As a huge Stephen King fan, I have to admit that, for me, early King is the best King. Books like Salem's Lot, The Stand, and Pet Sematary remain unparalleled in their ability to entertain, frighten, and transport. The Bachman Books, first published in hardcover in 1985, is an omnibus of the first four books King published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. The books themselves were written in the late 1960's and early 1970's, at a time when King was, in his own words, "infatuated with the art and craft of writing."
Why King published these four books (and Thinner, which is not included in this omnibus) under an alias is a matter of debate, and King himself has always answered the question with cagey evasiveness. The short answer seems to be that King wanted to know whether he really was a good writer, or if his success was just a fluke and his name nothing but a comforting brand. The four novels included in this volume (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man) are somewhat uneven in quality, but King's unique and hypnotic voice is loud and clear, and the stories themselves are compelling and entertaining. But it is obvious why Bachman's tales never caught the public's fancy like the tales of uncle Stevie. Uncle Stevie's tales, with a few exceptions, like Pet Sematary, are dark but ultimately human and hopeful stories of good versus evil. Simply put, The Bachman Books are not.
Rage, the first one published under the Bachman name, and long out of print at King's request, is an addictive, immensely readable tale, but one which is also brutal, angry, and relentlessly nihilistic. Dealing with bullying, teenage sexuality, mental illness, parental abuse, and teen violence in schools, Rage is an almost overwhelming exercise in hopelessness and, well, rage, and the heavy-handed and immature writing doesn't help matters much. Its pitch-black ending, reminiscent of William Golding's The Lord of The Flies, is one of King's most pessimistic and grim.
The Long Walk, the second novel published under the Bachman name, is, hands down, the best book in this collection, and an underrated masterpiece. Here King is at his most hypnotic and assured, taking a simple concept - in an alternate future where resources are scarce, male children between the age of 12 and 18 are encouraged to participate in The Long Walk, a contest in which one hundred boys embark on a never-ending walk, with the last one still alive getting whatever he desires for the rest of his life - and using it as an exercise in storytelling excellence. Although the dialogue is occasionally stilted, and the cast of teens sometimes act and talk a lot older than their age, this is a near-perfect novel; atmospheric, highly readable, and thought-provoking, with an ending that is nothing short of haunting.
Roadwork, considered by many, and at one time by King himself, to be the weakest Bachman book, is a touching, somber tale about a middle-aged man coming undone. Unable to deal with his young son's death, his failing marriage, and his house being torn down to make way for a new road, he starts down a path that ultimately leads to his destruction.
Roadwork is basically a psychological drama about one man's inability to let go, and the consequences of that failure. This is a loosely plotted tale, with enough incident and believable characters to make it enjoyable. But even though it remains compelling till the end, it's a predictable, straightforward story, and one which hasn't aged as well as other King books.
The Running Man, the fourth book to be published under the Bachman name, is arguably the worst of the Bachman Books. A superficial, slow-going tale of a dystopia where the poor are enlisted to participate in televised game shows that always end in death, The Running Man suffers from some of King's weakest, most heavy-handed writing, and an unlikable protagonist. Its saving grace is its brevity. It was very loosely adapted as a feature film in 1987, starring Arnold Schwarzeneger.
Taken together, The Bachman Books are a revealing look at Stephen King before he became a phenomenon. This is Stephen King at his rawest. It is also surprising how political these novels are, with every one of them dripping with working-class rage and bitterness, where every authority figure is a nasty villain, and every rich person is either corrupt or willfully unaware of the plight of the poor. King seemed to show more maturity and restraint as he grew older and more successful, but here, in this phase of his life, the rage, for better or worse, was palpable, and because of it, the writing was leaner, sparer.
Highly recommended for fans of King, or for readers who think King is nothing but a horror writer. Writing as Richard Bachman, King may not have sold as many books, but he sure as hell proved he could write anything he wanted, and write it well.
© Ahmed Khalifa. 2019.
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