The Long Walk
Stephen King, read by Kirby Heyborne, Penguin Audio, unabridged, nine CDs, 11 hrs., $39.95 ISBN 978-0-14-242783-5
Ray Garraty—along with 99 other teen boys—has entered the Long Walk, a grueling march at four miles per hour that continues until only one person is standing. The losers receive bullets to the head. As the march progresses, the numbers dwindle, the challenges of continued marching increase, and the senselessness wears on the participants' state of mind. King (writing as his alter ego, Richard Bachman) delivers another psychologically dark tale with commentary on society, teenage life, and cultural entertainment that is still poignant decades after its original publication. Kirby Heyborne's skills shine in the narrative passages, which he executes with a good mixture of rhythm and emphasis. Heyborne's light and youthful-sounding voice exudes the needed attitude of the mostly male adolescent characters. However, some of his character voices for the teens feel created just for the sole purpose of clearly distinguishing them, rather than matching voice organically to personality. His female voices lack substance, but since there are so few of them, listeners will not be too distracted. A Signet paperback. (Apr.)
Details
Reviewed on: 05/31/2010
Genre: Audio
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-4417-3299-6
Compact Disc - 978-1-7971-0748-6
Compact Disc - 978-1-4417-3300-9
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-5082-1729-9
MP3 CD - 978-1-4417-3303-0
Mass Market Paperbound - 400 pages - 978-1-6680-5201-3
Mass Market Paperbound - 244 pages - 978-0-451-08754-6
Mass Market Paperbound - 370 pages - 978-0-451-19671-2
Mass Market Paperbound - 400 pages - 978-1-5011-4382-3
Open Ebook - 400 pages - 978-1-5011-4132-4
Open Ebook - 384 pages - 978-1-101-13818-2
Paperback - 320 pages - 978-1-5011-4426-4
Paperback - 978-0-451-98623-8
Pre-Recorded Audio Player - 978-1-4417-3306-1
