The Long Walk Paperback by Stephen King – Dystopian Horror

by Stephen King (Author)

The Long Walk – Paperback by Stephen King is a chilling dystopian horror novel about survival, endurance, power, and the devastating cost of competition. Originally published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, the story follows sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty as he enters an annual contest known as the Long Walk.

One hundred teenage boys must walk continuously at a minimum pace of four miles per hour, day and night. Contestants who slow down receive warnings, and after three warnings, they are permanently removed from the competition. There is no fixed finish line—the last surviving walker wins “The Prize,” granting him anything he wants for the rest of his life. 

Written while Stephen King was a college student and first published in 1979, The Long Walk remains one of his most intense early works. This paperback edition is a strong choice for readers of Stephen King books, dystopian thrillers, survival fiction, and psychological horror.

Book Highlights

• Written by bestselling author Stephen King
• Originally published under the name Richard Bachman
• Paperback edition
• Dystopian and psychological horror novel
• Follows sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty
• Features 100 boys competing in a deadly walking contest
• Contestants must maintain a four-mile-per-hour pace
• Three warnings result in permanent elimination
• Explores survival, fear, endurance, power, and sacrifice
• Known for strong character development and suspense
• Number of pages: 320
• Dimensions: 0.9 × 8.2 × 5.3 inches
• Publication date: February 16, 2016
• Interest level: Grades 9–12
• Reading level: 4.9

Author Biography

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch, the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.