And yet The Long Walk blows the so-so Rage to pieces. I'd always figured that Rage would be the Bachman book that was 'worth reading' because of its notorious reputation if nothing else. After three warnings you are shot by the impassive soldiers following behind in a half-track. Fall below that and you receive a warning. You must walk a minimum of four miles an hour. A group of one hundred young people (you must be under eighteen) start at the Maine/Canada border and walk south. A vaguely science fiction novel in a fascist state that runs an annual competition called 'The Long Walk'. A virtually unknown Stephen King novel that is excellent. I'd say it's the weakest of his novels I've yet read. Despite the promising set up, this book didn't grab me. Ted (a character who is dumped on through the story) was a much better (and more sympathetic) character than our star.Īnd even though the novel was short at a hundred and seventy pages, at the end it felt like it was dragging. I felt like my sympathies were misplaced. I have to be honest and say that I think the main character, Charlie is a pretty irritating character.

Rather than freezing up into a state of catatonia, the class becomes group therapy and there is much soul searching. He shoots his Algebra teacher and takes the class hostage.

Maybe describing Rage as 'Stephen King does The Breakfast Club' is too obvious, but there it is.Ĭharlie Decker decides to 'get it on' one day. Show More it, you get the sense that King felt like he was caught doing something dirty and is attempting to explain himself with his hands in his pockets and a guilty smirk on his face.

The bachman books four early novels