it has very little resemblance to the Arnold flick.
Richard Bachman really liked his dystopias, didn't he? This one bears a startling resemblance to our current reality tv situation. Funny, Bachman predicting the rise of reality tv decades before it came to pass.
Ben Richards is an unemployed loser with a wife that occasionally turns tricks to make ends meet. In order to make some money, he winds up on The Running Man, running for his life in a polluted world that's falling apart.
The suspense in this thing builds and builds as Richards gets deeper into the game. Can he trust anyone? How is the Network tracking him? Will his daughter still be alive when the much needed money gets to her? Things start falling apart for him near the end and the tension is almost unbearable.
Richards is a much deeper character than the Arnold version. As his sense of desperation grows, one can't help but imagine him or herself in Richard's situation.
Like a lot of people, I think The Running Man is likely one of the parents of the Hunger Games, along with The Long Walk.
That's pretty much all I can say. It's a gripping, breezy read, far from the bloated gargantuas of
October 23, 2023
The incredible mind of Stephen King on full display in this nearly forty year old prescient classic. 8 of 10 stars
I listened to this for the second time a year later and found more to commend Mr. King's story. His prescient vision of the future of our times is astounding. Four stars first read, five star worthy now. 10 of 10 stars
I listened to this for the second time a year later and found more to commend Mr. King's story. His prescient vision of the future of our times is astounding. Four stars first read, five star worthy now. 10 of 10 stars
May 29, 2020
Think of this book as a mixture of The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451. I really liked the futuristic theme and liked Ben Richards鈥� smug attitude. The movie adaption of this novel is quite good too and even has Arnold Schwarzenegger play as Ben Richards. If you鈥檙e looking for a short thriller book this is right up your alley.
November 5, 2021
"El campo de batalla que constitu铆an las calles s贸lo se iluminaba por la noche. De d铆a era apenas una extensi贸n gris, desierta y silenciosa que no presentaba m谩s movimiento que el de los gatos, las ratas y los grandes gusanos blancos que se cebaban en las bolsas de basura. No hab铆a m谩s olor que el aire f茅tido y malsano de aquel feliz a帽o 2025"
"Ser un fugitivo le agotaba. Y una especie de instinto animal le advert铆a, m谩s all谩 de toda raz贸n, que muy pronto estar铆a durmiendo en una alcantarilla bajo el filo de octubre, o en un barranco cubierto de matorrales y escoria"
"驴Acaso la moral pod铆a contar en algo para un hombre solo y a la deriva?
La contradicci贸n enraizada como una mala hierba en lo m谩s hondo de su ser.
Richards ansiaba la paz fervientemente, como el hombre anhela el agua en pleno desierto"
Esta historia es una Dystopia que no resulta muy radical para estos tiempos que corren; Teniendo en cuenta que esta historia es de 1982 y esta ambientada en un supuesto a帽o 2025. simplemente la humanidad sigui贸 su camino "involutivo"... Hay mas restricciones en el modo de vida, mas control, creciente desigualdad, desempleo y contaminaci贸n(nada que diste mucho de la realidad actual). Muchas cosas se quedaron congeladas en ese tiempo(los 80's) y no hay grandes avances tecnol贸gicos al margen de autos que vuelan y alg煤n que otro detalle.
A lo largo de la historia se Plantean algunos dilemas morales y cuestiones de "贸ptica".
Es impredecible y por momentos desconcertante(esto no es necesariamente ni bueno ni malo en este caso)
El final no sabr铆a bien como calificarlo... pero puedo decir que es sumamente divertido y bizarro. Esto es consecuente con la introspecci贸n del protagonista"Richards", con sus constantes debates mentales y pensamientos recurrentes.
"Ser un fugitivo le agotaba. Y una especie de instinto animal le advert铆a, m谩s all谩 de toda raz贸n, que muy pronto estar铆a durmiendo en una alcantarilla bajo el filo de octubre, o en un barranco cubierto de matorrales y escoria"
"驴Acaso la moral pod铆a contar en algo para un hombre solo y a la deriva?
La contradicci贸n enraizada como una mala hierba en lo m谩s hondo de su ser.
Richards ansiaba la paz fervientemente, como el hombre anhela el agua en pleno desierto"
Esta historia es una Dystopia que no resulta muy radical para estos tiempos que corren; Teniendo en cuenta que esta historia es de 1982 y esta ambientada en un supuesto a帽o 2025. simplemente la humanidad sigui贸 su camino "involutivo"... Hay mas restricciones en el modo de vida, mas control, creciente desigualdad, desempleo y contaminaci贸n(nada que diste mucho de la realidad actual). Muchas cosas se quedaron congeladas en ese tiempo(los 80's) y no hay grandes avances tecnol贸gicos al margen de autos que vuelan y alg煤n que otro detalle.
A lo largo de la historia se Plantean algunos dilemas morales y cuestiones de "贸ptica".
Es impredecible y por momentos desconcertante(esto no es necesariamente ni bueno ni malo en este caso)
El final no sabr铆a bien como calificarlo... pero puedo decir que es sumamente divertido y bizarro. Esto es consecuente con la introspecci贸n del protagonista"Richards", con sus constantes debates mentales y pensamientos recurrentes.
February 12, 2022
I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about King鈥檚 work as Bachman but I鈥檝e quite enjoyed each one I鈥檝e read so far. I enjoyed this one WAY more on my second read, it even went from four stars to five stars. I really enjoy the rawness that you get when King writes as Bachman, it draws me in every time. I think The Running Man really struck a chord with me this time around because it suddenly seems like an all too plausible future with how our world is these days. I can all too easily see this happening one day and that鈥檚 a frightening thought. I wasn鈥檛 a big fan of the ending on my first read of it but this time I honestly thought it was perfect and can鈥檛 see it ending any other way really! This is why I reread King books, I get something different every time I revisit one and I love that so much.
February 6, 2024
Published in 1982, The Running Man is a dystopian thriller set in the future, interestingly in the year 2025, when the economy is in ruins and the morality is at its lowest point; when everything can be faked and believed as real; when violence rules.
Your child is sick and you don鈥檛 have money to buy medicine; you don鈥檛 even have enough money to feed your family.
There is a game, a kind of reality show like Survivor you can participate in. If you win, you receive a lot of money and if you lose, you die. It鈥檚 an extreme game of cat and mouse. It is violent and bloody. Your only job is to avoid being captured. Your only objective is to stay alive.
Would you play?
Your child is sick and you don鈥檛 have money to buy medicine; you don鈥檛 even have enough money to feed your family.
There is a game, a kind of reality show like Survivor you can participate in. If you win, you receive a lot of money and if you lose, you die. It鈥檚 an extreme game of cat and mouse. It is violent and bloody. Your only job is to avoid being captured. Your only objective is to stay alive.
Would you play?
August 23, 2020
'In 2025 the best men don't run for president, they run for their lives'.
Think Hunger Games on a grander scale but less than 300 pages and your get an idea how epic this adventure is.
Absolutely loved this super fast paced dystopian. Totally rooted for Ben from the first page and the ending has me screaming! Ah the satisfaction.
This will go down as one of my favourite SK books. Five stars.
Think Hunger Games on a grander scale but less than 300 pages and your get an idea how epic this adventure is.
Absolutely loved this super fast paced dystopian. Totally rooted for Ben from the first page and the ending has me screaming! Ah the satisfaction.
This will go down as one of my favourite SK books. Five stars.
March 21, 2024
Read this early King novel released under Bachman years ago. Also liked the film adaptation with Arnold.
March 30, 2023
Con el seud贸nimo de Richard Bachman me ha parecido el segundo m谩s flojo.
Tiene una buena trama pero poco contexto a ese mundillo tan injusto. Me parece que fue tan vac铆o que no hubo buen desarrollo pero lo remito a que creo que tiene un poco de ese formato thriller donde los cap铆tulos no son extensos y se utilizan m谩s para generar acci贸n en el nudo de la historia y adicci贸n en el lector, porque eso s铆, la cuenta contrarreloj es un aliciente para seguir leyendo... aunque el final es muy predecible y nada sorprendente.
Quiz谩s se deba a que ya he le铆do muchos libros parecidos con protagonistas revolucionarios y antisistemas. No es nada nuevo este tipo de historias pero le debo dar el m茅rito al maestro en que pudo ser de los primeros en implementarla antes de que se volviera moda.
Tiene una buena trama pero poco contexto a ese mundillo tan injusto. Me parece que fue tan vac铆o que no hubo buen desarrollo pero lo remito a que creo que tiene un poco de ese formato thriller donde los cap铆tulos no son extensos y se utilizan m谩s para generar acci贸n en el nudo de la historia y adicci贸n en el lector, porque eso s铆, la cuenta contrarreloj es un aliciente para seguir leyendo... aunque el final es muy predecible y nada sorprendente.
Quiz谩s se deba a que ya he le铆do muchos libros parecidos con protagonistas revolucionarios y antisistemas. No es nada nuevo este tipo de historias pero le debo dar el m茅rito al maestro en que pudo ser de los primeros en implementarla antes de que se volviera moda.
January 2, 2025
On my journey of reading/re-reading all Stephen King's books in publication order. I have completed the Bachman book and I think this one was my second favourite behind The Long Walk.
I absolutely loved The Running Man (film) when I was younger, and it still is a classic for me. Although the plot line is similar too the film it has a lot of differences. I love the main character in this book, Ben, I think he is so iconic and ruthless. In this book the world is controlled by the media and what people are shown to be real - which couldn't be more true in this day and age.
This book is set in 2023 and has scary similarities to the world we live in today. People are corrupted into thinking those with low incomes are all criminals and don't deserve to live. People volunteer for game-shows to win money knowing that they will probably die in the process. It's a sad reality of money problems and feeling there is no other choice.
There is elements of horror in this book, with some of the descriptions but it's more of an exaggeration of the world today and it's issues.
I absolutely loved The Running Man (film) when I was younger, and it still is a classic for me. Although the plot line is similar too the film it has a lot of differences. I love the main character in this book, Ben, I think he is so iconic and ruthless. In this book the world is controlled by the media and what people are shown to be real - which couldn't be more true in this day and age.
This book is set in 2023 and has scary similarities to the world we live in today. People are corrupted into thinking those with low incomes are all criminals and don't deserve to live. People volunteer for game-shows to win money knowing that they will probably die in the process. It's a sad reality of money problems and feeling there is no other choice.
There is elements of horror in this book, with some of the descriptions but it's more of an exaggeration of the world today and it's issues.
April 20, 2025
I loved this book. It took me by surprise because I remember watching that terrible 80鈥檚 movie adaptation and the book is nothing like it (thank the gods).
It鈥檚 about a guy with a major chip on his shoulder who goes up against a brutal government organization. All the odds are decidedly stacked against him, and the only thing he has to assist him is a clever chunk of grey matter.
I haven鈥檛 read it in a few years, but there鈥檚 one thing that has stuck with me: a random, selfless act of kindness from a weird stranger. I hope that isn鈥檛 a spoiler- I genuinely don鈥檛 think it is. Think of it as what you might see in the teaser trailer of an upcoming movie. But these acts of kindness always hit me deep in the fee-fees. I literally can鈥檛 watch those 鈥淩estore Your Faith in Humanity鈥� YouTube videos without tearing up.
It鈥檚 probably not a book that everyone will enjoy as much as I did, but if the premise sounds interesting to you鈥�. Whatcha waitin for?
It鈥檚 about a guy with a major chip on his shoulder who goes up against a brutal government organization. All the odds are decidedly stacked against him, and the only thing he has to assist him is a clever chunk of grey matter.
I haven鈥檛 read it in a few years, but there鈥檚 one thing that has stuck with me: a random, selfless act of kindness from a weird stranger. I hope that isn鈥檛 a spoiler- I genuinely don鈥檛 think it is. Think of it as what you might see in the teaser trailer of an upcoming movie. But these acts of kindness always hit me deep in the fee-fees. I literally can鈥檛 watch those 鈥淩estore Your Faith in Humanity鈥� YouTube videos without tearing up.
It鈥檚 probably not a book that everyone will enjoy as much as I did, but if the premise sounds interesting to you鈥�. Whatcha waitin for?
Read
September 23, 2019DNF @ 45%
I do not know why but this was such a torture to read. This is not a terrible book, but on the other hand, I had a really hard time concentrating on it. The plot didn't intrigue me enough to actually know the story and be invested in it. Plus, I didn't like the main character, he was boring for me.
I hope this book will find its readers, but it's surely not me.
I do not know why but this was such a torture to read. This is not a terrible book, but on the other hand, I had a really hard time concentrating on it. The plot didn't intrigue me enough to actually know the story and be invested in it. Plus, I didn't like the main character, he was boring for me.
I hope this book will find its readers, but it's surely not me.
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