Louis L'amour wrote a similar piece of fiction called Last of the Breed - about a Native American USAF officer raised in the ways of his ancestors by his grandfather who is captured during the Cold War and interred in a Gulag, escapes and heads East through the Tioga following the route of his ancestors to North America. The Soviets look for him heading West to Europe but a Yakut tracker for the Soviet security forces understands what's happening and goes after him against their orders. A good read of a struggle between man, society, and nature.

Richard's $.02 :munchin

As hard as it is for me to get my father to talk about his history, my father had told me several times about the stories of hardship of his father and grandfather. His grandfather had been captured by the Russians and sent to a Siberian Gulag, which he later escaped and took him two years to walk back on foot to Poland. Then his father was also captured by the Russians after fighting the Germans in the Warsaw Uprising, while the Russians were sitting on the other side of the river letting the resistance weaken. Then as he was taken to a barn to be executed for participating in the uprising, he broke free and killed his captors. I'd like to one day have everything documented and written down, and maybe perhaps published so this history does not get lost or become forgotten.

In regard to The Long Walk, I remember a Captain was reading it during SERE school and highly recommended it to me. I have still yet to read it, but is on my list to read in the future after I am done with my schooling.