Book Review: Blaze: A Novel

Source: Amazon.com

Blaze, by Richard Bachman

From the book’s cover:

Once upon a time, a fellow named Richard Bachman wrote Blaze on an Olivetti typewriter, then turned the machine over to Stephen King, who used it to write Carrie. Bachman died in 1985 ("cancer of the pseudonym"), but this last gripping Bachman novel resurfaced after being hidden away for decades -- an unforgettable crime story tinged with sadness and suspense. Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., was always a small-time delinquent. None too bright either, thanks to the beatings he got as a kid. Then Blaze met George Rackley, a seasoned pro with a hundred cons and one big idea. The kidnapping should go off without a hitch, with George as the brains behind their dangerous scheme. But there's only one problem: by the time the deal goes down, Blaze's partner in crime is dead. Or is he?


The Review:

Blaze is a pretty good "crime drama," with very little of King's ghost/demon/evil thing that goes bump in the night to give it away. Of course, as King notes himself, it is a "trunk novel," and so there is that to take into account. In the foreword, the author clearly states that he tried to keep the novel from feeling like it was set in post-WWII America. He said he tried to give it a timeless quality in his extensive re-write, and I think he was only partly successful at this attempt. In fact, the book feels quite a part of that late 40s/early 50s time period in most of it's narration.

The author Richard Bachman (right) / Stephen King (left) / Source: DarkandMagical.BlogSpot.com

And he also mentions it is an homage to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, which comes through pretty clearly too. Blaze is a warped sense of how that novel might be if it was seen from Lenny's perspective, and if things had gone differently than they did. Not to say the novel follows Of Mice and Men point by point. Far from it. But the ideas are there, and the feel that a big score is the end goal. Only in this case, we get the Lindberg baby kidnapping tossed in as the so called "big score."

As for my take on it, I didn't hate it. It did keep my attention and kept me interested. Like I said, at times it felt like a post war novel, with its seedy dime store touch. But this wasn't a bad thing. In fact, when there were sections when Bachman/King seemed to have updated the plot to a modern take, I was actually annoyed, as the story seemed to need a time/place to call home. But this was only a small gripe. Overall, the book was worth my time, especially since it was short. It failed to lose steam or get sidetracked, as some King novels I have read seem to do by the end. King is (and Bachman by extension, of course) a master of the short story, and keeping this one pretty short did it a big favor.

Blaze is an interesting re-imagining of Steinbeck's classic, Of Mice and Men.  However, in this case, Lenny (shown here played by Lon Chaney Jr of The Wolfman fame, in the 1939 film version) is the protagonist, and George (Burgess Meredith, whom I knew best from his role as The Penguin on the old Batman serial), dies before the story even begins, and is guiding Lenny through the events that unfold. / Source: Minicine.org.uk

There is plenty of language and adult themes, as per the course. Some might be offended by the baby kidnapping aspects. Some mild sexual themes that King always touches on (seems he has a hang up on the subject... hmmm, how Freudian). Violence, but not King's worst - or even Bachman's by far (see The Long Walk as an example for that). Overall, if you are interested in period piece (though it is trying hard not to be) crime dramas and/or want to look at Of Mice and Men in a different light, Blaze will do just fine. I liked it well enough to recommend it under those headings. And like I often say, "take that for what it is worth."

Learn more about Blaze: A Novel, by Richard Bachman, on Amazon.com


The parting comment:


The title "Blaze" evokes images of crudely drawn dragons.  And crudely drawn dragons evoke the theme of Trogdor the Burninator.  And that means I gotta listen to the Trogdor Theme.  "Trogdor was a man..."