The Running Man

About “The Running Man”

The Running Man is a dystopian thriller novel by Stephen King, first published in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was later included in the 1985 collection The Bachman Books. Set in a bleak 2025, the story takes place in a United States where the economy has collapsed and global violence is increasing. The protagonist, Ben Richards, is forced to participate in a brutal reality show called The Running Man, in which contestants are hunted by the public for a large reward. The novel is structured in 101 chapters, presented in a "countdown" format, beginning with "Minus 100 and Counting ..." and ending with "Minus 000 and Counting."