Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
London : New English Library, Jan.1983.
Description
Tilvr̆elsen gr̄ ikke rigtig godt for Charlie. Han gr̄ i gymnasiet og fr̄ psykologhjl̆p, fordi det kniber med at styre temperamentet. En dag er alting uudholdeligt, og han tager sin fars pistol....
User reviews
LibraryThing member jseger9000
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
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.
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member areadingmachine
The book that Stephen King has asked never to be reprinted for the fear that it has contributed to or inspired some of the school shootings that are happening every month across America.
Our protagonist Charlie Decker is a very troubled and confused young man. Not knowing his place in society or
After being expelled for hitting his Chemistry teacher, he takes the gun hidden in his locker, shoots his teacher and proceeds to take the rest of the class hostage. He is intelligent, articulate and highly motivated which makes him a nightmare for every authority figure he speaks to as he outwits and embarrasses them all.
He also begins to get into the heads of his classmates who also feel marginalised and who for the first time have the opportunity to work out old grudges and be open about their feelings. A real exploration story it asks the question 'why are we so angry'?
The ending is classic Stephen King and I wont spoil it for you.
Our protagonist Charlie Decker is a very troubled and confused young man. Not knowing his place in society or
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really understanding the benefit of the rules he sees other people so willingly follow, he sets out to discover something more than the superficial, about himself and his classmates and he does it with a gun. After being expelled for hitting his Chemistry teacher, he takes the gun hidden in his locker, shoots his teacher and proceeds to take the rest of the class hostage. He is intelligent, articulate and highly motivated which makes him a nightmare for every authority figure he speaks to as he outwits and embarrasses them all.
He also begins to get into the heads of his classmates who also feel marginalised and who for the first time have the opportunity to work out old grudges and be open about their feelings. A real exploration story it asks the question 'why are we so angry'?
The ending is classic Stephen King and I wont spoil it for you.
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LibraryThing member branimal
School shootings.
When events like this happen, you can't turn a blind eye to it. Why? Because it's everywhere. It's unavoidable. I believe in almost all school shootings (and I'm no expert, folks), the shooter rarely survives the ordeal - so, we're left with the question: why did so-and-so commit
In "Rage", King (under the pen name, Richard Bachmann) crafts a scenario in which high school student Charlie Decker holds his class hostage. Throughout the novel, Charlie recounts his life and the events that led up to that fateful morning. We are also treated to a glimpse into the lives of those held at gunpoint, the students.
In the years following the book's release, there would be at least two events that occurred copying the books plot. On both occasions, the book was found in the possession of the shooters. After it happened, King strongly urged that the book be pulled from publication.
After finishing "Rage", I can see why King no longer wishes to have the book published. He basically turns Decker into somewhat of an anti-hero as the reader is subjected to sympathizing with him. He generally seems like a likable kid who just happened to have a hard upbringing. All the signs were there; abusive father, strict mother, unpopular at school and repeated sexual frustration - they can make someone jaded towards the world. I found myself confused as to how I actually felt for him, despite the fact that he had no regard for human life - I guess that's why it was pulled from the shelves.
Overall, this book blew me away. It was kept so tight that all the drama wasn't wasted. I flew through this so quickly as I had a hard time putting it down. It's probably a good thing that it's not longer published based on the two incidents involving real life school shootings, but I think that if you have a chance to read it - maybe you should give it a chance. That is, if you can find it.
When events like this happen, you can't turn a blind eye to it. Why? Because it's everywhere. It's unavoidable. I believe in almost all school shootings (and I'm no expert, folks), the shooter rarely survives the ordeal - so, we're left with the question: why did so-and-so commit
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these atrocities? Unfortunately, investigative reporters and police have to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of these people's lives to try and see the bigger picture. It involves a lot of guess work and interviews with those who claim to truly know these people.In "Rage", King (under the pen name, Richard Bachmann) crafts a scenario in which high school student Charlie Decker holds his class hostage. Throughout the novel, Charlie recounts his life and the events that led up to that fateful morning. We are also treated to a glimpse into the lives of those held at gunpoint, the students.
In the years following the book's release, there would be at least two events that occurred copying the books plot. On both occasions, the book was found in the possession of the shooters. After it happened, King strongly urged that the book be pulled from publication.
After finishing "Rage", I can see why King no longer wishes to have the book published. He basically turns Decker into somewhat of an anti-hero as the reader is subjected to sympathizing with him. He generally seems like a likable kid who just happened to have a hard upbringing. All the signs were there; abusive father, strict mother, unpopular at school and repeated sexual frustration - they can make someone jaded towards the world. I found myself confused as to how I actually felt for him, despite the fact that he had no regard for human life - I guess that's why it was pulled from the shelves.
Overall, this book blew me away. It was kept so tight that all the drama wasn't wasted. I flew through this so quickly as I had a hard time putting it down. It's probably a good thing that it's not longer published based on the two incidents involving real life school shootings, but I think that if you have a chance to read it - maybe you should give it a chance. That is, if you can find it.
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LibraryThing member theWallflower
I've wanted to read this one for a long time, but could never find it. Stephen King let it fall out of print and called it "a good thing". Personally, I found that hypocritical. This is the guy who says "you can have my books when you pry them from my cold dead hands."
The book itself shows those
Eventually, they start revealing that they're not happy, they're not the perfect choir girls parents think they are. They get pretty comfortable with a madman with the gun in the room. So much, it only takes 2 hours for them to get Stockholm syndrome and side with the madman.
The plot is implausible. It has that 70's style-over-realism thing going on. King is famous for that in the Bachman books. The ending has earmarks of 80's horror movie cheesiness. If you want to complete your King collection or have a jones for stories about school rebellion, this is a fine read. But otherwise, I think it can be passed.
The book itself shows those
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shades of early King, before he became too wordy. It's not horror or supernatural, it's dark satire (and some author venting). The kid goes into school and holds a classroom hostage. The problem is what happens there. While we get flashbacks of the killer's life, he plays around with his power on the students. Like resolving an argument between girls with a fight. Eventually, they start revealing that they're not happy, they're not the perfect choir girls parents think they are. They get pretty comfortable with a madman with the gun in the room. So much, it only takes 2 hours for them to get Stockholm syndrome and side with the madman.
The plot is implausible. It has that 70's style-over-realism thing going on. King is famous for that in the Bachman books. The ending has earmarks of 80's horror movie cheesiness. If you want to complete your King collection or have a jones for stories about school rebellion, this is a fine read. But otherwise, I think it can be passed.
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LibraryThing member jessilouwho22
This was my first Richard Bachman. From what I've heard, most people prefer The Long Walk. If that's the case, then I can't wait for that because I loved Rage.
In this day and age, this is a little rough to read, but although this is about a taboo subject, it offers a twisted perspective into the
I won't lie, this was pretty twisted and there were parts of it that I wasn't even sure I understood fully. Right now even looking back, I'm not sure I understood the point of it. I really liked it though, despite how crazy that makes me sound. It's interesting to see an even darker side of Stephen King. I think the only way to explain it is how King himself explained Bachman:
"Bachman--a fictional creation who became more real to me with each published book which bore his byline--was a rainy-day sort of guy if ever there was one. The good folks mostly win, courage usually triumphs over fear, the family dog hardly ever contracts rabies; these are things I knew at twenty-five, and things I still know now, at the age (almost) of 25 x 2. But I know something else as well: there's a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters. It is good to have a voice in which the terrors of such a place can be articulated and its geography partially described, without denying the sunshine and clarity that fills so much of our ordinary lives. For me, Bachman was that voice."
The craziest part, to me, about that introduction is that as King was describing Bachman, a persona formed in my mind, and it's still hard for me to see them as two separate people. Stephen King's just that talented.
Anyway, back to Rage. I flew through it. Like I said, even though I didn't understand all of it, I felt so compelled to keep reading--I've always wanted to know what a schizophrenic's mind was like and now I think I have some sort of an idea. My favorite quote from this is when Charlie Decker is talking about his school psychiatrists and psychiatrists in general. He originally refers to his psychiatrist as a "mindfucker," and then says, "That's what a shrink is for, my friends and neighbors; their job is to fuck the mentally disturbed and make them pregnant with sanity." I can't really place a finger on it, but I really liked it.
I'm very very excited to read more from Bachman. If they keep getting better like what I've heard, I have a feeling that old Richard Bachman is going to become a friend of mine.
In this day and age, this is a little rough to read, but although this is about a taboo subject, it offers a twisted perspective into the
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mind of a killer--of a schizophrenic school shooter. I won't lie, this was pretty twisted and there were parts of it that I wasn't even sure I understood fully. Right now even looking back, I'm not sure I understood the point of it. I really liked it though, despite how crazy that makes me sound. It's interesting to see an even darker side of Stephen King. I think the only way to explain it is how King himself explained Bachman:
"Bachman--a fictional creation who became more real to me with each published book which bore his byline--was a rainy-day sort of guy if ever there was one. The good folks mostly win, courage usually triumphs over fear, the family dog hardly ever contracts rabies; these are things I knew at twenty-five, and things I still know now, at the age (almost) of 25 x 2. But I know something else as well: there's a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters. It is good to have a voice in which the terrors of such a place can be articulated and its geography partially described, without denying the sunshine and clarity that fills so much of our ordinary lives. For me, Bachman was that voice."
The craziest part, to me, about that introduction is that as King was describing Bachman, a persona formed in my mind, and it's still hard for me to see them as two separate people. Stephen King's just that talented.
Anyway, back to Rage. I flew through it. Like I said, even though I didn't understand all of it, I felt so compelled to keep reading--I've always wanted to know what a schizophrenic's mind was like and now I think I have some sort of an idea. My favorite quote from this is when Charlie Decker is talking about his school psychiatrists and psychiatrists in general. He originally refers to his psychiatrist as a "mindfucker," and then says, "That's what a shrink is for, my friends and neighbors; their job is to fuck the mentally disturbed and make them pregnant with sanity." I can't really place a finger on it, but I really liked it.
I'm very very excited to read more from Bachman. If they keep getting better like what I've heard, I have a feeling that old Richard Bachman is going to become a friend of mine.
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LibraryThing member PhoebeReading
In a novel that, now, feels unnervingly close to possible (and, in fact, may or may not have inspired actual school shootings), Stephen King presents the memoirs of Charlie Decker, school shooter. The opening chapters of this novel are terrifying--the reader often feels how unsettled Decker is
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through the plain, clear prose that is King's trademark. However, by the novel's midsection, when the students that Charlie is holding hostage begin to trade personal anecdotes, the urgency of the story, and its believability putters out. The stories that the students tell themselves are tenderly written and very realistic, but I just couldn't buy the narrative frame--that high school students would use a school shooting as an excuse for a lengthy bonding and rap session where they talk about their shitty parents and shittier sex lives. Show Less
LibraryThing member phlll
OK, so while I like Stephen King, the only reason I read this book is because he mentioned it in his "GUNS" essay. This book was pulled from print at his request because of the correlation to school shootings, and he felt something needed to be done.
While I respect (but disagree with) his views on
Rage itself really isn't that good of a book. To me it didn't seem that realistic that the "hostages" would have reacted like they did.
To be fair, this was one of the first books he wrote so he has come a long way. It was somewhat interesting but is more of a "rainy day and can't find anything better" sort of read to me.
While I respect (but disagree with) his views on
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the book, it was his baby and his right.Rage itself really isn't that good of a book. To me it didn't seem that realistic that the "hostages" would have reacted like they did.
To be fair, this was one of the first books he wrote so he has come a long way. It was somewhat interesting but is more of a "rainy day and can't find anything better" sort of read to me.
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LibraryThing member Bridgey
One of Stephen Kings earliest novels released under the pen name Richard Bachman. King actually asked the book be removed from the shelves following a number of copycat incidents in the USA.
Charlie Decker is a high school student who after a meeting with his principal shoots a teacher and locks
All the children seem to be relatively happy with the situation except for Ted Jones, who Charlie comes to see as his opposition.
I could only give the book 3 stars as I really couldn't empathise with any of the characters. I found the way that people acted very unrealistic and really just couldn't get hooked into the story. I suppose I only finished it as it ewas written by King (one of my favourite authors). Still, as a novel written while still in school it was a solid start to a brilliant career.
Charlie Decker is a high school student who after a meeting with his principal shoots a teacher and locks
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himself in with his class. Holding his fellow pupils at gunpoint they get talking and explore incidents from Charlies childhood.All the children seem to be relatively happy with the situation except for Ted Jones, who Charlie comes to see as his opposition.
I could only give the book 3 stars as I really couldn't empathise with any of the characters. I found the way that people acted very unrealistic and really just couldn't get hooked into the story. I suppose I only finished it as it ewas written by King (one of my favourite authors). Still, as a novel written while still in school it was a solid start to a brilliant career.
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LibraryThing member Jonez
2.75
I haven't read this since junior high school, so I felt a re-read was in order.
I'll share my thoughts soon...
I haven't read this since junior high school, so I felt a re-read was in order.
I'll share my thoughts soon...
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Meh....although very topical considering what is happening today, I don't think that it would go down the same way. The teenagers in this story live with a certain ennui that makes them almost enjoy being held at gunpoint because it is something different. The only thing that I want to know is what
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exactly happened to Ted. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bethiepaige
That was intense, like really what did I read?
It was interesting how it all happened.
You wanted to feel for Charlie.
You felt like you could kinda understand him.
Though the ending with Ted, that was disturbing.
It was written well, like any King piece, but it's a little different to what I've
It was intense, never a dull moment.
It was interesting how it all happened.
You wanted to feel for Charlie.
You felt like you could kinda understand him.
Though the ending with Ted, that was disturbing.
It was written well, like any King piece, but it's a little different to what I've
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read.It was intense, never a dull moment.
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LibraryThing member nimil
this story blew me away.. i read it not long after columbine occurred but it was by coincidence that i picked it up. i had no idea what the story was about at the time. i still consider it a must read.
LibraryThing member bethie-paige
That was intense, like really what did I read?
It was interesting how it all happened.
You wanted to feel for Charlie.
You felt like you could kinda understand him.
Though the ending with Ted, that was disturbing.
It was written well, like any King piece, but it's a little different to what I've
It was intense, never a dull moment.
It was interesting how it all happened.
You wanted to feel for Charlie.
You felt like you could kinda understand him.
Though the ending with Ted, that was disturbing.
It was written well, like any King piece, but it's a little different to what I've
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read.It was intense, never a dull moment.
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LibraryThing member lilysreads
Oh. My. God. This book was spectacular! Read it guys, just read it!
LibraryThing member trayceetee
I read this back in the late 80's...
Now that I'm reading a collection of books focusing on school shootings (for a book talk I plan to do later this year), I decided to pick this one back up again. I had forgotten how it all went down. This was AMAZING, because it had so much more of a sense of
Now that I'm reading a collection of books focusing on school shootings (for a book talk I plan to do later this year), I decided to pick this one back up again. I had forgotten how it all went down. This was AMAZING, because it had so much more of a sense of
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purpose; also, I felt like it REALLY pointed out the mental illness struggles that I would imagine shooters might be going through AS WELL AS mental illness issues many of the non-shooters might be going through. Show Less
LibraryThing member martensgirl
It's an interesting book, showing King before he had honed his craft as a writer. The story concerns a high school shooter with a never-disclosed mental illness who turns a hostage situation into a therapy session for his classmates. The true horror is when the classmates turn on a boy, rendering
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them little better than the protagonist. It had the potential to be so much more, but given the main character has zero redeeming qualities, it falls a little flat. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anagarika
This was okay. I don't like Bachman books as much as his better known name, Stephen King.
LibraryThing member Carol420
This book was published in 1983. No one ever thought that this could or would actually happen. After all…it was just fiction. It was a story written by one of America’s greatest, scariest horror writer of all time…Stephen King, under the pen name of Richard Bachman…a man that has made
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literature history writing about horrific, nightmare making events…places… and people. Fiction is fun and by definition unreal, not true, often impossible…until it’s NOT. Stephen King requested the book be pulled from publication due to real-life school shootings that may or could have been partially inspired by it. Some called it censorship but I couldn’t help but feel it was a most respectable act that he had the book pulled for something he believes in. Perhaps if he could have foreseen these future events that would cover the nations headlines a few short years later and if the world hadn’t been such a much different place at that time…he would not have made the gun wielding, teacher killer, hostage taker character of Charlie so sympathetic, amiable and heroic figure to the students. Show Less
LibraryThing member AKBouterse
I did not enjoy this at all. Charlie Decker is either a completely unsympathetic hero or a really smart ass, arrogant villain. No one in this book reacts the way they actually would if they were trapped in a class with a person who shit two people. As someone who had a gun scare at my school no one
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remains concerned with popularity and no one feels sympathy or like for the shooter. Everyone comes to like Charlie decker and to dislike the one person who actually does think he is dangerous. Beyond just having a terrible main character this book is just boring. This book is only 131 pages and I still had a hard time working my way through it because it is just so dull. A good portion of this book is just the different students (mostly Charlie ) telling stories but these stories are soooo boring. You can tell that King started writing this book in high school because Charlie comes off as a person who doesn't understand how the world works and thinks his classmates will like him more if he does something like shooting his algebra teacher. And the thing is in this book it works which is just incredibly unrealistically. This whole book is a frustrating read and I honestly wouldn't recommend it. King let this book go out of print, mostly because of its relation to real life school shooters but I don't think not having this book on the market is a bad thing because it just isn't a very good book. I've heard much better things about the next Bachman book "The Long Walk" so I'm much more excited to read that one. Show Less
LibraryThing member J.E.Schier
Eh. Kind of hooks you at the start (typical of any King story, basically) but gets tedious. It doesn't leave a great taste in your mouth - even King says in the introduction that he was young and cynical enough to believe in unhappy endings and Freudian explanations for a kid killing his teacher...
That said, he was only 18 or 19 or so, and it is definitely well written. You can really see the crackle of the prose and authenticity that King would become known for.
It is a very 70s novel, I should add. Lots of virginal girls wearing frumpy sweaters crossing their legs and saying, "humph!"
Well, not humph, but y'know. Being frumpy. And of course there is the class whore who smokes. This is a mediocre review, I'm just stream of consciousness tying my thoughts a few hours after finishing.
I guess it SORT OF sucks that this is out of print (due to school shootings) but I also don't think the modern world is missing out on a great King novel. Plus, you can find one in almost any used bookstore.
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I'm not saying I'm against opinions in books, it's just that every other sentence was the character (and maybe King) spouting his ideas about the world. That said, he was only 18 or 19 or so, and it is definitely well written. You can really see the crackle of the prose and authenticity that King would become known for.
It is a very 70s novel, I should add. Lots of virginal girls wearing frumpy sweaters crossing their legs and saying, "humph!"
Well, not humph, but y'know. Being frumpy. And of course there is the class whore who smokes. This is a mediocre review, I'm just stream of consciousness tying my thoughts a few hours after finishing.
I guess it SORT OF sucks that this is out of print (due to school shootings) but I also don't think the modern world is missing out on a great King novel. Plus, you can find one in almost any used bookstore.
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LibraryThing member Koralis
I came across Guns where he referenced this book a few times. I had to search google to find it to read. I was blown away by how good it was, this is the first time I read something by Stephen that was not a horror novel.
This can be adapted to an excellent screen play if there wasn't so much
One review mentions Charlie's lack of depth and I agree spot on. Charlie felt very one dimensional and seemed to be written so that you feel sympathy for him. Not once throughout the story did he take responsibility for his actions, instead he told stories about his life that shaped the person that led him to his algebra classroom
This can be adapted to an excellent screen play if there wasn't so much
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controversy surrounding this book. I could relate to Charlie with being fed up with teachers and parents, however his course of action was extremely wrong, and he was failed by everyone around him. One review mentions Charlie's lack of depth and I agree spot on. Charlie felt very one dimensional and seemed to be written so that you feel sympathy for him. Not once throughout the story did he take responsibility for his actions, instead he told stories about his life that shaped the person that led him to his algebra classroom
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LibraryThing member Araskov
I wanted to read this, because I discovered it was no longer in publication. Whenever I'm told I can't read something, it makes me want to read it more.
This was a very well written book about the breaking point of a youth who has grown up with difficult surroundings. I felt King did an incredible
We watch as our main character holds a room of his peers 'hostage' and plays psychological games with them until he can make them snap.
An incredible read.
This was a very well written book about the breaking point of a youth who has grown up with difficult surroundings. I felt King did an incredible
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job of taking us inside the exhausted mind of a broken boy. We watch as our main character holds a room of his peers 'hostage' and plays psychological games with them until he can make them snap.
An incredible read.
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LibraryThing member Charrlygirl
In this case the GR bug that says I read this twice is correct. The first time was over 20 years ago, so the story seemed new to me.
In light of all the school shootings that have occurred since this book was written, I understand why King pulled it from publication in later editions of The Bachman
That said, I do not think this is a good example of King's work. I've always thought that it was King's characters that made his stories so great, but I didn't find the characters in this story to have much depth. I didn't care about any of them and other than the novelty of being inside the school shooter's head, I didn't find anything special about this tale, other than that I did need to see it through to the end.
I re-read RAGE so that I could take part in a local Stephen King book group, and I'm glad that I did. (Though I'm still waffling about actually attending the group meeting, as my introvert alarm is sounding.) I say that I'm glad because this story reminded me that King hasn't always been the master of storytelling that he is today, he stumbled now and then. But hey, even when he stumbles he gets 3/5 stars from me because RAGE is a compelling tale.
In light of all the school shootings that have occurred since this book was written, I understand why King pulled it from publication in later editions of The Bachman
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Books. That said, I do not think this is a good example of King's work. I've always thought that it was King's characters that made his stories so great, but I didn't find the characters in this story to have much depth. I didn't care about any of them and other than the novelty of being inside the school shooter's head, I didn't find anything special about this tale, other than that I did need to see it through to the end.
I re-read RAGE so that I could take part in a local Stephen King book group, and I'm glad that I did. (Though I'm still waffling about actually attending the group meeting, as my introvert alarm is sounding.) I say that I'm glad because this story reminded me that King hasn't always been the master of storytelling that he is today, he stumbled now and then. But hey, even when he stumbles he gets 3/5 stars from me because RAGE is a compelling tale.
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LibraryThing member tapestry100
My #stephenking #readathon with @ame9022 and @wendysallison has moved on to RAGE, the first of the Bachman Books, the novels that Stephen King released early in his career under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
This was a hard book to read, given the current state of gun violence in schools in our
The whole thing culminates with the students in the class turning on Ted Jones, the only student in the classroom who eventually doesn't seem to want to be there of his own volition. They beat Jones into unconsciousness and Decker gives himself up, and that's basically the story. Written when SK was in high school, and slightly cleaned up to be published under the Bachman alias, I feel it tries to be more ambitious that its capable of being. Given our current state of affairs with gun violence in schools, I'm sure I also read this with a slight bias against the story from the onset. I'm also fairly certain that this will be one of those books that I'm never going to feel a reason to revisit again.
King eventually let this book fall out of publication after it was discovered in the locker of Michael Carneal, the 14-year-old who opened fire on his fellow students at Heath High School in 1997.
#stephenking #horror #rage #richardbachman #thebachmanbooks #bachmanbooks #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #bookstagram #book #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
This was a hard book to read, given the current state of gun violence in schools in our
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country, and seems very prescient in a way. The book follows one afternoon in a Maine high school, when student Charlie Decker kills his algebra teacher and takes the class hostage. What follows is an alternating narration of Charlie's troubled childhood with secrets held by the students in the class, as well as Decker's taunting of the school officials and police involved in trying to apprehend him. The whole thing culminates with the students in the class turning on Ted Jones, the only student in the classroom who eventually doesn't seem to want to be there of his own volition. They beat Jones into unconsciousness and Decker gives himself up, and that's basically the story. Written when SK was in high school, and slightly cleaned up to be published under the Bachman alias, I feel it tries to be more ambitious that its capable of being. Given our current state of affairs with gun violence in schools, I'm sure I also read this with a slight bias against the story from the onset. I'm also fairly certain that this will be one of those books that I'm never going to feel a reason to revisit again.
King eventually let this book fall out of publication after it was discovered in the locker of Michael Carneal, the 14-year-old who opened fire on his fellow students at Heath High School in 1997.
#stephenking #horror #rage #richardbachman #thebachmanbooks #bachmanbooks #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #bookstagram #book #bookworm #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
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Language
Original publication date
1977
ISBN
0450053792 / 9780450053795
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