Book Review: Stephen King’s Blaze

By: DThompson | in: Music |

blaze

If you’ve read the introduction to the out of print omnibus The Bachman Books you’ll know that the majority of the novels Stephen King published under the nom de plume Richard Bachman were what he calls “trunk books”. That is, early efforts that he couldn’t get published for one reason or another. The first four books “by” Richard Bachman were trunk books while the last two were not. So, it would be understandable if you thought the latest novel to carry the Bachman name was also a recent creation.

It’s not. Blaze is, as King says “the last novel from 1966-1973”, at least the last one he’s willing to publish. As with the other four “trunk” Bachmans it’s a lean affair, written before Steve was selling his novels by the pound. It’s also a Dickensian story of workhouses, parental neglect, the criminal underclass and bad choices. There’s a harder more cynical bent to Blaze, a rough bitterness to its tale of an enormous brain damaged man who carries out an ill-advised kidnapping.

Unlike King’s other non-supernatural work, particularly the novella “Rita Hayworth And Shawshank Redemption”, there’s nothing lyrical about Blaze. There are no truly cheerful moments, no celebratory scenes where the hero wins out over the crushing forces of the universe, not much light at all. There’s really never any doubt as to how this unhappy tale is going to work out, it may read like a pulp novel, but it’s more of a tragic march than a twisting thriller. Despite King’s occasional lapses into the supernatural, Blaze is really more like a well-worn piece by one of the hard-boiled southern gothic writers of the fifties or a depression-era expose.

Yes, the book is a grim read, but it’s also a fast one and a gripping one as the sad life of Clayton Blaisedell unwinds with the depressing regularity of a two dollar wrist watch. The story presents you with a main character who leads such a train wreck of a life, it’s difficult to look away. Whatever happens next, you know it won’t be nice.

If you’re looking for something down beat and gritty, something redolent of the pulp magazines of old, something showing King’s literary side in spades, Blaze is the book for you. Like the best work of Jim Thompson, it lands you with characters and in places well to the wrong side of the tracks, but makes the journey so compelling that you have to stay on. Just how screwed up can one life get? Blaze has the answer.

VERDICT: If you like your King hard-boiled.

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Posted on March 26, 2008

Comments

4 Responses to “Book Review: Stephen King’s Blaze”

HMTKSteve on March 27th, 2008 4:23 am

I recently read his most recent book, Duma key, and I have to say I was impressed. King’s writing had fallen off for me lately but that book was very good.

Charbarred on March 27th, 2008 7:20 am

I’m just in the middle of Duma Key and it’s definitely King’s best work in years. It’s certainly his scariest book in a long time.

DThompson on March 27th, 2008 12:58 pm

I can’t speak for Duma Key, though you guys are tempting me to crack my virgin hard back copy.
Blaze was a good read, but Lisey’s Story… I’m still struggling through that one. I have hope that it will turn out to be like Insomnia, which was a crashing bore until the last third when it suddenly turned into a really awesome read.

Charbarred on March 27th, 2008 1:50 pm

Lissey’s Story is King’s scariest book…not because it’s good, but because the victim is not fictional, it’s YOU…
(I keep slagging it off but I never even made it half way through…keep us updated if you ever finish it)