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Synopsis
The Long Walk is a dystopian horror novel by American writer Stephen King, published in 1979, under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, and has seen several reprints since, as both paperback and hardback. Set in a future dystopian America, ruled by a totalitarian and militaristic dictator, the plot revolves around the contestants of a grueling, annual walking contest. In 2000, the American Library Association listed The Long Walk as one of the 100 best books for teenage readers published between 1966 and 2000. ---------- Also contained in: - [The Bachman Books][2] - [The Bachman Books](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL24796729W) [1]: https://stephenking.com/library/bachman_novel/long_walk_the.html [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL81591W/The_Bachman_Books_(Rage_The_Long_Walk_Roadwork_The_Running_Man)
Tags
Is The Long Walk appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Teens participate in a brutal, state-sanctioned walking contest where failure means death, creating sustained psychological tension and disturbing themes about totalitarian control and human expendability.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include torture, murder, captivity, death, and mass death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
A gripping survival story where teens must keep walking or face deadly consequences in a dystopian America.