Blaze by Stephen King, writting as Richard Bachman

Have we discussed my love of Stephen King before? I'm sure we have. I don't really know what it is about that man. His stories never cease to surprise me. I haven't met one that I didn't like. Also, I LOVE his introductions. He makes me want to write.

This is not your typical King book. From what I gather, it's not very Bachman either. It was meant to be a throwback to the noir crime but instead it ended up a "three hanky". The main character, Blaze, is a criminal but he wasn't always going to be one. He was a smart boy who loved to read but then his father threw him down the steps three times. Now that he is grown, he is a huge man with a dent in his forehead who seems to have not so many smarts. He is planning a kidnapping with his friend George, who is dead. Blaze still hears George though and spends most of the book trying to figure out if George is a part of him.

The chapters alternate between past and present. We see Blaze grow up and fall into one unfortunate trap after another. In the present, he begins planning the kidnapping and carries it out. By the end of the book, we cannot help but feel for Blaze. We see him as a consequnce of other's actions and his hard knock life. Inside he is a teddy bear who is more concerned in the end about the baby than about the money.

I loved this book. I even sat down and read for over two hours last night, a rarity for me. When I mentioned that I was reading it to my mother, she told me it was her favorite King and that I would love it. We read two different kinds of books, Mom and me, so this must be good all around.