Lezersrecensie
The biggest show on earth
Stephen King published multiple books under his pseudonym of Richard Bachman. He did so for multiple reasons, among them: he wrote more stories than his publisher(s) wanted to print and because he wanted to see what would happen if another's name was on the cover. From the beginning he toned down Richard Bachman's wishlist. Which is why the Bachman books ended up in the 'Cannon fodder' part of the book stores. The Running Man is the fourth book which he published under the pseudonym: Richard Bachman. With Thinner it is also (to date 24 september 2024) one of the two stories that made it to the big screen, when Stephen King wrote as Richard Bachman.
Ben Richards needs money to help his daughter, who needs medical attention. The biggest TV-show needs participants in a deadly hunt, and Ben Richards is desperate enough to enter. Not only is Ben Richards hunted by specialized hunters, everybody who sees him can help by calling them or doing the job themselves.
Althoug I have seen the movie multiple times, it was the first time I read the story. And it is very different from the movie (which is not abnormal). The playing field for the hunt is the entire planet, not just a shut off section of a city. The way that Ben Richards evades the hunters at the start of the story is not in the movie.
Seeing how much money is at stake when apprehending Ben Richards, the poverty people live in and the way it is brought, it is unbelievable that Ben Richards would get that much help from total strangers. Yes, he pays them. Yes, these people have about the same problem Ben Richards has, which make it (for me that is) even more unlikely that he would get the help he got. If you can leave this behind, Richard Bachman/Stephen King treats you to an exciting story.
The chapters are numbered from high to low, which give an extra feeling that speed is of the essence. The chapters are of differing length and give a scene that pushes the plot forwards. Sometimes the chapters deal with a few minutes of time, sometimes they deal with a few hours to a few days.
Ben Richards needs money to help his daughter, who needs medical attention. The biggest TV-show needs participants in a deadly hunt, and Ben Richards is desperate enough to enter. Not only is Ben Richards hunted by specialized hunters, everybody who sees him can help by calling them or doing the job themselves.
Althoug I have seen the movie multiple times, it was the first time I read the story. And it is very different from the movie (which is not abnormal). The playing field for the hunt is the entire planet, not just a shut off section of a city. The way that Ben Richards evades the hunters at the start of the story is not in the movie.
Seeing how much money is at stake when apprehending Ben Richards, the poverty people live in and the way it is brought, it is unbelievable that Ben Richards would get that much help from total strangers. Yes, he pays them. Yes, these people have about the same problem Ben Richards has, which make it (for me that is) even more unlikely that he would get the help he got. If you can leave this behind, Richard Bachman/Stephen King treats you to an exciting story.
The chapters are numbered from high to low, which give an extra feeling that speed is of the essence. The chapters are of differing length and give a scene that pushes the plot forwards. Sometimes the chapters deal with a few minutes of time, sometimes they deal with a few hours to a few days.
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