The last of the Richard Bachman novels, recently recovered and published for the first time. Stephen King's "dark half" may have saved the best for last.
A fellow named Richard Bachman wrote "Blaze" in 1973 on an Olivetti typewriter, then turned the machine over to Stephen King, who used it to write "Carrie." Bachman died in 1985 ("cancer of the pseudonym"), but in late 2006 King found the original typescript of "Blaze" among his papers at the University of Maine's Fogler Library ("How did this get here?!"), and decided that with a little revision it ought to be published.
"Blaze" is the story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr. -- of the crimes committed against him and the crimes he commits, including his last, the kidnapping of a baby heir worth millions. Blaze has been a slow thinker since childhood, when his father threw him down the stairs -- and then threw him down again. After escaping an abusive institution for boys when he was a teenager, Blaze hooks up with George, a seasoned criminal who thinks he has all the answers. But then George is killed, and Blaze, though haunted by his partner, is on his own.
He becomes one of the most sympathetic criminals in all of literature. This is a crime story of surprising strength and sadness, with a suspenseful current sustained by the classic workings of fate and character -- as taut and riveting as Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon."
This is the "Old School" Stephen King I really like. I'm glad this one made it to print. There is no horror, scary, or spooky in this one. This is just a down and out "underdog" story that actually takes the listener along for the duration. I made it through this book in one session. Once I started listening, I didn't stop until I had heard the entire book. (Good thing I had the day off!)
Blaze
Written by Sabrina on October 30th, 2008
Book Rating: 4/5
This is not the kind of story I have come to expect from Stephen King, however, I was very pleasantly surprised. I could not help but root for the main character and felt great empathy for him along his path to destruction. Another winner for the master.
Blaze
Written by Raven OKeefe on September 2nd, 2008
Book Rating: 1/5
Stephen King, in his foreword, calls this a "trunk book," one that was stashed away in a trunk and -- now that he's famous - dredged up to sell to his fans.
Stephen: love ya, guy, but some trunk books oughta stay in the trunk.
ewwww. bad duty. didn't finish it, once a new book arrived i raced to the post office to ship this one back!
