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 film. 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: Reverence by Raena Rood
Reverence
Series: Reverence #1
Author: Raena Rood
Narrator: Missy Brooks
Audio Published: April 4, 2023
Audiobook: 8 hours 52 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 26-28, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
REVERE THE VOLUNTEER
Inside the walls of Vita Nova, safety comes at a terrible price.
The elderly and chronically ill face mandatory euthanasia, while the “Volunteer Program” offers citizens a week of luxury and adoration—before their execution.
Kira Liebert works with the Volunteers, granting their every wish. Despite losing her sick mother to the Compulsory Program, she believes in the system that keeps their overcrowded city alive.
Until Will Foster walks into her office.
Young, handsome, and volunteering to die for the good of the city, Will has just one request for his Final Week: He wants to spend it with Kira.
Unable to refuse a Volunteer’s last wish, she’s swept into an unexpected journey that takes her beyond the barricade—into the dangerous Unregulated Zone where lawless marauders roam among crumbling buildings and overgrown highways.
What Kira discovers will shatter everything she believes about Vita Nova, forcing her to confront the darkness within the system she once trusted.
Jessica’s Review:
Revere the Volunteer
I can’t recall how I came across Raena Rood’s Reverence series, but the book description gave me similarities of Matched by Allie Condie and other YA Dystopian novels from the 2010s. I enjoyed those books then, so I listened to Reverence and enjoyed it! Reverence is the first in a trilogy and I plan on reading them all! Or in my case listen to them once they are available.
Reverence has an interesting premise that can also be controversial: There was a worldwide plague and what was formerly known as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is now known a Vita Nova. Vita Nova closed itself off to the outside world. Now, at age 60 everyone is ‘sacrificed’ ‘For the Good of All’. Those who are sick become ‘Compulsories’ and will be euthanized ‘for the good of all’. “For the Good of All” is due to the diminished resources and fear of the Lawless (IE Outsiders). I personally have issues with this idea of forced euthanasia on the older and sickly. There is also a “Volunteer Program”: Any resident of Vita Nova can volunteer to be euthanized in exchange for one last week of luxury and whatever they want. And the ‘any resident’ part is shown in this novel, which I was not expecting at all!
Now meet Kira, our FMC, who the novel follows. Two years after losing her mother to city policies, Kira now works with Volunteers to help them with their last week and help get them what they desire. Subsequently she beings to work with one Volunteer: Will. And his only wish is to spend his last week with Kira. But nothing naughty: Remember we have Christian themes throughout this novel!
Being this is a Dystopian novel, of course things are not as they seem. There are discoveries and realizations Kira makes and there is so much more that is to come in the next two novels of the series.
Though Reverence is YA, it is more ‘grown up’ than Matched dealing with adult themes (death, euthanasia, grief, manipulation of society and more), but it also stays clean. I don’t recall any foul language, ‘extreme’ violent content, or sexual content. The Christian themes that come to play in the novel are not ‘in your face’. I am speculating that the Christian themes will come more to the forefront as the series progresses. I don’t have a problem with this at all.
The narrator for Reverence is Missy Brooks and I enjoyed her narration. She really portrayed Kira well!
I look forward to the next in the series, Rebellion. The series has been completely released and is available in e-book and in physical form. I asked the author about the audiobooks since the first is available and she is optimistic for a late November/early December release.
Until I can continue the series, will you choose to ‘Revere the Volunteer’?
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie
One of the Boys
Author: Jayne Cowie
Narrators:
Clare Corbett
Joshua Acehurst
Published: July 11, 2023
Audiobook: 8 hours 3 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: June 12-17, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
A mother knows best… Doesn’t she?
Antonia and Bea are sisters. They are both doting mothers to their sons. But that is where their similarities end. Antonia had her son tested at an early age to ensure her little angel did not possess the ‘violent’ M gene.
Bea refuses to let her son take the test. His life should not be determined by a positive or negative result.
Both of these women will go to any length to protect their sons. But one of them is hiding a monster. And there are going to be fatal consequences for everybody…
Jessica’s Review:
Much like Cowie’s first book I listened to, One of the Boys is one that make you think, and I have enjoyed them both.
In the world of One of the Boys, there is the ‘M gene’ has been discovered in boys. It is a gene that shows the propensity of violence/ antisocial behavior in a boy’s future. And voluntary testing is done at birth. Depending on the results will depend on how the boy is treated for life, and untested is also treated as though the young man had a positive result.
We have two mothers of boys who are also sisters: Antonia and Bea. They are extreme opposites in every way, including their life circumstances and decisions: One sister had her child tested and the other did not.
One of the Boys shows the mother/son relationship and how far mothers will go for their children. We have a twist that I didn’t expect and I enjoyed this book! I’m not a mother, but it made me think!
I did have some issues with the narration: I had issues with the narrator’s accent. I had to start the book over as I had no idea what was going on and who was whom. I actually had to write it down to keep it straight for me for a good bit of the book. This is a ‘me’ issue and not one to blame the narrators on.
I really hope Cowie continues to write books like these, I will keep reading them! I enjoy books that are speculative fiction, and written to make you think about what you might do in a future that might become reality one day.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK