Book Review: Blaze, By Stephen King

People always assume I’m a Stephen King fan because I write Horror and love Horror movies. Well, I’m not exactly a fan. I’m a critic. Like many of his readers, I either love his stories or hate ‘em, and have mostly disliked his work. For example, I hated “The Stand” finding it long and boring (a book considered one of his best works and a must read), but I absolutely loved “Pet Cemetery” (my favorite King novel) for its depiction of desperation and fear. So, I have to admit that I haven’t read very many of his books.

Now, since reading “Pet Cemetery” many years ago, I can finally say I found another King book I absolutely LOVED reading!! The only reason I grabbed “Blaze” (he wrote it under Richard Bachman) was because I hadn’t read anything off the bestseller shelf for years, and I needed to reconnect with the public’s favorites, especially authors in genres in which I prefer to write. I’m so glad I picked it up! Everyone always talks about King’s ability to create strong characters in his works, and Blaze is no exception. The main character, Clayton “Blaze” Blazedell Jr. is a villain you have to force yourself to hate. Stephen King actually wrote this book back in the 70s, and archived it because he didn’t care for the outcome. It was obvious he made updates before Blaze was released, and I wonder how much he changed, because he forwards the book with an apology to the readers. Mr. King, remove the apology! This was a great book!

RATING 5 out of 5