The Long Walk, by Stephen King

I read that this was Stephen King's first novel, written when he was 20 and in college.  As I understand it, he later revised it and published it as a "Bachman Book."  I read it mainly to compare King's early work (which is where I'll be when I get back to actually writing instead of just reading) to his later work, which I think is excellent.  I wanted to see the degree to which King developed his ability, and perhaps give myself hope that I could do the same.

The Long Walk was well written in terms of style (which could have been accomplished while editing later), but lacked the depth of character and plot which are present in King's later novels.  The Long Walk refers to a walk to the death run as some kind of national sport in an alternate reality of the United States which has somehow become a dictatorship.  The novel starts and ends with the Long Walk which makes a nicely delimited plot for a beginning author to work within.

Overall, my reading of The Long Walk accomplished my purpose.  I saw that King's ability to create interesting characters and plots developed as he wrote.  It gives me hope that I can accomplish the same with lots of practice.