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The Bachman Books
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1985
9 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,574 books886k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2025
Rereading some Stephen King because it is October and well..... you should be reading Stephen King! Also chose this because the Long Walk is out in theatres, not that I would like to go see it.
All of these novels aged quite well. Rage and The Long Walk were as intriguing as ever. Never really cared for Roadwork. But very interested to find that The Running Man was set in 2025! Much darker version that the Scharzenegger/Richard Dawson version - but what a thriller.
Overall a very good read from the past.
All of these novels aged quite well. Rage and The Long Walk were as intriguing as ever. Never really cared for Roadwork. But very interested to find that The Running Man was set in 2025! Much darker version that the Scharzenegger/Richard Dawson version - but what a thriller.
Overall a very good read from the past.
October 27, 2025
I know this was removed from shelves because of the first book Rage. Honestly though it wasn't even that bad, we've seen and heard worse on the news now a days which is sad in and of itself. Interesting but I didn't really like the writing it was kind of bland. I know these are early early works and people love more of his later works. I won't go higher than what I rated on this one but will give maybe some of his later works a try. I have a couple of his newer works in my collection already so it will be worth it to see how the writing has grown.
August 17, 2025
I like most of what King writes, but this collection isn't my favorite. The writing is there, but the stories aren't really my taste. The Long Walk and The Running Man are both a little to dystopian for my tastes, Rage and Roadwork are just bleak.
December 27, 2025
Similar to the fate of Ben Richards, King (or should I say Bachman) ran out of options. The big reveal with only 5 pages to go fell flat for me and undid all of the characterization Ben had until that point. Definitely not my favorite in the King compendium.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews