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A review by book_concierge
Blaze by Richard Bachman
4.0
Clayton Blaisdell Jr, nicknamed Blaze, is a mentally disabled giant of a man; he’s 6ft 7in and “not quite” 300 lbs. His best – and only current – friend is George; a con man and bad influence on him. It’s George who urges Blaze into the life of crime that he’s living now, who, in fact, teaches Blaze how to live the life. Their dream is that one big score that will let them retire. That’s where the idea of kidnapping a baby comes in. But this will not be the Lindbergh kidnapping; Blaze never hurts anyone (unless provoked and defending himself) and he is not about to hurt a little baby.
The story takes place in “America, not all that long ago.” It’s not specifically post-war America, but there are no cell phones. The plot moves back and forth between the kidnapping caper and Blaze’s childhood. We learn about his alcoholic father who abused him, the orphanage where he grew up, the foster family that misused him, the petty thieves who “befriended” him so they could use his size and basic naiveté to their own purposes.
To King’s credit, he keeps these two plots moving, building tension and explaining the underlying pathology that results in the final tragedy. The language is rough and graphic. The scenes of abuse made me cringe and want to beat the &*%^ # out of those who used their power to create the adult Blaze. Once again, King has created a character who is not necessarily likeable, but who captures the reader’s sympathy.
It’s worthwhile to read the forward by Stephen King who explains this “trunk novel,” which is copyrighted in 2007. When King was first starting out he wrote different genres under different names. He had been very successful in the horror genre with his own name, so he used Richard Bachman for non-horror books from about 1966 to 1973. This was the last book “Bachman” wrote. But THIS book didn’t ever get published. Fast forward to 2005 when King, now an incredibly successful author, comes across this manuscript in a cardboard carton. He looks it over; it’s okay but not great. But he cannot forget this story. His original is too “weepy,” and not hard boiled enough; but, there is a kernel of a good book there. It is not horror; it’s not noir; so what is it? He reworks it, and what we have is a “minor tragedy of the underclass,” a sort of homage to [b:Of Mice and Men|890|Of Mice and Men|John Steinbeck|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437235233s/890.jpg|40283].
McLarty is nothing short of wonderful as the performer of this audio book. His ability to give life to the various characters through use of different pitch and/or accent is remarkable. I was never confused when two characters had conversations because he gave each a unique voice. Bravo!
The story takes place in “America, not all that long ago.” It’s not specifically post-war America, but there are no cell phones. The plot moves back and forth between the kidnapping caper and Blaze’s childhood. We learn about his alcoholic father who abused him, the orphanage where he grew up, the foster family that misused him, the petty thieves who “befriended” him so they could use his size and basic naiveté to their own purposes.
To King’s credit, he keeps these two plots moving, building tension and explaining the underlying pathology that results in the final tragedy. The language is rough and graphic. The scenes of abuse made me cringe and want to beat the &*%^ # out of those who used their power to create the adult Blaze. Once again, King has created a character who is not necessarily likeable, but who captures the reader’s sympathy.
It’s worthwhile to read the forward by Stephen King who explains this “trunk novel,” which is copyrighted in 2007. When King was first starting out he wrote different genres under different names. He had been very successful in the horror genre with his own name, so he used Richard Bachman for non-horror books from about 1966 to 1973. This was the last book “Bachman” wrote. But THIS book didn’t ever get published. Fast forward to 2005 when King, now an incredibly successful author, comes across this manuscript in a cardboard carton. He looks it over; it’s okay but not great. But he cannot forget this story. His original is too “weepy,” and not hard boiled enough; but, there is a kernel of a good book there. It is not horror; it’s not noir; so what is it? He reworks it, and what we have is a “minor tragedy of the underclass,” a sort of homage to [b:Of Mice and Men|890|Of Mice and Men|John Steinbeck|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437235233s/890.jpg|40283].
McLarty is nothing short of wonderful as the performer of this audio book. His ability to give life to the various characters through use of different pitch and/or accent is remarkable. I was never confused when two characters had conversations because he gave each a unique voice. Bravo!