Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Running Man

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Running Man by Stephen King

24 reviews

dibiz116's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I feel like there are just so much better dystopian reality tv books out there (including King/Bachman's other book The Long Walk). I imagine this was fairly original in its year of publication (1999) but even aside from that I don't feel like this had the depth of character that Stephen King is known for and that I have grown to love so much. I know the Bachman books tend to be much faster paced and less suspenseful, but this didn't accomplish the balance the other Bachman books do (the adrenaline packed character study that is Roadwork will forever be one of my favorite books so it's not an issue with King's style when writing as Bachman). It honestly feels like he tried to make something too fast paced for his own writing style and ended up with a story that fell flat. It didn't help that the attempted social commentary didn't make sense.

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timmeh's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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murkyreflections's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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ro_lux's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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benaurelia's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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hayleycurtis's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was conflicted with this book. The way that King describes women is challenging. Is the author projecting his world onto the reader or is he attempting to submerse us into the mind of someone who sees women from Richards’ perspective? Maybe both is the answer. I just wish the women characters were more hashed out, I guess. Someone to sympathize and not pity.

Moving on past my mini rant, the story immediately places the reader into the lowest of low classes - introducing Richards - a solid character rooted in his own beliefs and only wanting to help his family. King takes you on a whirlwind of a chase, leaving the reader flipping through the short chapters begging to see what happens next. The futuristic scene gives us a glimpse into the harrowing potential forecast of what may come to our society. And it all ends spectacularly. I would recommend this book for the plot alone.

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