Blaze: A Novel

Description

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.

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Customer Reviews

Paid by the Word?
Over the years, I've watched Stephen King grow wordier and wordier - no big deal since I just tend to skim a lot of the prose now. Although the story behind BLAZE is not bad, I was extremely disappointed in the actual writing. Is he getting paid by the word now? If you removed 3/4 of the pointless obscenity -- pointless meaning it didn't add to the story in any way -- you'd probably cut out 50 to 75 pages of the book. Blaze was ridiculous. You tell a story in however many words it takes to tell it. You might flesh it out with any number of things that add to the story, but don't pad it with indiscriminate use of expletives. It detracts from the story and is in really bad taste. Hard to believe this is the same guy who wrote "The Stand" and "Firestarter" and "Insomnia."

2010-07-03 (Kentucky, USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 1

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Bachman needs to stay dead...
There's a good reason the Bachman books are kept separate from King's other work; with the exception of Thinner There all fairly weak efforts and Blaze adds nothing to "Bachman's" rep. It's a one note pulp; think of it as an alternate life for Steinback's Lenny of Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)if Lenny's George was a two-bit criminal with delusions of grandeur. An ill-fated kidnapping, a haunting figment of Blaze's overtaxed imagination and flashbacks filled with missed opportunities are what make up this mess. King always has the ability to make you turn the pages, but I was glad that money from this one was donated to charity; at least it served a purpose other than wasting my time.

2010-06-29 | Jack (Island Heights,NJ) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 1

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Sad....
Coming from my favorite author I was disappointed with this one. Your mileage may vary.

2010-06-26 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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Another Great Novel by the Master of Macabre
I just finished reading "Blaze" by Stephen King (AKA Richard Bachman), my favorite author of all time, the Master of Macabre and all other genres he chooses to tackle. Needless to say, I loved this book.

Blaze is a guy screwed from birth. After his father throws him repeatedly down a flight of stairs, young Blaze ends up in a state ran boy's home. He grows into his hulking physique, his forehead permanently dented from the stairs incident, and loses everyone he loves before reaching adulthood. His pal George schools him in the way of the con, and continues to give him advice even after Ole George dies of a stab wound after a craps game goes bad. Hey, that's the way they roll.

This book is so sad, even though Blaze would never ask for pity. We learn about his tragic past as we follow him on his kidnapping caper, egged on by George, and watch him take care of the baby he snatches and loves as is if he were his own child. Blaze is slow, but has a big heart.

This is a thriller you don't want to miss, and one of the only times your throat will be sore from routing for the 'bad guy'.

2010-04-24 (Kentucky, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Blaze, macabre
One of King's early works takes you through the life of a grossly abused child.
Blaze triggers anger and remorse for all parents who raised their own children in normal households. Maybe this writing also brings back memories of ones own abusive childhood. At least justice prevailed for the kidnapping of the surviving infant. No science fiction in this one but a good read for King's constant readers.

2010-04-08 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Regulators

Description

Hardcover Novel (no dust jacket) by Richard Bachman. Copyright 1996.

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Customer Reviews

Potty Mouth attacks again
This item would probably not have been published if Stephen King had not hit the big time with his other novels. This is a loose collection of mostly obscenities and nasties with a little gore to glue it together. It appears to be a test project for future novels.

I will not go too much into detail as each incidence relies on surprise. However we start out with a normal small town. Bizarre events eventually turn into a surrealistic nightmare. People are trapped in a twilight zone type of atmosphere and the question is if anyone will survive? It does not look possible.


Desperation

2010-01-18 | xyzzy (Arlington, Texas) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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The Regulators

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780451191014
• Fitness: New
• Notes: BUY WITH Boldness, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and handling to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Description

There's a place in Wentworth, Ohio, where summer is in full swing. It's called Poplar Street. Up until now it's been a nice place to live.The idling red van around the corner is about to change all that. Let the battle against evil begin.

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An evil creature called Tak uses the imagination of an autistic boy to shift a residential street in small-town Ohio into a world so bizarre and brutal that only a child could think it up. It's as two-dimensional and gaudy as a kid's comic book, but for this reviewer, The Regulators is a gripping adventure tale about what happens when a mind fixated on TV (especially old Westerns and a cartoon called MotoKops 2200) runs amok. As Michael Collins writes in Necrofile, "[Stephen] King offers his readers a glimpse of the true evil of popular culture ... which has no design or intent, only an empty need to sustain itself. King is, I think, about the canniest observer of what America is, and that he generally writes horror ought to give us pause from time to time."

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Customer Reviews

Had high hopes that this would be better than its sister novel desperation
I had high hopes that this would be better than its sister novel Desperation...but it fell flat, just like its sister. It started out all right but then it just petered out slowly from there. King had a great premise here and he didn't come through on it. Disappointed.

I usually rate books on their re-readability. Desperation and Regulators are not worthy of re-reading.

2010-08-19 | Stu (Arizona) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 2

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LSD
I have read alot of kings books he puts alot into the start and the middle but alot of times the end is just bad the only thing i can say about this book is how much
LSD did king take?

2010-04-17 (las vegas nv) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 1

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Pretty wild, not his best
I know this is a companion to another book, but after finishing it I had no interesting in reading the other. The story was pretty good but I didn't care too much about how it would end. I refer the older King books like from the seventies, but that's just me.

2010-01-06 (Land of the Free) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Weird, but enjoyable
This is a rather scary book, but not quite the style of the usual King book. When I first started reading it, I wasn't sure what might happen. There's a lot of crazy plot twists and surprises to keep you interested, and I had a hard time putting down this book, what with the kids' TV shows coming to reality and that evil spirit who tortures the poor boy and his aunt and the freakout that ensues as the neighbors have to deal with what the heck is happening all around them. There's some fantastic scenes within this book. I definitely enjoyed it, and any SK fan should. A solid 4/5 stars.

2009-12-13 | CultOfStrawberry (I wait behind the wall, gnawing away at your reality) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A good companion to Despertion.
Stephen King shows us his vast imagination again and does not disappoint.

Kindle readers should be prepared to use the magnifier. Journal passages, crucial to understanding of this veiw of the story, can't be resized with the Aa key but can be magnified. Or read those passages on Kindlr PC. Worth the effort.

2009-12-10 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Thinner (Signet)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780451161345
• Notes: BUY WITH Coolness, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and assignment to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Brainwash: New

Description

When an old Gypsy man curses Billy Halleck for sideswiping his daughter, six weeks later he's 93 pounds lighter. Now Billy is terrified. And desperate enough for one last gamble...that will lead him to a nightmare showdown with the forces of evil melting his flesh away.

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Customer Reviews

quick read
A quick reading book that is terrific. Stephen King shows his versatility with this book.

2010-08-30 (Brookline, MA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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I Love Stephen King's Thinner!!
I love this book!! It's the first Stephen King book I have ever read and it took me by surprise! Great story, very sad, and when I first read the book early this year, I couldn't stop thinking about it, especially the ending. To me it was terrifying! I've always admired King, now I admire him even more!! Good job!! Waiting for Stephen King's "It" in the mail! Nice!

2010-07-11 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Review From Books & Wine
Stephen King is the master of giving me the creeps. This book was no exception. Billy Halleck, an overweight well-to-do lawyer, messes up big time and hits an old gypsy woman with his car and kills her. Billy gets off scot-free which pisses the gypsies off, so they curse Billy. Billy loses weight faster than an anorexic, wasting away to nothing. I guess what really creeped me out the most was how the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. It got me thinking about how much we depend on doctors to fix us if we get sick and how scary it would be to have a mysterious disease no one had seen before. Needless to say, this was worth a read during a long summer day.

2010-07-10 (New York United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Classic King
This might not be King's best, and it's a fairly short story compared to some of his other works, but if you're a King fan, you should not be disappointed. I actually saw the movie first before reading this book, and it was nice to compare. Overall, compared to King's other works, this might be considered a 'light' read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

It's interesting to see the reactions of Billy's family to his sudden weight loss, and I also liked the parts with the Gypsies. Part of me says Billy had it coming for what he did to the Gypsy, but part of me also cannot help but feel a bit bas for him. One lesson is clear - don't **** around with the Gypsies. :D

2010-06-07 | CultOfStrawberry (I wait behind the wall, gnawing away at your reality) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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EWWWWWWW
This was one of Steven King's cliff hangers. VERY GOOD, only once predictable but then written off as the story seemed to take a different direction. I was recommended to this story by a friend and am SO GLAD I tracked it down. An Oldie but DEFINITELY a goodie. I say BUY IT and see for yourself

2010-05-29 | MAD (Scottsdale, Arizona) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Running Man

Product Details

• Get: New
• ISBN13: 9780451197962
• Notes: BUY WITH Self-assurance, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and military talents to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Description

The year is 2025. The Running Man is America's favorite television game show. Ben Richards is the program's latest contestant-and the Hunters' latest target in a rigged game of death.

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Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) crafted The Running Man early in his career, though after such mega-hits as Carrie and The Shining. A bit of a departure from the supernatural horror that is most frequently associated with his work, the novel describes a science fiction dystopia where market capitalism and television game shows have spiraled out of control, and the separation between the haves and the have-nots has been formalized with separate currencies. King establishes characters quickly, creating sympathy in the first few pages for Ben Richards--whose 18-month-old baby girl is suffering from a horrible cough, perhaps pneumonia. Not able to afford medicine, Richards enters himself in the last-chance money-making scheme of the Free-Vee games. The games include Treadmill to Bucks, in which heart-attack prone contestants struggle to outlast a progressively demanding treadmill, or the accurately named Swim the Crocodiles. After a rigorous battery of physical and mental examinations, Richards is assigned "Elevator Six"--the path of a chosen few--that leads to The Running Man game. In this game, the stakes and the prizes are raised. Success means a life of luxury. Failure means death. Unfortunately, few ever win the game; in fact, as the producer tells Richards, in six years no one has survived.

The Running Man is a short book, tightly written to be read and enjoyed quickly. The future world it depicts is vividly captured with a few essential details. The action is also fast paced and, though the novel differs from much of King's other work, the sardonic social commentary reveals a pleasing glimmer of King's characteristically twisted sense of humor. --Patrick O'Kelley

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Customer Reviews

Fantastic! a real page turner!
i have been reading king novels for years and this is by far one of his best. avoid the intro because it spoils the ending. luckily i skipped it and saved it till i finished the book. this book goes a mile a minute. if u like fast paced thrillers then this is the book for you.

2010-07-31 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A metaphor for workaholics
I LOVE YOU STEPHEN!!!!! It dawned on me that we are all running men, being followed by guards who keep us in line - buying the right cars, living in the right homes, spending, spending, working, working. . . When we get to the end will we be afraid to stop and collect our winnings?

2010-07-25 | paula (colorado) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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WARNING
So this would have been the first Stephen King book I read cover to cover. I was REALLY excited with the story line and could not wait to start reading it. The mistake I made and am warning you about is that during the introduction "The Importance of Being Bachman" King gives away the ending!!! Not just a "Oh, and then something negative happens" but "Blah, blah, and then he blah blah" specifically. If you want to enjoy the book (as I am CERTAIN I would have) DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION!!!!

Who does that?? Yes, I get it, it has been republished so you want to add a note, but for those who would have picked up the book for the first time (never had seen the movie either so I don't know if it tells the true ending) the book has been ruined!!!. . . I always pictured Stephen King as a smart man. . . WRONG!

So please! Add a HUGE SPOILER warning before you give the ending of a book before the story even starts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-05 | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 1

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I should have read this years ago
What an idiot I am. I never read this because I've seen the movie. But this is a great thriller action packed short story.

This books just reinforces King is the thriller master.
(on a side note - also showcases the talent screen writers have to be able to to adapt a short story to a film and not copy the book.)

They are not the same story, but have the same premise.

Sit back and enjoy.

2010-03-10 | Kindle & limited mobility (New York) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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You won't find Arnold in these pages
In the history of good books, people have created good movies using the books title (but have nothing really to do with the book). BLADE RUNNER and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP is a good example of this. RUNNING MAN is another fine example of this. When I was a teenage, I loved the Arnold movie. Now that I am way past a teenager, I decided to read the source material. I was shocked and thrilled that I stepped into almost an entirely different world.

The Ben Richards of the novel is not a criminal, fabricated or otherwise. The Ben Richards in the novel is a desperate man trying to find a solution to a nightmare many fathers face. Richards is a character in this book faces a far greater challenge than that of the movie. The game arena is the USA. The foes are the good people of the United States of America. In this Dystopia, Richards finds himself struggle to find commrades and figuring out who to trust.

To give too much away would tell major parts of the book. Don't read this book expecting an action adventure film. Read this book expecting a character study of a man who would do anything for those he loves. The writing is not King's best, I thought some of it was a little unbalanced, but the story is captivating.

2010-01-30 (Philadelphia) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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The Long Walk

Product Details

• Notes: BUY WITH Faith, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and professional care to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• ISBN13: 9780451196712
• Persuade: New

Description

On the first day of May, one hundred teenage boys meet for an event known throughout the country as "The Long Walk." If you break the rules, you get three warnings. If you exceed your limit, what happens is absolutely terrifying.

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Customer Reviews

Stephen King is one of my favorite authors.
I love to read any book by Stephen King, and this book was no exception. The book arrived quickly and as promised.

2010-08-21 (Victoria, Texas) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Walk the line
In some weird dystopian future 100 teenage boys volunteer to walk a death march across America in search of the "Ultimate Prize" for the sole survivor - you see, if you can't walk anymore, you're shot. Thus begins an epic 200+ mile walk in which the endurance of the human body and spirit is pushed to its limits.

King does a good job of keeping the story moving despite not much variation in what's happening over nearly 300 pages: they walk, someone falls, is shot, they walk, someone falls, is shot, etc, repeat. The cast of characters is built up and then brought down. We slowly see the characters start to crack up psychologically and then physically, then turn on one another. It's fascinating for a while.

King also doesn't give much away about the world this takes place in - it's recogisable except there is talk of a "Change", of "Squads", and the mysterious "Major" who runs the annual (!) Long Walk. The Walk is spectator sport at its bloodiest.
We are also kept guessing as to the reward for the winner - a prize is mentioned but walkers talk about how they just shoot the winner instead. The ending is masterfully written to keep the reader guessing as to what really happened.

But even if this is one of King's shortest (by his standards), I still think the book was overlong. It's an interesting story that gets a bit long in the tooth due to the slow depletion of the 100 boys and could've been as effective at half the length.

Despite the feeling that it dragged a bit for me, I was definitely impressed with the way King portrayed psychological disintegration so well, as well as the subtletly in which he kept the boys' motives for taking part in the race somewhat ambiguous ("volunteer" is a term used loosely as you find out - or is it? Are they all mad or not?). One of King's most interesting works and better than some of his more well known books, a definite book to check out if you're a fan or would like to read King without the supernatural horror he's famous for.

2010-07-29 (UK) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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Great, strange book
This is sort of science fiction, but not really. It is really psycho-horror. Its about an alternate socialist or communist or fascist america, where people march to their deaths in a contest. Very strange book, the horror is they are all young boys and they walk until they can't then they are shot or whatever. They walk to death, in a race of endurance. But there is not SF reason for this, or supernatural reason. Just a political one.

The characters are all generally good. There are some things I had trouble getting over, such as the idea they didn't all start off terrified. I mean, if you know it is a march to the death, you should be terrified, they all start off too happy. Also, the whole point of the thing was somewhat shaky.

This was one of his very first novels he wrote, I've heard his very first. So, from that angle, its quite good.

2010-07-29 | KindleKrusher (Boca Raton, FL) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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Good Buy
this book was received within the suggested time frame and in the condition advertised. I'm very pleased with my purchase. It was worth the price sent.

2010-07-26 | Mom of 3 Boys (Savannah, GA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Interesting, but ends up pointless
This book is about some young people who engage on a "death march" in a race that promises big rewards. It is a very different from many of King's other books. Is is quite an interesting read and keeps the reader aksing "what happens next." However, by the end of it the reader is left horriblt disapointed and asking himself, "what is the point of it all?" But this is only my opinion. I do not recommend this book.

2010-07-23 (Georgia, USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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