Rage by Richard Bachman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rage is the first short novel that King published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. After the Carneal incident in December of 1997, King allowed Rage to go out of print in the United States.
You can mainly find this now in rare original copies, or in old versions of The Bachman Books, which released in 1985 and was comprised of a bind-up of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man.
I am lucky enough to have a 1st-edition hardback copy of The Bachman Books, which is how I read this story. It’s been in my family since it was published and is one of my most treasured books.
This was a reread for me, but I haven’t read it since the 6th, or 7th grade, many years before 1997. I didn’t remember too much about it except for the setting and the basic premise.
This is a well-written story. It contains wonderful character work and succeeded in pulling me in. The entire scene is set in Mrs. Underwood’s Algebra classroom, after our MC, Charlie Decker goes berserk ((his words)), kills the teacher and takes the rest of the students hostage.
We follow, fly on the wall style, all that goes down inside that classroom after Charlie takes control. I loved the dynamics and conversations amongst the students.
It’s very dialogue heavy, but in such a way that keeps you engrossed as you see an evolution of the character’s opinions within that space. By the end, it gets very Lord of the Flies as the teens develop their own system of self-reflection, judgement and even, punishment.
I really enjoyed the themes explored, especially those involving the experience of teens, or kids, and the various pressures they can feel from those in authority positions, as well as their lack of autonomy, and how that can backfire if pushed too far.
King has always showed an interest in the mind, and psychology, but that was most evident to me in his earlier works. You clearly see that interest within this story, and I loved the way he incorporated that into Charlie’s character and these events.
I understand and respect King’s opinion on this story. I do. In a way though, I think it’s a shame this story isn’t more readily available, as it does offer up a lot of important food for thought and discussion.
There are mentions of the violence children are exposed to and how that effects them over time. I think this would make an incredible Book Club pick. It would be so interesting to see how various Readers interpret this story.
I’m glad that I took the time to reread this one. I obviously have way more grounds to appreciate it as an adult reflecting back on my youth, than I did as a child picking it up.
I would recommend this if you can get it!