Reviews

The Running Man by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

liz_neidich's review against another edition

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tense

3.0

dana_reads_books13's review against another edition

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3.5

I enjoyed this more than the movie! 

brg101010's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

rainbowrachel's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I had never read anything by Stephen King, and figured I should plug that hole in my literary experience. Having now read this, I can safely say that I have no desire to read anything else he's written. This just... wasn't good? At all? And yet this guy is one of the most lauded, most popular authors of our time? I do not get it. I do not get it at all.

rikh's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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afkeleest's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

rosafresita's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

layemi's review against another edition

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3.0

I really really wanted to love this book. I read the longest walk also by Stephen King, and it is now one of my favourite books of all time, so I was really looking forward to reading another one of his dystopian future books.


It started out great, as usual just the writing skill itself is amazing in this book. Reading it felt like I was watching an action packed movie, and I was thinking how it has to be made into a movie if it hasn’t been yet (it has).

When the main game started and the conspiracies started coming to light it was interesting then too, but as he started going from place to place with basically the same thing happening everywhere, it started to get really boring and tedious, and just felt like it was going nowhere.


I understand where King (Bachman) was trying to go with the plot, and I understood that it was building up to something, but it was just taking way way WAY too long to get there.


The ending wasn’t necessarily disappointing, but I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming. I saw the end of the long walk coming too, but in that novel the build up to what I knew but didn’t want to believe would happen was written and described so beautifully, the ending left me nearly in tears.


With this novel however I was just glad I was finally done with the book.


How well written this novel was and how much I enjoyed for the long walk will keep me still reading his novels, but this one definitely let me down a little bit.

lisa_reads_a_lot's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm frustrated with myself that i didn't read this sooner. A great read about a freaky future.

aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0