Kaylee’s Reviews > The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels > Status Update

Rage ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Interesting foray into the spiraling mind of a teen school shooter in the 1970s. A guy who grew up under an abusive father snapping under the rule of snide teachers. There’s a low body count & students use his takeover as an impromptu group therapy session.
Charlie seems to have taken a cult leader status & the students mindlessly follow him. The end kind of peters out.

Rage, ch. 30:
We learn about Charlie’s first time getting high & his almost-hookup with Dana. Surprisingly he doesn’t mention her breasts at all! …He’s too focused on her panties. 🙄
I really didn’t need to read about his temperamental penis but here we are.
The teachers at this school suck for bullying the students.
Good for Charlie, standing up to his abusive coward of a father.

Rage, ch. 26:
Wow, Ted, Mr. Couldn’t-Bother-with-a-Condom sure has a problem hearing someone else touched Sandra after him. You’re just lucky you’re not a teen father, shut up.
Sandra is in dire need of some safe excitement in her life before she does something stupid that ends it.
“She parts her hair on the side like a boy.” Was this a thing in the 70s? Guess I’d be labeled a boy then.

Rage, ch. 25:
Decoding King’s fictional towns:
Placerville - my hypothesis this is code for Lisbon is seeming more likely - the school mascot is the same.
Harlow - likely Durham where King grew up. Clues: mention of Stackpole Road & proximity to Placerville.
Weird of Charlie to be focused on Carol’s reasoning for remaining a virgin but upset at the thought of Sandra not being one? What’s it to you, Charlie?!

Rage, ch. 22:
Oh good, we didn’t focus on a high school girl’s boobs last chapter … just ended talking about her panties again. 🙄
How has this hostage situation turned into an impromptu group therapy session? Charlie started it by prattling on about his childhood, then Irma talked about her struggles to meet beauty standards, & now Pig Pen has opened up about his abusive mom.

Rage, ch. 16:
What does Aunt Jessie’s death have to do with the story?
Charlie’s parents wed after only 6 months of dating? No wonder they’re so incompatible later on.
Maybe Charlie’s mom wouldn’t baby him so much if his father wasn’t an abusive dick? Dude literally threw a 4 year old full force onto the ground then told him to “man up.” 🙄
Charlie’s mom is strong & stands up to her husband.

Rage - ch. 13:
Does he really have to assess every girl’s breasts or bra situation?
The description of Susan is a lot like me in school - never spoke unless called on, often asked to speak up, studious & serious. Hope she doesn’t die for bringing up his parents.
Ted is either going to bite it or be the hero - possibly both.
Did something darker than drunken “hate my wife” talk happen on that hunting trip?

Rage, ch. 12:
This is, so far, an interesting look into the mind of a school shooter - by 1970s standards. This kid has managed his reign with one locker fire & a handgun. At the time even this was unthinkable. Now it’s a far too common occurrence.
Charlie seems fixated on one traumatic event from his childhood, but that can’t be the only thing making him this way. His dad is also a dick.
I worry for Sandra.

Back to the beginning with The Long Walk & The Running Man done.
Rage -ch. 4:
I get this is a hormonal teen boy’s POV, but did we need a whole paragraph about Sandra’s white panties & how they imply she’s a “nice girl”? 🤢
Per The Long Walk’s geographic layout, I think Placerville is a stand-in for Lisbon, ME, where King went to HS.

The Running Man: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A dystopian nightmare with social commentary galore regarding classism, pollution, authoritarianism, the intersection of media & politics, & the brain rot of reality TV / game shows.
Ben Richards is an interesting protagonist with a smart mouth & he can think on his feet, but he does make it hard to root for him at times.
Suspenseful & engaging.
Gruesome ending.