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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
No me terminó de atrapar la historia. Me pareció que podía llegar a ser un libro interesante pero, aunque por momentos es entretenido y aborda temas complejos como la violencia en los jóvenes y la salud mental de tal manera que te lleva a entender que el personaje de Charlie es probablemente más que un loco suelto, tiene varias subtramas innecesarias para la historia principal que además no llegan a ningún lado al final del libro. Es lo primero que leo de Stephen King así que me gustaría darle una oportunidad a sus obras más reconocidas.
This is likely the worst, most pointless book by Stephen King that I have ever read. Granted, he wrote this book as a teenager and was likely only published under a pseudonym because he became famous later on. Otherwise, I see zero literary value in this angry, nonsensical farce written by a younger Stephen King.
The thing is, the Bachman books have always been rougher around the edges, and the stories are almost always about the worst sides of humanity. The Long Walk is about greed and how far we are willing to go to satiate that hunger; The Running Man is a commentary on how far we are willing to go for the sake of mass media entertainment. Rage, on the other hand, isn't about anything at all. It is a school shooting that turns into some kind of group therapy session, and in some ways it almost justifies the main antagonist's actions. I think it is wise that King allowed this book to go out of print. It doesn't sit well in his bibliography, and certainly not on bookshelves, especially considering today's climate.
Every author has bad books, and King has his fair share. However, his bad books are almost always bad because they are too long or the ending is shit (sometimes both). However, Rage is neither of those things. It's just 120 odd pages of a very badly written story that doesn't mean anything at the end of it all. It is a waste of time and, if you are looking to read all of his works, I recommend skipping this one.
The thing is, the Bachman books have always been rougher around the edges, and the stories are almost always about the worst sides of humanity. The Long Walk is about greed and how far we are willing to go to satiate that hunger; The Running Man is a commentary on how far we are willing to go for the sake of mass media entertainment. Rage, on the other hand, isn't about anything at all. It is a school shooting that turns into some kind of group therapy session, and in some ways it almost justifies the main antagonist's actions. I think it is wise that King allowed this book to go out of print. It doesn't sit well in his bibliography, and certainly not on bookshelves, especially considering today's climate.
Every author has bad books, and King has his fair share. However, his bad books are almost always bad because they are too long or the ending is shit (sometimes both). However, Rage is neither of those things. It's just 120 odd pages of a very badly written story that doesn't mean anything at the end of it all. It is a waste of time and, if you are looking to read all of his works, I recommend skipping this one.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Charlie Decker has a unique voice, a fucked-up sense of humor, and the sort of psychology that makes it debatable as to whether or not he’s an unreliable narrator. Charlie is a character who finds joy in toying with others and being in control. This is demonstrated in how he harasses and picks on the adults outside of the classroom and how he turns his peers against Ted Jones in a vicious act of mob mentality.
The raw nature of Charlie’s narrative and the stream of consciousness, matter-of fact-way he presents his thoughts and justification for things he does can easily inspire disgust in some readers while others may find it blunt and boorish in nature. Charlie seems to have the same thoughts of semi active nihilism you’d find in most jaded, troubled teenagers. His cavalier attitude and dismissal about the severity of the nature of events around him is morbidly humorous – so much so, you’d be forgiven if you, as the reader, were to laugh along with Charlie in certain moments.
The central theme to Charlie’s character is his rage. The abuse at the hands of his father while he was growing up and the subsequent dismissal of his issues and problems as they are waved off by other adults in his life while he was growing up, have turned Charlie into what he is by the opening of the story. Charlie is an intelligent character, but so too he is dangerous. He is borderline sociopathic, but he is also charismatic enough that he presents himself as relatable to the reader and his classmates with all the care and intent that Bachman (King) writes him to be. Just as his classmates identify with Charlie and are sucked up into his pseudo group therapy session, so too, do you become entranced, as the reader of the story, feeling as though you are one of the students in the room.
In all this madness, even the reader may see Ted Jones as the unreasonable voice in the mix. Ted is the one who is objectively against Charlie, just like the faculty and cops outside of the school. Charlie, though not entirely an outcast, has not been traditionally accepted by his peers (or so it would seem from the brief context we get in flashbacks and recollections told). Ted, though, is the perfect all-American boy.
In Charlie’s constructed world, he’s in charge and Ted is now the odd one out. Ted won’t conform to the group psychology of the classroom, and this makes him an enemy of Charlie. This makes Ted Charlie’s number one opponent in the eyes of Charlie. In Charlie’s constructed world, he’s the priest and the classroom is the confessional. Ted is a sinner, just as they are all sinners, but Ted still refuses to come to Church, to come to confession, so its up to Charlie’s new congregation to make sure Ted repents.
By the end of the novella, Ted is in a battered, catatonic state and is hospitalized due to the physical damage being so great. Charlie is in a mental institution by reason of insanity for the crime he committed, stating he “is slowly feeling like a person again.” Though, it’s truly questionable as to whether Charlie regrets what he did, and highly ironic that he feels inhuman when he is responsible for stripping Ted’s humanity from him. With Ted and Charlie both being placed in hospitalization, it has almost brought them to the same social, circumstantial, and situational level. In the end, Charlie didn’t end up any better off than Ted. Though I don’t suspect Charlie is insane and that Charlie even sees himself on the same level as Ted. Charlie seems incapable of understanding the scope and impact the consequences of his actions have had.
For a novella that is nearly 50 years old at the time of this review’s writing, it is nothing short of stunning and a cultural reflection as to how relevant this book remains. I’m not simply referring to gun violence and school shootings, though it would be unjust to not make note of that and to not refer readers to Stephen King’s 2013 Kindle Singles essay “Guns.” A writing by Mr. King against gun violence and why gun safety is so important. The other reason this story remains so relevant is the accurate portrayal of teenagers and social dynamics in high school. Strip away modern technology and at its core, you get similar conventions to the students and their behaviors and confessions in “Rage” sans the harrowing hostage situation. It’s also an all too accurate reflection of group mentality effortlessly rendered by tensions of a heightened circumstance.
The raw nature of Charlie’s narrative and the stream of consciousness, matter-of fact-way he presents his thoughts and justification for things he does can easily inspire disgust in some readers while others may find it blunt and boorish in nature. Charlie seems to have the same thoughts of semi active nihilism you’d find in most jaded, troubled teenagers. His cavalier attitude and dismissal about the severity of the nature of events around him is morbidly humorous – so much so, you’d be forgiven if you, as the reader, were to laugh along with Charlie in certain moments.
The central theme to Charlie’s character is his rage. The abuse at the hands of his father while he was growing up and the subsequent dismissal of his issues and problems as they are waved off by other adults in his life while he was growing up, have turned Charlie into what he is by the opening of the story. Charlie is an intelligent character, but so too he is dangerous. He is borderline sociopathic, but he is also charismatic enough that he presents himself as relatable to the reader and his classmates with all the care and intent that Bachman (King) writes him to be. Just as his classmates identify with Charlie and are sucked up into his pseudo group therapy session, so too, do you become entranced, as the reader of the story, feeling as though you are one of the students in the room.
In all this madness, even the reader may see Ted Jones as the unreasonable voice in the mix. Ted is the one who is objectively against Charlie, just like the faculty and cops outside of the school. Charlie, though not entirely an outcast, has not been traditionally accepted by his peers (or so it would seem from the brief context we get in flashbacks and recollections told). Ted, though, is the perfect all-American boy.
In Charlie’s constructed world, he’s in charge and Ted is now the odd one out. Ted won’t conform to the group psychology of the classroom, and this makes him an enemy of Charlie. This makes Ted Charlie’s number one opponent in the eyes of Charlie. In Charlie’s constructed world, he’s the priest and the classroom is the confessional. Ted is a sinner, just as they are all sinners, but Ted still refuses to come to Church, to come to confession, so its up to Charlie’s new congregation to make sure Ted repents.
By the end of the novella, Ted is in a battered, catatonic state and is hospitalized due to the physical damage being so great. Charlie is in a mental institution by reason of insanity for the crime he committed, stating he “is slowly feeling like a person again.” Though, it’s truly questionable as to whether Charlie regrets what he did, and highly ironic that he feels inhuman when he is responsible for stripping Ted’s humanity from him. With Ted and Charlie both being placed in hospitalization, it has almost brought them to the same social, circumstantial, and situational level. In the end, Charlie didn’t end up any better off than Ted. Though I don’t suspect Charlie is insane and that Charlie even sees himself on the same level as Ted. Charlie seems incapable of understanding the scope and impact the consequences of his actions have had.
For a novella that is nearly 50 years old at the time of this review’s writing, it is nothing short of stunning and a cultural reflection as to how relevant this book remains. I’m not simply referring to gun violence and school shootings, though it would be unjust to not make note of that and to not refer readers to Stephen King’s 2013 Kindle Singles essay “Guns.” A writing by Mr. King against gun violence and why gun safety is so important. The other reason this story remains so relevant is the accurate portrayal of teenagers and social dynamics in high school. Strip away modern technology and at its core, you get similar conventions to the students and their behaviors and confessions in “Rage” sans the harrowing hostage situation. It’s also an all too accurate reflection of group mentality effortlessly rendered by tensions of a heightened circumstance.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No esperaba mucho del libro, pero me sorprendió. Sobre todo, el final. El final, a mí, realmente, me dejó pensando… pero mis pensamientos no estaban claros, por lo que tuve que dejar unos días para poder hacer esta reseña.
Me da la impresión de que, así como el protagonista, el mismo autor empezó el libro sin una línea de desarrollo y, mientras avanzaba, iba escribiendo como se le iban ocurriendo las cosas; de la misma manera, Charlie actuaba a medida de cómo se iba desarrollando la situación, sabiendo que, de igual forma, el estaba perdido.
Creo que lo interesante es darte cuenta de con quién empatizas como lectora, al final del libro. ¿Empatizas con el que hizo daños irreparables? O, ¿empatizas con la persona que hace todo bien y correcto? ¿Empatizas con el que/los que se muestran cómo son desde lo mejor a lo peor o con quien esconde sus cosas malas? Ser transparente siempre, ¿justifica los actos malos? ¿Qué esconde el que, hacia los demás, siempre es correcto? ¿Quizás peores cosas que el que hace daño directo?
No sé si el autor tuvo la intención de hacernos cuestionar todo esto, pero conmigo lo logró. Este es un libro prohibido. El mismo autor pidió que lo quitaran de las librerías y que dejara de imprimirse por su aparente influencia en los peores hechos cometidos en la historia reciente de Estados Unidos (tir0t3os escolares). Tiene partes bastante violentas y gráficas.
Leer con discreción.
Me da la impresión de que, así como el protagonista, el mismo autor empezó el libro sin una línea de desarrollo y, mientras avanzaba, iba escribiendo como se le iban ocurriendo las cosas; de la misma manera, Charlie actuaba a medida de cómo se iba desarrollando la situación, sabiendo que, de igual forma, el estaba perdido.
Creo que lo interesante es darte cuenta de con quién empatizas como lectora, al final del libro. ¿Empatizas con el que hizo daños irreparables? O, ¿empatizas con la persona que hace todo bien y correcto? ¿Empatizas con el que/los que se muestran cómo son desde lo mejor a lo peor o con quien esconde sus cosas malas? Ser transparente siempre, ¿justifica los actos malos? ¿Qué esconde el que, hacia los demás, siempre es correcto? ¿Quizás peores cosas que el que hace daño directo?
No sé si el autor tuvo la intención de hacernos cuestionar todo esto, pero conmigo lo logró. Este es un libro prohibido. El mismo autor pidió que lo quitaran de las librerías y que dejara de imprimirse por su aparente influencia en los peores hechos cometidos en la historia reciente de Estados Unidos (tir0t3os escolares). Tiene partes bastante violentas y gráficas.
Leer con discreción.
I really don't know what to think about this book... Reading it today in 2023 is I'm sure a very different experience from someone reading it in 1977 when it was first published. Stephen King, I am sure, had no idea how common and prevalent school shootings would become in America when he wrote and published this book. That is what makes it so scary- the fact that this happens ALL the time. At one point in the story, it said "Mr. Vance didn't know what was happening. I don't think any of them did" (pg 30 in the collected edition of Bachman books that I read). That would NEVER be the case today.
I can understand why Stephen King asked for this book to be taken out of print. Learning about that fact is actually what made me read this book when I did. If I want to read everything ever published by Stephen King, I wanted to read this while I could still find it. “After the 1997 incident, King decided to allow Rage to fall out of print in the United States, and was only available as part of the collection The Bachman Books, though new editions of it don’t include it anymore.” My library had a copy of the Bachman books from 1985. I did not want to risk not reading this for years only to find out that those copies are no longer available.
I'm sure I missed some of the meaning within it, but to me, it was a story of why you shouldn't be an asshole to people because you have no idea who might snap because of it. Most of the time Charlie was obviously insane, but there were a couple of parts that made you feel bad for him.And then how everyone treated Ted at the end? They all in their own way snapped.
I can understand why Stephen King asked for this book to be taken out of print. Learning about that fact is actually what made me read this book when I did. If I want to read everything ever published by Stephen King, I wanted to read this while I could still find it. “After the 1997 incident, King decided to allow Rage to fall out of print in the United States, and was only available as part of the collection The Bachman Books, though new editions of it don’t include it anymore.” My library had a copy of the Bachman books from 1985. I did not want to risk not reading this for years only to find out that those copies are no longer available.
I'm sure I missed some of the meaning within it, but to me, it was a story of why you shouldn't be an asshole to people because you have no idea who might snap because of it. Most of the time Charlie was obviously insane, but there were a couple of parts that made you feel bad for him.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Ossessione di Stephen King pubblicato con lo pseudonimo di Richard Bachman, un libro controverso, che in patria ha creato molti problemi allo scrittore tanto da decidere di sospenderne la pubblicazione e farlo quindi rientrare nelle copie oramai fuori catalogo. Perché vi chiederete? Purtroppo dato il suo contenuto, è stato associato a diversi massacri avvenuti in almento tre scuole americane e questo ha fatto propendere King per l'eliminazione. Ma veniamo ora al mio personale parere. http://www.vivereinunlibro.it/2019/06/recensione-ossessione-di-stephen-king.html
Il terrificante, ribollente subcoscio degli adolescenti, con tutte le miserie nascoste, i complessi, il rapporto di amore/odio tra di loro e con gli adulti, e altri orrori vari, il tutto inserito nel contesto americano, che come sempre estremizza e spinge alla violenza. Nessuno uscirà bene da una mattinata scolastica che potrebbe essere lo script di una Bowling for Columbine ante litteram.
Un bel libro che necessita urgentemente di una nuova traduzione.
Un bel libro che necessita urgentemente di una nuova traduzione.