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Available
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Library's review
Indeholder "Introduction: Why I was Bachman", "Rage", "The Long Walk", "Roadwork", "The Running Man".
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Publication
New York : New American Library, Signet, 1986.
Description
A collection of Stephen King's early works, written under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. "Rage: A high school show-and-tell session explodes into a nightmare of evil -- The long walk: Only death can keep you from the finish line- in the ultimate competition of the all-too-near future-- Roadwork: What happens when one good-and-angry man fights back is murder- and then some-- The running man: In the year 2025, the best men don't run for president. They run for their lives--"--Page 4 of cover.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jseger9000
The Bachman Books collects the first four (of five) novels that Stephen King chose to publish under a pseudonym.
It opens with an introduction where King tries (and sort of flails at it) to explain why exactly he adopted a pen name. For me, this intro was the most enjoyable part of the book. Reading
Rage
Maybe describing Rage as 'Stephen King does The Breakfast Club' is too obvious, but there it is.
Charlie Decker decides to 'get it on' one day. He shoots his Algebra teacher and takes the class hostage. Rather than freezing up into a state of catatonia, the class becomes group therapy and there is much soul searching.
I have to be honest and say that I think the main character, Charlie is a pretty irritating character. I felt like my sympathies were misplaced. Ted (a character who is dumped on through the story) was a much better (and more sympathetic) character than our star.
And even though the novel was short at a hundred and seventy pages, at the end it felt like it was dragging. Despite the promising set up, this book didn't grab me. I'd say it's the weakest of his novels I've yet read.
The Long Walk
Now here's something. A virtually unknown Stephen King novel that is excellent. A vaguely science fiction novel in a fascist state that runs an annual competition called 'The Long Walk'. A group of one hundred young people (you must be under eighteen) start at the Maine/Canada border and walk south. You must walk a minimum of four miles an hour. Fall below that and you receive a warning. After three warnings you are shot by the impassive soldiers following behind in a half-track. The last Walker wins.
I'd always figured that Rage would be the Bachman book that was 'worth reading' because of its notorious reputation if nothing else. And yet The Long Walk blows the so-so Rage to pieces. It is a much better book. Through the course of a novel, you come to know a small group of boys, not wanting to become too attached, knowing that they must all die for the Walk to end. King is excellent not just in detailing the constant tension of literally being followed by your would be killers, but in describing all the microscopic, miserable little details of the death march. You feel like you are marching with them as the scenery rarely changes and their bodies fail.
It's very similar to a book I just finished recently, Battle Royale. It is leagues better in quality though. Battle Royale was trashy pulp trying to defend itself by pretending to be something more. The Long Walk is something more, disguised as trashy pulp.
Roadwork
There's a freeway extension coming through. It will require the demolition of both Barton George Dawes' home and office, and that's something that Bart just can't let slide.
The book is interesting and well written, but there's just something wrong with it. I think part of the problem is that the book is for the most part a drama, but there's this sort of thriller going on in the background. First thing Bart does is purchase a couple of guns while arguing with a voice in his head. Yet it's too far in the background. I guess I would have preferred the suspense elements of the book to be sprinkled more liberally through the entire narrative rather than surfacing from time to time only to submerge again while Bart's midlife crisis/breakdown continued.
The writing is pretty impressive, considering Stephen King wrote so well about Bart's midlife crisis while he was such a young guy and the ending was pretty strong. Maybe I would have liked it better if it had started with the standoff and then was presented as a flashback. But then I would be making the book into something that it is not.
The Running Man
Ben Richards needs money in a bad way. He has nothing to lose, but a lot to live for. His desperation drives him to sign up for The Running Man, free-vee’s hottest game show. If he can survive being hunted for thirty days, he will win the grand prize of one billion New Dollars. So far the record is eight days.
The Running Man is about as stripped down a book as Stephen King is likely to write. In the introduction he mentions it was written within a week and published with very few changes. A very straight ahead thriller that churns right along with barely a pause for breath.
The book is fast paced and fun with a wallop of an ending, but the social commentary is a little heavy handed. A fun book and the most simply entertaining of the Bachman books in this collection, but it is far from being top-tier King.
Overall, The Bachman Books is probably the weakest of Stephen King's novella collections. The Long Walk is excellent and worth a read and The Running Man is a goof (though not as fun as it should have been), but Rage and Roadwork are both too problematic to be enjoyable.
It opens with an introduction where King tries (and sort of flails at it) to explain why exactly he adopted a pen name. For me, this intro was the most enjoyable part of the book. Reading
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it, you get the sense that King felt like he was caught doing something dirty and is attempting to explain himself with his hands in his pockets and a guilty smirk on his face.Rage
Maybe describing Rage as 'Stephen King does The Breakfast Club' is too obvious, but there it is.
Charlie Decker decides to 'get it on' one day. He shoots his Algebra teacher and takes the class hostage. Rather than freezing up into a state of catatonia, the class becomes group therapy and there is much soul searching.
I have to be honest and say that I think the main character, Charlie is a pretty irritating character. I felt like my sympathies were misplaced. Ted (a character who is dumped on through the story) was a much better (and more sympathetic) character than our star.
And even though the novel was short at a hundred and seventy pages, at the end it felt like it was dragging. Despite the promising set up, this book didn't grab me. I'd say it's the weakest of his novels I've yet read.
The Long Walk
Now here's something. A virtually unknown Stephen King novel that is excellent. A vaguely science fiction novel in a fascist state that runs an annual competition called 'The Long Walk'. A group of one hundred young people (you must be under eighteen) start at the Maine/Canada border and walk south. You must walk a minimum of four miles an hour. Fall below that and you receive a warning. After three warnings you are shot by the impassive soldiers following behind in a half-track. The last Walker wins.
I'd always figured that Rage would be the Bachman book that was 'worth reading' because of its notorious reputation if nothing else. And yet The Long Walk blows the so-so Rage to pieces. It is a much better book. Through the course of a novel, you come to know a small group of boys, not wanting to become too attached, knowing that they must all die for the Walk to end. King is excellent not just in detailing the constant tension of literally being followed by your would be killers, but in describing all the microscopic, miserable little details of the death march. You feel like you are marching with them as the scenery rarely changes and their bodies fail.
It's very similar to a book I just finished recently, Battle Royale. It is leagues better in quality though. Battle Royale was trashy pulp trying to defend itself by pretending to be something more. The Long Walk is something more, disguised as trashy pulp.
Roadwork
There's a freeway extension coming through. It will require the demolition of both Barton George Dawes' home and office, and that's something that Bart just can't let slide.
The book is interesting and well written, but there's just something wrong with it. I think part of the problem is that the book is for the most part a drama, but there's this sort of thriller going on in the background. First thing Bart does is purchase a couple of guns while arguing with a voice in his head. Yet it's too far in the background. I guess I would have preferred the suspense elements of the book to be sprinkled more liberally through the entire narrative rather than surfacing from time to time only to submerge again while Bart's midlife crisis/breakdown continued.
The writing is pretty impressive, considering Stephen King wrote so well about Bart's midlife crisis while he was such a young guy and the ending was pretty strong. Maybe I would have liked it better if it had started with the standoff and then was presented as a flashback. But then I would be making the book into something that it is not.
The Running Man
Ben Richards needs money in a bad way. He has nothing to lose, but a lot to live for. His desperation drives him to sign up for The Running Man, free-vee’s hottest game show. If he can survive being hunted for thirty days, he will win the grand prize of one billion New Dollars. So far the record is eight days.
The Running Man is about as stripped down a book as Stephen King is likely to write. In the introduction he mentions it was written within a week and published with very few changes. A very straight ahead thriller that churns right along with barely a pause for breath.
The book is fast paced and fun with a wallop of an ending, but the social commentary is a little heavy handed. A fun book and the most simply entertaining of the Bachman books in this collection, but it is far from being top-tier King.
Overall, The Bachman Books is probably the weakest of Stephen King's novella collections. The Long Walk is excellent and worth a read and The Running Man is a goof (though not as fun as it should have been), but Rage and Roadwork are both too problematic to be enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member Bakerina
I just re-read this. I haven't read it since high school. I basically had the same impression, I remembere the Long Walk and the Running Man. But the other two I couldn't really recall. I remember being really struck by the ending of both of these. King has always been good at not giving you the
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warm fuzzy endings you expect. There is of course still and amatuerish quality. (he wrote most of it in college) I've never thought King was a very good writer, but an amazing story teller. Also after you read it you should go wathc the Running Man and see how they basically just took the title and made a movie out of it. But its still a fun movie at least. Show Less
LibraryThing member celestialfingerpaint
While I did enjoy the stories in this book, I really thought the introduction was the best part. In it, King gives us a look at what being famous does to a person and why they might wish for the good ol' days of anonymity.
As for the stories, "Rage" was my favorite. I read this long before such
As for the stories, "Rage" was my favorite. I read this long before such
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horrible things as the Columbine shooting, but when that happened, I was able to feel at least a bit of sympathy for the shooters. Having read what pushed Charlie Decker to such extreme action, I couldn't help but wonder what pain those shooters must have been in to do such a thing. It's something I would suggest any parent read. It's fiction, yes, but the insight into the mind of a troubled teenager is very real. Show Less
LibraryThing member santhony
This works consists of four novellas previously published under Stephen King's pen name Richard Bachman. Contains the magnificent story, The Long Walk, as well as Running Man. Rage and Road Work are not up to the level of the other two, but the book is well worth the time just for Long Walk.
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Chilling. Show Less
LibraryThing member atreic
Only read Rage (the book Steven King wishes he hadn't written) in June 2012. I don't think I wish he hadn't written it because it might glamourise and encourage high school shootings, just because it's an ikky little horror book that leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. The take home message that most
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people are just waiting for a chance to escape the system and be horrid to each other is a very good _horror story_ but feels very unrealistic and just a bit too grim. We need to talk about Kevin does a much more interesting and nuanced job of asking 'why', and even Jodi Picoult's page turner feels a more realistic model of the behaviour of teenagers in such a situation. Show Less
LibraryThing member klemay42
Although Thinner was by far the best of the Bachman books, these are an interesting look at the way King writes when he isn't writing about monsters in the walls and demon librarians. This and Different Seasons are among my favorites of his.
LibraryThing member booksrgr8
Since I've only read 2 of the hour stories in this book, I can only comment on those two. The Long Walk was by far my favorite story. I could not believe all the boys were wanting so bad to be a part of this competition where only one person would leave with the prize and their life.
The Running Man
If you haven't read this book, check it out to read The Long Walk and The Running Man at a minimum.
The Running Man
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was the other story I read which I thought was pretty good. Another one of those competitions where the biggest prize is to remain alive. After reading this story, I went to my local movie rental stores to rent the movie, but wouldn't you know... noone knew what I was talking about. I know it's an old movie probably found only on VHS, but I thought someone might have it but no such luck. If you haven't read this book, check it out to read The Long Walk and The Running Man at a minimum.
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LibraryThing member Jthierer
Honestly, these were just OK. "The Long Walk" was the best of the bunch, but even it didn't really move me to emotion until the very end. I would recommend sticking with King's early work under his own name.
LibraryThing member karieh
The first time I heard of the craptastic reality show "Survivor" - I thought of the Running Man. I thought that type of TV would NEVER come to pass - and yet - here we are. "Fear Factor" anyone?
LibraryThing member mimiwi
Stephen King at his best- in shorter story format...before his books became better suited for doorstops.
LibraryThing member StefanY
Rage:
One of King’s earliest works, Rage wasn’t published until he had established himself and when it was, it was published under the author name Richard Bachman. This novel is definitely raw in many aspects, but I think that is what helps to give it its charm.
The story centers on a student
Not the most action packed or scary of King’s novels, but still manages to be a page turner. I rank it up with the top of his novels from the story-telling aspect of this novel alone.
The Long Walk:
The Long Walk is another of Stephen King's novels written as Richard Bachman. In the traditional style of his Bachman writings, it is much more raw than most of his other writing. I enjoy the change in style as it lends even more realism to his writing and makes the story even more intense.
The Long Walk isn't really a horror tale so much as it is a tale of friendships formed under dire circumstances. We see up close how this interpersonal relationships grow and dissolve and reform again with great frequency throughout the race. It is also about the strength of the human spirit. When pushed to its limits, the human mind continues to push the body on into realms never deemed possible by the rational mind.
The story is a good one, if a little predictable, and even though it moves along at a slower pace than some, it's almost like we are right there with the walkers as follow-along spectators. Rich in detail and character, the slow pace doesn't make you want to stop reading, if anything, it enhances the tension.
I truly enjoyed rereading this novel and plan on visiting it again in the future.
Road Work:
This is my lowest rated King book so far. Not to say that it is a bad book or that I would discourage anyone from reading it, but it's definitely not on par with the majority of King's other works.
As usual, character development is top notch and the plot itself has no real problems. My problem with the book is that it really takes forever to get anywhere. The basic theory of the plot is that we see a man's descent into madness as everything that he has worked his entire life for is being taken away from him. He systematically sets out to destroy anything that he has left and tries to find a way to exact some sort of vengeance against the powers that be who have ruined his existence.
I have no problem with this storyline except that the way that it plays out, a lot of it is a rehash of what happens to the mind of Jack Torrance in The Shining. It's not nearly as nutty as The Shining, nor do we have the supernatural overtones in Roadwork, but I just got the general impression that I'd experienced the feel of the novel somewhere else.
Anyway, I don't want to condemn this story in any way. The main character is compelling and endearing in his way and the novel definitely has some strong moments here and there, I just felt that it took a little to long to get to some of them.
The Running Man:
It's the future and Ben Richards journeys to the Network Games Building to apply for a job as a contestant in order to supply the money to feed his family and provide medicine for his sick infant daughter. The job he gets ends up being more than both he and the Network bargained for!
The Running Man is a fairly well written tale set in the now not too distant future. Interestingly enough, the country is riveted to their free-vees in order to watch what is in essence nothing more than an unending stream of reality television game shows. It makes me wonder if Mark Burnett based some of his ideas upon this book and the (sort of) related movie.
Once Richards has moved through the application process, the action moves along at a pretty brisk pace and there are some really nice elements of storytelling apparent throughout. My only complaint is that King tries a little too hard with creating the future setting and goes overboard with the names and slogans for things that he uses in his setting. At times, especially during the beginning of the book, it's a bit cheesy and distracting.
One of King’s earliest works, Rage wasn’t published until he had established himself and when it was, it was published under the author name Richard Bachman. This novel is definitely raw in many aspects, but I think that is what helps to give it its charm.
The story centers on a student
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who kills his teacher in front of his class and holds the class hostage for most of the day. He and the class then discuss a variety of issues, but the main conversation revolves around what has led him to this. King’s narrative and character development really help to pull the reader into the story and there is enough tension to help keep things moving when it starts to seem that it’s going to be dull.Not the most action packed or scary of King’s novels, but still manages to be a page turner. I rank it up with the top of his novels from the story-telling aspect of this novel alone.
The Long Walk:
The Long Walk is another of Stephen King's novels written as Richard Bachman. In the traditional style of his Bachman writings, it is much more raw than most of his other writing. I enjoy the change in style as it lends even more realism to his writing and makes the story even more intense.
The Long Walk isn't really a horror tale so much as it is a tale of friendships formed under dire circumstances. We see up close how this interpersonal relationships grow and dissolve and reform again with great frequency throughout the race. It is also about the strength of the human spirit. When pushed to its limits, the human mind continues to push the body on into realms never deemed possible by the rational mind.
The story is a good one, if a little predictable, and even though it moves along at a slower pace than some, it's almost like we are right there with the walkers as follow-along spectators. Rich in detail and character, the slow pace doesn't make you want to stop reading, if anything, it enhances the tension.
I truly enjoyed rereading this novel and plan on visiting it again in the future.
Road Work:
This is my lowest rated King book so far. Not to say that it is a bad book or that I would discourage anyone from reading it, but it's definitely not on par with the majority of King's other works.
As usual, character development is top notch and the plot itself has no real problems. My problem with the book is that it really takes forever to get anywhere. The basic theory of the plot is that we see a man's descent into madness as everything that he has worked his entire life for is being taken away from him. He systematically sets out to destroy anything that he has left and tries to find a way to exact some sort of vengeance against the powers that be who have ruined his existence.
I have no problem with this storyline except that the way that it plays out, a lot of it is a rehash of what happens to the mind of Jack Torrance in The Shining. It's not nearly as nutty as The Shining, nor do we have the supernatural overtones in Roadwork, but I just got the general impression that I'd experienced the feel of the novel somewhere else.
Anyway, I don't want to condemn this story in any way. The main character is compelling and endearing in his way and the novel definitely has some strong moments here and there, I just felt that it took a little to long to get to some of them.
The Running Man:
It's the future and Ben Richards journeys to the Network Games Building to apply for a job as a contestant in order to supply the money to feed his family and provide medicine for his sick infant daughter. The job he gets ends up being more than both he and the Network bargained for!
The Running Man is a fairly well written tale set in the now not too distant future. Interestingly enough, the country is riveted to their free-vees in order to watch what is in essence nothing more than an unending stream of reality television game shows. It makes me wonder if Mark Burnett based some of his ideas upon this book and the (sort of) related movie.
Once Richards has moved through the application process, the action moves along at a pretty brisk pace and there are some really nice elements of storytelling apparent throughout. My only complaint is that King tries a little too hard with creating the future setting and goes overboard with the names and slogans for things that he uses in his setting. At times, especially during the beginning of the book, it's a bit cheesy and distracting.
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LibraryThing member slealos
I'm glad I bought this novel when I did because Rage is no longer in print. I would say the stories are 50/50 with Rage and The Long Walk the standouts and Running Man a fun romp. Road Work is the weak link on the batch. If you can find a copy with Rage in it, grab that one as it is a great story
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and one of King's best short novellas. Show Less
LibraryThing member saskreader
Enjoyed these stories, Long Walk probably the best.
LibraryThing member rrriles
I'm rating this book as I might have in eighth grade, when I read and loved it. Forever intertwined with Offspring's Smash in my thirteen-year-old mind.
LibraryThing member fred_mouse
More tightly written than I have come to expect from Stephen King, although that may be that I have read more of his later works, and fewer of the early ones. These stories are intensely memorable - the basic conceits worm their way into the subconscious, and make looking out at the world just that
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little bit stranger. For me, "The Long Walk" and "Thinner" stand out from the other two novels, but I suspect that different people will react to different stories. These stories are not in your face horror, but the creeping horror of the way that humans can lose their humanity, as they fail to respect the humanity of others. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandbarjack
rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man are the four stories included in The Bachman Books. Running Man probably got the most attention because of the movie, but I feel The Long Walk was the best read. It was a premonition of reality TV.
Contestants risk their lives for ease and their
I enjoyed the story of bonds made, then shattered by the fact there can only be one winner. King is right on about what people can be motivated to do for fame and fortune; what others will watch with glee and our species bloodlust.
Contestants risk their lives for ease and their
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fondest wish while the rest of the country watches. The challenge is to see which contestant can walk I95 at a brisk walk. Slow down or stop...and with the fourth warning get a bullet in the brain. Talk about being voted off. Literally, the last man standing takes the prize.I enjoyed the story of bonds made, then shattered by the fact there can only be one winner. King is right on about what people can be motivated to do for fame and fortune; what others will watch with glee and our species bloodlust.
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LibraryThing member srboone
Four early novels by King written under the name of Richard Bachman. Not much compassion in these works, but they are all monstrously entertaining.
LibraryThing member amberella
Probably my favorite from King. Really enjoyed The Running Man. Must read.
LibraryThing member jodes101
Particulary loved the Long Walk
LibraryThing member lizamichelle1
Rage: I enjoyed this one. A troubled teenager kills a few teachers and takes one of his classes hostage. Makes them tell true stories of their lives, exposing secrets. I cant remember exactly how it ends, but the story itself was good.
The Long Walk: Was a long read. About a contest for young men to
Roadwork: I found boring. It is about a guy who is angry with progress. The new road is being built and eminent domain takes his home and business. He decides to be a thorn in the side of progress.
The Running Man: Another game of survival. The world is truly broken into the haves and the haves nots. A man from the slums of Coop-City needs meds for his toddler daughter who has pneumonia. With no money he signs up for any of the get-killed games shows and gets "The Running Man". They pay the contestant a certain amount for every hour they stay alive. The longer he is alive the more he earns, if he lives past 30 days he wins a billion New Dollars. No one has lived longer than a week.
The Long Walk: Was a long read. About a contest for young men to
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win money at the end of an 450 mile walk. They are not allowed to stop. If they stop for too long they are killed. They make friends and they make enemies. Roadwork: I found boring. It is about a guy who is angry with progress. The new road is being built and eminent domain takes his home and business. He decides to be a thorn in the side of progress.
The Running Man: Another game of survival. The world is truly broken into the haves and the haves nots. A man from the slums of Coop-City needs meds for his toddler daughter who has pneumonia. With no money he signs up for any of the get-killed games shows and gets "The Running Man". They pay the contestant a certain amount for every hour they stay alive. The longer he is alive the more he earns, if he lives past 30 days he wins a billion New Dollars. No one has lived longer than a week.
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LibraryThing member beejay8084
One of my favorites is the Long Walk. Love it!
LibraryThing member JonathanCrites
I got this specifically to read Rage, as it is out of print. I'd say for an early novel it was pretty good, I am not sure of the ultimate message though.
LibraryThing member KRaySaulis
Rage - This book was exactly the right length. It had the potential to drag on too long, and I found myself fearing it would, but he ended it at exactly the right point. It had the same feel to it as "Lord Of The Flies". You could feel something bad coming from the odd anarchy happening with the
The Long Walk - This book was incredibly depressing, even for a Stephen King book. Like my partner pointed out, though, if you go to Stephen King you aren't looking for rainbows and butterflies. It always messes with my head a bit when Stephen King walks his characters through the town I live in but these characters walked a road I drive every single day for work, and a lot of them died on that road. Morbid, even for Stephen King. However, it captivated me, partly because of its morbidity. I couldn't put it down. There were a few obvious and annoying errors, such as using the word "anthology" instead of "analogy" (unless there is a definition for anthology I'm not aware of that is blatantly incorrect). I think I would give this story on its own three stars.
Roadwork - Fascinating story. This entire breakdown of this man's life was amazing to witness. I particularly liked the way he began to care for the young hitchhiker. She was more than a one-night stand. That was beautiful. The whole story was beautiful and tragic and amazing.
The Running Man - Honestly, after reading The Long Walk and my girlfriend talking nonstop about "Hunger Games" I was kind of tired of the reality-tv-gone-morbid plotline by the time I got to this book. The first half of it, because of that, kind of bored. The ending made it worth it though. The frantic method in which is was written perfectly portrayed the frantic thoughts of the lead character as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. Brilliant.
Overall I am giving the whole book 3 stars because it was entirely too easy for me to put this book down at points and not pick it up for days, even when in the middle of one of the plotlines. Rage is still my favorite of the four because of the psychological and socio themes behind it. Overall, great book.
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characters, but until it happened you weren't quite sure what it was going to be... Brilliant. Four stars, just because it wasn't a gripping tale. It didn't captivate me like Stephen King usually does.The Long Walk - This book was incredibly depressing, even for a Stephen King book. Like my partner pointed out, though, if you go to Stephen King you aren't looking for rainbows and butterflies. It always messes with my head a bit when Stephen King walks his characters through the town I live in but these characters walked a road I drive every single day for work, and a lot of them died on that road. Morbid, even for Stephen King. However, it captivated me, partly because of its morbidity. I couldn't put it down. There were a few obvious and annoying errors, such as using the word "anthology" instead of "analogy" (unless there is a definition for anthology I'm not aware of that is blatantly incorrect). I think I would give this story on its own three stars.
Roadwork - Fascinating story. This entire breakdown of this man's life was amazing to witness. I particularly liked the way he began to care for the young hitchhiker. She was more than a one-night stand. That was beautiful. The whole story was beautiful and tragic and amazing.
The Running Man - Honestly, after reading The Long Walk and my girlfriend talking nonstop about "Hunger Games" I was kind of tired of the reality-tv-gone-morbid plotline by the time I got to this book. The first half of it, because of that, kind of bored. The ending made it worth it though. The frantic method in which is was written perfectly portrayed the frantic thoughts of the lead character as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. Brilliant.
Overall I am giving the whole book 3 stars because it was entirely too easy for me to put this book down at points and not pick it up for days, even when in the middle of one of the plotlines. Rage is still my favorite of the four because of the psychological and socio themes behind it. Overall, great book.
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LibraryThing member Lukerik
The quality of these novels varies enormously. At the bottom we have Rage. This is a trunk novel and it shows. New editions of the Bachman Books don't include it. Not much of a loss. King says this is because a disturbingly high number of kids who've gunned down people in American high schools have
The problem being, that there's no point to the novel. It either needs to be full length with many points or a short story with one... but there's no point at all! This is because there's no reason for him to 'get it on'. Charlie is entirely without motivation and his hostages are entirely without motivation in assaulting Ted.
At 131 pages this is hardly a chronic pain but it could all be over so much quicker if it weren't padded out with boring pointless stories told by Charlie and the others.
What a load of crap.
At the other end of the spectrum is The Long Walk.
It's set in a 1979 alternate reality where apparently the Nazi's developed nuclear power and there have been some knock on effects in American culture. You can basically ignore that though as the entire novel takes place from the point of view of Garrity who is walking along with 99 other boys. If you stop the guards shoot you. Last one walking wins a prize.
Something of a testament to King's ability that he can sustain your interest for so long while working within such narrow confines. There's none of the detailed reams of backstory that King usually uses (to the detriment or completion of the story depending on your point of view): just the boys dealing with themselves and each other.
I have to wonder about the mental state of a man who would think up an idea like this. The happy place is a dot to him.
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owned a copy. I suspect that it's because it's shit!The problem being, that there's no point to the novel. It either needs to be full length with many points or a short story with one... but there's no point at all! This is because there's no reason for him to 'get it on'. Charlie is entirely without motivation and his hostages are entirely without motivation in assaulting Ted.
At 131 pages this is hardly a chronic pain but it could all be over so much quicker if it weren't padded out with boring pointless stories told by Charlie and the others.
What a load of crap.
At the other end of the spectrum is The Long Walk.
It's set in a 1979 alternate reality where apparently the Nazi's developed nuclear power and there have been some knock on effects in American culture. You can basically ignore that though as the entire novel takes place from the point of view of Garrity who is walking along with 99 other boys. If you stop the guards shoot you. Last one walking wins a prize.
Something of a testament to King's ability that he can sustain your interest for so long while working within such narrow confines. There's none of the detailed reams of backstory that King usually uses (to the detriment or completion of the story depending on your point of view): just the boys dealing with themselves and each other.
I have to wonder about the mental state of a man who would think up an idea like this. The happy place is a dot to him.
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LibraryThing member Marcella1717
Great writing, as always, but too gruesome for my taste.
I read some King books before I read these books, but have never again picked one up after.
I honestly do not know if I should recommend these. If you liked the movie Hannibal, read them - they left me with the same feeling as that movie.
I read some King books before I read these books, but have never again picked one up after.
I honestly do not know if I should recommend these. If you liked the movie Hannibal, read them - they left me with the same feeling as that movie.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1977-09-13 (Rage)
1979-07 (The Long Walk)
1981-03-03 (Roadwork)
1982-05-04 (The Running Man)
1985-10-04
Physical description
944 p.; 16.8 cm
ISBN
0451147367 / 9780451147363
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser et landskab, hvor en række af kranier strækker sig hele vejen mod horisonten
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslaget viser et landskab, hvor en række af kranier strækker sig hele vejen mod horisonten
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
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Cujo by Stephen King
Pages
944
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |