When the Road Never Ends: A Review of Stephen King’s The Long Walk

Set in a dystopian version of America, The Long Walk follows 100 teenage boys participating in a deadly competition— walk continuously at a minimum pace or be executed by armed soldiers.

Written when King was only 19 years old and under the pseudonym Richard Backman, this is a bleak, visceral, and gut-punch of a novel. It’s King at his most distinct, his writing consistently tight, concise, and heartbreakingly rooted in reality. He makes every warning terrifying and a jolt straight to the system, with every single one of the deaths deeply felt and haunting as they should be.

The story strips away many of the supernatural horror aspects that King is most known for, exposing the raw terror of authoritarian control and psychological deprivation. The competition is nothing short of cruel. It’s state-sanctioned, televised, and celebrated by the country. King has mentioned that The Long Walk acts as an allegory for the Vietnam War, and he certainly doesn’t stray away from the militaristic allegories. The final contestants are chosen through a lottery system, with them all receiving dog tags prior to start of the walk. Many of teenage boys express their reasons for joining, ranging from a lack of direction in their lives, the want for financial compensation, or the ability to prove their masculinity to others, all myriad reasons as to why many young and impressionable men join the military.

Yet amid this brutality and desperation, King is still able to masterfully weave in moments of humanity. The walkers form fragile bonds with each other, sharing stories, and providing fleeting moments of comfort and encouragement, even through the inherent bleakness of it all. The boys’ conversations make their inevitable endings even more heart-wrenching. Though the story is almost 50 years old with the time set almost half a century from ago, the themes are as poignant and important now.