Saturday, August 16, 2014

Books read in 2014: No. 33 -- Blaze

by Richard Bachman

Started: August 14
Finished: August 16

Notes: Is there anyone who isn't aware Stephen King occasionally writes under the pen name of Richard Bachman? Either way, I'm way behind on my King reading, much of his work from the last decade, so I thought it time I got back on that wagon.

Mini review: Sort of a light crime novel (with shades of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men), this is not King's best work, but that's to be somewhat expected considering this is basically a "trunk" novel of his originally written back in 1973 while King was in his 20s. Still, this is a pretty solid book, and I believe the story's structure is quite strong as are the characters, which is almost always the case with King. The ending is a tad underwhelming, but again, that is often the case with King, and it is by no means the worst ending I've seen him give a tale. If one is a King fan, then this book needs to be read because it will provide some enjoyment, but this is not a book I would suggest to the casual King reader or to one coming fresh to the author for the first time.

1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

I don't think I've read it. I went through a King period but haven't read anything by him in several years.