The year is 2025, in an alternate, dystopian future. The economy has sunk, and the whole country is crippled by extreme poverty and rampant pollution. Ben Richards’ infant daughter is dying of pneumonia, but he cannot afford even basic medicine. He takes the only option available, to enter a lethal state-run reality contest which is entertainment for the masses.
Richards is selected for the most popular and dangerous programme, “The Running Man”. He is declared an enemy of the state, and given a 12-hour head start before an elite hit squad is sent to kill him. His goal is to stay alive as long as possible; he earns money for every hour he survives, and wins the grand prize if he lasts 30 days.
As Richards travels across a decaying America, he realizes that the game is rigged; the public is encouraged to report his location for rewards, and the “news” is heavily manipulated by the network to portray him as a dangerous criminal to ensure the viewers stay hostile. Eight days and several betrayals later, Richards is gravely wounded, and in a final act of defiance against the totalitarian regime, he hijacks a jetliner and pilots it into the television network’s headquarters.
Fast paced action intermixed with near-prophetic predictions of a bleak future where governments and corporations join hands to exploit the populace, there is very little to not like about this book. The rise of popularity of reality television alone makes the book prescient. A masterpiece from a master of the art, Stephen King wrote under the pseudonym “Richard Bachman” to afford himself more creative freedom. And we are all the richer for it.