RAGE is truly fascinating due to its unique status within King's pantheon. It holds a certain allure that makes it a compelling read, drawing readers in and keeping them engaged from start to finish.

THE LONG WALK is, without a doubt, one of King's strongest pieces of fiction. I firmly believe that it is really tight and well-paced, creating a sense of tension and excitement that never lets up.

However, ROADWALK was the stinker in the group for me. There was simply nothing about it that appealed to or connected with me on any level. It failed to capture my interest and left me feeling disappointed.

On the other hand, THE RUNNING MAN is a strong story in its own right. While it is much different from the movie adaptation, it still manages to hold its own and offer a thrilling and engaging narrative.

Overall, King's works continue to captivate readers with their diverse range of themes, styles, and characters. Whether it's the allure of RAGE, the intensity of THE LONG WALK, the disappointment of ROADWALK, or the strength of THE RUNNING MAN, there is something for everyone to enjoy in his extensive body of work.

My favorite book in this was The Long Walk. This book truly captured my imagination and held my attention from start to finish. The story follows a group of boys who embark on a seemingly never-ending walk. The author's vivid descriptions bring the characters and the settings to life, making it easy for the reader to picture themselves in the midst of the journey. As the boys face various challenges and obstacles along the way, their courage and determination shine through. It's a story that not only entertains but also makes you think about the human spirit and its ability to persevere. I highly recommend The Long Walk to anyone looking for a captivating and thought-provoking read.

It's been a good 10 - 12 years since I last read this collection, and it was truly long overdue for a re-read. Especially when the only story I could recall even in the vaguest sense was "The Long Walk". So, I picked it up again, eager to give it another go. And I was not disappointed at all. In fact, it was no surprise considering Stephen King's talent.

"Rage" had completely slipped my mind. I was browsing online when I came across an article about this book of SK's regarding a school shooting that was no longer being published. I was like "huh?" as I had no memory of it. Fortunately, I have this edition in my collection. It's the story of a boy, Charlie Decker, who reaches his breaking point. Mentally unstable, he harbors a deep, hateful rage towards his father dating back to his toddler years. Due to his mental state, he has difficulties in school. One day, when called to the blackboard to do a problem, the teacher makes fun of him. So, he strikes the teacher in the head with a big wrench. This sets off a chain of problems for Charlie with the principal, the guidance counselor, and his father. Eventually, he decides to use the gun he has been carrying. After lighting a fire in his locker, he kills two teachers and holds his classmates hostage. But his intention is not to kill them all. He mostly wants to teach them a lesson. Through the day, the kids learn things about each other and themselves, culminating in some revenge taken out on another student. Charlie ends up in a mental hospital, which is probably for the best.

"The Long Walk" is by far my favorite in this collection. I love the characterization of the boys on this walk - Garraty, McVries, Stebbins, poor sweet Scramm. I really wanted more information about the world they were living in, how this walk came about, what was going on with the Government, and what and why was this Squad-ing. I can't imagine having to walk endlessly, with no stopping or resting. I'd surely die! I like how the boys handled the situation differently, and how SK depicted the encroaching madness. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. What on earth? He made it to the end, his mind had been slipping but mostly seemed to be holding up. Then, when he finally reached the end and won, it was too much for his mind to handle? I don't know. I didn't like how he just took off running. Come on, man! You won, you're done, lay down and rest!

"Roadwork" was another story I didn't really remember, but now I'm really glad I read it. It might even be the new best in the collection. I thought it was a really good story, although a bit slow in the beginning. It's a day-by-day account of a depressed guy, Barton Dawes, who decides he can't take it anymore. On the outside, he seems happy - a good marriage with a pretty wife, a nice house, and a long-time job at an industrial laundry. But the city has plans to build a freeway extension that will go right through his neighborhood, destroying his home and the plant he works at. So, inside, subconsciously, he's freaking out. He's supposed to be handling the deal for the new plant where his company will move, and his wife thinks he's also handling the search for their new home. He's reluctant to see over 20 years of memories bulldozed and paved over, especially when he thinks of his deceased son. This plays a big part in his breakdown/rebellion. He starts talking to himself, tells a lot of lies, and eventually loses his wife and job. Instead of going to work, he begins traveling up and down the freeway every day and even picks up a hitchhiker one day. She becomes an important part of his thoughts, and I liked her character (though I really liked his wife Mary too). He meets Sal Magliore, an Italian mobster type - a bit stereotypical but easy to picture in my mind and even sort of likable in a strange way. Bart has a plan to make his point and go out with a bang, and it works, at least for a short while. I'm almost surprised at how much I liked this story.

"The Running Man" took me by surprise. It's a great dystopian story where America has been taken over by a TV (Free-Vee) Network, and the poor are just fodder for the "entertainment" machine. The main character, Ben Richards, is poor, unemployed, and has no chance of getting a job. He's angry and down in the dumps. His baby daughter is sick with a bad case of the flu, and he has no way to get medical help for her. Their meals consist of a food pill for him and his wife, maybe some fake coffee, and fake milk for the baby. On the Free-Vee, there are brutal and even sinister game shows. For example, "Treadmill to Bucks" where contestants with heart or respiratory problems are put on a treadmill. For every minute they walk while chatting with the show host, they win ten dollars. Every couple of minutes, they're asked a question. If they get it right, they win fifty dollars. If they get it wrong, fifty dollars is deducted from their winnings and the treadmill's speed is increased. Contestants often have heart attacks or strokes. And that's just one of the tamer daytime shows. The prime-time ones are even worse. So, Ben, with no other options, goes to the Network headquarters and signs up for a show. He's one of many poor people waiting to sign up. Finally, he gets in and is put through a series of physical and mental tests. He's selected as a contestant and is one of six called to the upper offices. Three of the six are led one way, while Ben, a guy named Laughlin, and another guy are led the other way. Turns out, Ben has been chosen to be the new man on the hit show "The Running Man". On this show, two guys (Ben and Laughlin) are introduced to the Free-Vee audiences nationwide and given exaggerated profiles of being anti-social and anti-establishment. They have a 12-hour head start before Hunters come after them, and citizens are encouraged to call in and report sightings. They get rewarded $100 for a proven sighting and $1000 for a sighting that results in the contestants' death. For every hour the men stay alive, they earn $100, and if they kill a law-enforcement official, they get a $100 bonus. Ben is desperate for the money for his family and has to trust that the people in charge will give it to his wife. So, with everyone on the lookout for him and hating his guts, he's released back into the city. And, oh yeah, he has to mail in two 10-minute video tapes to the Network per day or he'll forfeit the money and the hunt will still be on. Too bad the Network uses the postage stamps to locate him despite saying they wouldn't. Ben meets up with some more of "his people" (the poor from the inner-city) and gains an accomplice who helps him elude the Hunters for a short time. But someone reports him, forcing him to make a run for it and getting him injured in the process. He starts taking desperate measures, taking a hostage and bluffing his way through roadblocks and onto a plane. Towards the end, the story was really moving fast. I couldn't read fast enough. It was like barreling downhill towards a river. Ben discovers some terrible things on his last flight and makes a dramatic last stand with a fiery conclusion. I loved the ending. Loved it! I won't give it away, but it was excellent. I was left with a big grin on my face, saying "Hell yea!"

All of these stories were great in my opinion. Having finished, I don't know if I could pick a favorite between "The Long Walk", "Roadwork", and "The Running Man". It's a great collection of some early work by SK, and his younger style is definitely well-represented here.

This is an average rating as these were 4 pretty different books.

I thought that both "The Long Walk" and "The Running Man" (absolutely nothing like the movie) were great - 5 stars.

"The Long Walk" is now one of my all-time favorite books by King. He takes a relatively simple but pretty original idea and tells a kind of amazing story about human nature and what violence can do to us and how it can be really different depending on the circumstances.

"Rage" was pretty cool but felt rough to me - 3 stars. It had an interesting premise, but the execution seemed a bit lacking in some areas.

"Roadwork" just didn't do it for me. It was well written, but I was bored through a lot of it - 2 stars. Maybe it was the subject matter or the pacing, but it just didn't capture my attention like the other two books.

Overall, it was an interesting collection of books, but they definitely varied in quality. I would recommend "The Long Walk" and "The Running Man" to fans of King's work, but "Rage" and "Roadwork" are more of a mixed bag.

DNF. I truly desired to have a great liking for this book and was extremely excited about it. However, I am not deriving any enjoyment from it at the moment. It seems that King has a tendency to prolong his stories interminably.

I am still considering The Long Walk as one book because The Bachman Books are a compilation of four in one.

This is a collection of four novels. As I finish them, I will write mini-reviews for them.

Rage:

Although it may seem unrealistic in many aspects, this has been one of the most interesting and captivating Stephen King stories I've read so far. The mob mentality that is developed and the twist that turns this from a mere thriller into a horror is something that could have easily come across as amateurish. However, under King's skilled hand, it works extremely well. The horror in this story lies in the fact that it undermines all the classic stereotypes of what a good American (since King is deeply rooted in US culture) should do and how they should react. In essence, it is King's version of Lord of the Flies. But I found this one to be even more interesting and significantly better.

The Long Walk:

Together with The Running Man, this is probably the reason why newcomers to King's work would pick up this collection. The Long Walk is essentially the American version of Battle Royale (and yes, BR came much later). The best part is that by focusing his story on one stretch of highway and specifically on a certain group of boys among the 200 who start the walk, King enables the reader to understand the emotions and sanity levels of the entire group. While many situational details are lacking in this story (How did this start? Why did some people actually sign up for it? What does the rest of the US look like in this future?), the intense focus of the story allows the reader to delve deeply into many other questions and ignore the nagging world around them. There are very cool sections where the writing matches the characters' mindsets. If only King could have made the entire piece work out that way!

Roadwork:

King's assessment was correct; this is the worst of the bunch. Written with the flaws of a Dean Koontz novel (without the interesting plot, which really says something), this plodding piece of trash made me cringe due to all the bad writing. The main flaw is that King tried too hard. His novel about "something serious" ended up being too long and had as much subtlety as a few jackhammers. I can understand the need to write to exorcise some demons (in the introduction, he claims he wrote this piece when dealing with his mother's "painful death" the year before), but many of the works that come out of that much pain should not see the light of day. Read any high schooler's poetry for examples. Or read Roadwork. Or better yet, don't.

Running Man:

Easily the most entertaining of the bunch, it is a simple story told with little or no MESSAGES. It is the closest to a pulp fiction story you can get without the excessive violence (although the end is a little gory, which is not a bad thing). I greatly enjoyed this one and read it the quickest of the four. No wonder it was made into an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie (though I haven't seen that yet). It fits the mode of quick action and no thinking that his movies have in common.

Overall:

A nice collection of Richard Bachman/Stephen King books. It was interesting to see King trying new and/or different things with these. While they may not be among his best works, they are (with one exception) very enjoyable popular fiction works, and two of them - Long Walk and Running Man - do rank among his better works. Thumbs up!

Fúria

is a remarkable work that has received a rating of 5. It likely offers an intense and engaging experience, perhaps filled with passion and drama.

A Longa Marcha

also has a high rating of 4.5. This could suggest that it is a captivating piece, perhaps with a long and winding story that keeps the audience hooked.

A Autoestrada

has a rating of 2.5. Maybe it is a more niche or experimental work that doesn't quite appeal to a wide audience.

Finally, O Sobrevivente

has a perfect score of 5. It must be an outstanding piece, perhaps with a thrilling survival theme that keeps the readers or viewers on the edge of their seats.

Overall, these ratings provide some indication of the quality and popularity of these works, but personal preferences may vary.

It’s brought down heavily by The Long Walk. However, the other three books here are all truly excellent.

I find it难以置信 that people didn’t realize Bachman was King until The Running Man. This is because his writing style is so evident here.

Among these works, The Running Man holds a certain charm. It engages the reader with its thrilling plot and captivating characters.

Rage also has its own unique appeal. The emotions and tensions depicted in the story draw the reader in and keep them hooked.

Roadwork, too, is a remarkable piece. It presents a different side of Bachman’s writing, with its exploration of themes such as urban decay and the human condition.

In comparison, The Long Walk seems to pale in comparison. Its flaws overshadow its good points, making it a less enjoyable read.

Overall, while The Long Walk may be a disappointment, the other three books offer plenty of entertainment and literary value.

Running man>Rage>Roadwork>>>>>>>>Long Walk.

The Long Walk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a truly remarkable work. It takes the reader on an intense and gripping journey. The story is filled with excitement and adventure, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and the plot is engaging, making it a must-read for any fan of the genre.

Roadwork ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Roadwork is also a great piece. It offers a unique perspective on a particular situation. The writing is solid and the story flows smoothly. While it may not have the same level of excitement as The Long Walk, it still manages to hold the reader's attention and provide an enjoyable reading experience.

The Running Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Running Man is another excellent addition to the collection. It has a fast-paced and thrilling plot that will keep you turning the pages. The characters are interesting and the action scenes are well-described, making it easy to visualize the events as they unfold. Overall, it is a great read that is sure to satisfy fans of adventure and suspense.

This collection houses the initial four Bachman books.

First up is Rage. It's a remarkable high school angst narrative that unfortunately received a negative reputation following the Columbine incident.

The Long Walk presents a captivating "competition" for national stardom. It masterfully depicts a descent into insanity that seems almost normal, yet it remains highly underrated.

Roadwork offers a rather uninteresting account of a man on the verge of being displaced from his home due to freeway construction. In my view, it's a lackluster entry.

Finally, The Running Man served as the inspiration for the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of the same title. Although the movie was moderately entertaining, it was a significant abridgment of the original story. This story presents an intriguing prediction of our potentially bleak future and is definitely worth the read.

Stephen King is a renowned author, and his earliest books hold a certain charm.

These initial works may not be as polished or as masterful as some of his later creations, but they are still okay.

They offer a glimpse into the budding talent of King, who would go on to become a literary icon.

The stories in these early books may lack the depth and complexity that we have come to expect from King, but they still manage to engage the reader and keep them turning the pages.

Perhaps it is the simplicity of these early works that makes them appealing, or maybe it is the fact that they are a part of King's evolution as a writer.

Whatever the reason, these earliest books by Stephen King are worth a read, if only to see where it all began.

Rage: It is the controversial story that King decided to take out of publication, making it the only one. The beginning is fast-paced, which then transforms into a drawn-out slow-burn. However, it is just enough to hold your attention and make you wonder what will occur. The context of the current school violence climate truly gives this story an eerie feel.

The Long Walk: This is another slow-burn, yet a very riveting story. It makes you wonder what will happen to each of those boys and how they will meet their end. There are so many questions left at the end of this book, but it is a very enjoyable read.

Roadwork: This is my least favorite of the stories. I think it was also intended to be a slow burn, but I found his descent into madness a bit tiresome and boring.

The Running Man: Probably my favorite. It is fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even more astounding is the concept of reality TV, considering this book was written in the 1970s! It presents a dystopian future that does not seem very unrealistic. It is a great read.

In conclusion, these stories by King offer a diverse range of experiences. From the controversial Rage to the riveting The Long Walk, and the somewhat disappointing Roadwork to the exciting The Running Man. Each one has its own unique charm and drawbacks, but overall, they are all worth exploring.