This was great. You know, as good as SK is at creating entire towns and populating them, he also does small stories really well. This reminded me a lot of (view spoiler)[Gerald's Game, with the focus on how bodies break down under stress (hide spoiler)], but of course the stories are completely different. 
 A friend described this book as chilling, and I think that's an excellent word for it. The thought of a society where things like the Long Walk exist is chilling, and the descriptions of what these boys go through is chilling.