‘The Lasting Influence of Stephen King’s First Novel The Long Walk’
Stephen King’s debut novel, The Long Walk, remains a haunting reflection on society, human endurance, and the dark side of competition, decades after its initial release.Published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979, The Long Walk introduced readers to a chilling vision of a dystopian America where teenage boys participate in an annual walking contest with lethal stakes. The story’s unsettling premise, combined with King’s early narrative mastery, makes the novel strikingly relevant even today. Beyond the surface of a survival contest, the book explores themes of conformity, authoritarian control, and the psychological toll of relentless competition. King’s depiction of…