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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 stars for The Long Walk.
1,75 stars for Roadwork.
4,5 stars for The Running Man.
Very depressing overall, especially The Running Man.
1,75 stars for Roadwork.
4,5 stars for The Running Man.
Very depressing overall, especially The Running Man.
[2.5 stars] For nearly three decades, I’ve toed the line of King fanatic and King detractor.
In the past two years, I finished five King novels, all published between 2008 – 2019 that (mostly) re-installed my faith in Uncle Stevie after several of his mid-aughts efforts had me writing him off for good.
I thought dipping my toe into vintage King would push me back into complete fanaticism, but after this rather average - and mostly disappointing - collection, it’s time for an extended hiatus.
The hallmarks of King are all present, but the edges are duller. Instead of pushing deep into the psyche and motivations of the main characters, we’re fed misogynistic and racist undertones in each story, that are, perhaps, a product of the times (late 70s and early 80s) or simply laziness.
Like many of King’s best works, these are character studies, and they mostly focus on a single individual facing an extreme circumstance - either physical, mental or both. The recurrent theme is someone holding power over them, and each novel explores what happens when people are tired of being held down.
What “The Bachman Books” have shown me is that when King is hot, he’s virtually untouchable in terms of creativity and character development. When he’s not, the stories are overcooked and underwhelming - and, there’s very little room in between.
On the plus side, I can now see that this is an issue that has plagued his career from the early days and not simply a byproduct of the trauma he sustained after his near-death experience at the turn of the century.
While I tried to finish this in the traditional print format, after two months of barely making a dent, I requested the audiobooks to push through to the end. If you’re a Constant Reader, there is plenty to like here (and some Easter Eggs), but I’d consider these stories deep cuts in the bibliography and not for casual fans.
None of the novels are must reads.
In the past two years, I finished five King novels, all published between 2008 – 2019 that (mostly) re-installed my faith in Uncle Stevie after several of his mid-aughts efforts had me writing him off for good.
I thought dipping my toe into vintage King would push me back into complete fanaticism, but after this rather average - and mostly disappointing - collection, it’s time for an extended hiatus.
The hallmarks of King are all present, but the edges are duller. Instead of pushing deep into the psyche and motivations of the main characters, we’re fed misogynistic and racist undertones in each story, that are, perhaps, a product of the times (late 70s and early 80s) or simply laziness.
Like many of King’s best works, these are character studies, and they mostly focus on a single individual facing an extreme circumstance - either physical, mental or both. The recurrent theme is someone holding power over them, and each novel explores what happens when people are tired of being held down.
What “The Bachman Books” have shown me is that when King is hot, he’s virtually untouchable in terms of creativity and character development. When he’s not, the stories are overcooked and underwhelming - and, there’s very little room in between.
On the plus side, I can now see that this is an issue that has plagued his career from the early days and not simply a byproduct of the trauma he sustained after his near-death experience at the turn of the century.
While I tried to finish this in the traditional print format, after two months of barely making a dent, I requested the audiobooks to push through to the end. If you’re a Constant Reader, there is plenty to like here (and some Easter Eggs), but I’d consider these stories deep cuts in the bibliography and not for casual fans.
None of the novels are must reads.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hard to rate as this is such a mixed bag. The best of the bunch is The Long Walk.
Far from King's best work. Of the four novels, I thought The Long Walk was the best executed.
WOW just wow. This was an amazing read. The stories were incredible, I can see how many people didn't realize it was King but also see how people figured it out. Now I will divulge into the separate books.
Rage - I actually thought Rage was slightly boring
Long Walk - Amazing, I wish I could go back and read it again
Roadwork - This one started off very slow but it got there in the end
The Running Man - AMAZING, absolutely great, I loved it so much
Rage - I actually thought Rage was slightly boring
Long Walk - Amazing, I wish I could go back and read it again
Roadwork - This one started off very slow but it got there in the end
The Running Man - AMAZING, absolutely great, I loved it so much
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings
Great collection of novellas. I think I actually prefer Bachman over Stephen King himself...
Great earlier works/novellas by Stephen King written under his “pen name.” I thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes