Rating: 
Summary: Infinitely better than King's recent "novel a month" books
Review: I read this two or three years ago, and I am in the middle of reading it for a second time. I have yet to read Roadwork for some reason... Rage- I really like how Charlie is able to play with people's minds. That's something that King is very good at. A synopsis or blurb of this story does not do it justice, as the details are what really hold it together.The Long Walk- This is my favorite in the book. It is almost an epic. It's adresses the issue of societies facination with suffering. The idea is that the government yearly has an event called the "Long Walk" in which participants must maintain a steady four mile per hour walking pace. If they drop below that they are warned; four warnings buy a ticket. A ticket means being shot to death. The survivor is awarded with whatever he wants. The Running Man- This is nothing like the horrible Arnold Schwarzzenegger (please tell me I spelled that right) movie. The format of the chapters is rather annoying, as is the future setting, but it is still very good. This is King's best work, in my humble opinion.
Rating:
Summary: A monster quartet.
Review: Like it says on the front cover of my edition of The Bachman Books: A monster Quartet. It sure is. It's different King novels, but then again it's Bachman novels. I had high hopes when I finally got the chance to read those early Bachman books, and I must say that I like them a lot, even though the tales are more pessimistic and ambitious than normal King-fiction. And there's no supernatural elements in these five novels, but they are horrorstories, nevertheless. They are so goddam realistic, The Long Walk is the best in my humble opinion, it scared the living doodoo out of me. It seemed so real and it's gruesome. It seems that the most common themes in these Bachman-efforts, is dark science-fiction. It's great. The Running Man is pretty good and pretty terrifying, a more pessimistic science-fiction tale than The Long Walk. Rage and Roadwork are both dark psycholical thrillers and suspensestories, both are psychological explorations of persons out of their minds or out of their control. They may seem a bit lame compared to the other two (Walk, Running), but King has this with storytelling, that even so realistic tales like Rage and Roadwork becomes pretty exciting, as you expect with King. Roadwork is like reading something happening outside the street, and Rage is like regarding some theatrical drama about young rebellions going crazy and out of their rational control. Normally I prefer King's King-fiction, but these four Bachman-novels are worth the try.
Rating:
Summary: It Was A Pleasure To Burn...
Review: Despite what it say's about the novel Rage on King's own website there was no "association" between this book and common murderers, and if there is then Catcher In the Rye is associated with John Hinckley.
So I find King's act of banning his own book irresponsible it will only act as an accelerant & pretext for censors, book burners and moral zealots under the reign of G.W. Bush Jr. And his National Rifle Association supporters with their many paid advertisements on TV.
Nor does it lead long time admirers to think King has much confidence in the genuine artistic merits of his own books.
Rating:
Summary: King is compelling as Bachman
Review: I've decided to write a critique of these stories due to mixed reviews by other readers. The Long Walk was branded as the "worst" of the Bachman Books by many and the "best" by others. This shows the depth of King in that he grabs the attention of different kinds of readers at the same time. King's magic also lies in his ability to translate this into sales!While Rage and The Running Man appeal to adventurous readers in search of action, Roadwork and the Long Walk delve into the depths of the human psychee, leaving a lasting impression on the reader. I read this book many years ago and have never forgotton the Long Walk--by far the greatest short story of all time, and can never drive to Vegas w/o remembering Roadwork--and shuddering. King should work more with short stories!Yes he is the master. For other great stories try King's--Nightmares and Dreamscapes, another superb collection.
Rating:
Summary: Simply an awesome collection...
Review: This collection was advertised as being Stephen King's earliest works, but some of my favorite stories of all time are included in this four-story ensemble. "Rage" was a great book that examined the problems of the high school student well. "Roadwork" was very effective as well. "The Running Man" was fast paced and exciting and just plain good. (If you've read the book, do yourself a favor and don't see the movie) However, the best of these is a story called "The Long Walk" which absolutely blew me away.I had just finished reading "Rage," one of the first King stories I had ever read, and I thought, "Wow, this is one heck of a story." Then I started to walk with Ray Garraty and Stebbins and McVries and after finishing, I said to myself, "THIS is the best book I've ever read." I read it again soon thereafter, and I got the same feeling again. Now, after reading more than 15 King books, including "The Shining," "The Stand," and "Pet Sematary," I can still honestly say that "The Long Walk" is not only the greatest book I've ever read, but the only one by King that has scared me. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: It Was A Pleasure To Burn...
Review: Despite what it say's about the novel Rage on King's own website there was no "association" between this book and common murderers, and if there is then Catcher In the Rye is associated with John Hinckley.
So I find King's act of banning his own book irresponsible it will only act as an accelerant & pretext for censors, book burners and moral zealots under the reign of G.W. Bush Jr. And his National Rifle Association supporters with their many paid advertisements on TV.
Nor does it lead long time admirers to think King has much confidence in the genuine artistic merits of his own books.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't read Roadwork; still, an amazing book.
Review: I didn't read Roadwork because I was itching to get into some of King's longer stuff (I wound up reading Bag of Bones and Insomnia and I am now rereading The Talisman before I move onto Black House). But the other three books more than make this book worth your time. Rage and The Long Walk are fun and interesting. Quick, compelling reads that are, surprisingly enough, TIGHT. As King gets older, he seems to relax a lot more and really allow himself to roam around and explore the worlds he is creating, but these early works didn't mess around. Less than 200 pages each and they still leave the reader with vivid images and a definite sensation of having listened to a really great story. The Running Man is genius, and aside from Bag of Bones it is the best King book that I have read (I still haven't read The Stand or It). I think it deserves a spot beside Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New World as a visionary Dystopia novel (it isn't quite up to 1984 or Clockwork Orange standards, but honestly, what is). And the ending informs on our current world in a provocative way that really makes one think about the world's perception of America (I won't give away the ending, but it made me understandably uncomfortable when I read it). And who knows; maybe Roadwork is good too. ;)
Rating:
Summary: "Rage" is the best thing King has ever written
Review: First of all, if Stephen King is afraid that his writing will inspire some teenager to murder someone or take a school hostage, he is flattering himself. I don't think King, while extremely entertaining and imaginative, is quite enough to make anyone do anything that drastic. King taking it out of print is hypocrisy, pure and simple:"Rage" is obviously sympathetic not to the people that Charlie Decker, the high school student on a rampage, is terrorizing, but is written from HIS viewpoint, and sympathizing with HIM, which is entirely legitimate. This also points to the pretty obvious fact that at some point or another King felt the way Decker did as an adolescent or a young adult, albeit not murderous. I first read the novella when I was 14, and was stunned that a writer could connect so poignantly with alienated individuals like myself. I've read pretty much everything Stephen King has written with the exception of "The Dark Tower" series, which I have no desire to read, and still feel that "Rage" is the only piece of literature per se that King has produced. Taking it out of print is shooting himself in the foot.
Rating:
Summary: Too bad Bachman had to die.
Review: Within this collection of stories is one titled "The Long Walk" This story punches you in the gut, repeatedly, as you can't tear your eyes away from the atrocities on the page. The story is amazing as well as the prose. Reading each of these stories is like banging your head against a wall over and over. It is painful but there is a certain amount of pleasure in the action. You may not enjoy the concepts of the stories but you will sure enjoy how the storyteller engulfs you with them.
Rating:
Summary: Best fiction book I've ever read.
Review: Simply stated, this book is the best fiction book I have ever read. This book is actually the four early Bachman books rolled into one tremendous read. This isn't the typical King formula of characters caught up in a supernatural landscape, but believable characters in plausible situations. I have read hundreds of fiction books. This one is the best by far, and my all time personal favorite. It was the first book I read by King, and hooked me to purchase other King books, some of which were disappointing.
|
