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Running Man: The Audiobook
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(3.97) - 31,214 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A desperate man attempts to win a reality TV game where the only objective is to stay alive in this #1 national bestseller from Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman.
It was the ultimate death game in a nightmare future America. The year is 2025 and reality TV has grown to the point where people are willing to wager their lives for a chance at a billion-dollar jackpot. Ben Richards is desperate—he needs money to treat his daughter’s illness. His last chance is entering a game show called The Running Man where the goal is to avoid capture by Hunters who are employed to kill him. Surviving this month-long chase is another issue when everyone else on the planet is watching—and willing to turn him in for the reward.
Each night all Americans tune in to watch. So far, the record for survival is only eight days. Can Ben Richards beat the brutal odds, beat the rigged game, beat the entire savage system? He’s betting his life that he can…
With an introduction by Stephen King on “The Importance of Being Bachman,” The Running Man is a terrifying novel about the eternal fight of good versus evil.
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"What can I say? Stephen King as Richard Bachman books never disappoint. This book is a fast paces thriller and suspense type of book that will keep you on edge. Short chapters give you a perspective of the main character plus the people after him. Set in the future where the only way to support your family is to go on a life and death game show. I finished the book in 4 hours or so and it is my 2nd favorite SK book after Blaze. If you're looking for a fast read to kill some time, or a thrill ride in general, this book works as both and will not disappoint. 4.5/5"
— Solim (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Stephen King is one of those natural storytellers…getting hooked is easy.”
— Frances Fyfield, bestselling author -
“An incredibly gifted writer, whose writing, like Truman Capote’s, is so fluid that you often forget that you’re reading.”
— Guardian (London) -
“Merely by tickling the keys of his word-processor King can make the flesh creep half a world away.”
— Times (London) -
“The action is…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.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review
Running Man Listener Reviews
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" Not hard to believe Stephen King's claim that he wrote this book in a week. It was later adapted to a far smarter Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. "
— Brett, 2/14/2014 -
" Great story that led to a good movie. "
— Jones, 2/14/2014 -
" I loved this book and so did my husband. I can't believe it took me so long to get around to reading it, it's so short. It's more concise than Stephen King usually is, and it's such a page turner that you can't put it down. It unexpectedly had a lot of social commentary in it, and it leaves you wondering what happens to the society that remains. "
— Natasha, 2/5/2014 -
" POW. Read this. It is awesome. "
— Eileen, 1/21/2014 -
" Thank you for telling me how the book ended in the preface, Stephen King. You are a jerk.... Completely ruined the book for me before I'd even started reading, which is sad because other than the complete lack of suspense I really like The Running Man. "
— Theresa, 1/4/2014 -
" If you saw this movie, I'm sorry. The book was great and had this thing called "Emotion" that the movie refused to produce. The ending is WAY better too! "
— Rsoeffker, 1/2/2014 -
" I loved this book. There's nothing better than an average guy sticking it to the man. SK imagination blows me away. "
— Samantha, 12/18/2013 -
" Way better than the movie (although Richard Dawson is very good). "Only in the reruns, Ben!" "
— Will, 12/3/2013 -
" Greatest Unexpected Ending i could Have Ever Hoped For. Take NOTHING From the Movie. they Are COMPLETELY Different. "
— Levi, 12/2/2013 -
" This is def. another one of my favorite Stephen King books. It was alot different compared to some of his and not really "horror" but more of a thriller. I recommend this to anyone who likes Stephen King and has not read "The Running Man" yet. "
— Manda, 11/18/2013 -
" MEH. Love love love the movie (but they're not really comparable). "
— Andrea, 10/17/2013 -
" Hard to say if this is cooler than the movie but it's definitely darker and more serious. The movie is really just loosely based on the concept. Most of Kings best stuff is in these kind of short stories he wrote early in his career. "
— Adam, 9/10/2013 -
" Powerful,but definitely better under Bachman pseudoonym. NOT as good as book on time "
— Valerie, 9/3/2013 -
" Felt I had to go back to a Stephen King novel again. Was better than the movie, darker anyways. "
— Benjamin, 4/10/2013 -
" my 12 y/o son wanted to read this book so i decided to read it again to make sure it was ok. i really enjoyed to story and got a kick out of how SK thought 2025 would be - pay phones, polaroids, no gps???? LOL "
— Carla, 3/21/2013 -
" a quick but fun read. "
— Clayton, 2/19/2013 -
" This book will make you afraid of game shows. "
— Ted, 8/11/2012 -
" The really scary part about a book written in 1982- is how close we are now with the sickening reality shows of today. "
— Lora, 8/8/2012 -
" It was a really great, quick read, although I think Stephen King had a lot of sexual thoughts while writing it...and the ending confused me. Other than that it was great. "
— Riley, 4/5/2012 -
" A really good movie however other ratings only gave it a 3.5 but it is good reading "
— Mailelou, 11/12/2011 -
" So much better than the movie! "
— Ron, 8/23/2011 -
" i don't know if many people notice that but some parts of 9\11 plot was predicted in this book "
— Pavel, 8/9/2011 -
" dark but lovely. hard core sf. "
— Lidija, 7/13/2011 -
" The Running Man is a fun fast read. It is a well written, high action, survival thriller. The suspense flows well from chapter to chapter making it difficult to put down once started. I am a fan of dystopian novels and this one did not disappoint. "
— Thejoshua, 5/3/2011 -
" Awesome short novel. Bears no resemblance to the movie, so I'm glad that I saw that first. Probably would've hated the movie if I had read this first and then expected it to live up to the book. "
— Jonathan, 4/30/2011 -
" Interesting and promising beginning. I lost interest as the story progressed. "
— Pam, 4/23/2011 -
" A bit different, ie more dark and realistic, than the film. "
— Ryan, 4/5/2011 -
" Very very different from the Arnie movie. Both are very good. The book is grittier, far less comic book in style, quite hard hitting and dark. DOn't expect a hollywood happy ever after ending but nonetheless very satisfying. "
— Christopher, 3/21/2011 -
" Still waiting to see how this panned out in a film; however, the story unfolds amazingly. It enthralls and terrifies while making you root for the final vengeance. "
— Austin, 3/16/2011 -
" Non ho trovato il titolo in italiano... "
— Demian, 3/16/2011 -
" This one had a good pace, though I am sad to say, sometimes a fast-pace is a good thing for a book that seems to be going nowhere. The ending did not disappoint me, I am glad to say. "
— Leah, 3/11/2011
About Stephen King
Stephen King has written more than sixty books, many hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker Awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story “The Man in the Black Suit.” He is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures.
About Kevin Kenerly
Kevin Kenerly, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, earned a BA at Olivet College. A longtime member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has acted in more than twenty seasons, playing dozens of roles.