This is one of a few books I have that can I pick up and re-read when I have nothing else to read or am just too lazy to run to the bookstore. Does anyone else have books that they've read half a dozen times which are just good 'filler' books (for lack of a better word)?

100 teenage boys voluntarily line up on a Maine road in mid spring. When the clock strikes 9, the long walk begins. 4 MPH is the minimum speed that must be maintained. If the limit is breached, a warning is issued. If, an hour after being warned, no more warnings are given, one is dropped. You can have a maximum of 3 warnings. The next time you drop below 4 MPH, you're shot. Last boy left walking wins.

Wins what, you might ask? That's not important. "The prize" is mentioned with reverance several times, but never better defined than "whatever you can wish for". What is important are the characters and how they deal with choosing death. What drove them in their lives to risk it all for the chance at the prize? And how will they deal with the insane situation they now find themselves?

At first you think, "Why would anyone throw their life away on almost certain suicide?! It's insane!" There is, after all, only one winner. However, the more you think, the more you begin to rationalize. It sounds so simple. The most innocuous of actions; something we've done almost since birth. All you have to do is walk. I can sympathize so readily with the characters in believing that I could keep up the pace for as long as it took to win. But it's the little things that you don't think about that ruin you. A pebble in a shoe causes a blister. A canteen, drunk too fast, results in a cramp. Charley horses, bathroom breaks, sleep, hunger, delerium, hallucinations, insanity. I love this book.

Stephen King has always been one of my favorite authors when it comes to the art of characterization. I've always firmly believed that if your characters are believable and interesting, the plot is of secondary importance. And King's characters are legendary. Look no further than Needfull Things, The Shining, or The Stand.