The Running Man by Stephen King
1982 / 416 pgs  Dystopia

The Running Man, a game show set in a dystopian world like The Long Walk, entertains the masses. Benjamin Richards enrolls himself in the gaming network to earn money for his 18-month-old daughter suffering from pneumonia. In this time, the poor can’t afford simple doctor visits nor any medication that would take care of any disease easily remedied today. Richards can’t find work and his wife moved to prostitution to gain some income to try and survive each day.

After the physical, Richards is chosen for the marque event The Running Man—a game that he could make a lot of money for each hour he isn’t caught. After being given a 12-hour head start, he is on the run, with the whole nation hunting him down. It’s no-holds-barred. Anyone can be killed—the more deaths; even law enforcement is fair game, the more money Richards makes. Also, if a citizen catches or identifies Richards leading to his death, they receive a money reward. As everyone can make money off this game, naturally, this is the main game for the network.

The subplot is interesting as the top rich own the influence and power over the poor. The government and industry are destroying the environment and using the games as entertainment to cover up what is truly happening. Yes, as I read this, I thought this had a familiar ring today. During daily recordings, Richards tries to inform the people of the truth of what the government and network are doing. However, the network edits his videos to prevent the message from being broadcast.

I truly enjoyed the narration of this story. Although, it felt as though we went back to a familiar plot told from another game show that allows destitute people money in a dystopian world, The Long Walk. However, the message and how the game plays out are entirely different. What is more interesting is the chapters are a countdown starting from 100. Allowing the reader to question what will happen, “I know that X-many chapters remain. This is going to get interesting.” 

I enjoyed the ending; although predictable, the twist is what I expected since this is a King novel, although I was hoping it would go a different path. I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it.
      
Enjoy a good cup of coffee and an excellent book!

Lopaka