Mia Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 Title: Blaze Author: Richard Bachman ISBN:978-0-340-95222-1 (Hardback) The blurb: "At 6'7" and built like a bear, Clay Blaisdell is one big mother, but his capers are strictly small-time until he meets George Rackley. George introduces him to a hundred cons and the one big score that every small timers dreams of: kidnap. The Gerards are filthy rich, and their child, the last twig on the family tree, could be worth millions. And after all a baby can't ID you, so you can return it alive. There's only one problem: when the time comes for the deal to go down, George, the brains of the partnership, has died. Or has he?" This is probably the final book from Stephen King's pen-name Richard Bachman. It dates from the 1970s and was recently discovered by King (who writes the foreword). Reading the blurb, this is not the kind of book I normally go for, and I asked for it for my birthday purely because it was King, and I am a Constant Reader. I was certainly wondering what to expect. However, the book was excellent. The story is told from the perspective of Clay Blaisdell, the Blaze of the title (a name given to him by his friends). Blaze is an absolutely fascinating character - a huge man, but mentally retarded. Little by little, we find out about Blaze's life, and the events that made him like he is. His life story is interspersed with the main story of the kidnapping, revealing Blaze's childhood and early adulthood. It makes for interesting but very sad reading. I almost cheered out loud at his small moments of triumph! The kidnapping storyline is very well done, as is the whole issue of George - is he really speaking to Blaze? I can't say much more without spoiling it! Even though Blaze is the perpetrator of a serious crime, so I guess an anti-hero, I really liked the character, and parts of the book are heart-breaking. As the story moves to the inevitable ending, I certainly had tears in my eyes. This is a wonderful story that I would recommend to all King/Bachman fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted July 28, 2007 Share Posted July 28, 2007 I was wondering about this one, so thanks for the review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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