In the near future, a young boy has been one of 100 selected to take the Long Walk--a deadly contest of endurance and determination, in which each step can literally be your last. Follow the contestants' tortured footsteps as they struggle with each other, and themselves, to survive the race.

Title of introduction: The importance of being Bachman. "The Long Walk was first published in a Signet edition under the name Richard Bachman, and later appeared in NAL hardcover and Plume trade paperback omnibus editions titled The Bachman Books under the name Stephen King. "The Importance of Being Bachman" appeared in slightly different form in the 1996 Plume edition of The Bachman Books"--Title page verso.