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| |  | Cooking, Food & Wine | Home » » » 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. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Richard Bachman | | Hardcover:
| 304 pages | | Publisher:
| Scribner | | Publication Date:
| June 12, 2007 | | Package Length:
| 8.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 168 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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writing as Richard BachmanNov 03, 2009
Believe it or not, a short book. That's kind of an oxymoron huh? Short Stephen King book??? Anyways, Good book, even though it's short he's still Stephen King, Long winded, hard to follow at times and goes off in all directions.
 A pleasant surpriseOct 15, 2009
I started off listening to this book on tape (rented from Cracker Barrel) during a trip taken in the fall. I didn't get through the whole tape so after returning home, I immediately went to Amazon.com purchased the book. I found myself loving every word of it. And I especially felt some kind of sympathy for the main character. I have always pretty much loved anything written by Stephen King (excepting the Dark Tower series which I just couldn't seem to read....), and this was no different. It was like craving chocolate and finding a piece that you had hidden away. Highly recommended.
 disappointingSep 30, 2009
Normally, I eat Stephen King novels with a spoon. They are always easy to slip into .... and he's got me at " hello ". I stay there until the piece is finished.
I am especially fond of Mr. King's writings ( along with his tutorial narratives ) for just this reason. If I'm going to be on a long plane ride ... or a boring wait
at a doctor's office ..... I am thrilled if I have a new " King " to read. If I'm reading at home .... I find myself still awake at 4 a.m. ........ " just reading ONE MORE
PAGE" . Am I a fan ? Most definitely. Do I like ALL of them ? Enough to finish reading ..... and some very special favorites. I've read several more than once or
twice .... and I'm always tickled pink when Hollywood does his work justice - starting with " Stand By Me " - a very special short story, in it's own right .... and
right down my alley - as I grew up in that time. Or " Firestarter " or " Misery " .... " The Dead Zone " .... and on and on...............
My all time favorite is " The Stand " ..... and was happy to see it come out so well. I have to say that I prefer King's screenplay of " The Shining ", to the
Hollywood version.
As to " Blaze ". I found it to be inexcusably violent, slow moving , and generally a regrettable read. Sorry - but that's how it struck me. I've read everything Mr.
King has to offer - and never had this reaction. I am one of those people, who - once having opened a book, keep reading until the end. I could not do this
with " Blaze " - and that's a FIRST for any author. When I used to work in NYC ... taking busses and trains, I read an average of 10 books a week. No wimpage,
here ..........
Maybe I'll pick it up again .... on a transatlantic flight ......... and give it another shot. I doubt it.
The violence in many of King's books is palpable .... and, yet, I keep reading. " Blaze" was just too too.
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
not reallySep 28, 2009
I thought this book was dumb, even though I haven't read it. Its stupid cause I thought it looked like a boring bunch of paper just sitting there on the shelf at Amy's Book Store in Toledo. I just bet it is the dumbest thing in the whole wide world too, I bet. Ok, bye.
Bad guy or Good guySep 18, 2009
I found this to be a wonderful piece of episodic writing. While the adventure unfolds, the author fills in the background with effective flashbacks. As a good author will, the book strikes the emotions differently from the intellect. From the locigal point of view, the protagonist is a rascal, and from an emotional standpoint, the reader becomes sympathetic. That is all the easier as the main character is intellectually limited and therefore naieve and somewhat innocent. The Voice of George becomes a key point as, in true King style, one is never sure if it occurs within the head of the main character or if it is some supernatural manifestation.
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