The other evening I was meeting a friend for dinner when a huge beautiful mastiff walked by me in the streets of New York. Having just read Blaze, I thought "this would be a wonderful companion for him". Alas, Mr. King is too clever for me and has eliminated this happy possibility in his story. Blaze is "finished" when his pops throws him down the stairs as a young boy. At this point, I wanted to adopt him. However, Blaze makes a pal, who feeds him and offers him shelter while attempting to turn him into a ferocious pit terrier with limited success. Fast-forward here. Mr. King once again teaches me that while you can physically destroy a human being, it is very difficult to confiscate his soul. Now I doubt Mr. King has little time to surf the website for reviews from his readers, but I am taking this opportunity to thank him for being my finest American historian teacher for the last thirty years while providing me with an imaginitive story at the same time. He is able to do both. On another personal note, being a retired secretary, I have often wondered how his assistants are able to tackle his mail volume. They must be highly sophisticated individuals, who receive letters from vampires, ghouls, werewolves, etc. Sending Mr. King, congratulations and warmest appreciation for the beneficial impact he has had on my life. I never take an act of kindness for granted.

I thought Blaze was a great book - it was a fast and easy read and kept you engrossed in the storyline. The character was so simple and lovable, yet dangerous. At some point, I actually choked up when reading about the suffering poor Blaze had to endure and the tremendous losses in his life. I'm glad this was only a book.

So by the time you read this review, you will likely have seen many other for this book relating how this came to be published as a "lost" Bachman book. And that really says it all. This story has that precise tone that reads like every other book King has published as Richard Bachman (with "Thinner" being a possible exception). Nice tight, gritty story-telling here -- and with the verbose, flacid "Lisey's Story" being the last King book released prior to this one, that comes as a welcome surprise.

This book could easily fit in as the fifth novel of "The Bachman Books" collection. The tone most nearly matches that of "Road Work" and "Rage." So if you like either of those, this is a sure bet. I think it was somewhere in the introduction where King cites "Of Mice and Men" as an influence here, and that influence is definitely apparent. Although with a distinct "King twist" to be sure.

If you are a fan of the old stuff, you owe it to yourself to pick this book up.

Richard Bachman is the pen name that King used for this novel as he did for alot of his older stories. King is mostly known for his horror novels and twisted mind, but this story of a simpleton named Blaze is captivating. He reminds me almost of the character John Coffee in "The Green Mile". I had a hard time putting this down and even tho I have a six month old son, I found myself happy that Blaze was able to pull off the kidnapping and learning about his childhood and seeing how he bonded with the baby was amazing. I would recommend Blaze to anyone. The abrupt ending tho did leave me a little stunned, but I won't spoil it.

So in the introduction, Mr. King actually admits he wrote this book a long time ago and didn't think it was good enough to publish. A few years past, he though about it again, and it STILL wasn't good enough to publish. But now, sure enough, sudenly it's good enough!

NO IT'S NOT! I'm sorry, I love Mr. King. His literary style at it's best is a thing of beauty. To this day, the only work of fiction- book, short story or otherwise to truly scare me, was The Shining. His works have been glorious and far reaching. But this is ridiculous.

I genuinely believe he looked at this old "trunk novel" and said to himself, "My readers will buy anything I throw out there!".

This is a thoroughly depressing and utterly dull story about someone you don't ever care about.

Honestly, I think Mr. King is sitting at home compiling a bunch of old shopping lists that he is going to publish. This stuff is garbage.

"Blaze" is the last novel from the early period of 1966-1973 when Stephen King was also writing as Richard Bachman. The story, characterizations, settings all live up to the standards we have come to expect from him, especially in his earlier period when he also wrote monumental novels like "The Stand". It is actually unfortunate that this novel was deemed not worthy of publication by the author in 1973. Had it been published, it would have had a following and would have had more of an effect as it is essentially a period piece, a point also conceded but insufficiently addressed by the author himself. This book might still have had a lasting value had it been more thoroughly edited and updated prior to publication.
I think this book deserves 4 stars based on the above and I recommend it to those who would like to complete their Stephen King libraries. It can also be enjoyed as a gem from his period of arguably most glorious writing.

I am a diehard Stephen King fan but this book is not his usual genre. The story is more of a crime novel and I missed the mysticism of the "Dark Tower" novels. The book is good for an King collector but don't expect it to be like His "horror" stories.

This is typical Stephen King. I was thrilled with the supense of the story, but deeply disappointed with the ending.

A great Bachman/King novel, Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., had me sympathizing and rooting for him long before the final chapter. This briskly paced suspense story with touches of sadness left an emotional resonance i won't soon forget. Blaze is one of Bachman/King's most endearing creations despite the fact he's a babynapper & career criminal. This is Bachman at the top of his game and another fine classic era (1970's) Stephen King story. I'm glad he brought this one out of "the trunk ".

I LOVED this book though I am use to Scary Stephen King books. I know I know the main character was a murderer and a criminal and we shouldn't have any sympathy or liking for him but you just DO in this book. Blaze is a dummy and talks to his ghost friend but I couldn't put this book down. I liked everything about it. The telling of his past and his present and how we found out about George and John. I just dug this book and it didn' have to be scary OK.

This trunk novel deserved to see the light of day, being too good to keep boxed up somewhere. Despite being a thriller, the protagonist seems so troubled and so human, that his twisted kind of sweetness pulls at the heart and makes this book total much more. I got the same sort of feeling from it that I got when reading Of Mice and Men.

King updated this unpublished novel, and that is the one complaint I have about the book - the updates seemed a little obvious, and sometimes jarring. Did anyone else catch the use of `bool'? Otherwise, check out this book. The reading is easy and worth the time.

I have loved Stephen King since "The Shining" scared me during the daylight hours when I was a teen. Blaze is not a scary book. Blaze is a sweet, sad tale where you learn to really care about the main character. I read a lot, so there is always another new book waiting on the shelf. But for the first time I can recall, I read the last page of a book, then turned back to the first page and began to read again. I bought it in hardcover when it first came out and I will probably buy it for my kindle, too. You can always use a good book and this is that book.

It just seems as though I have been reading Stephen King forever.
And as usual it seems I either LOVE the book or just want to get the thing finished.
Unfortunately, this is one of those novels I couldn't wait to be done.
Certainly not his best work.

I love Stephen King. I love giving to charity.

But I would rather have given the 10 bucks directly to Haven, the non profit group to whom King donates profits from this title, than to have to read this book.

The characters are beautifully done, the dialogue, in most places, pure King. Believable, dead-on and right for each scene.

So far so good.

Then something unexpected happened in the second half of this thing.

I almost put it down, then thought, 'no, he can still surprise you, don't bail yet'.

When it was done, I thought 'maybe I missed something.'

I hadn't.

Borrow this one from the library if you absolutely must read King's entire output.

None other than Stephen King provides the preface of Richard Bachman's `Blaze.' King begins with the disclaimer, "This is a trunk novel, okay? I want you to know that while you've still got the sales slip and before you drip something like gravy or ice cream on it, and thus make it difficult or impossible to return." King continues with this line of thought with a couple of detours, explaining that he and Richard Bachman are, in fact, the same person and that the proceeds from `Blaze' will altruistically be donated to The Haven Foundation, which helps freelance artists who are down on their luck. The modesty about this trunk novel, written more than 35 years ago, is a little tedious, because `Blaze' is a pretty good story.

Of course it is.

`Blaze' weaves a tale of a gentle giant, Clayton Blaisdel, Jr., or "Blaze," who, through a series fateful accidents, went the wrong way in life. The story begins as Blaze tries to steal a car. As he navigates through the process of finding a car to steal, Blaze hears a voice, "Not that one, you dummy, it's got bumper stickers all over it. Get a Chevy or Ford. Dark blue or green. Two years old. No more. No less. Nobody remembers them. And no stickers."

The reader soon learns that the voice that Blaze hears in is ear is that of George, a two-bit hustler and Blaze's only friend, who is dead. Apparently George does not manifest himself as an apparition, but rather simply as memories in Blaze's mind, which itself has a very limited capacity for thought. When Blaze was a child, his mother was killed in an automobile accident and Blaze was left with his alcoholic father. While on a bender, Blaze's father tossed him down the stairs, not once, but three times. The ordeal left Blaze in a coma, with an identifying dent on his forehead, and a mentally disabling IQ.

Blaze needs the car so he can execute the plan that he and George had hatched before George was killed to kidnap the infant of wealthy parents and to collect a ransom for the one "big score." Bachman takes the reader back and forth through the "present," which is represented by early 1970's northeastern New England and Clayton Blaisdel's past, growing up under difficult circumstances.

It is easy of the reader to sympathize with Blaze, who Bachman frames as a victim of both society and circumstances. Bachman alludes to Blaze's above-average intelligence before the unfortunate accident that left him intellectually deficient and the subconscious George character appears to be the manifestation of what is left of his mental capacity. During each of the flashbacks to Blaze's youth, Blaze is in a situation in which he either actually does or wants to do the right thing. Due to his intimidating size, the frightening dent on his forehead, or the prejudices of small-minded people, Blaze can never quite crawl away from his inevitable destiny of crime.

With a much difficulty, Blaze kidnaps the little heir, Joseph Gerard IV. Rather than being the monster that the world perceives Blaze to be, his tender, human side takes over and cares for Joe as well as he can. Blaze even has thoughts of both keeping the ransom money and raising the kidnapped child himself. But, the ill-conceived plan and the errors Blaze makes along way all but paves a path for the FBI and the Maine State Police to the place where Blaze has the infant.

Although a little anti-climactic, Steven King writing as Richard Bachman constructs a credible, enjoyable, and suspenseful story. Clearly, Bachman's skills are honed and his stories become more sharp and full of suspense as he evolves into the Stephen King of `Carrie,' `The Shining,' and more similarly, `Four Seasons' and `The Green Mile.' For the recreational reader, `Blaze' is as good a read as most of the other fiction for sale among the grocery story paperbacks. For the fan of Stephen King, however, `Blaze' is a must read.

Of late, I have felt Stephen King has been off his game. While The Cell was okay, much of his other recent works have been subpar: From a Buick 8, The Colorado Kid and Lisey's Story are all distinctly flawed works. Happily, Blaze shows that King is still capable of writing a great novel, though it may have helped that the framework of this story was written over 30 years ago.

Blaze - which King attributes to his Richard Bachman persona in a foreword - is the story of Clay "Blaze" Blaisdell, a large and simple-minded man who has spent most of his life getting bad breaks, starting with the death of his mother and the physical abuse of his drunken father (which would result in the head injury that left Blaze mentally deficient). His adult life was one of petty crime to just survive, but the friendship of George Rackley would change that. George would provide Blaze with a chance to do con jobs and would plant the seeds for a big crime.

Although George is dead at the beginning of the book - he continues to speak to Blaze as something of a guardian angel (it's all in Blaze's head; there is nothing supernatural in this novel). Under George's guidance, Blaze will kidnap the infant child of a wealthy family, but Blaze being Blaze, this perfect crime will go wrong.

Blaze the novel succeeds because of Blaze the character, a man who is generally good-natured but is doomed to a bad life (any resemblance to Lenny in Of Mice and Men is intentional, as King acknowledges in the foreword). It also helps that King avoids some of the stylistic elements that have hurt some of his more recent works, in particular his overuse of creative slang. Also included in the volume is a forgettable short story called "Memory". Blaze itself is one of King's best works this decade and a reminder to his fans that he is still capable of being a great writer.

BLAZE

Well, I have been a Stephen King fan since forever and this book certainly explains why!

Meet Blaze, poor, sweet, kind, slow-witted, loving, abused, corrupt Blaze. How sorry I felt for him! How much I liked him! How I rooted for him and cheered him on, even though he is the bad guy!!! As will you --

This book is a mover and shaker. Blaze has had a rough, terrible life -- abused and forever injured by his dad who hurts him so badly it affects and alters Blaze's entire life. Brought up in a horrible home for boys, enduring taunts, teasing, yet he survives. Blaze has a heart of gold and truly cares about people. I nearly cried when reading how Blaze felt sorry for a bird that was sitting all alone on a wire. What a kind, sweet, mistreated man.

Blaze gets mixed up with George, who leads Blaze down the road of crime. The ultimate crime ends up being the kidnapping of the baby, little Joe. His family is rich and Blaze and George want some of the cash. Read how this simple plan goes wrong and how things turn out for Blaze.

I LOVED all of the characters in this book, but especially Blaze. You will find the good in him. This is one King book that you should read and then read all of his others. King is THE king among authors and he never, ever disappoints. His characters, the plot, his language, all make for some of the best reading you will ever encounter.

Thanks!

Pam

I entirely enjoyed this read. It was intelligent and brought to me a desire to empathize with the 'villan.' Blaze awakened to the possibility of love in his life to raise the question again...Nature v.s. Nurture? Honostly, I wished for his escape.

Clayton "Blaze" Blaisdell Jr isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but what he lacks in brain, he makes up in brawn.

Blaze would be a good friend to have on your side, say, if you found yourself stuck in a tough foster home. And he'd make a great sidekick/bodyguard, say, if you were a widecrackin', con-jobbin' pipsqueak. But on his own, Blaze doesn't get a lot right, say, like...a kidnapping.

Blaze is vintage Stephen King. It's also classic King prose. The writing took me back to the late 70s/early 80s King style that either has lost some of its luster or has just become too familiar these days.

In the book's Forward, King explains Blaze as a recently "updated" version of one of his first writings (circa 1973) as Richard Bachman. I'm not sure what the purpose of the updates were. Why not just set the mood in 1973? In fact, I even noticed an update he missed: in one clearly updated sentence it was implied that this was the Reagan era (circa the 80s), but a few pages later it was implied that Barry Goldwater (circa the 60s) was in need of a nickname.

Anyway, Blaze was a fast, engaging read...like all of King's early novels. I'd highly recommend it as an enjoyable escape to pass some of your free time.

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a big fan of Stephen King's "classic" novels. By that I'm talking about such stories as "Salem's Lot", "The Shining", "Cujo", "Pet Sematary" and others from his older works. That being said, I don't want the people who are reading my review to think I'm some kind of a Stephen King "newbie." Actually, I'm far from it my friends. I've been reading King's work for years and I would like to think that I have a pretty good grasp on the artist as a whole. Those stories I listed above are good "classic" novels, I just don't feel the need to compare and contrast his early work with his latest material. Just for the record, everything (EVERYTHING) Stephen King writes (in my opinion) is nothing short of amazing! For those of you living in the past (The Shining, Pet Sematary, etc.), you need to stop beating a dead horse, make note you enjoyed those stories back in the day and move along. King's body of work is so large and so in depth, I would be hard pressed to find a story that I didn't enjoy.

With that little rant out of the way, we can now actually talk about the novel at hand, "Blaze." This isn't a Stephen King story, it's actually a Richard Bachman story that was written back in 1973, before he moved on to the largely considered classic "Carrie." From what I've read online and through the novel itself, King never enjoyed the story "Blaze" until recently. Needless to say, he unearthed the story, jazzed it up a bit and finally put it into print.

Without a doubt, BLAZE is a book that won't soon be forgotten. If King didn't like this story at first (it wasn't up to his standards), just think about some of his stories that are considered "classics" by many of his fans and himself to boot. Stephen King's "The Stand" comes to mind. In otherwords, even King's worst stories (although I can't think of any) are still amazing no matter what! The gift lies in the story telling. Stephen King was just born with it, hands down. He has the gift of pulling the reading into his world, making you forget everything else for just a little while and taking you into the creative part of the imagination. That seems to be something people lose over the years through watching TV and other mindless time wasting activities. On a personal note I say turn off the TV for a little while and read a book for once. You may not be in school anymore (or who knows, maybe you are) but that doesn't mean you have to ignore books all together. Read a story and make sure it's done by an author who actually can do the craft well. Stephen King does it well.

The actual story of BLAZE itself is about kidnapping. Clayton Blaisdell Jr and his friend in crime George, decide to pull off the biggest and best crime of their lives. Kidnapping a child of a wealthy family. The only problem with their plan is the brains of the operation (George) is dead and Blaze might as well be brain dead, considering how stupid he is. Blazes decides to go through with the kidnapping dispite his best friend George is dead. Mainly for a chance at living the "high life" after pulling off the actual crime.

I won't go into any more details considering the thrill of reading King's work lies heavily in discovering things for yourself, the reader. Over all I found this book to be very enjoyable and think it's a great addition to anyones ever growing Stephen King (Richard Bachman) collection. Even people new to the world of King will enjoy the rich story telling and in depth details he fills his stories with. It's a good book thats hard to put down once started.

Well done Stephen, well done!

This book had me from the first page to the last. As usual, King's characters in this book are rich and deep, even the dead ones. There was limited "woo-woo" in this story, so it was realistic and heart-rending throughout. I loved the way the story jumped back and forth between time periods, giving you a peek into some of the background that brought the character, Blaze, to present time. This felt like King at his best, and I am grateful he pulled it out of the mothballs of Backman's storage shed and dusted it off!!

Having read every Stephen King Book there is I was surprised to find one that departed from the typical Stephen King genre. I found this novel to be different from the sometimes "paranormal" Stephen King writing (that all SK fans know and love). This book would most certainly be enjoyed by both the SK fans as well as those that avoid him because they find him too "spooky". The novel has the captivating King writing style with a more mainstream plot. I would highly recommend it.

I love this book, it was defintiely one of those one's you couldn't put down.

Watching(yes, watching because you actually SEE this character)Blaze evolve thoughout this book is painful, but you can't stop reading. You become both sympathetic and appalled. The constant tension makes this a very fast read!

If you are like me (a major Stephen King fan), I am sure you have been as dissapointed in many of Stephen Kings post accident works as I have been. Most contain wierd created languages (Liseys Story "Smucking") or bizzare and lose plots with ridiculous and meaningless flashbacks that feel like what I assume an acid trip must be like. However there have been a few gems that remind us all of Stephen Kings tremendous talent, at character development, and page turning suspense. Cell was one of these post accident successes. Blaze is yet another. While it is a different genre (sort of like Shawshank was for him), it is a great story that you will not want to put down. I highly recommend this book.

A different genre for King but one of the most well written that he has published recently.

Written in 1977 By Stephen King Blaze was originaly Intended to be a Richard Bachman Book but King put it away for a while well a long while thirty years really. King Has called this one a Trunk novel but it really is a great novel that tells the tale of Clayton Blaisdell Jr. or as he's called Blaze

Blaze has never been well never been that smart but it's not really his fault he had an abusive father that was well abusive thats why he has that giant dent in his forehead and this makes people afraid of him this makes people think he's a monster (and it dosent help that Blaze is a Giant he's Extremley tall and a big guy)

Blaze has had a Friend a partner in crime to his friend named george but Blaze being confused has thought that George has been alvie but he really hasent. In the End Blaze is a very intertaing read I love how King stays to the Bachman Name by saying that the novel is Written by Richard Bachman even though it also says With a Foward By Stephen King in almost as big letters it dosent matter though Blaze is great written by King or Bachman 5/5

I've been such a devoted reader of King's work that picking up one of his books is like a visit with an old and very dear friend. BLAZE continues King's tradition of writing "ripping yarns" that's made him America's Dickens.

The main character is a mentally disabled man who's 6'07" so he literally stands out in a crowd. Blaze has become a career criminal and is first helped by his friend George (a nice nod to OF MICE AND MEN). Then George dies and his ghost continues to give Blaze advice, not much of it good.

Flashbacks show us Blaze as a child before a violent incident of child abuse robs him of his intellect. He had been a voracious reader. After his 'accident' he does well to read comic books.

Blaze, aided by George, decides that kidnapping a rich family's child would be the best way to make a lot of money quickly. It's the dead of Winter in Maine and a mentally challenged man is trying to take care of an infant with help from a dead man. Small wonder I wanted to read the whole thing at one sitting.

As flashbacks are intercut with the main story we see Blaze's summer romance with a delinquent girl named Anne. Ann gets pregnant and has Blaze's child, and the life that the baby grows up to live makes Blaze's situation even more poignant.

There's a lot of ambiguity about our feelings toward Blaze: pity, fear, and often admiration because of his resourceful handling of rough situations.

If Joel and Ethan Cohen ever want to make a film of one of King's novels, BLAZE would be right up their alley.

Big Steve, I love you, Dude! Keep 'em coming. We're both good for another thirty years, assuming that my eyes will hold out to age ninety.

I totally felt the Old Uncle Stevie's writing style in this book. Okay, so the premise is a bit out of whack, a huge dude with few lights on upstairs pulling off a criminal caper, but to me it had that comfortable feeling I haven't been getting with King's novels lately. Many people are complaining lately that there's no horror in some of King's books anymore and this may be true. I'd rather read a "non-horror" King book than anything like "Cell" again. A few of his best stories are not horror at all-"The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable-didn't want to put it down.

Blaze was a really good read. It had the classic crime novel feel, and really creates compassion for Clayton Blaisdell.

I don't have much to say about 'Blaze: A Novel'. I love King's horror novels, but I am always blown over by the quieter fiction he writes - even if it is written under the Richard Bachman pseudonym. 'Blaze' is one of King's quieter, simpler novels. The story leads you along, step by step, like footprints in the snow. It leads you into the tangles of a wood that grows inside one doomed man's heart.

In a word, it is beautiful.

This middle of the road effort comes off as a novel written by a man learning to write. Of course that is exactly what it is. King wrote this in 1972-73, when his only publications to date were short stories in skin mags.

That said, this novel shows promise. There are attempts at literary allusions, metaphors, a "modern" Of Mice and Men.

But it tries too hard, and becomes predictable, and ends up feeling shallow and leaving you empty.

Don't get me wrong, Blaze is a worthwhile enough read. Just don't expect The Green Mile or Lisey's Story here.

"Blaze" received an interesting hardcover release last year and is already out in paperback. It was sold expressly as an abandoned Richard Bachman book. The lengthy and entertaining foreword by Stephen King leaves no doubt that this is not a "proper" novel, but rather an old and jettisoned idea from 35 years ago that's been dusted off and sold primarily to showcase an artist charity King runs. A lot of King's recent work has been of this stripe -- old curiosities and half-finished projects, rather than novels proper. It's more interesting as a look at the evolutionary process behind the man's writing (see also On Writing) than as an original story in its own right.

As a blatant homage to Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition), "Blaze" does wind up an amusing crime novella. It's written primarily in the hard-boiled noir throwback voice that King prefers to adopt on ocassion, most recently in The Colorado Kid (Hard Case Crime). It marries the idea of the cynical George shepherding the naive, mentally challenged Lenny (here renamed Blaze), with the boilerplate notion of two small-time criminals out for one last big score. Their plan is doomed to fail, and the author drops liberal hints throughout each successive chapter that there will be no happy ending. The last chapter matches up very closely to the final scene in Steinbeck's earlier work, if you need it.

Since "Blaze" is advertised as a "trunk novel", an abandoned project from 35 years ago that was never meant to be a centerpiece of the King ouevre, it's basically review proof. If I had to level a complaint, then, it's that this is clearly no longer a Bachman book. King's rewrites have removed any of the traits that may have distinguished Bachman's books from his own writing style. There's far too much of the open and obvious King sentimentality on display, such as the sequence where a school-aged Blaze and a buddy sneak off to Boston for a week. Their adventure succeeds due to the random kindness of total strangers, an old King trope. At the end of the sequence, we're told the sad fate of the other boy -- another common King feature, telling you chapters in advance how a character will exit the story. King's feature, not Bachman's.

I've got a feeling that were Bachman himself to buy and read this novel, he'd have shook his head despairingly and tossed it right back onto the reject pile, in between the DVD release of The Running Man (Special Edition) and the last surviving copies of "Rage".

Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., had a rough childhood. As a small boy his father threw him down a flight of stairs--repeatedly. This left Clayton a little slow in the head, unable to do arithmatic. The orphange he grew up in was a mixed bag--a few good people, some really bad ones. It's where he earned his nickname, though: Blaze. He grew big--not smart, far from it, but he was huge. Nobody messed with Blaze if they knew what was good for 'em. After he got out of the orphanage--and jail--he hooked up with this cat named George. The two of them began running scams--nobody got hurt, but the duo made money. Then George died. But before he died, George hatched a scheme: kidnap the baby of a wealthy family and ransom it for two million dollars. With George dead (but not forgotten), Blaze decides there's nothing left to do but continue with the plot. But can he do it?

"Blaze" isn't your typical Richard Bachman tale. Well, I'm not sure there IS a "typical Richard Bachman tale;" I'm just saying that Blaze isn't as dark or straightforward as the other Bachman books ("Rage," "Roadwork," "Thinner," "The Regulators," and "The Running Man," not necessarily in that order). It is, instead, a crime novel. King has gone back and touched it up some (Bachman died of pseudonym cancer a while back; such a shame, such a downright shame), but still...I don't know why King didn't publish it under his own name. Nostalgia, I guess. The Bachman Books do have a certain air about them; the characters are usually thinly drawn (Blaze, even George, are fleshed out, but the rest of the cast seems easily deflatable), the violence almost gratuitous. Yet there's the hint of the brilliant author that was just one book--that would be "Carrie"--away.

Anyway, this is easily King's fastest-paced novel. Not the gut-wrenching horror he's known for, or the philisophical horror he's been writing lately, but it's still a page-turner that'll keep you rivetted well into the night. If nothing else, it's simply fascinating to see how much this guy can write...seriously, is there a genre he hasn't dabbled in yet? Maybe bodice-ripper romances...stay tuned!

I really enjoyed "Blaze". It was different from the other Stephen King books I've read. No horror in it, which was ok with me. Gets tiring when an author writes with the same formula over and over. This book showed a different side of King and how versatile he is as a writer.
The copy of "Blaze" I read had the short story "Memory" in the back, which was a treat.

This review may not apply to you because except for "The Green Mile" and "Delores Clairborne" I haven't liked any Stephen King novels since his brilliant run in the 1970s and 1980s when he had the Midas touch.

This feels like it could have been the fifth story in "Different Seasons" one of my favorite King non-horror collections: Bizarre, out there and thoroughly engaging.

NOTE: If you feel I am too harsh on his work since the 1980s...go back and re-read, you will be amazed at how easy his stories unfolded as opposed to now where the stories feel contrived and re-hashed and a lot of work to get through ("Dreamcatcher" was the low point.)

The Richard Bachman is King's shadowy pseudonym. Blaze is no exception. It focuses on a character who loses his mother, and his father's abuse is the cause of his slow mentality. The state turns him into a warehoused orphan. And the bitter abuses Blaze experiences shape his adulthood to a life of crime.

Blaze is a giant man at 6'5" and 275 lbs.. A couple small time thugs lure the lonely man into their cons, using his size advantage. The characterazation is five-star. King's envious writing wit coats the pages.

The reader cannot help but sympathize with Clayton Blaisell's unfair life.
At times, I wondered if Blaze wasn't a cross between Ed Gein and Lenny in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Though he loved the baby he kidnapped, it scared me the baby was in his care.

The unfairness tears at the reader. Blaze is troubling. A heart-breaker.
Blaze is also a page turner. Bravo.

As Stephen King hastens to tell us in his foreword, BLAZE is a "trunk novel," the last of the Richard Bachman novels from the 1966-73 period. Published now for the very first time, it has gone through some revisions (and you can read King's description of that process). So perhaps the book can be thought of as a collaboration, if you will, between the young Bachman and the seasoned King. No matter to whom it is credited, BLAZE contains some of King's finest work.

This is an obvious homage (as King acknowledges) to John Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN, a tale that, almost from its opening paragraph, is sure to end badly; it's merely a question of who it will end badly for and to what extent. "Blaze" is the nickname for Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., a promising child of humble origins whose fast track to success is abruptly derailed by his drunken father, whose actions leave Blaze occasionally clever but not smart. Blaze's childhood and adolescence is described in vignettes that alternate with what is to become the most significant event of his adulthood.

Even as we slowly learn what has led him to his present course --- a litany of offenses committed both against and by him --- Blaze is in the midst of planning and executing the kidnapping of Joseph Gerard IV, an infant whose parents are extremely wealthy. He is aided and abetted by George, his now-deceased sidekick, the brains to Blaze's brawn whose ghostly presence is at least partially a manifestation of the echoes of Blaze's lost intelligence.

This is not a happy story, though there are more than a few laughs, demonstrating that a sort of grim humor can worm its way into even the darkest of lives. There are also some poignant moments; in one of these instances, I was torn between bursting into tears and throwing the book across the room (I did both, but don't tell anyone). And yes, it ends badly --- though not as badly as it could have.

As an added bonus, Scribner has reprinted a short story by King, "Memory," which first appeared in Tin House magazine in 2006 and is the basis for his next novel, DUMA KEY, to be published in early 2008. BLAZE thus references both King's past and future, which merge in an unsettling and occasionally brilliant volume.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub