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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. |
