GENERAL INFORMATION
TITLE: THE BACHMAN BOOKS
AUTHOR: STEPHEN KING
PAGES: 865
PUBLISHER: NEW ENGLISH LIBRARY
YEAR: 1986
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bachman_Books
This is a collection of short, early novels King originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The Running Man is the only one adapted for screen into a movie of the sae name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rage is out of print in the USA because of the similarity to a high school shooting. Later prints runs in the UK do not include Rage.
BLURB FROM THE COVER
For years, readers wrote asking if Richard Bachman was really world-best-selling Stephen King writing under another name. Now the secret is out – and so, brought together in one volume, are these four spellbinding stories of future shock and suspense.
RAGE
A high school teenager becomes a gang of one in a terrifying display of rebellion.
THE LONG WALK
A chilling look at the ultra-conservative America of the future where a gruelling 450-mile marathon is the ultimate sports competition.
ROADWORK
An immovable man refuses to surrender to the irresistible force of progress.
THE RUNNING MAN
TV’s future-favourite game show, where contestants are hunted to death in the attempt to win a $1 billion jackpot…
EXTRACT
The morning I got it on was nice; a nice May morning. What made it nice was that I’d kept my breakfast down, and the squirrel I spotted in Algebra II (RAGE)
REVIEW
RAGE
Rage is a striking, powerful novel that offers insight into an uncomfortable truth about USA culture and the number of mass shootings there has been over the years, especially in schools. I was impressed by the lack of gore despite the subject matter. Rage is narrated in the first person by Charlie Decker, a teenager who has lost his mind and gone on a rampage with a gun. His voice is compelling and strong. I found this added real depth to Rage although being inside his unbalanced mind all the time got a little much towards the end. I think the original published title Getting It On was a better one. I found the ending of Rage a bit of a let-down. Charlie’s classmates don’t seem all that bothered by him holding them at gun-point. Ted Jones is the only classmate who doesn’t appear to be on Decker’s side. The rest of the class turn on Ted, physically and mentally torturing him until he becomes catatonic. I didn’t really buy this. I didn’t find the indifference of Decker’s classmates believable or their treatment of Ted. This scene reminded me of The Lord of The Flies where the stranded school boys, now savage turn on the only one among them who still has a shred of sanity. I was glad when Decker was shot down though. Rage has flaws but I was impressed with this short novel overall.
THE LONG WALK: I think this is the strongest early novel in this collection. King reminds me of more recent novels that deal with similar events including The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The Long Walk is very well-written and engaging. I think this would make a great movie. I loved the bleak, terrible world King created. I found it shocking every time a Walker was shot for receiving three warnings for falling below a certain speed. I loved the way King just builds and builds tension. I liked the different characters the main character Ray meets along the way. I felt quite sad when each and every one of them was taken out. The only failing of The Long Walk is its predictability. I felt it was obvious from the start that Ray was going to be the last one left standing and win The Long Walk. This made the ending anti-climactic. I think it would have been more satisfying if Ray had been one of the last one’s shot or King had ended on an unresolved, more ambiguous way (i.e. fade out when there are still a few walkers). The Long Walk is very good but like Rage has flaws.
ROADWORK: I felt Roadwork was the weakest novel in this collection. I really didn’t get on with this one at all. Roadwork is well written. I found the characters very interesting. I did quite enjoy watching George’s descent into madness. It was fascinating in a morbid way. I just didn’t find the plot believable enough. I understand how George feels when he finds out they plan to tear down his house. I don’t own a house but my parents do and have lived in it for over 30 years. I grew up in the house and lived there for 22 years. It would break my heart of I found out it was going to be knocked down. His reluctance to look for a new house or sigh a deal to move the mill where he works to new premises is understandable. At first. The believability fell apart when his wife left him and he resigned. With his wife and job gone his obsession with the new road became implausible. His actions become more and more ludicrous as he moved from one extreme to the next. King didn’t make me believe Roadwork enough. I saw the ending coming a mile away.
THE RUNNING MAN: I enjoyed this almost as much as The Long Road. I also really like the movie version starring Arnie. Like The Long Walk this reminds me of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and similar titles. The Running Man is well written. I really liked the characters. I like the rather sinister world king created with The Running Man. I found it fascinating the way the game company turned Richard into a villain and made him public enemy number one until crowds were baying for his blood. I felt world, events and characters in The Running Man were completely believable. I loved the ending. It was really sad when Richard found out what had happened to his wife and daughter, the reason he became a contestant in the first place. I loved the closing scene when he drove the plane in the headquarters of the gaming company. Excellent little novel.
RATING
UP NEXT IN THE STEPHEN KING PROJECT:
The Dark Half by Stephen King
