Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
You know how, when you meet an exceptional person, you feel honored to have been able to know them? You feel that you were lucky to have known them, to have been able to glimpse their life, to have been a part of it. Well, that is how I feel about Blaze. I feel honored to have known him for such a short time. I feel I was entrusted with the secrets of his past and his innermost thoughts, feelings, and fears.
Richard Bachman is one of Stephen King’s alter-ego’s I guess you could say. The story of Clayton Blaisdell Jr. (aka Blaze) was almost never published. The foreword of the book is by Stephen King himself, and it tells of how the manuscript had been sitting in a box since the 70’s. King would take it out on occasion, read it, and deem it worthless. Finally, he took it out, read it, and thought it was a pretty good story. I, for one, am glad he published this book.
The very first page of the book is a small excerpt from the story. It introduces you to Blaze. Actually, it is not as much about Blaze as it is about another kid, but it gives you a glimpse of the voyage you are about to embark on. After this small paragraph are the title page, copyright page, dedications, and foreword. Then, the real story begins…
The story is about Blaze, a simple-minded giant of a man with a heart bigger than thought capability. Blaze was not always this “dumb,” this was a gift from his drunken, abusive father. Blaze was never the leader in a group. He was never the thinker. He ran cons with guys who were smarter than him. However, when his friend George gets himself killed in a betting game, Blaze is left to think on his own. He decides to continue with George’s “one big con, and then out” scheme. He kidnaps the 6-month old baby of an extremely wealthy family. The idea is to get a large ransom for the child and then he can retire.
The book jumps from Blaze’s childhood to the present situation. As you are reading about his plans to kidnap the baby, you are learning how he came to this point.
I could not help but feel compassion for this big bear of a man. I found myself angry at the way he was treated by the adults in his life as he was growing up. I wanted this man to succeed. I knew throughout the book that kidnapping a baby was wrong, and I knew he would have to be caught…it would have to end. But I could not help wanting him to do well, to be okay.
Blaze was an amazing person (character). Again, I feel lucky to have accompanied him on his journey, however miserable it may have been.
There is a story at the end of this book. It is a glimpse of the next Stephen King book that will be published in 2008. I am choosing not to read this story. I do not want anything to take away from Blaze right now. I want to continue feeling close to him for the moment.
Richard Bachman is one of Stephen King’s alter-ego’s I guess you could say. The story of Clayton Blaisdell Jr. (aka Blaze) was almost never published. The foreword of the book is by Stephen King himself, and it tells of how the manuscript had been sitting in a box since the 70’s. King would take it out on occasion, read it, and deem it worthless. Finally, he took it out, read it, and thought it was a pretty good story. I, for one, am glad he published this book.
The very first page of the book is a small excerpt from the story. It introduces you to Blaze. Actually, it is not as much about Blaze as it is about another kid, but it gives you a glimpse of the voyage you are about to embark on. After this small paragraph are the title page, copyright page, dedications, and foreword. Then, the real story begins…
The story is about Blaze, a simple-minded giant of a man with a heart bigger than thought capability. Blaze was not always this “dumb,” this was a gift from his drunken, abusive father. Blaze was never the leader in a group. He was never the thinker. He ran cons with guys who were smarter than him. However, when his friend George gets himself killed in a betting game, Blaze is left to think on his own. He decides to continue with George’s “one big con, and then out” scheme. He kidnaps the 6-month old baby of an extremely wealthy family. The idea is to get a large ransom for the child and then he can retire.
The book jumps from Blaze’s childhood to the present situation. As you are reading about his plans to kidnap the baby, you are learning how he came to this point.
I could not help but feel compassion for this big bear of a man. I found myself angry at the way he was treated by the adults in his life as he was growing up. I wanted this man to succeed. I knew throughout the book that kidnapping a baby was wrong, and I knew he would have to be caught…it would have to end. But I could not help wanting him to do well, to be okay.
Blaze was an amazing person (character). Again, I feel lucky to have accompanied him on his journey, however miserable it may have been.
There is a story at the end of this book. It is a glimpse of the next Stephen King book that will be published in 2008. I am choosing not to read this story. I do not want anything to take away from Blaze right now. I want to continue feeling close to him for the moment.
King has a majestic narrative voice and sense for character and plot; however, the beginning was slow (I kept waiting and waiting on the main event to spring up), and I grew tired of the sexual references throughout.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this story. Getting a King-story off the shelve made me expect something totally different, but this was more of an emotional read. The writing was magnificent as you come to love Blaze and root for his cause even though he messes a lot of things up. You start to truly understand and feel for him. There wasn't a happy ending. And even though I would have loved that, I also love the fact that King dared not to. There are already too many happy endings which never seem to make sense. So sometimes it's better to just let things unfold as they are.
This was a fantastic read with the right amount of suspense and a tear jerking rbd
"Ain’t none of you ever been stuck in the mud and needed a push?" - Richard Bachman (Stephen King), Blaze
Blaze is an endearing story and character. A man whose potential was stolen away from him by life's cruelty, and put him on the outs from regular society. When Blaze follows through with a scheme he and his dead partner George cooked up, things get interesting.
This is a shorter story than King usually publishes, even under the Bachman pseudonym, but I found it affecting. The tragic nature of Blaze's history when shown in parallel with his present, and some information Blaze himself doesn't know, makes the reader root for him when he should be the least sympathetic character in the whole story.
The writing doesn't feel like a regular Bachman because the tone isn't as disgruntled/frustrated as every other Bachman novel, and it doesn't carry King's voice, either.
There isn't a lot to say about this story without giving spoilers, so I'll be brief. This feels like what could have happened to Lennie if George had died in Of Mice and Men, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Blaze is an endearing story and character. A man whose potential was stolen away from him by life's cruelty, and put him on the outs from regular society. When Blaze follows through with a scheme he and his dead partner George cooked up, things get interesting.
This is a shorter story than King usually publishes, even under the Bachman pseudonym, but I found it affecting. The tragic nature of Blaze's history when shown in parallel with his present, and some information Blaze himself doesn't know, makes the reader root for him when he should be the least sympathetic character in the whole story.
The writing doesn't feel like a regular Bachman because the tone isn't as disgruntled/frustrated as every other Bachman novel, and it doesn't carry King's voice, either.
There isn't a lot to say about this story without giving spoilers, so I'll be brief. This feels like what could have happened to Lennie if George had died in Of Mice and Men, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Your forhead led the charge through life. It was a lousy place to have a scar." Blaze is a hopeless tale of a hopeful man.
Not so much a horror, as a convict-on-the-run thriller story, it left me feeling quite emotional. Bachman has masterfully demonstrated that for some people, life is destined to be cruel and unforgiving, without many breaks.
There were some scenes that were particularly hard-hitting; Clay's abuse at the hands of his father, the stand-off with the dog, and the ambush at Hetton House, as the police force swarm in on Joe and Clay, all made me very angry. However, there were moments of happiness, like Clay's summer spent picking blueberries, that seemed very Hardy-esque; pastoral settings associated with love, friendship and happier times, that are eclipsed by terrible tragedy and death.
At times, it reminded me of The Green Mile; Clay Blaisdell Jr. and John Coffey have a lot of similar character traits, and Bachman and King perfectly orchestrate their stories around the lives of these endearing, and ultimately cursed characters.
Whoever or whatever George was became particularly horrifying for me, especially because of Clay's own confusion and horror when attempting to work out what he was talking to. To have Clay's evil thoughts anthropomorphised, and seemingly uncontrollable, was one of the scariest parts of the book.
Overall I was surprisingly moved by Bachman's last novel to be published. I was intrigued not because I was particularly scared, but because I was invested in Blake's journey, and was erroneously hoping he'd have a happy ending of some kind!
Not so much a horror, as a convict-on-the-run thriller story, it left me feeling quite emotional. Bachman has masterfully demonstrated that for some people, life is destined to be cruel and unforgiving, without many breaks.
There were some scenes that were particularly hard-hitting; Clay's abuse at the hands of his father, the stand-off with the dog, and the ambush at Hetton House, as the police force swarm in on Joe and Clay, all made me very angry. However, there were moments of happiness, like Clay's summer spent picking blueberries, that seemed very Hardy-esque; pastoral settings associated with love, friendship and happier times, that are eclipsed by terrible tragedy and death.
At times, it reminded me of The Green Mile; Clay Blaisdell Jr. and John Coffey have a lot of similar character traits, and Bachman and King perfectly orchestrate their stories around the lives of these endearing, and ultimately cursed characters.
Whoever or whatever George was became particularly horrifying for me, especially because of Clay's own confusion and horror when attempting to work out what he was talking to. To have Clay's evil thoughts anthropomorphised, and seemingly uncontrollable, was one of the scariest parts of the book.
Overall I was surprisingly moved by Bachman's last novel to be published. I was intrigued not because I was particularly scared, but because I was invested in Blake's journey, and was erroneously hoping he'd have a happy ending of some kind!
Why have I been sleeping on SK/RB? Someone slap me.
I loved this. I seriously don’t have a single complaint about this book.
I loved this. I seriously don’t have a single complaint about this book.
Listened to as an audiobook, which was great.
This story just made me so sad.
This story just made me so sad.
fast-paced
I liked the character of Blaze, and the concept of this story, but felt it was too underdeveloped.