What do you do when the book you were assigned makes you so mad you can barely get through it? Celeste and John tackle The Running Man, Stephen King's dystopian thriller published under his pen name Richard Bachman, and they both walked away with the same feeling. What did they think about the protagonist, the underlining messaging, and the over all structure of the story? Check out this very honest review of one of King's most debated early works.

📚 Books and Media Mentioned

Main Episode Book:

• The Running Man by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)

Recent Reads:

• Final book in the Fred the Vampire Accountant series (Celeste)
• Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked by Jean "Malice" Thornton, brother of Pusha T (John) | Content advisory: mature language and themes

Books Referenced in Discussion:

• The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Cell by Stephen King (recommended as a better alternative if you like this type of story)
• Bone Man's Daughter by Ted Decker (mentioned by John, author name stated from memory mid-conversation)
• The Circle series by Ted Decker

Movies and Shows Referenced:

• The Running Man (1987 film) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Blade Runner
• Altered Carbon
• Speed (1994) starring Keanu Reeves

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 Intro and welcome back after a hiatus

1:05 Recent reads: Celeste on the final book in the Fred the Vampire Hamilton series

2:29 Recent reads: John on Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind, and Naked by Jean Malice Thornton (Pusha T's brother)

4:51 Transitioning to the main book: The Running Man by Stephen King as Richard Bachman

5:12 Plot summary: Ben Richards enters a deadly televised survival competition to get medicine for his daughter

6:00 John's reaction: why he put it straight into his Did Not Finish pile

7:07 Celeste's reaction: bored, couldn't connect to the main character at all

8:00 The Richard Bachman identity: why this book feels more agenda-driven than typical Stephen King

9:39 Character problem: we never get to know Ben Richards before the chaos starts

10:41 World-building discussion: could this be in the same universe as The Long Walk? The Fahrenheit 451 comparison

11:02 Structural issues: the chapter countdown gimmick and why it does not add up

12:14 "It felt like a Squid book": a nod to Katherine, who picked this title, and her taste for the dour

13:06 Final ratings and craft discussion: King's writing quality saves it from zero stars

15:29 The movie comparison: 1987 Schwarzenegger film vs. the book

16:00 The Speed (1994) physics tangent

17:29 Final verdict: do they recommend The Running Man?

18:33 Closing book recommendation: The Cell by Stephen King

🔗 Find Us

Website: wereadallegedly.com

Instagram: @wereadallegedly

Twitter: @wereadallegedly

Goodreads: We Read, Allegedly group

Email: wereadallegedly@gmail.com

Proudly part of the Devoted Geek Network: geekdevotions.com

We Read Allegedly is a book review podcast where we are definitely, totally reading books as often as we say we are.

This month John and Celeste talk about Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson.

Also.... We Have Merch Now! https://geekdevotions.creator-spring.com/listing/we-read-allegedly?product=46&variation=2759

Hi Grand-mama Squid!

If you want to interact with us, feel free to join the Devoted Geeks Discord https://discord.gg/ZwWgzqKzwm If you would like to hear more of rt out since he had to make it.) https://linktr.ee/johnharju

If you want to know more about what Celeste does, check out all her stuff here https://linktr.ee/celeste.mora.

As always, Squid is elusive and may be found in the greater Chicago area, sinking ships and taking names—you know, doing squid things.

We've been MIA, this very quick episode explains why.