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L'uomo in fuga
Ben Richards decide di partecipare alle selezioni per "L'Uomo in fuga", un sadico e famosissimo show televisivo in cui il protagonista, braccato dai cacciatori della Rete e da chiunque lo riconosca, guadagna cento dollari per ogni ora di sopravvivenza e, se è fortunato ed è ancora vivo allo scadere dei trenta giorni concessigli, un miliardo di dollari. Ben, che vuole quei soldi per curare la figlia malata, supera le selezioni... Stephen King pubblicò questo romanzo, e altri quattro titoli, con lo pseudonimo di Richard Bachman.
239 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1982
1968 people are currently reading
82914 people want to read
About the author
Richard Bachman
31books4,731followersThis is a Stephen King pseudonym.
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run—and then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman–Turner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books�Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)—to people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source:
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run—and then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman–Turner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books�Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)—to people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source:
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,493 reviews
October 7, 2017
I ended up reading this book in one day!
Fast-paced action pack book that will keep you on adrenaline. Would recommend!
Fast-paced action pack book that will keep you on adrenaline. Would recommend!
May 21, 2025
Stephen King wrote an exercise book?!
Well, count me in!
womp, womp
Random Goodreader, it is with a heavy heart that I report this is not a book designed to get the flabby fan in shape.
So what is it about?
The skinny gist is that in a somewhat dystopian future (2025!) the United States economy is in the shitter. The have-not reallllly have not. And our hero, Ben Richards, is desperate to save his 18 month old daughter from the pneumonia that is settling into her lungs due to the flu. Antibiotics are unaffordable, jobs for men in his class are scarce, and the ones that are available will probably give you some kind of testicular cancer.
The government-mandated television Network (Free Vee) is piped into everyone's home "free" to keep the masses placated with violent propaganda thinly veiled as entertainment.
The programming centers on reality television with a cruel twist - think Survivor if the backstabbing was done with real knives.
The Running Man is the highest rated show with the biggest payout. No one has ever survived it, so the contestants who sign up are all just desperate for the money their families will get as a payout and try to last as long as possible to get the highest death benefit.
In a last-ditch effort to help his wife and child, Ben signs on the dotted line...and away we go!
Fair warning, this isn't so much about Ben "fixing" the system, as it is Stephen King as Richard Bachman showing readers how broken and rigged the system can be.
It is also a frighteningly realistic portrayal of mass delusion based on media persuasion. There will always an agenda, there will always be propaganda, and there will always be lies hidden inside truths.
But there's no such thing as good versus evil.
It is, and always has been, money and power versus money and power, and the people who have it painting themselves and their rivals with different brush strokes.
And the only way to win is to not play their game.
Other reviewers have mentioned this, but in some of the editions, Stephen King writes the foreword and spoils the ending. I didn't care, but I know that it might ruin things for a lot of readers.
Having said that, I think it's 100% worth your time to read the foreword when you're done. King is one of those authors who is just charming to listen to, and I think that affability is one of the reasons he is such a popular author. I want to like his stuff because he comes across as a fan of his fans.
One thing I'd like to know is whether or not our overlords at Amazon actually have a sense of humor, or if some clever grunt managed to get them to name their ad-laden television offering Freevee after the corrupt Network in The Running Man.
Kudos, either way.
Recommended.
Well, count me in!
womp, womp
Random Goodreader, it is with a heavy heart that I report this is not a book designed to get the flabby fan in shape.
So what is it about?
The skinny gist is that in a somewhat dystopian future (2025!) the United States economy is in the shitter. The have-not reallllly have not. And our hero, Ben Richards, is desperate to save his 18 month old daughter from the pneumonia that is settling into her lungs due to the flu. Antibiotics are unaffordable, jobs for men in his class are scarce, and the ones that are available will probably give you some kind of testicular cancer.
The government-mandated television Network (Free Vee) is piped into everyone's home "free" to keep the masses placated with violent propaganda thinly veiled as entertainment.
The programming centers on reality television with a cruel twist - think Survivor if the backstabbing was done with real knives.
The Running Man is the highest rated show with the biggest payout. No one has ever survived it, so the contestants who sign up are all just desperate for the money their families will get as a payout and try to last as long as possible to get the highest death benefit.
In a last-ditch effort to help his wife and child, Ben signs on the dotted line...and away we go!
Fair warning, this isn't so much about Ben "fixing" the system, as it is Stephen King as Richard Bachman showing readers how broken and rigged the system can be.
It is also a frighteningly realistic portrayal of mass delusion based on media persuasion. There will always an agenda, there will always be propaganda, and there will always be lies hidden inside truths.
But there's no such thing as good versus evil.
It is, and always has been, money and power versus money and power, and the people who have it painting themselves and their rivals with different brush strokes.
And the only way to win is to not play their game.
Other reviewers have mentioned this, but in some of the editions, Stephen King writes the foreword and spoils the ending. I didn't care, but I know that it might ruin things for a lot of readers.
Having said that, I think it's 100% worth your time to read the foreword when you're done. King is one of those authors who is just charming to listen to, and I think that affability is one of the reasons he is such a popular author. I want to like his stuff because he comes across as a fan of his fans.
One thing I'd like to know is whether or not our overlords at Amazon actually have a sense of humor, or if some clever grunt managed to get them to name their ad-laden television offering Freevee after the corrupt Network in The Running Man.
Kudos, either way.
Recommended.
January 29, 2020
English () / Italiano
While I am enjoying the sci-fi / dystopia of acclaimed TV series such as "Black Mirror" or "The Handmaid's Tale", the novel "The Running Man" falls into my lap. The fact is that this novel inspired the 1987 movie of the same name. And the fact is that I am one of the few that loved that movie. Therefore, I immediately buy the novel. wrote it in his "Bachman" phase, maybe it's a minor novel. No matter, I bought it... and thank God!
The concept of reality shows is exacerbated, and actual life live turns into death live in the future that King presents us. Future in which there are sadistic TV prize contests, such as "Treadmill to Bucks", where the unfortunate individuals (usually with cardiac disease) must answer some questions as they run on a rotating cylinder. But the crown jewel of the prize contests on live TV is the "The Running Man", a manhunt that practically pushes you against everyone, against the world. Need to hide. Prestigious hotels, decadent motels, sewer. One place as good as the next, the important thing is that you never stop in the same place for more than one day. Otherwise you're fucked.
Hell of a ending, direct, essential, minimal. Hell of a future.
Vote: 8
Mentre mi entusiasmo per la fantascienza / distopia di acclamate serie TV quali "Black Mirror" o "The Handmaid's Tale", mi ritrovo per le mani "L'uomo in fuga", che scopro aver ispirato il film "L'implacabile". Il fatto è che io sono probabilmente uno dei pochi fan di questo film del 1987. Quindi compro immediatamente il libro. lo ha scritto in fase "Bachman", forse si tratta di un libro minore. Non importa, lo compro. E meno male: minore il caspito!!
L'idea dei reality show viene esasperata, e la vita in diretta del nostro presente diventa morte in diretta nel futuro che ci presenta King. Futuro in cui vi sono sadiche trasmissioni TV a premi, come "Il macinadollari", dove i malcapitati (tendenzialmente cardiopatici) devono rispondere a delle domande mentre corrono su di un cilindro rotante. Ma la vera punta di diamante dei concorsi a premi in diretta TV è "L'uomo in fuga", una caccia ai concorrenti che praticamente ti mette contro tutti, contro il mondo intero. Bisogna nascondersi. Alberghi, motel decadenti, fogne. Un posto vale l'altro, l'importante è non fermarsi mai nello stesso luogo per più di qualche giorno. Altrimenti sei fottuto.
Gran bel finale, diretto, essenziale, minimale. Gran bel futuro.
Voto: 8
July 26, 2020
Gladiator games, dystopic government systems controlled by consumerism and companies promoting slaughter fun, and the beginning of the debate who reinterpreted what fuse to a piece of literary history.
One of my favorite, sick, and inhuman Sci-Fi tropes tuned to perfection by the young master himself, and I also don´t know who stole what, but this is definitively the first version of it and that speaks for itself, sorry Battle Royale and Hunger Games. On the other hand, there might be elder novels or short stories with similar ideas that inspired King so that it could be seen as harsh that King roasted the Hunger Games.
Interestingly, he used his pseudonym especially for novels some people might find� a bit controversial, because he still wasn´t famous enough to risk a loss of reader and reputation by being related to this entertaining, and indirectly very sociocritical, massacres. Officially he said that he wanted to try out if he would sell without his famous name, but I deem a bit of this element in there too.
If Kind would be more prone to Sci-Fi, more of these pearls would have been produced and all the poor Sci-Fi authors would have shivered in agony and fear regarding their sales, as Sci-Fi has even more potential for gore and violence than the fantastic and horror genre tropes King is famous for, they are endless lands of new potential for agony and abnormality, this future worlds.
The second layer of terror next to the personal drama, executed by an inhuman, authoritarian oligarchy, gives the setting an extra icing of omnipresent fear of secret police torture chamber primetime fun for being chosen for any kind of very adult entertainment. Not to forget the social criticism, allegories, exaggerations, and innuendos to a, very softened, already existing system and the question if it might first be realized in a more or less direct and bigoted dictatorship on Earth or in space in a few hundred years, where no legislation makes sure that nobody hears you scream or if, it doesn´t matter.
The interesting question is if one might watch it or not as soon as it´s socially accepted and not watching it would make one an outsider and/ or suspicious for the death squad.
Knocking at the door.
„We´ve been informed that you are not really enthusiastic about the TV program we are so generous to provide for free, Sir.�
„No, I love it, my kids and I always watch it toget…�
„What are the names of the contestants?�
Ϋ…�
Military policeman gives an electric shock
„Stop lying you rat, our brainwave detectors show that you are just doing as if you enjoy watching it and you missed 3 whole episodes, read about it later, and lied to have watched it!�
And the latest candidate is� you!
It could instead be done with robots and cyborgs, empty clones bred without the ability to fear or have physical pain instead and without dictatorship, but nobody would watch this, of course not, cough, cough. But with real human beings? Come on, wouldn´t that be the ultimate irony, living in a potential post scarcity society with immortality and future tech and the rather logical goal to focus on exploring the endless space, learn more, and become a species of scientists and geniuses instead of replaying the soo stereotypical bread and circuses battle to the death game. But we are brutal apes, so�
At least I admit that I´m a hypocrite, but if there are no victims, why can´t we be both, literate and fascinated by gore, doesn´t that sound like a perfect combination, a duality as so many things in life and physics?
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
One of my favorite, sick, and inhuman Sci-Fi tropes tuned to perfection by the young master himself, and I also don´t know who stole what, but this is definitively the first version of it and that speaks for itself, sorry Battle Royale and Hunger Games. On the other hand, there might be elder novels or short stories with similar ideas that inspired King so that it could be seen as harsh that King roasted the Hunger Games.
Interestingly, he used his pseudonym especially for novels some people might find� a bit controversial, because he still wasn´t famous enough to risk a loss of reader and reputation by being related to this entertaining, and indirectly very sociocritical, massacres. Officially he said that he wanted to try out if he would sell without his famous name, but I deem a bit of this element in there too.
If Kind would be more prone to Sci-Fi, more of these pearls would have been produced and all the poor Sci-Fi authors would have shivered in agony and fear regarding their sales, as Sci-Fi has even more potential for gore and violence than the fantastic and horror genre tropes King is famous for, they are endless lands of new potential for agony and abnormality, this future worlds.
The second layer of terror next to the personal drama, executed by an inhuman, authoritarian oligarchy, gives the setting an extra icing of omnipresent fear of secret police torture chamber primetime fun for being chosen for any kind of very adult entertainment. Not to forget the social criticism, allegories, exaggerations, and innuendos to a, very softened, already existing system and the question if it might first be realized in a more or less direct and bigoted dictatorship on Earth or in space in a few hundred years, where no legislation makes sure that nobody hears you scream or if, it doesn´t matter.
The interesting question is if one might watch it or not as soon as it´s socially accepted and not watching it would make one an outsider and/ or suspicious for the death squad.
Knocking at the door.
„We´ve been informed that you are not really enthusiastic about the TV program we are so generous to provide for free, Sir.�
„No, I love it, my kids and I always watch it toget…�
„What are the names of the contestants?�
Ϋ…�
Military policeman gives an electric shock
„Stop lying you rat, our brainwave detectors show that you are just doing as if you enjoy watching it and you missed 3 whole episodes, read about it later, and lied to have watched it!�
And the latest candidate is� you!
It could instead be done with robots and cyborgs, empty clones bred without the ability to fear or have physical pain instead and without dictatorship, but nobody would watch this, of course not, cough, cough. But with real human beings? Come on, wouldn´t that be the ultimate irony, living in a potential post scarcity society with immortality and future tech and the rather logical goal to focus on exploring the endless space, learn more, and become a species of scientists and geniuses instead of replaying the soo stereotypical bread and circuses battle to the death game. But we are brutal apes, so�
At least I admit that I´m a hypocrite, but if there are no victims, why can´t we be both, literate and fascinated by gore, doesn´t that sound like a perfect combination, a duality as so many things in life and physics?
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
October 25, 2022
First time I've read this as a stand alone. Completely different to the film - Ben Richards is compelled to take part in The Running Man in this dystopian nightmare world, to save the lives of his family, but the Games have no idea just how difficult Richards will be to kill. Dark, thrilling and definitely a hardcore dystopian future shock classic! A strong Four Star read for another relentless Bachman jam with an 8 out of 12.
2017 read
2017 read
April 15, 2024
The future for Mr. Ben (Benjamin ) Richards is not grand, not bright in the year 2025 it's dreary, the economy has sunk the poor are poorer, the harsh government doesn't care they just want to rule. Stephen King writing in 1982 under the pen name Richard Bachman in order to have unbridled freedom from his reputation makes this novel as hopeless as possible for the sake of the plot, a not very accurate forecast of coming events yet entertaining, it remains be warned however, a no holds barred of brutality and cruelty which dominates...the action. Who knew the author has such venom. Ben has a sick daughter maybe dying, Cathy and a plain looking wife Sheila, he is frequently fired for not being able to follow instructions by his superiors , full of hate to any in authority, consequently no money and living in a squalid slum the mother of the child walks the streets... he only loves his little family. Lately Richards has been glued to the television set viewing the most watched show on the air, The Running Man, big prizes for anyone that survives for 30 days while hunters try to eliminate the contestants they never fail. Cathy needs medicine and the depressed father is willing to sacrifice himself for their well- being. After a long process the desperate gentleman admittedly stretching the term gets the job, an anti-hero unlike the popular Scifi film, obviously with a much changed story line . The anger against all the well- off explodes and I'm not writing about Mr. Richards but the sleazy people who work for the government sponsored television program they pay the price. Planes, numerous cars , hapless victims, and buildings evaporate as the eager hunters track down the fleeing fugitive all over the country, red liquid spills frequently . The ending will surprise and bring back bad memories to many a similar occurrence happened in the recent past, Stephen King will in the succeeding years ease the throttle there was no choice...If he wanted to continually be read. The traveling contestant shows unusual cunning, escaping seemingly demoralizing situations and the audience begins to change their opinion of Ben, from criminal butcher to an icon. The government does not tolerant this for long and the heavy hitters are brought in to finish the task of making Richards obsolete and be liquidated. A novel which is quite different from the usual books from the famous author...much more pessimistic in atmosphere yet still a good read for some.
July 12, 2017
After , there was The Running Man
Before , there was The Running Man
After , there was The Running Man
Before reality TV, there was The Running Man
This is a disturbing and enthralling cautionary tale predicted by our fore fathers, seen in new dystopian novels, and becoming all too real in this age of political turmoil, social media, and reality overload.
One of King’s early novels under his Pseudonym Richard Bachman, he mentions in the foreward that it has a darker tone that he tended to use when writing as Bachman. The foreward is a very interesting addition to the story and was updated from the foreward included in the original Bachman Books (which is where I first read this story).
Oh, and that jogs another memory. Not only did I read this in the original Bachman Books, it was the first Stephen King book I ever read! I was probably 12 at the time � likely too young to be reading this, but, hey, I did it anyway! I had seen the move The Running Man, which, while it is not much like the book is, in my opinion, a fantastically campy and entertaining 80s action flick. Some people think it is awful � I think King even believes that � but I am not ashamed to say that I loved it! Anyway, I knew my dad was into Stephen King and had all his books up to that point so I figured that I should give it a go. I was not disappointed at the time and I was not disappointed this time either.
If you like cautionary dystopian tales, I think you have to read this. There is just too much going on here for dystopian fans that you do yourself a disservice if you do not read it.
Before , there was The Running Man
After , there was The Running Man
Before reality TV, there was The Running Man
This is a disturbing and enthralling cautionary tale predicted by our fore fathers, seen in new dystopian novels, and becoming all too real in this age of political turmoil, social media, and reality overload.
One of King’s early novels under his Pseudonym Richard Bachman, he mentions in the foreward that it has a darker tone that he tended to use when writing as Bachman. The foreward is a very interesting addition to the story and was updated from the foreward included in the original Bachman Books (which is where I first read this story).
Oh, and that jogs another memory. Not only did I read this in the original Bachman Books, it was the first Stephen King book I ever read! I was probably 12 at the time � likely too young to be reading this, but, hey, I did it anyway! I had seen the move The Running Man, which, while it is not much like the book is, in my opinion, a fantastically campy and entertaining 80s action flick. Some people think it is awful � I think King even believes that � but I am not ashamed to say that I loved it! Anyway, I knew my dad was into Stephen King and had all his books up to that point so I figured that I should give it a go. I was not disappointed at the time and I was not disappointed this time either.
If you like cautionary dystopian tales, I think you have to read this. There is just too much going on here for dystopian fans that you do yourself a disservice if you do not read it.
May 24, 2023
فن صناعة الوحش
كم من الروايات و الأفلام التي تقص علينا كيف تعيد الميديا صياغة العقول؟! كيف تحول شخص عادي إلى بطل و أيقونة و كيف تحول المظلوم إلى مجرم سفاح و كيف تتلاعب بالعقول فتصور الديكتاتور بطل و زعيم و تصور الحاكم العادل ضعيف و مهزوز و فاسد!
كم من برنامج تلفزيوني أو حملة إعلامية رفعت أقواما و خفضت أقواما بغير وجه حق و كم من مسخ من مسوخ الشاشات قلبوا الحق باطلا و الباطل زينوه للناس.
ليست مجرد واحدة من تلك القصص و لا حتى يمكن مقارنتها بالفيلم الساذج المأخوذ عنها للبطل الساذج دائما أرنولد شوارزنيجر.
قبل أكثر من ثلاثين عاما كتبها كينج لتدور أحداثها في المستقبل المظلم التعس حين تشرف الأرض على الفناء و تتحكم الميديا في البشر بقيادة طغمة من الأشرار تحركهم الإعلانات.
و لأنه كان في العام 1982 و تخيل أحداثها تدور في العام 2025 فقد ظن أنه أسرف في الخيال إلا أن الواقع فاق ما تصور و جاءت النهاية و كأنها أحداث سبتمبر الشهيرة التي أدت لنسف البرجين في مانهاتن. فماذا لو كتبها العبقري الكينج في التسعينات أو الأن.
أنت عدو للشبكة. هذا ما يقولونه على شاشة فري في. رأيت بعض هذه الأعمال المثيرة للإشمئزاز التي قمت بها.للرعب وجه أخر
سأل ريتشاردز: أتعرفين ما هو المثير للإشمئزاز؟ أشعل سيجارة من لوحة أجهزة السيارة. سأخبرك. إن المثير للإشمئزاز أن يطردوا أحدهم لأنه لا يرغب بالعمل في وظيفة عند جينرال أتومكس تسبب العقم. إن المثير للإشمئزاز هو أن تجلس في المنزل و تشاهد زوجتك و هي تكسب أموال البقالة من البغاء. إن من المثير للإشمئزاز هو معرفة أن الشبكة تقتل الملايين من الأشخاص كل سنة بسبب تلوث الهواء في الوقت الذي بإمكانهم تصنيع مرشحات أنفية بمبلغ ستة دولارات لكل واحد.
لا ثورة للجياع و لا شيوعية ستسيطر على هذا الكوكب حتى لو اضطررنا لتدميره تماما
سيظل الفقير يعمل و يعمل و يعمل ليصبح أكثر فقرا و يصب النقود صبا في جيوب الأغنياء
سنضطر لعزل الأغنياء و الهاء الفقراء و وضع أغشية سميكة على أعين الجميع فلا يرى أحد الا نفسه
ستعلو أسوار المجتمعات الراقية و تعلو تلال القمامة و القاذورات في أحياء الفقراء و يتعايش الجميع جنبا الى جنب دون أن يدري أحدهم شيئا عن الأخر.
July 28, 2019
Relentless.
Stephen King’s 1982 novel, published under the pen name of his darker alter ego Richard Bachman, describes a feral dystopian landscape where over population, under employment, financial segregation of society along cultural and class lines and woefully deficient in fundamental healthcare has led to an almost Roman decadence of survival games and cheap entertainment for the pitiful masses. King’s malnourished and desperate Ben Richards is nothing like the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 Paul Michael Glaser film. King’s protagonist signs up for the games to get money to assist his family when pneumonia threatens the life of his infant child.
Told with an inevitable countdown to the brutal end, King portrays Richard’s plight as he is a contestant on The Running Man, a nationally viewed show where the hunted has to stay alive as long as possible to earn more money. All the while he is pursued by professional hunters and his whereabouts are televised in a surreal man hunt, carnivalesque in it's absurdity.
Published 26 years before Suzanne Collins’s , there is no flash or Hollywood style heroism, King depicts an ugly, frantic fight to live in a world made brutal and dreadfully harsh.
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Stephen King’s 1982 novel, published under the pen name of his darker alter ego Richard Bachman, describes a feral dystopian landscape where over population, under employment, financial segregation of society along cultural and class lines and woefully deficient in fundamental healthcare has led to an almost Roman decadence of survival games and cheap entertainment for the pitiful masses. King’s malnourished and desperate Ben Richards is nothing like the character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 Paul Michael Glaser film. King’s protagonist signs up for the games to get money to assist his family when pneumonia threatens the life of his infant child.
Told with an inevitable countdown to the brutal end, King portrays Richard’s plight as he is a contestant on The Running Man, a nationally viewed show where the hunted has to stay alive as long as possible to earn more money. All the while he is pursued by professional hunters and his whereabouts are televised in a surreal man hunt, carnivalesque in it's absurdity.
Published 26 years before Suzanne Collins’s , there is no flash or Hollywood style heroism, King depicts an ugly, frantic fight to live in a world made brutal and dreadfully harsh.
[image error]
April 12, 2024
لما ستيفن كينج اتسأل هنا علي جودريدز : ايه أكتر رواية استمتعت بيها و انت بتكتبها؟
قال إنها رواية The running man ( الهارب) لدرجة إنه خلصها في 10 أيام بس !
الرواية كانت مشعلة للحماس و قاطعة للأنفاس ، كما لو صرت أنت نفسك الهارب .
في المستقبل هل سيرقي الإنسان إلي حلم المدينة الفاضلة ، أم سيهبط إلي قاع سحيق ؟
يرسم لنا ستيفن كينج عالماً خيالياً ديستوبياً في سنة 2025 - و الذي لم يصر بعيدا الان - و كعادة الديستوبيا لن تصير ممتعة إلا إذا كانت بنظرة تشاؤمية قاتمة 🌚.
في سنة 2025، يعم الفقر و ينتشر الفساد و كنتيجة مباشرة تحدث مفارقة صارخة في الطبقات المجتمعية ، و تزيد الفجوة السوداء بين الفقير و الغني لتبتلع جميع القيم الإنسانية و لا يبقي سوا الجشع و الحقد و التحاسد ، ليعيد التاريخ نفسه و لكن في حُلة حضارية حديثة .
بطلنا ( بين ريتشاردز) ينجب بنتاً لهذا العالم القاسي و ما زاد من قسوته إصابة بنته بمرض في الرئة ، حينها لا يجد ( بين) حلاً سوي المشاركة في مؤسسة الألعاب.
مؤسسة الألعاب تابعة للحكومة ، مؤسسة للتسلية ، لإشغال الوقت ، لتناسي الواقع، حيث يشارك في الألعاب الفقراء و أصحاب الأمراض المزمنة من أجل المال .
مزيج رائع من السادية و الوضاعة.
ما هي اللعبة التي سيشارك فيها (بين) ؟ كيف ستكون نهايتها؟
لعبة منسوجة بعبقرية في عالم مصنوع من عناصر لا تختلف كثيرا عن عناصره الحالية حيث النفس البشرية متشابهة ، ألم يكن الرومان يحبون أن يروا أولئك المقاتلين يعاركون الأسود و الوحوش للمتعة ؟
نشر ستيفن كينج الرواية سنة 1982 تحت اسمه المستعار ( ريتشارد باكمان ) ، لأن رواية واحدة فقط باسم ستيفن كينج في السنة كانت قليلة بالنسبة له 😅 فقرر نشر أفكاره الأخرى باسم آخر.
و لا يخفي تأثر الكثير من الأفلام و الكتب بالرواية.
لم تكن الترجمة جيدة للأسف ، من الممكن بسبب لغة كينج المتقدمة ، هناك ترجمة لدكتور أحمد خالد توفيق و لكني لم أجربها.
لها فيلم و لكنه قديم جدا لا يمكن أن يوازي جموح خيال ستيفن كينج ، تحتاج لنسخة فيلم جديدة في القريب العاجل. 🎥
سيصير عمرى مثل عمر البطل في الرواية عام 2025 ، و أشكر الله أني لن اضطر للمشاركة قريبا في إحدي هذه الألعاب 🌝.
أو ربما بالفعل نحن نشارك لكن بطريقة مختلفة 🧐.
قال إنها رواية The running man ( الهارب) لدرجة إنه خلصها في 10 أيام بس !
الرواية كانت مشعلة للحماس و قاطعة للأنفاس ، كما لو صرت أنت نفسك الهارب .
في المستقبل هل سيرقي الإنسان إلي حلم المدينة الفاضلة ، أم سيهبط إلي قاع سحيق ؟
يرسم لنا ستيفن كينج عالماً خيالياً ديستوبياً في سنة 2025 - و الذي لم يصر بعيدا الان - و كعادة الديستوبيا لن تصير ممتعة إلا إذا كانت بنظرة تشاؤمية قاتمة 🌚.
في سنة 2025، يعم الفقر و ينتشر الفساد و كنتيجة مباشرة تحدث مفارقة صارخة في الطبقات المجتمعية ، و تزيد الفجوة السوداء بين الفقير و الغني لتبتلع جميع القيم الإنسانية و لا يبقي سوا الجشع و الحقد و التحاسد ، ليعيد التاريخ نفسه و لكن في حُلة حضارية حديثة .
بطلنا ( بين ريتشاردز) ينجب بنتاً لهذا العالم القاسي و ما زاد من قسوته إصابة بنته بمرض في الرئة ، حينها لا يجد ( بين) حلاً سوي المشاركة في مؤسسة الألعاب.
مؤسسة الألعاب تابعة للحكومة ، مؤسسة للتسلية ، لإشغال الوقت ، لتناسي الواقع، حيث يشارك في الألعاب الفقراء و أصحاب الأمراض المزمنة من أجل المال .
مزيج رائع من السادية و الوضاعة.
ما هي اللعبة التي سيشارك فيها (بين) ؟ كيف ستكون نهايتها؟
لعبة منسوجة بعبقرية في عالم مصنوع من عناصر لا تختلف كثيرا عن عناصره الحالية حيث النفس البشرية متشابهة ، ألم يكن الرومان يحبون أن يروا أولئك المقاتلين يعاركون الأسود و الوحوش للمتعة ؟
نشر ستيفن كينج الرواية سنة 1982 تحت اسمه المستعار ( ريتشارد باكمان ) ، لأن رواية واحدة فقط باسم ستيفن كينج في السنة كانت قليلة بالنسبة له 😅 فقرر نشر أفكاره الأخرى باسم آخر.
و لا يخفي تأثر الكثير من الأفلام و الكتب بالرواية.
لم تكن الترجمة جيدة للأسف ، من الممكن بسبب لغة كينج المتقدمة ، هناك ترجمة لدكتور أحمد خالد توفيق و لكني لم أجربها.
لها فيلم و لكنه قديم جدا لا يمكن أن يوازي جموح خيال ستيفن كينج ، تحتاج لنسخة فيلم جديدة في القريب العاجل. 🎥
سيصير عمرى مثل عمر البطل في الرواية عام 2025 ، و أشكر الله أني لن اضطر للمشاركة قريبا في إحدي هذه الألعاب 🌝.
أو ربما بالفعل نحن نشارك لكن بطريقة مختلفة 🧐.
July 13, 2017
Let me give you the most important information you need before you read this book:
Do not read the forward by Stephen King before you read the story!! He spoils his own book's ending in it!
Yeah, that really sucked because I knew what would eventually happen and it was so suspenseful that it would have been awesome to be kept wondering if this poor shlub would actually make it. But, even knowing what I unfortunately knew, I was still on the edge of my seat for the entire book. That Stephen King always gets me. He's the master.
Okay, maybe I don't like him THIS much. But, he's damn good.
So, this book was written in the 1980's and basically shows that SK was a psychic or something because he predicted reality television shows would rule the world by now. Granted, they are a little more brutal than what we have right now, but within the next few years, when the book is set, I'm sure we'll have advanced to this level ofevil entertainment.
Here are the names of some of the reality shows that are popular:
Swim with Crocodiles
Fun Guns
How Hot can You Take it?
Dig your own Grave
and Treadmill to Bucks (you have to have a heart condition to play this one)
In some of these shows, you are just maimed or end up in a hospital, but the biggest show, "Running Man", is the most popular. The contestant in that one ends up dead. But, hey, they rack up $100. for every hour they survive for their family, so unless dad is a selfish ass, he will do it for his family.
Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.
Our MC is on Running Man. His goal is to stay alive as long as possible while there is a nationwide man-hunt for him. He's given money and a head-start, and then there are hunters looking for him. Viewers get $100. if they spot him and call in, and $1,000. if it leads to capture/death. The contestants are always portrayed as horrible criminals, so the public generally wants to see them killed and feel it is justified.
The funny thing is that there was a real reality show that had this same premise, but without the killing part. It wasn't very interesting to me. Maybe if they had added in the killing I would have watched. So, in other words, we are totally ready for this. And, with our new president and most-likely entry into our own dystopia, maybe it will be soon.
It's either the Hunger Games or the Apes. Maybe we can have another vote on which one we prefer?
Or, you can write-in Ants.
This book was non-stop action and I really couldn't put it down. You are rooting for him, but he's not likable. You are disgusted by the society, and there is also a feeling of despair and depression. It's not hopeful, but it's hard not to hope that he will somehow topple the powers that be. If I hadn't been spoiled, I'm not really sure how I would have handled the ending, but it was a helluva ending.
Trigger warnings: everything. There is so much offensive crap in this book that you might not even want to try it if you are sensitive in any way. There is racism, homophobia, offensive language, and gruesome violence.
Do not read the forward by Stephen King before you read the story!! He spoils his own book's ending in it!
Yeah, that really sucked because I knew what would eventually happen and it was so suspenseful that it would have been awesome to be kept wondering if this poor shlub would actually make it. But, even knowing what I unfortunately knew, I was still on the edge of my seat for the entire book. That Stephen King always gets me. He's the master.
Okay, maybe I don't like him THIS much. But, he's damn good.
So, this book was written in the 1980's and basically shows that SK was a psychic or something because he predicted reality television shows would rule the world by now. Granted, they are a little more brutal than what we have right now, but within the next few years, when the book is set, I'm sure we'll have advanced to this level of
Here are the names of some of the reality shows that are popular:
Swim with Crocodiles
Fun Guns
How Hot can You Take it?
Dig your own Grave
and Treadmill to Bucks (you have to have a heart condition to play this one)
In some of these shows, you are just maimed or end up in a hospital, but the biggest show, "Running Man", is the most popular. The contestant in that one ends up dead. But, hey, they rack up $100. for every hour they survive for their family, so unless dad is a selfish ass, he will do it for his family.
Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.
Our MC is on Running Man. His goal is to stay alive as long as possible while there is a nationwide man-hunt for him. He's given money and a head-start, and then there are hunters looking for him. Viewers get $100. if they spot him and call in, and $1,000. if it leads to capture/death. The contestants are always portrayed as horrible criminals, so the public generally wants to see them killed and feel it is justified.
The funny thing is that there was a real reality show that had this same premise, but without the killing part. It wasn't very interesting to me. Maybe if they had added in the killing I would have watched. So, in other words, we are totally ready for this. And, with our new president and most-likely entry into our own dystopia, maybe it will be soon.
It's either the Hunger Games or the Apes. Maybe we can have another vote on which one we prefer?
Or, you can write-in Ants.
This book was non-stop action and I really couldn't put it down. You are rooting for him, but he's not likable. You are disgusted by the society, and there is also a feeling of despair and depression. It's not hopeful, but it's hard not to hope that he will somehow topple the powers that be. If I hadn't been spoiled, I'm not really sure how I would have handled the ending, but it was a helluva ending.
Trigger warnings: everything. There is so much offensive crap in this book that you might not even want to try it if you are sensitive in any way. There is racism, homophobia, offensive language, and gruesome violence.
November 9, 2016
Well now........This was not what I expected. AT. ALL.
THE RUNNING MANis not only different from the movie (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) but has a much deeper storyline and greater sense of desperation and hopelessness among the very interesting characters.
THE RUNNING MAN is still a TV Reality Show (broadcast on the Free-Vee) that survives by ratings and is still corrupt in its methods of revealing less than the truth to further incite wrong-doing by the participants and gain a greater audience.
THE RUNNING MAN contestant hopefuls, as our Ben Richards are all miserable, hungry and filled with despair knowing the only way left to survive in their dark world is to qualify for the game of death and outrun the hunters for as many days as possible to earn the much needed New Dollars for their families.
This intense and suspenseful sci-fi thriller does have a few graphically expressed gross-out moments that are hard to stomach but is filled with "crazy" good non-stop action all the way and worth the read!
January 28, 2024
Can a father with an issue of authority, fervent distaste for the world, and limited inner strength be a shining light to the general masses who want him dead? That’s a question that teeters through Steven King’s “The Running Man,� a book that carries underline critiques of corruption and hampers on the social injustice of class structure.
The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?
|| "Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing" ||
Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.
|| "These people,� Richards said, “only want to see someone bleed. The more the better." ||
Once Ben’s feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry. 🤡🎈 There, he somewhat befriends a member of the higher class and uses her as a hostage to help turn his image around and bring about some truth to his situation.
King uses this depraved state of things to hone in on topical ideas such as pollution, socialization, misinformation, trust, privacy, security, and more. Almost every character that Ben meets is used as a conduit to help explore these thoughts.
|| "Hopelessness filled him like cold water. There was no base of communication with these beautiful chosen ones. They existed up where the air was rare." ||
Like Henry Bowers, Annie Wilkes, and Brady Hartsfield, as well as many other King characterizations that are tethered to morally bankrupt ideals, “The Running Man� does not really have that one outlier. That said, King does a great job painting the entire TV network with a grimy sleaze that you want to get their just desserts, though it is not until the last few pages—stamped with typical King snark—that you see things pay off.
This book was enjoyable and packed with tension. Each chapter even has a countdown until the end. Give it a go; just make sure you are not eating spaghetti towards the end. For some reason lately, I have had the worst luck timing gross-out moments with lunch and/or dinner.
🎵 Soundtrack 🎵
� TOOL � The Grudge
� Greta Van Fleet � Black Smoke Rising
� Work of Art � Can’t Let Go
� Mudvayne � World So Cold
� | Rating | �
� 4 out of 5 �
The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?
|| "Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing" ||
Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.
|| "These people,� Richards said, “only want to see someone bleed. The more the better." ||
Once Ben’s feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry. 🤡🎈 There, he somewhat befriends a member of the higher class and uses her as a hostage to help turn his image around and bring about some truth to his situation.
King uses this depraved state of things to hone in on topical ideas such as pollution, socialization, misinformation, trust, privacy, security, and more. Almost every character that Ben meets is used as a conduit to help explore these thoughts.
|| "Hopelessness filled him like cold water. There was no base of communication with these beautiful chosen ones. They existed up where the air was rare." ||
Like Henry Bowers, Annie Wilkes, and Brady Hartsfield, as well as many other King characterizations that are tethered to morally bankrupt ideals, “The Running Man� does not really have that one outlier. That said, King does a great job painting the entire TV network with a grimy sleaze that you want to get their just desserts, though it is not until the last few pages—stamped with typical King snark—that you see things pay off.
This book was enjoyable and packed with tension. Each chapter even has a countdown until the end. Give it a go; just make sure you are not eating spaghetti towards the end. For some reason lately, I have had the worst luck timing gross-out moments with lunch and/or dinner.
🎵 Soundtrack 🎵
� TOOL � The Grudge
� Greta Van Fleet � Black Smoke Rising
� Work of Art � Can’t Let Go
� Mudvayne � World So Cold
� | Rating | �
� 4 out of 5 �
April 24, 2025
Препрочетох си много любима книга от големия Стивън Кинг... „Бягащия� човек� е перфектен трилър от неговото ранно творчество, който и при втория прочит прикова внимателно ми, а и ми донесе същите силни емоции!
В близкото бъдеще Всеобщата телевизия тотално е промила мозъците на населението, поставяйки хората в състояние на невежество и подчинение. Бен Ричардс е един от малкото останали, които четат книги и не се поддават на медийните манипулации... Обаче е много беден, а пък дъщеря му е болна и се нуждае от лекарства, затова той решава да кандидатства за участие в някое от телевизионните предавания с примамливи парични награди. След като му правят различни тестове, от телевизията го разпределят в най-скъпоплатеното, но и смъртоносно риалити шоу - именно „Бягащия� човек�. Ако успее да оцелее един месец, докато специални ловци го преследват с цел да го убият, той ще спечели един милиард долара. Това е предаване с огромен рейтинг и съответно обикновените хора са ловко манипулирани от Всеобщата телевизия, така че да намразят безумно Бен, а пък и който предаде информация за него ще получи пари. Преследването става доста страховито и Бен е в постоянна опасност...
Освен страшно напрегнат трилър, „Бягащия� човек� е също така и ярко антиутопично четиво... За разлика от „Дългат� разходка�, в тази книга главният герой напълно осъзнава зловещата действителност, както и в какво се е забъркал, но събира смелост да се противопостави на системата.
„То� беше динозавър в тази епоха. И без да е голям или страшен, все пак си беше анахронизъм - отломка от друго време, от друг свят. Нищо чудно у него да се криеше нещо опасно, нещо заплашително... Големите буреносни облаци често се оформят около най-незабележимите частици.�
В близкото бъдеще Всеобщата телевизия тотално е промила мозъците на населението, поставяйки хората в състояние на невежество и подчинение. Бен Ричардс е един от малкото останали, които четат книги и не се поддават на медийните манипулации... Обаче е много беден, а пък дъщеря му е болна и се нуждае от лекарства, затова той решава да кандидатства за участие в някое от телевизионните предавания с примамливи парични награди. След като му правят различни тестове, от телевизията го разпределят в най-скъпоплатеното, но и смъртоносно риалити шоу - именно „Бягащия� човек�. Ако успее да оцелее един месец, докато специални ловци го преследват с цел да го убият, той ще спечели един милиард долара. Това е предаване с огромен рейтинг и съответно обикновените хора са ловко манипулирани от Всеобщата телевизия, така че да намразят безумно Бен, а пък и който предаде информация за него ще получи пари. Преследването става доста страховито и Бен е в постоянна опасност...
Освен страшно напрегнат трилър, „Бягащия� човек� е също така и ярко антиутопично четиво... За разлика от „Дългат� разходка�, в тази книга главният герой напълно осъзнава зловещата действителност, както и в какво се е забъркал, но събира смелост да се противопостави на системата.
„То� беше динозавър в тази епоха. И без да е голям или страшен, все пак си беше анахронизъм - отломка от друго време, от друг свят. Нищо чудно у него да се криеше нещо опасно, нещо заплашително... Големите буреносни облаци често се оформят около най-незабележимите частици.�
October 13, 2018
Yeeeeeeah I don't know. Not his best work.
I was bored most of the time and I feel like a lot of things just worked out for the protagonist out of luck (or simply because of our beloved plot device "deus ex machina" - which is kind of funny because King talks about that in his book "Misery").
I actually liked the ending though, which he sucks at most of the time so that's good lol - and I'll forever adore his writing style!
I was bored most of the time and I feel like a lot of things just worked out for the protagonist out of luck (or simply because of our beloved plot device "deus ex machina" - which is kind of funny because King talks about that in his book "Misery").
I actually liked the ending though, which he sucks at most of the time so that's good lol - and I'll forever adore his writing style!
June 6, 2023
King's a great storyteller but, man, are his old books dated. The commentary on black people (n-words galore), gay men (f-words galore) and women (breasts, breasts and more breasts) is awkward to read today.
December 7, 2012
WARNING: Do NOT read the author foreward. It totally gives away a climactic ending. Thanks to the GoodReads community for warning me.
I feel like I just ran a marathon with a heart condition. As soon as I opened the book, I was swept up in the story and couldn't stop until the fiery, breathless end. I don't say this often. It takes a while for me to feel comfortable in a new book. I like to feel things out, come to my own conclusions. But Stephen King, in his insidiously masterful way, lured and cocooned me from the first page like spider pouncing on a hapless little moth stuck in a web.
Plot Summary
Our main character is Ben Richards. He's an average Joe type of guy, eking out a life in a vastly dystopian future US of A. In this version of our future, the disparity between the poor and rich is greater than ever. The wealthy have access to luxury cars, groceries, and top notch medical care. The poor...well, you can imagine when we read Richards' home situation: his wife is a prostitute and the main breadwinner of the family, and his baby girl is bedridden with influenza because they can't afford legitimate medicine. As his daughter's condition worsens, Richards enters himself in a live TV game show called Running Man. For as long as he can survive, Richards will flee across the country and earn 100 New Bucks for every hour he is alive. That is, if he can evade professional Hunters hired to track and kill him, and also disguise himself from the locals who are given money rewards if they report a sighting.
This concept should hearken to other familiar works of popular fiction:
And even another King novel with a similar concept,
There are probably many more that I haven't read or even heard about. But at the same time, THE RUNNING MAN was, even to my Hunger Gamed-out mind, an adrenalin rush.
In essence, THE RUNNING MAN is an example of pure action driven storytelling that is done in a compelling way. You don't really get to understand why the world is the way it is, why the people enjoy watching human beings being treadmilled to death or being hunted like rats for a little cash, or why no one can muster up sympathy for children dying from cancer. There's just not enough time to sit back and absorb the people and the environment. When you think you can stop to breathe, someone shoots a gun or sirens blare in the background, and you're off and running again.
Granted, the characters Richards meets on the run are an interesting assortment of people. But again, though I sympathized with them, I couldn't bring myself to care for them more than resolving that burning question, what happens next.
Consequently, Richards doesn't lend himself to deep, solemn questioning of the morality of the government or his own actions. He's a good guy, but he shoots and kills and blows things up because it's what he needs to do to survive and make enough money for his family. He's a likeable character, sure, but he's three dimensional in a flat way. He has motives and moments of moral ambiguity, but overall he's a wildly functioning cog in the dream machine that is the story. It's the story, I think, that gets the spotlight this time around.
Overall, THE RUNNING MAN was a fantastic read that is dark, action-packed, and a little wonky, if you will. The prose is littered with some anachronistic slang. The world building, while physically stark, is thematically hazy because explanations are sparse and far in between. But the story itself is fantastic and definitely well worth the read.
3.5 to 4.0 stars and highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, dystopian fiction.
I feel like I just ran a marathon with a heart condition. As soon as I opened the book, I was swept up in the story and couldn't stop until the fiery, breathless end. I don't say this often. It takes a while for me to feel comfortable in a new book. I like to feel things out, come to my own conclusions. But Stephen King, in his insidiously masterful way, lured and cocooned me from the first page like spider pouncing on a hapless little moth stuck in a web.
Plot Summary
Our main character is Ben Richards. He's an average Joe type of guy, eking out a life in a vastly dystopian future US of A. In this version of our future, the disparity between the poor and rich is greater than ever. The wealthy have access to luxury cars, groceries, and top notch medical care. The poor...well, you can imagine when we read Richards' home situation: his wife is a prostitute and the main breadwinner of the family, and his baby girl is bedridden with influenza because they can't afford legitimate medicine. As his daughter's condition worsens, Richards enters himself in a live TV game show called Running Man. For as long as he can survive, Richards will flee across the country and earn 100 New Bucks for every hour he is alive. That is, if he can evade professional Hunters hired to track and kill him, and also disguise himself from the locals who are given money rewards if they report a sighting.
This concept should hearken to other familiar works of popular fiction:
And even another King novel with a similar concept,
There are probably many more that I haven't read or even heard about. But at the same time, THE RUNNING MAN was, even to my Hunger Gamed-out mind, an adrenalin rush.
In essence, THE RUNNING MAN is an example of pure action driven storytelling that is done in a compelling way. You don't really get to understand why the world is the way it is, why the people enjoy watching human beings being treadmilled to death or being hunted like rats for a little cash, or why no one can muster up sympathy for children dying from cancer. There's just not enough time to sit back and absorb the people and the environment. When you think you can stop to breathe, someone shoots a gun or sirens blare in the background, and you're off and running again.
Granted, the characters Richards meets on the run are an interesting assortment of people. But again, though I sympathized with them, I couldn't bring myself to care for them more than resolving that burning question, what happens next.
Consequently, Richards doesn't lend himself to deep, solemn questioning of the morality of the government or his own actions. He's a good guy, but he shoots and kills and blows things up because it's what he needs to do to survive and make enough money for his family. He's a likeable character, sure, but he's three dimensional in a flat way. He has motives and moments of moral ambiguity, but overall he's a wildly functioning cog in the dream machine that is the story. It's the story, I think, that gets the spotlight this time around.
Overall, THE RUNNING MAN was a fantastic read that is dark, action-packed, and a little wonky, if you will. The prose is littered with some anachronistic slang. The world building, while physically stark, is thematically hazy because explanations are sparse and far in between. But the story itself is fantastic and definitely well worth the read.
3.5 to 4.0 stars and highly recommended, especially for fans of gritty, dystopian fiction.
April 12, 2020
A fast-paced Dickensian, Sci-Fi dystopia thriller. Perhaps too fast-paced. Not much character development or appreciable ambiance.
December 11, 2013
When Ben Richard's daughter gets pneumonia, he turns to the Network for help and becomes a contestant on the deadliest of reality shows, The Running Man. Can Richards run long enough to earn the money for his daughter's medicine? And what will he learn as he runs for his life for the amusement of the public watching The Running Man?
This is the best book made into a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger I've ever read. Actually, apart from a couple character names, the dystopian setting, and the concept of a reality show where the contestants will likely die, it has very little resemblance to the Arnold flick.
Richard Bachman really liked his dystopias, didn't he? This one bears a startling resemblance to our current reality tv situation. Funny, Bachman predicting the rise of reality tv decades before it came to pass.
Ben Richards is an unemployed loser with a wife that occasionally turns tricks to make ends meet. In order to make some money, he winds up on The Running Man, running for his life in a polluted world that's falling apart.
The suspense in this thing builds and builds as Richards gets deeper into the game. Can he trust anyone? How is the Network tracking him? Will his daughter still be alive when the much needed money gets to her? Things start falling apart for him near the end and the tension is almost unbearable.
Richards is a much deeper character than the Arnold version. As his sense of desperation grows, one can't help but imagine him or herself in Richard's situation.
Like a lot of people, I think The Running Man is likely one of the parents of the Hunger Games, along with The Long Walk.
That's pretty much all I can say. It's a gripping, breezy read, far from the bloated gargantuas ofStephen King's Richard Bachman's later books. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
This is the best book made into a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger I've ever read. Actually, apart from a couple character names, the dystopian setting, and the concept of a reality show where the contestants will likely die, it has very little resemblance to the Arnold flick.
Richard Bachman really liked his dystopias, didn't he? This one bears a startling resemblance to our current reality tv situation. Funny, Bachman predicting the rise of reality tv decades before it came to pass.
Ben Richards is an unemployed loser with a wife that occasionally turns tricks to make ends meet. In order to make some money, he winds up on The Running Man, running for his life in a polluted world that's falling apart.
The suspense in this thing builds and builds as Richards gets deeper into the game. Can he trust anyone? How is the Network tracking him? Will his daughter still be alive when the much needed money gets to her? Things start falling apart for him near the end and the tension is almost unbearable.
Richards is a much deeper character than the Arnold version. As his sense of desperation grows, one can't help but imagine him or herself in Richard's situation.
Like a lot of people, I think The Running Man is likely one of the parents of the Hunger Games, along with The Long Walk.
That's pretty much all I can say. It's a gripping, breezy read, far from the bloated gargantuas of
October 23, 2023
The incredible mind of Stephen King on full display in this nearly forty year old prescient classic. 8 of 10 stars
I listened to this for the second time a year later and found more to commend Mr. King's story. His prescient vision of the future of our times is astounding. Four stars first read, five star worthy now. 10 of 10 stars
I listened to this for the second time a year later and found more to commend Mr. King's story. His prescient vision of the future of our times is astounding. Four stars first read, five star worthy now. 10 of 10 stars
May 29, 2020
Think of this book as a mixture of The Hunger Games and Fahrenheit 451. I really liked the futuristic theme and liked Ben Richards� smug attitude. The movie adaption of this novel is quite good too and even has Arnold Schwarzenegger play as Ben Richards. If you’re looking for a short thriller book this is right up your alley.
November 5, 2021
"El campo de batalla que constituían las calles sólo se iluminaba por la noche. De día era apenas una extensión gris, desierta y silenciosa que no presentaba más movimiento que el de los gatos, las ratas y los grandes gusanos blancos que se cebaban en las bolsas de basura. No había más olor que el aire fétido y malsano de aquel feliz año 2025"
"Ser un fugitivo le agotaba. Y una especie de instinto animal le advertía, más allá de toda razón, que muy pronto estaría durmiendo en una alcantarilla bajo el filo de octubre, o en un barranco cubierto de matorrales y escoria"
"¿Acaso la moral podía contar en algo para un hombre solo y a la deriva?
La contradicción enraizada como una mala hierba en lo más hondo de su ser.
Richards ansiaba la paz fervientemente, como el hombre anhela el agua en pleno desierto"
Esta historia es una Dystopia que no resulta muy radical para estos tiempos que corren; Teniendo en cuenta que esta historia es de 1982 y esta ambientada en un supuesto año 2025. simplemente la humanidad siguió su camino "involutivo"... Hay mas restricciones en el modo de vida, mas control, creciente desigualdad, desempleo y contaminación(nada que diste mucho de la realidad actual). Muchas cosas se quedaron congeladas en ese tiempo(los 80's) y no hay grandes avances tecnológicos al margen de autos que vuelan y algún que otro detalle.
A lo largo de la historia se Plantean algunos dilemas morales y cuestiones de "óptica".
Es impredecible y por momentos desconcertante(esto no es necesariamente ni bueno ni malo en este caso)
El final no sabría bien como calificarlo... pero puedo decir que es sumamente divertido y bizarro. Esto es consecuente con la introspección del protagonista"Richards", con sus constantes debates mentales y pensamientos recurrentes.
"Ser un fugitivo le agotaba. Y una especie de instinto animal le advertía, más allá de toda razón, que muy pronto estaría durmiendo en una alcantarilla bajo el filo de octubre, o en un barranco cubierto de matorrales y escoria"
"¿Acaso la moral podía contar en algo para un hombre solo y a la deriva?
La contradicción enraizada como una mala hierba en lo más hondo de su ser.
Richards ansiaba la paz fervientemente, como el hombre anhela el agua en pleno desierto"
Esta historia es una Dystopia que no resulta muy radical para estos tiempos que corren; Teniendo en cuenta que esta historia es de 1982 y esta ambientada en un supuesto año 2025. simplemente la humanidad siguió su camino "involutivo"... Hay mas restricciones en el modo de vida, mas control, creciente desigualdad, desempleo y contaminación(nada que diste mucho de la realidad actual). Muchas cosas se quedaron congeladas en ese tiempo(los 80's) y no hay grandes avances tecnológicos al margen de autos que vuelan y algún que otro detalle.
A lo largo de la historia se Plantean algunos dilemas morales y cuestiones de "óptica".
Es impredecible y por momentos desconcertante(esto no es necesariamente ni bueno ni malo en este caso)
El final no sabría bien como calificarlo... pero puedo decir que es sumamente divertido y bizarro. Esto es consecuente con la introspección del protagonista"Richards", con sus constantes debates mentales y pensamientos recurrentes.
February 12, 2022
I know a lot of people have mixed feelings about King’s work as Bachman but I’ve quite enjoyed each one I’ve read so far. I enjoyed this one WAY more on my second read, it even went from four stars to five stars. I really enjoy the rawness that you get when King writes as Bachman, it draws me in every time. I think The Running Man really struck a chord with me this time around because it suddenly seems like an all too plausible future with how our world is these days. I can all too easily see this happening one day and that’s a frightening thought. I wasn’t a big fan of the ending on my first read of it but this time I honestly thought it was perfect and can’t see it ending any other way really! This is why I reread King books, I get something different every time I revisit one and I love that so much.
February 6, 2024
Published in 1982, The Running Man is a dystopian thriller set in the future, interestingly in the year 2025, when the economy is in ruins and the morality is at its lowest point; when everything can be faked and believed as real; when violence rules.
Your child is sick and you don’t have money to buy medicine; you don’t even have enough money to feed your family.
There is a game, a kind of reality show like Survivor you can participate in. If you win, you receive a lot of money and if you lose, you die. It’s an extreme game of cat and mouse. It is violent and bloody. Your only job is to avoid being captured. Your only objective is to stay alive.
Would you play?
Your child is sick and you don’t have money to buy medicine; you don’t even have enough money to feed your family.
There is a game, a kind of reality show like Survivor you can participate in. If you win, you receive a lot of money and if you lose, you die. It’s an extreme game of cat and mouse. It is violent and bloody. Your only job is to avoid being captured. Your only objective is to stay alive.
Would you play?
August 23, 2020
'In 2025 the best men don't run for president, they run for their lives'.
Think Hunger Games on a grander scale but less than 300 pages and your get an idea how epic this adventure is.
Absolutely loved this super fast paced dystopian. Totally rooted for Ben from the first page and the ending has me screaming! Ah the satisfaction.
This will go down as one of my favourite SK books. Five stars.
Think Hunger Games on a grander scale but less than 300 pages and your get an idea how epic this adventure is.
Absolutely loved this super fast paced dystopian. Totally rooted for Ben from the first page and the ending has me screaming! Ah the satisfaction.
This will go down as one of my favourite SK books. Five stars.
June 10, 2025
I remember watching the movie in high school. (Looks like there's another one in the works to be released later this year.) I didn't realize back then that this was made from a Stephen King book, albeit written under his pseudonym. Of course, I wasn't reading any of his books back then either. I recall enjoying the movie for what it was - action packed, not too much emotive drama from Schwarzenegger, fun and cheesy. The book was that, but it had an extra layer of Ben Richards' psyche that gives us a deeper insight into his motivations and decisions. It's more than just trying to survive. It's trying to survive and killing those he encounters as justified.
When I thought back on the movie, I actually remembered it being played by Harrison Ford. In some ways, the roles they played could've been interchangeable back then. I think Ford would've played it closer to the book, but I am guessing the director had a different vision and for that vision, Schwarzenegger was the right pick.
As far as stories go, it was ok. King has written better. I'm not sure if he was trying to mask that he had written the book because of his choice to write it under a pen name. I read he did it because he wanted to publish books more frequently than publishers liked at the time (trying to limit writers to one book a year). In that case, it probably didn't matter to him if people recognized the writing to be his.
It was on the short side of his works. I liked the way the chapters were set up: T-minus days to the end of the story. Each chapter was super short, and I think that was to up the adrenaline factor - keep the pace fast. It was effective. Lots of action on each page. Great appeal for the millennials and younger who like things solved as teams. I liked that too.
Smart and lots of subtext, but I am too exhausted by the present dystopia the US is actually living under to dissect it in detail. I'll leave that to someone with more distance and perspective.
When I thought back on the movie, I actually remembered it being played by Harrison Ford. In some ways, the roles they played could've been interchangeable back then. I think Ford would've played it closer to the book, but I am guessing the director had a different vision and for that vision, Schwarzenegger was the right pick.
As far as stories go, it was ok. King has written better. I'm not sure if he was trying to mask that he had written the book because of his choice to write it under a pen name. I read he did it because he wanted to publish books more frequently than publishers liked at the time (trying to limit writers to one book a year). In that case, it probably didn't matter to him if people recognized the writing to be his.
It was on the short side of his works. I liked the way the chapters were set up: T-minus days to the end of the story. Each chapter was super short, and I think that was to up the adrenaline factor - keep the pace fast. It was effective. Lots of action on each page. Great appeal for the millennials and younger who like things solved as teams. I liked that too.
Smart and lots of subtext, but I am too exhausted by the present dystopia the US is actually living under to dissect it in detail. I'll leave that to someone with more distance and perspective.
March 21, 2024
Read this early King novel released under Bachman years ago. Also liked the film adaptation with Arnold.
April 20, 2025
I loved this book. It took me by surprise because I remember watching that terrible 80’s movie adaptation and the book is nothing like it (thank the gods).
It’s about a guy with a major chip on his shoulder who goes up against a brutal government organization. All the odds are decidedly stacked against him, and the only thing he has to assist him is a clever chunk of grey matter.
I haven’t read it in a few years, but there’s one thing that has stuck with me: a random, selfless act of kindness from a weird stranger. I hope that isn’t a spoiler- I genuinely don’t think it is. Think of it as what you might see in the teaser trailer of an upcoming movie. But these acts of kindness always hit me deep in the fee-fees. I literally can’t watch those “Restore Your Faith in Humanity� YouTube videos without tearing up.
It’s probably not a book that everyone will enjoy as much as I did, but if the premise sounds interesting to you�. Whatcha waitin for?
It’s about a guy with a major chip on his shoulder who goes up against a brutal government organization. All the odds are decidedly stacked against him, and the only thing he has to assist him is a clever chunk of grey matter.
I haven’t read it in a few years, but there’s one thing that has stuck with me: a random, selfless act of kindness from a weird stranger. I hope that isn’t a spoiler- I genuinely don’t think it is. Think of it as what you might see in the teaser trailer of an upcoming movie. But these acts of kindness always hit me deep in the fee-fees. I literally can’t watch those “Restore Your Faith in Humanity� YouTube videos without tearing up.
It’s probably not a book that everyone will enjoy as much as I did, but if the premise sounds interesting to you�. Whatcha waitin for?
March 30, 2023
Con el seudónimo de Richard Bachman me ha parecido el segundo más flojo.
Tiene una buena trama pero poco contexto a ese mundillo tan injusto. Me parece que fue tan vacío que no hubo buen desarrollo pero lo remito a que creo que tiene un poco de ese formato thriller donde los capítulos no son extensos y se utilizan más para generar acción en el nudo de la historia y adicción en el lector, porque eso sí, la cuenta contrarreloj es un aliciente para seguir leyendo... aunque el final es muy predecible y nada sorprendente.
Quizás se deba a que ya he leído muchos libros parecidos con protagonistas revolucionarios y antisistemas. No es nada nuevo este tipo de historias pero le debo dar el mérito al maestro en que pudo ser de los primeros en implementarla antes de que se volviera moda.
Tiene una buena trama pero poco contexto a ese mundillo tan injusto. Me parece que fue tan vacío que no hubo buen desarrollo pero lo remito a que creo que tiene un poco de ese formato thriller donde los capítulos no son extensos y se utilizan más para generar acción en el nudo de la historia y adicción en el lector, porque eso sí, la cuenta contrarreloj es un aliciente para seguir leyendo... aunque el final es muy predecible y nada sorprendente.
Quizás se deba a que ya he leído muchos libros parecidos con protagonistas revolucionarios y antisistemas. No es nada nuevo este tipo de historias pero le debo dar el mérito al maestro en que pudo ser de los primeros en implementarla antes de que se volviera moda.
January 2, 2025
On my journey of reading/re-reading all Stephen King's books in publication order. I have completed the Bachman book and I think this one was my second favourite behind The Long Walk.
I absolutely loved The Running Man (film) when I was younger, and it still is a classic for me. Although the plot line is similar too the film it has a lot of differences. I love the main character in this book, Ben, I think he is so iconic and ruthless. In this book the world is controlled by the media and what people are shown to be real - which couldn't be more true in this day and age.
This book is set in 2023 and has scary similarities to the world we live in today. People are corrupted into thinking those with low incomes are all criminals and don't deserve to live. People volunteer for game-shows to win money knowing that they will probably die in the process. It's a sad reality of money problems and feeling there is no other choice.
There is elements of horror in this book, with some of the descriptions but it's more of an exaggeration of the world today and it's issues.
I absolutely loved The Running Man (film) when I was younger, and it still is a classic for me. Although the plot line is similar too the film it has a lot of differences. I love the main character in this book, Ben, I think he is so iconic and ruthless. In this book the world is controlled by the media and what people are shown to be real - which couldn't be more true in this day and age.
This book is set in 2023 and has scary similarities to the world we live in today. People are corrupted into thinking those with low incomes are all criminals and don't deserve to live. People volunteer for game-shows to win money knowing that they will probably die in the process. It's a sad reality of money problems and feeling there is no other choice.
There is elements of horror in this book, with some of the descriptions but it's more of an exaggeration of the world today and it's issues.
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