I am such a huge fan of Stephen King's work. A very fast read and I couldn't put this book down. Such a great book. My original copy was a BCE, but after finally reading it - I just had to find a First Edition for my personal collection. Highly recommend.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Blaze is a self titled "trunk novel" written by Stephen King between 1972 and 1973 but just released this year. The book is released under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman whose credits include other novels such as Thinner, The Running Man, The Regulators, and more. Blaze centers around Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., who is nichnamed "Blaze." We are told through flashbacks that Blaze, who is now in his thirties, was once a bright and soft spoken boy before his abusive father threw him down their home's steps three times. This abuse resulted in Blaze becoming brain damaged and a ward of the state. Eventually he is taken to Hetton House, an orphanage, where his troubled life continues. As Blaze gets older he becomes a veritable giant and turns to crime and meets George, nicknamed Raspy, and a friendship is formed. George and Blaze commit all sorts of crime and cons and eventually plot their "big score" - a kidnapping of a child from the Gerard family who are local millionaires. George is killed prior to the execution of the plan however Blaze continues to hear him talking in his head and goes ahead and kidnaps the Gerard's baby, named Joe. Blaze soon learns to love Joe but still attempts to collect the ransom money. As the kidnapping goes wrong Blaze fights to protect Joe and ends up killing more innocents before Joe is finally rescued and Blaze meets his end. Blaze is classic Stephen King. This isn't a subtle introspective Lisey's Story type novel but is a blunt, raw, down to earth story which draws you in right away and keeps you reading until its over. While reading about Blaze's harsh life you learn of his life and feel sympathy for him even while he's robbing and killing innocent people and eventually kidnapping a baby. Blaze is an excellent novel and a quick read. Its probably my favorite Bachman story so far but I wonder how many more "trunk novels" are still laying around waiting to be published. Blaze also includes the short story Memory and a pretty good introduction by King. This is a must have book from Stephen King which once you start reading it you won't be able to put down until its over.Read full review
Stephen King may be the "master of horror," but with BLAZE he proves that he's also just a plain ole good writer. This story is a mixture of a thriller, a mystery, a police procedural, and a personal struggle to figure out who you are. Blaze, aka Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., is a dummy, and he knows it. Ever since his father threw him down a flight of stairs (and then hauled him back up and did it a couple of more times), Blaze hasn't had the brains for learning. The dent in his forehead might make him look scary, but we soon learn that Blaze isn't much of a threat -- except when he's really angry. He might look like a giant at 6'7" and nearly 300 pounds, but this man's heart is as soft as his mind. Blaze has pretty much drifted through life by skirting the law and mostly (with exceptions) avoiding trouble. When he meets George Rackley, Blaze learns the art of the con. The two of them (or, rather, George) have been planning one big job for awhile now. That big job would be kidnapping the baby of a rich couple, collecting the ransom, and living the high-life somewhere with white sandy beaches and lots of sun. But we soon learn that things aren't going quite the way either man had expected. For one, George is dead, even though he's still helping with the kidnapping plot. For another, Blaze, as we've already learned, isn't the smartest guy around. What follows is a mixture of present day mystery/thriller as Blaze carries out the kidnapping of little Joey, mixed with the flashbacks of his life that show how Blaze ends up where he's at. King (aka Bachman..does it really matter the name?) shows great control in the pacing of BLAZE, and expertly weaves the present with the past. You'll also be surprised (and entertained) by the joy that is Blaze, who is a wonderful, fully-developed character.Read full review
I have already read this book in the softcover but wanted it for my collection in Hardcover. The story is alot better than I expected. King has you really caring about and feeling bad for the main character although hes done something utterly despicable. I have read every book Stephen King or Richard Bachman has ever written...most were great, some...not so great. This book was definitely among the ones that I liked. It wasn't his best work, but absolutely worth reading. An enjoyable quick read !!!
This story is a partial rewrite of a previously unpublished novel written by King, as Richard Bachman in 1973. There is a small history of how this book made it to the shelves by King, as he addresses his Constant Reader in the preface. It is a about a huge, almost retarded criminal who kidnaps a baby and plans to ransom it back to the wealthy parents, but falls in love with the child instead. The story is basic early King, a good read and lightly connected to the Gunslinger series as most of his books are. At the back of the book is a short story that was published last year. King comments about how it became more and will be published as a novel early in 2008. A very quick read, if you love to read King, you have to get this one.
Imagine a man who's spent almost his entire life finding trouble. He's mildly retarded, is a con man and a thief, has been in and out of jail, and has a big dent in his forehead that makes him ugly to boot. Top all of this off with the bone-chilling fact that he decides to kidnap for ransom the child of a rich family--a completely innocent and helpless baby! Now imagine this: you find yourself unequivocally liking the guy! It doesn't matter that he's a con man and a thief. All of the horribleness he engages in seems justified due to the many difficulties he's faced in life. Heck, you cheer when he beats up the headmaster at his school (actually Hetton House, a county home), and you're even rooting for him to kidnap the baby without getting caught! So is the mastery of Stephen King, writing as his pseudonym Richard Bachman. Blaze is a book that will have you scratching your head in bewilderment over the fact that you have found yourself in like with a person like Blaze (aka as Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.). Additionally, you'll feel sadness and sympathy, anger and pain. The story of Blaze's unfortunate life will leave you filled with the utmost desire to lift up your head and unabashedly roar at the fates.Read full review
I am a Stephen King club member, have been one for years, and I have all his writings. I also have or have seen all the movies made from his book titles. What can I say, I'm just a sci-fi nut. I had never seen or heard of this title, so I just had to have it for my collection. So glad I found this on Ebay. I never was contacted thru the club as to this title being available so that just goes to show you can find just about anything on Ebay. Ebay comes through again.
I bought this book simply because of the author,Stephen King. I am a huge fan and collector of his work. I have yet to read a book of his that I did not like.I also have yet to read it, but I am sure I will not be dissapionted. I am happy to see he is still working hard to scare the hell out of his fans. After his accident, I was worried that the world was going to lose the best horror writer of all time.
This was a good read. Shows King had the talent to write way back then and has aquired the talent to re-work it for a good story. Just enough mental "boo" to make it a King book. You feel sorry for the main character (Blaze) and we are greatly concerned for the child......Blaze is much like a "person" we all knew in school...poor,abused and "dumb"....we felt sorry for them but avoided them for any reason...people like this were dangerous! Dumb but dangerous.......and this book shows why!
I think if you're looking for a good, entertaining read, you can never go wrong with Stephen King. Blaze does not disappoint, though I don't think that anyone is going to nominate this as the best King book ever. With a few homages to Of Mice and Men, Blaze is about a big, misunderstood guy who manages to pull off a pretty significant crime. I thought the ending was a little contrived, but still quite entertaining. Have fun with Blaze!
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