The Running Man

The Running Man by Richard Bachman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was terrifying to read in December of 2016, and it's even more horrifying to review in early 2017. In the dystopian future of The Running Man, "the poor are seen more by the government as worrisome rodents than actual human beings." ...Hmmm...sound familiar? This book, written by Stephen King under a pseudonym, isn't your typical Stephen King thriller, but its premise is chilling and more relevant today than ever before.

First thoughts: The Hunger Games meets Blade Runner meets Fahrenheit 451 meets 1984. I was surprised at how familiar Ben Richards' world is. I didn't think a book written in the early 1980s would resonate so well/so eerily today.

Favorite quote: "Protest did not work. Violence did not work."

Reality thoughts: The more I read, the more breaks I needed to take. Things got too real: asthma and cancer on the rise because of pollution, the government hiding information, denying environmental hazards, treating the poor and underemployed like criminals, profiting off violence and fear....it got to be too much.

Recommended for: Americans. Specifically ones who thought a racist clown would make their country "great again," those who are starting to see the cracks in the facade, and others who still believe the circus act.

Final thoughts: What was a scary book pre-inauguration is now our reality. The last few chapters had me gasping in shock, not unlike how I read the news these days.


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