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Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) crafted The Running Man early in his career, though after such mega-hits as Carrie and The Shining. A bit of a departure from the supernatural horror that is most frequently associated with his work, the novel describes a science fiction dystopia where market capitalism and television game shows have spiraled out of control, and the separation between the haves and the have-nots has been formalized with separate currencies. King establishes characters quickly, creating sympathy in the first few pages for Ben Richards--whose 18-month-old baby girl is suffering from a horrible cough, perhaps pneumonia. Not able to afford medicine, Richards enters himself in the last-chance money-making scheme of the Free-Vee games. The games include Treadmill to Bucks, in which heart-attack prone contestants struggle to outlast a progressively demanding treadmill, or the accurately named Swim the Crocodiles. After a rigorous battery of physical and mental examinations, Richards is assigned "Elevator Six"--the path of a chosen few--that leads to The Running Man game. In this game, the stakes and the prizes are raised. Success means a life of luxury. Failure means death. Unfortunately, few ever win the game; in fact, as the producer tells Richards, in six years no one has survived.
The Running Man is a short book, tightly written to be read and enjoyed quickly. The future world it depicts is vividly captured with a few essential details. The action is also fast paced and, though the novel differs from much of King's other work, the sardonic social commentary reveals a pleasing glimmer of King's characteristically twisted sense of humor. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
'Merely by tickling the keys of his word-processor King can make the flesh creep half a world away' -- The Times 'Stephen King is one of those natural storytellers...getting hooked is easy' -- Frances Fyfield, Express 'An incredibly gifted writer, whose writing, like Truman Capote's, is so fluid that you often forget that you're reading' -- Guardian
--This text refers to the
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She was squinting at the thermometer in the white light coming through the window. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
She was squinting at the thermometer in the white light coming through the window. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
BREAD AND CIRCUSES...,
By
This review is from: The Running Man (Mass Market Paperback)
Published in 1982 under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman, the author was strangely prescient, as the novel takes place in the year 2025 in the good old United States of America, only it is not so good anymore. With an economy that sharply divides the haves and the have nots, reality television is the only thing that brings these two disparate halves of the economy together.Twenty something Ben Richards is living with his wife and baby girl in a ramshackle housing development in dire poverty. He is at the end of his rope. His wife is turning tricks to keep them barely alive, and their baby girl is dying from the flu for lack of proper medical care and medication. Theirs is truly miserable existence. The only entertainment for those such as them is Free-Vee, which delivers non-stop reality television shows in which desperate wretches try to win big monetary payoffs. Desperate for money to be able to help his little girl, Ben auditions for a reality television show and is selected for the ultimate life or death reality show, where the truly desperate are hunted down by a group called the "Hunters", whose only mission is to kill their quarry. The payoff is big, should one succeed in evading death, but no one ever has. Such is the desperation of Ben Richards that he would even consider signing on for such a show. Unfortunately for him, he soon realizes that there is a reason no one has ever succeeded in evading the "Hunters" and decides that it is time that someone changes the status quo. That someone will be him, as he turns the show on its head. The book is definitely bleak in its outlook and pretty depressing. There is virtually no character development of anyone other than the protagonist, and even there that is somewhat limited. This book was supposedly written in three days by the author, and it shows in the quality of the writing. Still, the story line was intriguing, and certainly the author was onto something, as who knew in 1982 that reality shows would have such a hold on the public, as they do today? It is simply too bad that the story, as written, has little emotional grip on the reader, rendering it somewhat less than satisfying. Nonetheless, fans of the author will find some enjoyment in this somewhat mediocre book. A word to the wise, do not read the author's intro "The Importance of Being Bachman" until after you have read the book, if you want to avoid knowing how "The Running Man" ends before you read the book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting read that lacks the usual King depth,
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Running Man (Mass Market Paperback)
We've all heard the story about the writer who booked himself into a hotel on Friday and walked out Monday morning with a complete book in his hands (it was the Bible - he'd stolen it from the room). With The Running Man, though, we have a complete novel that was written in only three days - and was published with almost no changes to that original draft. Is it even possible to write a decent novel in three days? Yes - but, obviously, The Running Man is not your typical Stephen King novel (which is a large part of the reason it was published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman). Action is the gas pedal, and King floored it from page one until the very end. Surprisingly, though, there is some pretty decent characterization of the main player - and a heavy undertone of social commentary worked into the book.The setting is a future America in which society has totally fractured, leaving those on the wrong side of the tracks doomed to a life of misery. Ben Richards personifies that social inequity - unable to find work because of his antiestablishment ways (for some reason, he didn't want to keep working at a job which exposed the old family jewels to dangerous amounts of radiation leakage), he can't take care of his family - his wife keeps turning tricks for money, and his 18-month-old daughter has the flu and will likely die without proper medicine. There is only one way out for him - the Network Games. The whole nation is fascinated with the Free-Vee game shows, shows such as Treadmill to Bucks or Swim With the Crocodiles. No show satisfies the bloodlust of the public like The Running Man does, though, and a man of Richards' temperament is just the kind of player the show is looking for. The game is simple. Richards is paraded out in front of the cameras, castigated as a dangerous low-life, then turned loose on the streets. A few hours later, the show's Hunters begin going after him. Richards wins money for every hour he can avoid capture (and by capture, I mean bloody death - broadcast live to the whole country), with bonuses for any cops killed along the way. Best of all, the viewing public can win money for themselves by turning him in if they see him. Richards proves himself a worthy contestant indeed - the Game in fact, will never be the same. This is one of my least favorite King novels, primarily because it's so action-oriented. It doesn't put down roots, and it doesn't delve completely into the minds of any characters other than the protagonist. It is, in fact, like a weak film adaptation of a King novel - stripped of all the nuances that make King such a special writer. That's not to way this isn't an exciting novel because it is - that's about all it is, though.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Thriller!!!,
By
This review is from: The Running Man (Mass Market Paperback)
It's 2025. The world's poor live in abject poverty while the rich live in highrises ignoring the starving masses grovelling around them. Dissent is repressed by heavy handed police, and the ironically named Free Vee (the TV went out of style years ago) with its sadistic game shows. These macabre shows - with names like 'Fun Guns' and 'Dig Your Own Grave' - tempt desperate slum dwellers with quick cash but in order to obtain the prize money the contestants must put their body and pride on the line for the enjoyment of the millions of viewers across the world. One man, Ben Richards, driven by the inability to provide for his wife and influenza stricken daughter, decides to join the hundreds of impoverished who line up before the enourmous Games Building for a chance to win the elusive prizes. Richards however is different from the average drug addict or street bum who tries out for the games. He's fit and smart - exceptionally smart. So intelligent that he's picked for the most grueling show of all: 'The Running Man'. A game where the player must try to stay free as long as he can as he tries to hide from the rest of America and a group of elite special forces called the Hunters. If the contestant is caught before thirty days (an impossible goal) the game is over and the contestant killed.I immiediatly began to enjoy the main character, Ben Richards from the very start. King creates a typical outcast of society, and rebel of authority but then adds a more sensitive side to the character. Balancing Richards' scathing wit with his powerful love for his family the author makes Richards both intensly charismatic and convincing. Defintely one of my favourite literary characters ever. However King doesn't stop there. The supporting characters are all really realistic as well especially people like Evan Mcone - the sinister leader of the Hunters - and Bradley - the streetwise visionary who is attempting to start a revolution. King also adds a little bit of satire in his novel. In 'The Running Man' he brings to light how TV is a dangerous weapon which can be used against people. The Free Vee in his novel is a horrible object which pumps propaganda and manufactured happiness into the homes of millions across the nation. It easily suppresses the masses who would otherwise rise up in rebellion. With America today inudated with war propaganda and mindless reality TV shows it is not difficult to find the parallel between the story and reality. In times like these this novel gives an important warning that not everything you see on the boob tube is real. The novel combines this satirical edge and realistic characters into an exciting storyline which will keep you 'running' through the book as fast as you can to reach the action packed conclusion. An excellent intelligent thriller every one should read.
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