Opinions on Rage

[Sheila Carlyle]

With all due respect to Stephen King (and keeping in mind when it was written), I think this is the bar-none worst thing he's ever written. It feels like the type of thing an angst-ridden freshman would write/read as a vicarious fantasy before climbing the student union building with a thrity-aught and going on a self-righteous killing spree.

As an angst ridden freshman, I read way more subversive stuff than this, and never once thought of going on a killing spree - self-rightious or otherwise.

I liked rage, though it did make me nervous. To me, that's a good thing.

Nice meetin' you, NiceGuyCody - I hope to see more of you around the MB!

S.

[Vegetable in Glasses]

The other characters identifying with Charlie is very common in hostage situations. It is called Stockholm Syndrome. Wiki has a pretty good article on it.
The impressive thing about that intuition by Mr. King was that the syndrome wasn't identified by anyone in the psychology fields until 1973, and as Ms. Mod points out, the story was written in the '60's.
This is one of my favorite stories, despite its sad legacy.

[NiceGuyCody]

As an angst ridden freshman, I read way more subversive stuff than this, and never once thought of going on a killing spree - self-rightious or otherwise.

Well . . . naturally I didn't mean you sane folk.

I liked rage, though it did make me nervous. To me, that's a good thing.

I can absolutely comprehend that. Generally, any work that elicits a strong emotional response from me is OK in my book.
Just so long as that strong emotional response isn't annoyance.

Nice meetin' you, NiceGuyCody - I hope to see more of you around the MB!

[Miss Barbie]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.

[NiceGuyCody]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.

You're probably not going to find any single first editions any time soon (unless you wanna spend a few hundred bucks), but have you tried looking for any of the several "Bachman Books" compendiums that are out there?


I remember when I was trying to hunt it down to read myself I managed to find a hardcover copy at the local library. A couple of years after that I was in one of my town's used book stores, and I managed to find quite a few copies of a paperback edition (it had a red cover with skulls planted in a line in the earth) and bought one for myself real cheap.
A couple of years after that I was in a used book store in another town and managed to find another paperback of a completely different edition, so I picked that one up for good measure as well.


So check those used book stores!

[JohnDalglish]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.

Hi,

You'll find secondhand copies of the Bachman Books fairly cheaply (check that it's the older one with Rage in it) from Amazon or E-bay, amongst others.

Long days and pleasant nights

[DumaKey1212]

I'd love to read Rage but can't find it anywhere!

[Deavlynn]

I wonder if the age of the reader has an impact on their opinion of this book. When I first read Rage I was only a year or two out of high school and I thought it was incredibly believable. Most high schoolers are like blind sheep. When you add a little fear into the mix they revert to the level of animals. No one in a setting like that wants to stand out or be different. I couldn't think of one person in my school that I thought would have stood up to another student with a gun.

However, now that I'm a little older, I am also finding it less believable. Maybe age is making me more optimistic. I'd like to think that maybe someone would have dared to disagree. It's hard to remember how tough high school really was, but I do remember that those were the worst years of my life. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Enjoy The Long Walk. It's one of my favorites!

[cwalrus]

I obtained the story by finding a used copy of the Bachman Books compendium on amazon (consisting of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man). It was really cheap actually. It was only $5 with shipping it came out to I think $7. It the same one that Niceguycody seems to be describing withe skulls on the cover although the online cover looked different. So, it was a great deal all around because I got Rage plus the three other stories in it that I wanted to read anyway. If you don't have an issue with buying a used copy, I'm sure you can find one easily, Miss Barbie.

I actually don't think Rage is all that subversive, but I can understand why many people would find it to be especially at the time it was written. I am aware of Stockholm Syndrome, and even before reading the book I anticipated that some hostages would come to sympathize with Charlie. I just didn't think it plausible that out of 20 some odd students that all but one would be on Charlie's side and even willingly participate or encourage the violence. Certainly, there is much to be said of the mob mentality and the urge to conform especially in High School kids, but I just found that part of the story a bit contrived. Just my opinion though. I know many people here like the story very much, and there are things that I liked about it too, but it's just my least favorite read so far.

[Jack Frost]

While Sai King has stated he was glad this one is now out of print, I would love to know all y'all's thoughts on "Rage".

I understand the reasoning behind it's out-of-print status, however I also think it's a shame. I, for one, absolutely love this book! It is truly one of my favorites!!! I think it's unbelievably well written, well developed, and remarkably disturbing and suspenseful.

While there is no way to condone actions like those taken in the story, it really gives a great insight into a point of view not often taken, one from the offender. Why he does what he does--what drives him to it, what was that final straw.

An amazing piece of work in my humble opinion!!!!

Thoughts?

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