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Summary: One story I would like to see as a film.....
Review: One of the most compelling stories I have ever read (and there have been many) is The Long Walk. While it is "unlikely" that this sort of thing could ever in a "civilised" world, the thought of an ultimate sports contest, with odds of 100-1, 99 deaths and televised coverage is chilling yet.... what if.......I usually feel little empathy towards characters in short books but I found myself caring for most of the walkers, very quickly. Even Barkovitch and Stebbins ;-). The ending is a confused and dazed walker, just as you should expect. If only the bridge had washed out......;-) Go...Go...Garrety ;-)
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Summary: A MUST READ, SK FAN OR NO THIS ONE IS GREAT
Review: This is one of the first Stephen King books I've read, and it still stands out as one of my favorites. It is 4 early novels written by King originally published under the psudonym Richard Bachman Rage: My favorite of the 4 stories. In the beggining you are disturbed at how "disturbed" the main charictor is, but by the end you feel very sorry for him. The Long Walk: Amazing. This story transformed me into a crying baby by the end. Friendship has stong ties, but under the stress of life and death you find out who your true friends are, which Stephen shows very nicely. He also shows a slightly exagerated look at America's lust for violence as entertainment. Roadwork: How far would you go to stop a highway extension from going through your home. If you'd go as far as the man in this story, I'd advise you to seek profesional help. very well done, Mr. King. The Running Man: If you are thinking you don't want to read it because you saw the move, you definately need to read it. The movie twisted the story to the point that it is barely recognizable.
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Summary: I skipped out on work to finish these stories!
Review: The four novellas in 'The Bachman Books' are nothing short of macabre, but in a way that isn't difficult for contemporary readers to envision. From youth buckling under societal expectation to the sheer madness that money inspires, this collection is gloriously uncomfortable to read becuase it forces you to question your own motivations. I skipped out of work to finish The Long Walk...not out of laziness (ha-ha), but because I was emotionally and physically drained upon completion of this mental marathon. Kudos to King! In one hundred years, he'll be hailed as a literary genius.
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Summary: King at his gritty best.
Review: The Bachman Books, four short novels written by Stephen King in the late 70's under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, feature King at the very top of his form. He used the pen-name to exhibit a grittier, more controlled, less metaphysical style of writing. Each story is different in tone and texture but all deal with the recurring theme of endurance . . . either physical or mental or usually both. Here's a run down on each one: RAGE
A story so good it allegedly spawned an actual copycat killing of the same nature in Spokane, Washington in 1996. In it, a student hovering on the edge of madness walks into class one day with a gun and shoots his teacher dead and holds the class hostage. What ensues is a dead-on examination of the brutal teen Moulinex known as high school. While the cast of characters may seem like cliches, with the jock, the pretty-girl, and the school slut, each one is fully fleshed-out into a living, breathing person. And as our narrator takes his ! classmates along the winding path of parental neglect that leads to the incident, it's the best kind of writing where you know the authour is describing his own flirtation with insanity. THE LONG WALK
A science-fiction tale, but as usual with King's dabbles in this genre, it has less to do with science and more to do with the human condition. In the near future (this I'm assuming, as SK doesn't let such minor details like the actual date get in the way of the storytelling in this one), 100 young men are entered in a footrace called The Long Walk. The winner gets anything his heart desires. The losers get death. It's like a pedestrian 'Speed' . . . if your pace drops below 4 mph four times, they shoot you. And so, in this closed microcosm, the contestants form bands of friendships, which slowly shake apart as the road takes its toll on them. As we near the end of the line, we're almost as physically and emotionally exhausted as the walkers themselves. ROADWORK
! A clinical study of quiet insanity. Barton Dawes is a man ! with a nice house, good job and a loving wife. But he throws it all away when construction of a highway extension tags his house for demolition, along with the memories of his young son who died of a brain tumor. The sense of dread and inevitability as Dawes lets his responsibilities to his wife and co-workers swirl down the drain is almost palpable, and the ending is nothing short of cathartic as Dawes confronts the city bureaucrats with a little roadwork on his own terms. THE RUNNING MAN
Don't let the god-awful movie colour your opinion on the story on which it was 'based', this is a lean, mean chase-thriller which also deals with the themes of mankind's lust for blood, a government out of control, and the struggle of an underclass society. Another psuedo-science-fiction tale, a man runs for his life on a futuristic game-show run by an all-powerful 'free-vee' network out to pacify society and rid itself of possible troublemakers. King tries a little harder with the ! SF elements in this one, creating an oppressive environment choking on its own commercialized excess. But as runner Ben Richards keeps one step ahead of the hunters, the quiet nobility of a disenfranchised society risking all to aid him gives hope to the future in the novel. So aside from a slightly disturbing racist tone throughout the stories, the novels hold the same incredible power even 20 years after they were first published. Stephen King has rarely been as adept at prying up the lid of society and showing us the worms of insanity wriggling below.
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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.
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Summary: Rage was overwhelming, and the Long Walk was even better!
Review: I didn't think too much of Roadwork, and I just plain didn't like the Running Man, but Rage and the Long Walk were absolutely phenomenal. I read Rage when I was eleven, and it terrified me (kids bringing guns to school). That's all fine and dandy, but The Long Walk was undescribable. It's amazing what some people will do for material goods. I cried at the end if that tells you anything. I could care less if you didn't read anything else for the rest of your life, just read the Bachman Books!
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Summary: An eerie set of stories that make you think...
Review: Out of all the Bachman books, I thought that The Running Man was the best. It was a scary tale set in a futuristic America in which the government controls everything. The main character, Richards, goes out on a suicidal mission and becomes a participant in the gruesome game show, The Running Man. In this game show, you bet your life - literally. I liked this book because it was a thrilling, action-packed novel that kept me glued to my seat for hours. Even though King's depiction of America did seem a little far-fetched, I still recommend the Running Man to anyone who likes Stephen King books. This novel will really make you think...
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Summary: Great insight in to modern-day tragedies
Review: Of the four novels, Rage was the most interesting and most important. The recent school shootings in Arkansas, Oregon and other areas of this country seem unbelievable and insane. One look inside the mind of the student who takes his class hostage in Rage and you begin to get an insight into a plausible, thought disheartening explanation. Those people trying to make sense of the random acts of violence need to read these four novels, especially Rage and Roadwork. The other two, The Running Man and The Long Walk seem unlikely to take place in the near future, but I wouldn't hold my breath. People need only look at the syphillis experiment in Alabama and American Gladiators as two example of what humans truly crave: control and violence. If a writer can create stories like this, who is to stop the government from controlling our freedom? Sounds a bit pessimistic, but only if it comes true.
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Summary: Great break time reading
Review: This book is great for break time,lunch time,bed time or toilet time. The long walk was a little long, and it made my feet sore. But it was well worth it.
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Summary: Outstanding Page-Turner
Review: This is without a doubt, the best collection of horror stories ever put together. I had read The Running Man before and couldn't put it down. However if that was amazing, I don't know how to rate The Long Walk and Rage. These 3 are all amazing stories. As a high school student, I found Rage particulary interesting, not to mention chilling. It is an amazing interpretation of the madness that hides in a high school, and how easily it can be unleashed. Another nice touch to this story was that Ted Jones really got it. It would seem that the popular kid would have prevailed at the end. But the ending puts all those thoughts to rest in an eerie, but in a strange way, comforting way.
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