First Edition (1982)
One of Many Reprint Editions
First published back in May of 1982, Stephen King’s ‘The Running Man’ was originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, forming the fourth novel of seven to be published under the Bachman name. The novel was later collected within King’s ‘The Bachman Books’ (1985) omnibus, which contained the first four novels published under this pseudonym.
The story was later adapted into a feature length film directed by Paul Michael Glaser which was released in November of 1987 (although the film adaptation is follows quite a different storyline that the book). In November 2025 a remake of the novel, this time directed by Edgar Wright, was released which followed King’s original narrative much more closely.
The year is 2025 and the world’s economy is on its knees. Across the US, the population are divided by those who are still able to afford a relatively comfortable lifestyle, and those in soul-destroying poverty.
Co-Op City was the epitome of such deprivation. The city had become a radiating rat warren of parking lots, deserted shops, urban centres, and paved playgrounds. Unemployment was rife, leaving many to eke out a meagre existence by any means possible. Black markets, prostitution, drugs, anything that would amount to a few Old Dollars to get them through another day.
Ben Richards’ shared a cramped three-room apartment with his wife, Sheila, and their eighteen-month-old daughter, Cathy, within one of the most deprived and decaying areas of the city, south of the Canal.
Times were tough for the small family unit. Richards was out of work, and their daughter had become ill with pneumonia. She clearly needed medicine and hospital care, but without any money, the couple were unable to do anything for their beloved daughter. Feeling helpless and desperate, Richards knows there’s one final option which could bring in the money they needed to provide the urgent medical care their daughter needs. He would sign up for The Games.
In an attempt to keep the population’s mind of the doom and gloom of existence, The Games aired a daily dose of extreme entertainment. Every house and apartment was furnished with a Free-Vee set to view The Games with. An endless stream of extreme shows, in which the participants were subjected to heinous tasks for a pocketful of New Dollars.
However, there was one show which stood above them all. The Running Man was the most lucrative and dangerous of all the shows. It had been running for six years, however, to date, there had been no survivors.
The rules of the game were simple. The contestant would be let loose from the Games’ towering skyscraper in the heart of Co-Op City, and from the minute they’re let out, they’re on the run. The object of the game is to keep moving, to evade capture and to survive. Capture means death by instant execution. However, the contestant – or his surviving family – will win one-hundred New Dollars for each hour they remain free. If he lasts thirty days, he wins the Grand Prize – one billion New Dollars.
However, constantly on his heels, continually tracking the Running Man, are the Hunters. A unit of governmental agents equipped with sophisticated equipment and training. Not only are these highly skilled operatives hunting him day and night, but the police and general public are also on the lookout. A verified sighting from a member of the public brings them one-hundred New Dollars, whilst a sighting which results in a kill, results in a one-thousand New Dollar reward.
Nevertheless, for Ben Richards, taking part in The Running Man could save the life of his sick daughter. He knows there’s little to no chance of survival for him. But the cash reward for staying alive, even just for one or two days, would be enough to see Cathy and his wife looked after. It was worth the risk. Worth the sacrifice.
He had to do it. Ben Richards had to become The Running Man…
Here we have an early Stephen King offering, utilising a relatively simple plot concept, which weaves in multiple layers of cultural and human behaviour. It delivers a powerful social commentary, emphasized and exaggerated for the effect of the tale and its entertainment value, but without losing its underlying message.
The backdrop is a very bleak, oppressive, ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949) esque setting, with a tyrannical governmental rule dictating almost every aspect of the public’s existence. It’s grim and cruel, setting a palpable distinction between those that ‘have’ and those that ‘have not’. Furthermore, as with ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (1949), the extensive use of governmental/Network propaganda throughout the tale is powerful and an incredibly important layer to the story and the its social (and indeed ecological) commentary.
Our lead character, the principal protagonist – Ben Richards – is a juxtaposition to this cold, uncaring, oppressive rule. Richards is a rebel. A man who we learn has continually pushed back against ‘the system’ all his life. A family man who lives by and follows a strong moral compass, who is able to see behind the fog of the Network deception. Importantly, he’s also open and accessible to broadening his perception. To learn more and through that evolve his stance and understanding.
The story itself is a fast-paced affair, which thunders along at an unrelenting pace. The dystopian backdrop for the tale is set in place quickly and effectively, with a wonderful array of carefully conceived intricate details inserted into the fast-flowing narrative. From Air Cars, to the omnipresent Free-Vee (essentially a governmentally provided Network TV that’s now run entirely by the government), to Cycle Gangs, Anti-Pollution Nose Filters, and New vs Old Dollars, there’s so many finely crafted details thrown in. It's elaborate, creative and all so worryingly believable in some terrifying way.
The early chapters of the novel are given over to Richards undertaking the various tests and trials of his application to The Games. A systematic process designed to determine which specific game he’ll be selected for during his application. Only once he’s gone through the physical, health and psychological tests, does the author reveal the full details of ‘The Running Man’. It’s at this stage, now perhaps a quarter of the way through the novel, when the scene is fully set and Richards is let loose onto the streets, to be hunted down day and night.
From here on it’s a furious, adrenaline-pumping ride through a desperate man’s attempts to stay hidden, evade capture and keep moving. Of course, there’s a constant struggle between paranoia and hyperconscious vigilance. Is that man simply waiting on a street corner, or instead is he scoping out the premises Richards is hiding within? Has that car already passed Richards in the street or is he imagining things? Are the Hunters closing in already? The whole thing pulls you into the scenario with an effective tight engagement.
Helping keep this pacing pounding forward at a veritable mile-a-minute is the short, snappy chapters. Essentially, these chapters are a countdown from one-hundred (“…Minus 100 and COUNTING…”) all the way to zero. Some chapters are literally a paragraph or two, whilst others are a few pages long. There’s always something of particular note that occurs in each and every chapter, the result is a constantly high-octane storyline that maintains this eager intensity throughout all one-hundred chapters.
Of course, Richards doesn’t exactly have an easy ride too. Jeez, does the man go through hell and back?! The pain and suffering he endures, especially over the last third or so of the novel, is absolute hell incarnate. The guy has some balls to keep on going. To not give up and somehow see this thing through to the end (I won’t ruin what that looks like!). Honestly, your heart is constantly in your mouth because of his gut-wrenching determination.
It's a powerfully engaging read, that’s for sure. From the very first page until the explosive ending, it has you totally gripped. There’s no padding, no sagging, but instead a stripped bare, succinct and completely focussed offering that packs in so many heart stopping moments and gut-wrenching twists. Insanely good reading.
The novel runs for a total of 219 pages.
© DLS Reviews
