Category Archives: Stephen King Book Review

Richard Bachman Book Review- Rage

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Wait what is this? This is not Stephen King. Who is this Richard Bachman guy? I thought I was reviewing Stephen King book on this blog? Well for those of you that do not know Richard Bachman is a pen name Stephen King when he published this book. I mean he was popular at the time with supernatural horror hwo would the public react to a grounded story that could happen at anytime? Well for whatever reason he published Rage under the name of Richard Bachman. He would do this a few more times in the course of his career.

Rage is about a troubled teen in high school named Charlie Decker. He has an abusive father, not popular and as I said is troubled. He once took a wrench to one of teachers. One day he is set off and grabs a gun from his locker. He ends up killing two teachers and taking a classroom full of students hostage for hours. The story shifts as Charlie has the students open up about personal stories of their lives and the horrors of high school. It also has flashbacks of Charlie’s life especially with encounters with his abusive father. The big shot of the high school, Ted Jones, is also one of the hostages and tries to reason with Charlie to let the rest of the class go. [BEGIN SPOILERS] With all of the talking and opening up, the class eventually wants to stay with the gunman. One student is allowed to go to the bathroom and returns to the classroom when she could of ran. The whole class could of left but stayed with Charlie. Finally Ted Jones stands up and the whole class beats him down and he has a breakdown and sent to a mental institution. Charlie is shot but lives and ends up not guilty by reason of insanity and won’t be released until he fit to return to society. [END SPOILERS].

This was a good story. It was weird the way the students ended up being like but all in all this was a down to Earth story of the horror of life. The story touches close to home in today’s political world with the issues of guns and school shootings. Now I am going to say straight up that I am for gun rights and I feel it is bad or mentally disturbed people that are the problem not the guns themselves. Yes I know assault weapons can cause mass murder but so driving your car through a crowded area. It the act of the person doing it that is at fault not the weapon of choice. Yes I don’t think people should be running around with tanks but guns should not be banned or taken away especially in this world. There is my little politcal rant on that.

The story as I said has to do with a gun and a school shooting. This is a true horror in today’s world. I finished reading this story two days before the Sandy Hook shooting so it really hit close home to me after reading a book from one of my favorite authors. It obviously hit close to Stephen King because of claims that this book was linked to school shootings. He hated that so much that he discontinued publication of this book which is why it is rare to find this book. Especially on its own. Again this book shows someone who is very disturbed and has problems and because of that he decides to commit a horrible act. There were signs of his problems before the shooting using a wrench to harm a teacher. Signs that he needed real help but no help was there. It was because of his troubled mental state that he decided to perform the horrible shooting.

The second horror of this story is high school itself. This time period could be very hard on teens especially with bullying. Not only that but stuff that just happens in high school. Weight issues, sex, popular, unpopular and so on. You hear these through the stories the other students tell while being a hostage. You can see the pain these kids feel when they tell their stories and the shock of what high school is like. It also leads to wonder why at the end the students did what they did to the popular Ted Jones.

The third horror of this story is the theme of abuse. This is presented through the relationship between Charlie and his father. Was this rage because of how his father always treated him? How he thought the principal abused him? The kid had a lot of anger and rage.

I give this book three and a half stars. It was a pretty good read and everyone should pick it up if they can find it.

Moral of the story: Watch your kids, whether you are a parent or a teacher or something. Watch for the signs especially during the troublesome time of high school where change happens all the time. Watched for disturbing signs. Be responsible about your guns and remember it is currently a right.

Well that is my first review of Richard Bachman (who is Stephen King). Have you read this book? What did you think about it? If you read it what did you think how the kids ended up being like at the end? Did you end up rooting for Charlie or were you against him the whole time? What did you think of the kid’s stories? What do you think of gun rights? I could not find a movie based on this book so there will be no movie review. The next book I have lined up is Night Shift which is a collection of short stories. These short stories also have a lot of movie attached to them with many sequels to them so it will be a awhile before I finish all of them but I will be up to the task. Please comment below and lets have a discussion. I want to hear from you.

Like I said in the past I will have a tracker of the final ratings of each book or movie I reviewed to show what I liked or didn’t like. It is a rating based out of five stars. For previous reviews if you missed it you can click on the title and it will link to that review for you to read.

Books Reviewed:
Carrie ***
Salem’s Lot ***1/2
The Shining *** 
Rage ***1/2
 
 Movies Reviewed:
 Carrie (1976) ****
The Rage: Carrie 2 ***
Carrie (2002) ½* (Yes a half of a star out of five) 
Salem’s Lot (1979) **
A Return to Salem’s Lot *
Salem’s Lot (2004) ***1/2
The Shining (1980) **
The Shining (1997) ***1/2

Stephen King Book Review- The Shining

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My next Stephen King book review is The Shining. A lot of people I talk to has never read this book and only know it from the Stanly Kubrick movie. It is a pretty interesting book and that has a slow build to a fantastic ending. Like Salem’s Lot this movie also has a place serving as a beacon of evil where horrible tragedies occurred. It produces some supernatural spirits inhabiting the property. However, it has a much deeper evil that is much more real to the average person being of an addictive nature.  

The story is about a former teacher named Jack Torrance who was fired from his teaching job because he beat up a student who slashed his tires. He is also recovering from being an alcoholic. He has a wife and son name Wendy and Danny. Wendy in this story is a house wife who is strong but stays with her husband. She is always fearful that her husband will go back to drinking and snap like he did one night when he was drunk and dislocated his son’s shoulder out of anger. Danny is five years old and is very intelligent. He also possesses a sort of psychic ability which is referred to as the shining.  

It is obvious at the beginning of the story that Jack does care for his family; he is just fighting his demons and addiction to alcohol and his temper. The story continues as Jack gets a job as a winter caretaker for the Overlook hotel in the Colorado Rockies with his family coming to stay with him even though they would practically be cut off from the world when it snowed. He also plans to write a play while up there. Before they travel Danny has a vision from his friend “Tony” who warns him of the danger of the hotel and he also hears a voice of someone that wants to kill him and his mother. 

They travel to the hotel and before all the staff leaves for the winter Danny meets Dick Hallorann who is the chef of the Overlook. He also has the same ability as Danny and even comments that Danny may even have a stronger ability then him. He warns Danny that he may see things at the hotel but tells him to look away because they are not real. He also tells him to use his shining ability to contact him if he ever needs help. 

The story continues and focuses on the family and their time at the Overlook hotel. Like in great Stephen King fashion it slowly builds up. You get little pieces here and there with enough to keep you reading to find out what is going to happen. Even though I knew what was going to happen because of how The Shining is in popular culture it still held my interest. You find out the horrid history of the Overlook hotel. You see a troubled man slowly go off the deep end and the claustrophobic feeling of being “trapped” in the hotel. Yes there are some ghostly encounters and parts about some hedge animals that I really enjoyed. While some may know the ending already it is a little different than in the popular movie and I suggest you read it to find out. 

This is another great example of Stephen King’s writing. At first you don’t know anything about the characters (of course) and Stephen Kings gives you bread crumbs along the way until you completely know and feel what the character is feeling. He even writes from the perspective of the five year old kid and his understanding of the world which I find a good talent.  

The story keeps you wondering what is going to happen even if you know the ending. You learn something knew or experience a scary moment and you want to keep reading. It makes you wonder about some hotels you stay at and the history behind it. Just like in my small town of Goldfield, NV and the famous Goldfield Hotel. I could see The Shining be set there if it was more secluded but with the history it has I am sure it would work out. 

As I mentioned above there is a much deeper evil then a beacon of evil or ghosts. There is the addictive nature of people that can make even the nicest person into something evil. A person could be addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex or anything bad of that nature. This can lead them to bad things to hurt themselves, family or friends. The story really shows this in the character of Jack Torrance who through the whole narrative craves to drink even though the hotel does not have any. The ghosts might have some maybe but not the hotel. What I find interesting and this is my opinion and might not even been Stephen King’s intention but as Jack Torrance becomes more obsessed or addicted to the hotel and wanting to “be accepted” by it he starts to do traits of what he did when he was drinking. For example he would wipe his lip with a handkerchief when he would drink. Now that he is addicted to the hotel he started doing that also.  

Addiction can be bad and it shows in the story. Like for example the incident with the abuse towards his son after drinking. This unfortunately happens a lot in world. I know people who ruined their lives because they were addicted to something. People have lost their families, hurt people or even killed people. It is unfortunate that it is common for a human to be addicted to something. However, I am proud of the people that overcame that addiction o those who did not give into the addiction. Those are strong people and ones that wanted to change their ways and life. Even if they realize to change their ways sometimes it is too late. Check out The Shining and you will see what I mean. 

Moral of the story: Even with a beacon of evil like the Overlook hotel or troublesome ghosts, a deeper evil is the addictive nature of the human psyche which can cause a lot of harm to those you love or yourself. 

I have two movies based on the book to review also. Look for those coming up soon. I also heard Stephen King is writing a sequel to The Shining. That should be interesting but it will be a long time for me until I get to read that. I give this book three stars out of five.  Who here has read The Shining? If so what did you think about it? Do you know people that are addicted to something and ruined their lives? If so let me know to hear your stories? If you are someone that was addicted to something and bad things happen please write in the comments section. Sometimes it is good to talk about it. Those are some questions for everyone and want to hear from you in the comments so let me know.

Like I said in the past I will have a tracker of the final ratings of each book or movie I reviewed to show what I liked or didn’t like. It is a rating based out of five stars. For previous reviews if you missed it you can click on the title and it will link to that review for you to read.

Books Reviewed:
Carrie ***
Salem’s Lot ***1/2
The Shining *** 


 Movies Reviewed:
 Carrie (1976) ****
The Rage: Carrie 2 ***
Carrie (2002) ½* (Yes a half of a star out of five) 
Salem’s Lot (1979) **
A Return to Salem’s Lot *
Salem’s Lot (2004) ***1/2

   

Stephen King Book Review- Salem’s Lot

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My next Stephen King book review is Salem’s Lot. The first Stephen King novel that leans more to the supernatural then what was presented in Carrie. While Carrie did have an element of telekinesis, Salem’s Lot had a more deep supernatural emphasis on it. What supernatural element did this story have? Well there are two which are that a place can be a beacon of evil and also there are vampires in the story. 

The story is about a writer name Ben Mears who is returning to a small town called Jerusalem’s Lot (Salem’s Lot for short) in which he lived for a while as a kid. The town is a small town out in rural Maine and people passing by would probably not notice it. I would like to point out that a character being a write and the setting being in Maine would become a common occurrence in future Stephen King stories. Ben has come to his old town to write a novel with inspiration from an experience he had at a house known as the Marsten House. It was there as a kid he thought he saw the ghost of the mob boss who lived there that killed his wife and hung himself. 

While there he meets a young lady by the name of Susan Norton who meets by chance while she was reading one of his previous novels. They begin a romantic relationship even though her controlling mother does not approve but her dad does. Ben also runs into a high school teacher who has been there for years named Matt Burke. He also wanted to try and stay at the Marsten House but was denied when it was found out that two foreign strangers have bought the house that plan to open up a shop in town. Straker and Kurt Barlow are the two strangers who arrived at around the same time Ben did and only Straker has been seen by the public. 

The story continues with the disappearance of a young boy named Ralphie Glick and the eventual death of his brother Danny. As strange deaths and sickness starts happening in the town Ben Mears, Susan, Matt, a young boy that is into monsters named Mark Petrie, a doctor by the name of Jimmy Cody and priest named Father Callahan soon discover the secret of what is happening to the small town and the secret of the mysterious strangers (especially Kurt Barlow). Vampires run amok in the town and it is up to the small group to stop them. I will not spoil the book as I find it very intriguing and captivating.  

This novel is written in more of the Stephen King style that people are used to unlike the jumping back and forth of Carrie. The story starts off nice with a little curiosity thrown in there and you get sucked into the story not wanting to put the book down. You get engaged into all the characters and even feel that you are part of this community. 

That is what I feel is the greatest strength of the novel. Stephen King does not just focus on a few main characters, he writes about a lot of the citizens of the town. As you know I grew up in a small town and I feel he has captured the small town feel and mentality in this book through his characters. For example when these strange deaths start happening, the town people feel it has to do with Ben or the two strangers in town because they are new to town. Like some small towns in America if something changed when new people arrive then it must because of them. 

A big narrative in the story is that even people in small towns have secrets and ways about them. You have a character that beats her 10 month old baby. You have a controlling parent. You have a woman having an affair that probably the whole town knows about except for her husband. You have a town drunk, the town gossip and everything you can probably find in any small town in America. I feel Stephen King wrote about small town life real well and that engages a small town person like me. 

The book also explains that evil can be anywhere and it can manifest itself even in a small town. In this case the beacon of the evil is not exactly the vampires or the head vampire itself. The beacon seemed to be the house itself which has saw horrors like no others. It draws evil to it. This is also shown through the faith of the characters, especially of that in the alcoholic priest Father Callahan. 

I recommend this book to everyone. It is a good story and keeps you interested. The character development is amazing. It is your common vampire story that you would see today but back in 1975 this was rare to see a vampire in your backyard. So if you are interested in an engaging book, you like Stephen King, or you are interested in vampire stories then I would recommend picking this up. You can see how the proclaimed “master of Horror” deals with vampires. 

Moral of the story: Evil can manifest anywhere, even in the backyard of a small town. Every small town has secrets.   

I have three movies to review based on the book. Look for those coming soon. It is the original movie (miniseries), a sequel loosely based on the original movie and a remake of the movie which is also a miniseries. It should be interesting to see how the movies come off based off the book.  I give the book three and half stars out of five. 

Has anyone read Salem’s Lot before? If you lived in a small town what do you think about it? Do you think there are dark secrets being kept? Do you think there is a manifestation of evil in your small town? If you never lived in a small town what do you perceive the small town life? Just some questions I would like to hear from my readers and for you to think about. Comment below so I can hear from you.

Like I said in the past I will have a tracker of the final ratings of each book or movie I reviewed to show what I liked or didn’t like. It is a rating based out of five stars. For previous reviews if you missed it you can click on the title and it will link to that review for you to read.

Books Reviewed:
Carrie ***
Salem’s Lot ***1/2
 

Movies Reviewed:
 Carrie (1976) ****
The Rage: Carrie 2 ***
Carrie (2002) ½* (Yes a half of a star out of five) 

Stephen King Book Review- Carrie

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Here I begin my journey of reviewing every Stephen King book and movie (and sequels) that I can find. I will be reviewing every book in the order that it was published. I will review every movie that is based on that book and any sequel or remake of the movie I can get. Also keep in mind some of the reviews will have some spoilers and I will let you know when a spoiler is approaching. The first book I will review is Carrie.

 

Note: I read this book back in February when I was starting this project so forgive me if it is not in depth as I would like it. Future ones will be better.

 

 

What grand opening scene do I get when starting my review on every book of the master of horror Stephen King? Is it some horrendous monster that preys on the fears of everyone? Is it a psychotic killer on the loose? No the opening of my journey through the writings of Stephen King begin in a high school girls shower room where a girl named Carrie White gets her first period and the other girls start making fun of her and throwing tampons and pads at her.

Yes my friends this is my introduction to the world of Stephen King. As different of an opening this is, it is actually a strong opening. Carrie is a book about a high school girl who is unattractive, always gets bullied and made fun of, and has an overly religious mother. Oh and Carrie happens to possess telekinetic powers. The opening is strong because we get a feel of Carrie. We feel the pain she has of being bullied and made fun of. We get a glimpse of her background by the fact she did not know what a period was and how her over religious mother never told her. We also get signs of her telekinetic powers.

This strange but powerful opening keeps the readers engaged into the story to see what happens to this girl. The book is written in a way that would be unfamiliar to many seasoned Stephen King fans. It switches between writings from newspapers, books and interviews about the incident that takes place in the book to the actual story. To some readers this can cause annoyance or confusion. While I did not have issues with the writing format employed here by Stephen King, I did not particularly care for it. However, the story did engage me to read further so that was good.

The story details the events from the shower incident until the night of the school prom exploring the new found telekinetic ability Carrie has developed and plans to humiliate Carrie at the prom. It details how a classmate (Sue Snell) that was mean to Carrie regrets what she did and has her boyfriend (Tommy Ross) take her to prom. While one of Carrie’s biggest bullies (Chris Hargensen) who was the instigator of the shower incident hatches a plan with her boyfriend (Billy Nolan) to dump pig’s blood onto Carrie. This leads to fiery and destructive climatic ending that you will have to read where Carrie goes on a rampage from all the abuse she received from her classmates and her mother.

This book I find to be an excellent read and is just as relevant today as it was in 1974 when it was published. The main themes that I took from the book are abuse and being bullied. The mother abused Carrie so much in an over religious manner. She would lock Carrie under the stairs with religious items as punishment. This could go on for days. Stephen King received some flak for the mother character as they thought he was making fun of religion. I don’t think he was but even if he was it is true there are some people like that in the real world that I have known personally.

Bullying is a major driving point to the book. Today bullying is in the media a lot and there are major programs out there to help stop bullying. Almost every week I hear something on the news or some show about bullying. People are bullying at school and even on social media. I hear of deaths or suicides from bullying. I know that bullying has been around forever, I mean I ran into a few bullies in my life, but has it become worse?  Has kids just become more hateful and mean? Has social media and the internet increased bullying? Maybe I will write a blog post on bullying in the future. That is why Carrie is just as relevant today as it was when it was first published. Not only is it a good story but it mirrors many themes that are hot news items today and makes you think.

Overall Carrie is a good book and an interesting read. While the style Stephen King chooses to write the story in is not the best choice I feel like it is a great read. The characters are engaging, the story incites an emotional response and of course you do have the detailed descriptive writing Stephen King is known for. While the fear factor of the story is minimal (except the fear of what society can do to people and produce) it still has elements of the super natural and violence. The novel is also very short for a quick read. I give this opening book by Stephen King three stars out of five and recommend it to anyone interested in Stephen King’s early work or like emotion grabbing books.

Moral: Don’t bully or abuse people. Not only is it wrong but the person might telekinetic and your prom might be the last event of your life if you do.

That is my first review of Stephen King books. I have three movies to watch and review about Carrie that will be posted to the blog. It is a movie, a sequel to the movie and a remake. Also at the end of the blog I will have a tracker of the final ratings of each book or movie I reviewed to see what books I liked or didn’t like. Thanks for reading and please leave some feedback or comments. Did you read the book? If so what are your thoughts on it? What are your thoughts on the themes I expressed above? I want to hear from you so let me know and comment below.

You can buy the book and read up on information about it here.

 

Books Reviewed:

Carrie ***

Yeah it is Friday

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Don’t you just love Fridays? I sure do. Especially this Friday where I get to have a three day weekend. Anyway this will be a short blog post as I have a lot to do. There probably won’t be a post on Monday as I will be spending time with my family but check back anyway just in case I do.

For some updates I will be adding a new feature to my blog. I am going to read every Stephen King novel ever published and write a little review on it. Not only that, if there is a movie about the story I read I will also review that and post that up on the blog. That includes any official or unofficial sequels (wow I will be watching and reviewing a million Children of the Corn movies) and any remakes or made for TV movies. This will be a long feature on this blog and I will some good humor in my reviews and they will be exciting. I hope everyone will like them and you never read a Stephen King book maybe you will find a review you like and read the book or at least watch the movie. I will be starting with Carrie.

Thanks for the positive feedback on my last post. I would like some people to share their stories but maybe in the future you will. I plan on writing more posts like that in the future.

This week I will start getting some of my projects organized and long term plans scheduled. From my wife’s and I project, Goldfield project to my writing project it will be mapped out as much as I can. Things are really looking up and I can’t do it with you. I appreciate you reading my blog.

Anyway I will be heading home again. Have a safe weekend everyone and enjoy any time you have off.

*Sorry if there are any typos I am writing this in a hurry.