Book Review and Movie Comparison of The Long Walk
The Long Walk
Author: Stephen King as Richard Bachman
Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
First Published: July 1979
Audiobook: 10 hours 44 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 2-7, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Against the wishes of his mother, sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as The Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour without ever stopping… with the winner being awarded “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But, as part of this national tournament that sweeps through a dystopian America year after year, there are some harsh rules that Garraty and ninety-nine others must adhere to in order to beat out the rest. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—permanently…
Jessica’s Review:
The Long Walk is one of King’s earliest written novels, written in 1966-1967 at just 19 years old as a college freshman and was first published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. I was intrigued by the movie trailer and wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. And I really enjoyed this book! What a great novel written at such a young age!
In a dystopian America, every year 100 boys willingly sign up for The Long Walk: They must keep a pace of walking four miles per hour. They have three warnings when they fall below the 4 mph. If they fall below again, they are shot dead. You also can not impede on another walker. If they walk an hour after a warning is given then it goes away. There is no end to The Long Walk until only one boy remains. What is the reward? Anything he wants for the rest of his life. Simple rules in a gritty yet realistic novel.
Ray Garraty is the main focus of the novel. The reader finds themselves rooting for Garraty and a few other ‘favorite’ characters in the novel. But you know that at the end only one boy will be left. The Long Walk could have been a very slow-moving novel: All that’s going on is the boys walking, talking, thinking, and from time to time getting warnings and eventually shot. Through their conversations we get to know some of the other characters. As they walk through towns, we see the crowds that come to see these walkers. I never lost my interest in the novel and wanted to see who was going to be the eventual victor. The reader also sees the boys descend the further The Long Walk goes: The boys go from optimistic to far from that as they are stretched beyond their limits mentally and physically. The reader sees the boys realize what they actually signed up for.
Dystopian novels are another genre I enjoy reading and this dystopian met all my expectations! Despite being written so long ago, you can see possibly happening in a future world. Kirby Heyborne is the narrator and he really portrayed the novel well. He became Garraty for me.
If you enjoy King and/or dystopian novels, you should think about reading this one!
Movie Comparison
Movie Trailer
My Thoughts on the Movie Compared to the Book:
The Long Walk novel received 5 stars from me and I was looking forward to the novel. It keeps its premise with (of course) many changes: The movie drops the number of walkers from 100 to 50, the pace drops from a very brisk 4mph to a more realistic 3 mph. Characters from the book may be combined or not present and the ending is extremely different. I was disappointed that Abraham was not in the film.
This movie will not be for everyone as it is raw and gritty like the book is. Boys are walking and all but one will not make it to the end. We see these characters get shot, some more up close and personal than others. We see the characters change in a variety of ways over the course of the film.
Without giving spoilers, the ending is very different in several respects. I saw one difference coming but not the other change. The novel leaves an ambiguous ending, which we do not get in the film. Unlike in The Mist where the ending was also changed, for me the ending was much better, I am still not sure what to think about the film ending. There is so much to decompress from after watching this film.
There was so much more that could have been done with the film, but condensing a 320-page novel to a 1 hour 45-minute film, you definitely have limitations. Yes, it is a good film and worth the watch, but it was also very graphic and depressing. For me it is a one-time viewing.
Mark Hamill plays The Major and while he is a very minor character and not seen on screen much, he plays the roll extremely well!
If you enjoy dystopian films and feel you can handle the graphic nature of the film, go for it. If you also want to read the book, definitely watch the movie first. The book has so much more to it.
Purchase Links:
Book
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Movie:
Please note: The Long Walk is available on streaming now, you can buy it as physical media later this month in the USA. I did not see a release date for physical media in the UK
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: The Vile Thing We Created by Robert P. Ottone
The Vile Thing We Created
Author: Robert P. Ottone
Narrators:
Patrick Donohue
Alicia Love
Published: April 18, 2023
Audiobook: 10 hours 13 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 21-24, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Lola and Ian had what they thought was the perfect relationship. Vacations. Fine dining. A healthy sex life. But when their childless lifestyle begins impacting their social lives, they decide to take the natural next step.
But what happens when that next step cracks the perfect foundation Lola and Ian have built? What happens when that next step is anything but natural?
Robert P. Ottone’s The Vile Thing We Created is a terrifying vision of parenthood in the tradition of Ira Levin and Thomas Tryon.
Jessica’s Review:
I have only ever seen the movie Rosemary’s Baby, but The Vile Thing We Created has some similarities to it. We have a bi-racial couple, Ian and Lola Sumner. This couple is not likable and very selfish. They have what they feel is a dream life: He is a teacher and she bakes from home. They have a lot of sex (which is detailed throughout the book), Lola smokes pot, and they feel they just have ‘The Life’. But then the couple start being excluded from events in their friend group: A belief that this is because they have no children and all of their friends do. So, Lola and Ian decide to just have a baby: A decision that they later regret.
There is a supernatural element in the novel, and it picks up the further you get in the story. It starts with Ian’s mother giving the couple baby gifts with a seven-point star on it. They are led to believe that it means “good luck”. Ian also grew up around that symbol.
We see Lola go through a very traumatic birth and then an array of emotions which includes not feeling love for her newborn. Her lack of feelings is not what she expected. We see a case of extreme postpartum depression.
The novel picks up at around 60% where the baby named Jonesy is now talking and he becomes quite the character. Patrick Donohue did a great job with his portrayal of Jonesy! In his narration. Jonesy is a unique child starting with his appearance: He has one blue eye and one brown eye.
The supernatural element picks up in this last 60%. Both narrators did a good job with their narrations. Yes, this is a horror novel, but more psychological horror than terror. This is a good novel to pick up and read in October! And lesson learned: If you don’t feel that need to have a child, then don’t cave to societal pressure and ‘just have one’: You never know what you just may give birth to!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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Audiobook Review: Something I Keep Upstairs by J.D. Barker
Something I Keep Upstairs
Author: J.D. Barker
Narrator: Michael Crouch
Published: May 13, 2025
Audiobook: 15 hours 48 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: May 12-22, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
For a haunted house to be born, somebody has to die.
In the sleepy coastal town of New Castle, New Hampshire, seventeen-year-old Billy Hasler’s life is about to take a terrifying turn. When his best friend David Spivey inherits a mysterious house on a nearby island, it seems like the perfect place to spend their final summer before heading off to college. No parents. No police. No responsibilities.
As they dig into the island’s dark past, they awaken an ancient evil that has influenced generations. What begins as an innocent summer adventure quickly descends into a nightmare.
“Something I Keep Upstairs” is a haunting exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and the darkness lurking just beyond our understanding. It will keep you on edge until the final, chilling page.
Jessica’s Review:
If J.D. Barker’s name is attached to a book, I’m going to see what it’s about! This time we have a haunted house on its own island in a real location called New Castle, New Hampshire. And we have YA characters too! Be sure to read the author’s note at the end of the novel. When I saw that Michael Crouch performed the narration, I just knew I had to listen to this novel. I have adored Michael Crouch in past books I have listened to: He is a perfect narrator for YA characters. And he helped to bring Billy to life telling the listener this story.
New Castle, New Hampshire is a small town and Barker really brings the reader/ listener into this world. Billy Hasler tells us this story: He and David Spivey have been friends since they were four years old. ‘Spivey’ as everyone calls him inherits his grandmother’s house that is on its own island. All the teens are ecstatic over this. But there are rules that are meant to be followed. Some of the rules are:
-Never lock the doors
-Don’t answer the phone
-Anyone on the island at sunset must stay until sunrise
-No one under 16 can set foot on the island (Wait a minute, a teenage boy inherits an island with this rule!?!?)
-Don’t forget to feed Emerson.
These are some strange rules, especially for the teens. And who or what is Emerson???
What starts as adventure turns into a nightmare. Will these teens survive?
Barker did a great job with these characters. I felt like I go to know these characters over the course of the novel. We have witchcraft going on, ghosts, and plenty of supernatural. It is a character driven novel, so if you are looking for a novel to give you ‘jump scares’ this is not it. It does get creepy towards the end, but a lot of this is the journey that Billy, David, and friends go on.
I enjoyed it and thank the publisher for granting me a copy I could listen to and review.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK