Blaze: A Novel by Richard Bachman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Blaze: A Novel
Book Review: A Trunk Novel, Through and Through
Summary: 3 Stars
Stephen King had kept this work in a drawer since the 1970s or so, and recently decided to dust it off and release it, as sort of a "film noir" style work. King himself refers to this work as a "trunk novel", one of those books he tossed in a trunk for years and years before bothering or deciding to publish it. Hint: if an author takes the time and effort to write a book, if they're not publishing it, there's usually a reason.
Blaze isn't a bad book. The characters are pretty well developed, and the plot isn't bad. If nearly anyone OTHER than Stephen King had written this, it would have been a solid effort.
That said, it wasn't someone other than Stephen King. It WAS Stephen King. And, while he was much younger when he completed this-- this was years before Carrie, The Shining, or any of the other works that would make him famous-- it still isn't up to the quality or the standards one would expect from a King novel. It's not paranormal, or even hypernormal, like Dolores Claiborne, Cujo, or Gerald's Game. There are no vampires, mummies, or the Holy Ghost. The characters don't say especially witty things, and while it takes place in Maine, don't expect to recognize many characters... there are scant references to The Rock, but this is a seperate work. What this is, in the end, is a midline work on a petty con. If you like King and want to read it, try to pretend he didn't write it. If you don't like King, and like the sort of crime books you pick up five minutes before your plane takes off, this might be the work for you. It's solid, but just not enough.
Book Review: Amazing Stephen King
Summary: 4 Stars
Although not one of the Stephen King's finest books, manages to keep the reader focused on the pages till the very end. Combining the natural with the supernatural, it will amaze everyone. It refers to a criminal who manages to kidnap a millionaire's son. Then while entertaining the reader with the adventure part, Stephen King manages to get into the depths of the human soul, as he gives details about the psychological fluctuations of the characters.Book Review: BLAZE IS GOOD!
Summary: 5 Stars
Blaze was written in the early part of King's career but never published. He dusted it off and released it--and we should be glad. It's top notch; the characters are great and the story is touching, a bit like Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men actually.
So you know, Blaze doesn't read like the first five Bachman books--with a flat mean tone. The writing style is more like Skeleton Crew or Misery; the sentence structure flows smoothly and the story breathes a bit. The story is not horror, nor is it as soft as Hearts in Atlantis or the Green Mile. It sits in the middle somewhere. This is not a bad thing, just saying. It is also a fast-paced read, for those of you that like the story to zip along. I know I do.
If king lost you along the way somewhere, this one could bring you back to the fold.
James Roy Daley, author of The Dead Parade
The Dead Parade
Book Review: Bachman (King) does it again!
Summary: 5 Stars
This will only be my opinion, but I think this is one of the best Richard Bachman books by King. I feel that the Long Walk is the best Bachman book. Blaze comes in a close second. I couldn't put it down. Everytime a chapter ended I thought "I've gotta see what happens next." I have read a lot of reviews talking about feeling sorry for Blaze. I was curious how anyone could feel sorry for a child kidnapper, but found that I also felt sorry for him. Especially at the end.
To me the story was well paced, and flowed evenly. There wasn't a lot of description to bog down the story, but just enough to keep you going. King does a great job of not telling when the time period was while still telling you that it was in the last thirty years.
After finishing the book I felt sad. Also I thought a lot about the book for several days after finishing it. Not many books stick in my mind like that. So to wrap this up, I really feel this is an excellant book! If you want a great story that doesn't require reading seven-hundred pages, then you really should give this book a try.
Book Review: Exceeds expectations.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's hard to expect much from a book when it opens with the author telling you he felt so little for his own creation he didn't even keep the original typed copy.
But "Blaze," in my opinion, is a great read. It hooks you instantly with its sympathetically slow main character and rumbles along to its inevitable finale.
Stephen King always knows best what does and does not work in his novels, and he's correct that the flashbacks in this book are its highlight. Even though they occasionally veer into near Upton Sinclair-esque melodrama, they have a clean sentimentality that I loved. They may even be a little cliche, if we're being honest, but King has always been a master of the little details of spirit and humanity. That is on strong display here.
What King does brilliantly in this novel is take someone doing something absolutely horrible and make you love him. Blaze, a smart boy who had his brain scrambled by a drunk, abusive father, who now stands a massive 6'7", is the ultimate pulling-on-your-heartstrings "big dumb guy" -- he's the original John Coffey, really. Blaze is a small-time con artist whose partner dies right before their big final score can happen, and Blaze goes about it alone (along with the help of his partner's ghost). You almost have to shake your head in sympathy as Blaze imagines he's outsmarting everyone but is clearly laying down a trail that will easily lead right back to him. The unraveling of his crime is as obvious as how he will react to what he has taken.
Blaze's sad growing affection for the baby he kidnaps is so overly melodramatic it's almost comedic, but you can't stop it from affecting you. That's fully because of King's ability to take such a scenario and make you care.
"Blaze" is a straightforward, almost sappy, story from Stephen King -- and I definitely loved every sentimental moment of it.