The Running Man - Softcover

Bachman, Richard. (a.k.a. Stephen King)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1444723545 ISBN 13: 9781444723540

Publisher: SIGNET., 1982

Synopsis

Language:Chinese.Paperback. Pub Date :2012-12-1 Pages: 241 Publisher: Orion Its not just a game when youre running for your life Every night they tuned in to the nations favourite prime-time TV game show They all watched. from the.. . sprawling slums to the security-obsessed enclaves of the rich They all watched the ultimate live death game as the contestants tried to bet not the clock. but annihhilation at the hands of the Hunters Survive thirty days and win the billion dollar jackpot -. that was the promise. But the odds were brutal and the game rigged. Best score so far was eight days. And now there was a new contestant. the latest running man. staking his life while a nation watched.

About this title

Review:

Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) crafted The Running Man early in his career, though after such mega-hits as Carrie and The Shining. A bit of a departure from the supernatural horror that is most frequently associated with his work, the novel describes a science fiction dystopia where market capitalism and television game shows have spiraled out of control, and the separation between the haves and the have-nots has been formalized with separate currencies. King establishes characters quickly, creating sympathy in the first few pages for Ben Richards--whose 18-month-old baby girl is suffering from a horrible cough, perhaps pneumonia. Not able to afford medicine, Richards enters himself in the last-chance money-making scheme of the Free-Vee games. The games include Treadmill to Bucks, in which heart-attack prone contestants struggle to outlast a progressively demanding treadmill, or the accurately named Swim the Crocodiles. After a rigorous battery of physical and mental examinations, Richards is assigned "Elevator Six"--the path of a chosen few--that leads to The Running Man game. In this game, the stakes and the prizes are raised. Success means a life of luxury. Failure means death. Unfortunately, few ever win the game; in fact, as the producer tells Richards, in six years no one has survived.

The Running Man is a short book, tightly written to be read and enjoyed quickly. The future world it depicts is vividly captured with a few essential details. The action is also fast paced and, though the novel differs from much of King's other work, the sardonic social commentary reveals a pleasing glimmer of King's characteristically twisted sense of humor. --Patrick O'Kelley

About the Author:

Stephen King has been described by the Guardian as 'one of the greatest storytellers of our time', by the Mirror as a 'genius' and by The Sunday Times as 'one of the most fertile storytellers of the modern novel.' In 2003, he was given the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, for most of the year in Maine, USA.

About this edition

• Publisher: SIGNET.
• Publication date: 1982
• ISBN 10: 1444723545
• ISBN 13: 9781444723540
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1