The King is Bach
Categories: Mystery & Suspense , Fiction
There is one corpse in the body count and the novel isn't open yet. Richard Bachman, pseudonym for Stephen King, died of cancer of the pseudonym back in 1985. This novel, Blaze, was unearthed by Stephen King and published just this year. It's about a dead guy and written by a different dead guy yet the codex exists right here in my hot little hands in all it's jacketed black and orange glory.
Clayton Blaisdell Jr. is one of the most unfortunate characters of the lot of Stephen King's books. His mother dies and Clayton is left with his alcoholic and abusive father who throws him down the apartment stairs one time too many.
Very large and one step above a vegetative state, Clayton Blaisdell Jr. is now a ward of the state. This is where he obtains his nickname "Blaze" and begins the life of someone else. Blaze escapes the institution and subsequently meets George. George talks Blaze into committing all types of petty crimes. One day, George dreams up a plan to kidnap an infant from a well-to-do family. Before the plan can be carried out, George is injured. George encourages Blaze to proceed with the kidnapping, without regard to whether the parties involved are dead or alive.
This one possesses a chilly melancholy stemming from tragedies befalling the innocent and undeserving. That pain and poignancy reverberates long after the volume is closed. Other Bachman titles include Rage, Roadwork, The Running Man, and The Long Walk. Written circa 1973, Blaze is a recent release and modified by the author to reflect contemporary times. All proceeds from this title go to the Haven Foundation for freelance artists.
The other guy, Stephen King, has a short story, "1408", that is now a motion picture. Stephen King's short story, "1408" can be found in King's collection entitled, Everything's Eventual and non-fiction title, On Writing : a memoir of the craft.
In previous Bachman novels, the blood flows like water but in this one, the innocents are not mercifully slain, but instead left to live and therein lies the true horror that is Bachman/King.
