I always enjoy picking up a Stephen King novel. Did you know that King wrote four novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman? Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982) were all titles released under the Bachman name. King planned to release Misery under Bachman’s name as well, but a snoopy bookstore clerk ferreted out the truth that Bachman was indeed Stephen King.
King killed off the Bachman name after that, and three of the four books have been released with “Writing as Richard Bachman” under King’s name on the covers (you can barely see it on the cover above). Rage – about a school shooter – has since been pulled and is no longer published.
King used his relationship with his alternate author identity as the basis for his novel, The Dark Half, which I’ll be posting my review for later this year.
My review of The Long Walk is below:
Another solid and riveting King/Bachman work, The Long Walk pulls you into its narrative and never lets up until the final pages. A story about determination, perseverance, and strength set in a dystopian world where 100 teen boys are pitted against each other for one ultimate prize.
Published in 1979, four years before King’s/Bachman’s Running Man (which has similar themes), The Long Walk is an early precursor to the fixation people now have on reality TV and sports competition shows. King/Bachman delivers a shrewd commentary on the public’s odd lusting for carnage as entertainment, and novels like The Hunger Games series show that this type of concept is far from extinct.
The Long Walk is a must-read for Stephen King fans, and one I highly recommend.
Have you read any of King’s books when he was using the name Richard Bachman? Which one was your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!