Scan barcode
myreadsgrf's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
09didi's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, so I'm actually not sure whether or not I liked it. As always, I read this book because of the people who said they hated it. I also read it because I read somewhere that SK had it removed from publication. Which I totally understand...
So let me get to it. I get why so many people hated the book. It's about a school shooting. Nobody likes a school shooting. And we defiantly don't want to go about giving impressionable young teens/adults the wrong kind of ideas. Also, Charlie isn't your most likeable character. But, i guess it's exactly what SK was trying to achieve? From what I know (and this is only from articles and TV shows, we have lots of problems here in South Africa, but school shootings ain't one of them) school shooters aren't always the most likeable people. Often a little weird, perhaps even a social outcast to a certain extent. So Stephen King definitely achieved that much, as far as character "build up" is concerned.
Then I also think that this book is way more than a story of a guy who decided fuck society, I'm going to kill someone today. I see it as being symbolic of the way society treats certain kinds of people. And how these people, will, eventually, just have enough.
Anyway, it is what it is. I won't rate this more than a three, because it's not outstanding. It would be a lie. However, if you sit and think about it. There are layers to unfold and study.
"That's the end. I have to turn off the light now. Good night."
So let me get to it. I get why so many people hated the book. It's about a school shooting. Nobody likes a school shooting. And we defiantly don't want to go about giving impressionable young teens/adults the wrong kind of ideas. Also, Charlie isn't your most likeable character. But, i guess it's exactly what SK was trying to achieve? From what I know (and this is only from articles and TV shows, we have lots of problems here in South Africa, but school shootings ain't one of them) school shooters aren't always the most likeable people. Often a little weird, perhaps even a social outcast to a certain extent. So Stephen King definitely achieved that much, as far as character "build up" is concerned.
Then I also think that this book is way more than a story of a guy who decided fuck society, I'm going to kill someone today. I see it as being symbolic of the way society treats certain kinds of people. And how these people, will, eventually, just have enough.
Anyway, it is what it is. I won't rate this more than a three, because it's not outstanding. It would be a lie. However, if you sit and think about it. There are layers to unfold and study.
"That's the end. I have to turn off the light now. Good night."
lonesomefoghorn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
cmattei's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
erickibler4's review against another edition
1.0
Part of my Great Stephen King Reread. I'm glad to say goodbye to this one for the last time.
King has taken this book (published under the pen name Richard Bachman) out of print. It's about a teenager who brings a gun to school, kills two teachers, takes a classroom full of kids hostage, and proceeds to lead them in a sort of group encounter session. Putting aside the argument that such a book could inspire real life violence (there are reports that it has), this is just a bad book.
It's very readable, as most of King's work is, but the plot rests on some very hokey psycho-babble. I don't buy the motivations of any of the kids. Not Charlie. Not Ted. Not the hostage kids. It just doesn't hang together. There are some very vivid scenes, but they mostly occur in flashbacks told by Charlie and some of the other kids, and aren't part of the school shooting plot.
I'm not one of those people who believe that fictional narratives cause people to commit real life violence, but I can see how an impressionable kid could get hold of this book and get some very bad ideas. Or have preexisting bad ideas reinforced. Such is the power of even BAD Stephen King, which this is, that I would worry about its influence. I'm sure King had the right idea in taking it off the shelves.
King has taken this book (published under the pen name Richard Bachman) out of print. It's about a teenager who brings a gun to school, kills two teachers, takes a classroom full of kids hostage, and proceeds to lead them in a sort of group encounter session. Putting aside the argument that such a book could inspire real life violence (there are reports that it has), this is just a bad book.
It's very readable, as most of King's work is, but the plot rests on some very hokey psycho-babble. I don't buy the motivations of any of the kids. Not Charlie. Not Ted. Not the hostage kids. It just doesn't hang together. There are some very vivid scenes, but they mostly occur in flashbacks told by Charlie and some of the other kids, and aren't part of the school shooting plot.
I'm not one of those people who believe that fictional narratives cause people to commit real life violence, but I can see how an impressionable kid could get hold of this book and get some very bad ideas. Or have preexisting bad ideas reinforced. Such is the power of even BAD Stephen King, which this is, that I would worry about its influence. I'm sure King had the right idea in taking it off the shelves.
bgmylc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Torture
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexual content
jelena_52's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“It occurred to me that the man I really wanted to hurt was safely out of my reach, standing behind a shield of years.”
woofer's review against another edition
3.0
A while back I had heard that, in the light of all the school shootings, Stephen King had requested to have Rage pulled from publication. Ever since then, I had been on a quest to find a copy and read it. Well, I finally was able to find a copy, and I sat down to give it a read through.
The story line is relatively simple: a slightly off-balance high school student, Charlie Decker, snaps one day, kills two teachers, and takes a classroom of students hostage and threatens to start shooting if he doesn't get what he wants. The problem is, there's no clear indication of what he wants except to toy with the police and the administration. Then four hours later, he lets them go. Very anti-climactic.
Personally, I don't see why this relatively short novel has been pulled from publication. It's tame compared to what's going on in the world today. And the copy on the cover... "His twisted mind turned a quiet classroom into a dangerous world of terror." You don't get that feeling at all. Well, maybe in the beginning, but eventually you get the idea that these kids are all friends and they know Charlie isn't going to do anything to them. Hell, one girl even leaves the room to go to the bathroom. Instead of making a break for it, which any normal individual would have done found in the same situation, she actually comes back to the room and takes her seat. Reading it, I felt more like I was in an AA meeting or something other 12 Steps program, where each student confesses something about their past or their home life, maybe something they're not too proud of. All very touchy-feely. Well, all the students but one -- Ted Jones. He seems to be the only one reacting poorly to the situation, and he harbors so much anger and hatred for Charlie, yet it's never clear why. Yeah, the guy's a psycho and he's got a gun and anything can set him off so we should all be afraid for our lives, but nobody else seems to feel that way. In fact, they all seem to sympathize with Charlie's situation. Sure, he's a troubled kid, but based on what we've learned about him, nothing in his past prepares us for the situation we find ourselves in. **SPOILER** And unless I'm missing something, it's unclear as to why the students turn on Ted in the end. Maybe he's a scape goat, and by tormenting and traumatizing him, they're really transferring their emotions toward Charlie onto Ted, but the reader doesn't get that feeling. It's also unclear as to why Ted had such a reaction to what the students did. Maybe it was something they said to him, but we're not privy to that.
All in all, it was a good book, but hardly the scandalous read I had been expecting, especially after hearing so much about it. But then again, that seems to be the trouble with hype. So much stuff fails to live up to the expectations you have after hearing so much praise for a book or movie. Rating: 3 of 5 stars.
The story line is relatively simple: a slightly off-balance high school student, Charlie Decker, snaps one day, kills two teachers, and takes a classroom of students hostage and threatens to start shooting if he doesn't get what he wants. The problem is, there's no clear indication of what he wants except to toy with the police and the administration. Then four hours later, he lets them go. Very anti-climactic.
Personally, I don't see why this relatively short novel has been pulled from publication. It's tame compared to what's going on in the world today. And the copy on the cover... "His twisted mind turned a quiet classroom into a dangerous world of terror." You don't get that feeling at all. Well, maybe in the beginning, but eventually you get the idea that these kids are all friends and they know Charlie isn't going to do anything to them. Hell, one girl even leaves the room to go to the bathroom. Instead of making a break for it, which any normal individual would have done found in the same situation, she actually comes back to the room and takes her seat. Reading it, I felt more like I was in an AA meeting or something other 12 Steps program, where each student confesses something about their past or their home life, maybe something they're not too proud of. All very touchy-feely. Well, all the students but one -- Ted Jones. He seems to be the only one reacting poorly to the situation, and he harbors so much anger and hatred for Charlie, yet it's never clear why. Yeah, the guy's a psycho and he's got a gun and anything can set him off so we should all be afraid for our lives, but nobody else seems to feel that way. In fact, they all seem to sympathize with Charlie's situation. Sure, he's a troubled kid, but based on what we've learned about him, nothing in his past prepares us for the situation we find ourselves in. **SPOILER** And unless I'm missing something, it's unclear as to why the students turn on Ted in the end. Maybe he's a scape goat, and by tormenting and traumatizing him, they're really transferring their emotions toward Charlie onto Ted, but the reader doesn't get that feeling. It's also unclear as to why Ted had such a reaction to what the students did. Maybe it was something they said to him, but we're not privy to that.
All in all, it was a good book, but hardly the scandalous read I had been expecting, especially after hearing so much about it. But then again, that seems to be the trouble with hype. So much stuff fails to live up to the expectations you have after hearing so much praise for a book or movie. Rating: 3 of 5 stars.
criminolly's review against another edition
2.0
Weird juvenilia from King that reads like an unholy (and unsuccessful) mash up of Lord of the Flies and The Breakfast Club. There are flashes of interesting writing here, but mostly it’s just kind of dull.
neylane's review against another edition
2.0
Rage é um livro curto escrito pelo Stephen King sob o pseudônimo de Richard Bachman, sendo assim um dos famosos livros de Bachman. Porém Rage conta a história de um garoto, Charlie, que mata dois professores aos tiros e faz sua turma de escola refém, ele foi encontrado com um atirador real que invadiu uma escola a tiros, foi citado por outro, entre outros casos, e passou a pesar na consciência do King, que tirou o livro de circulação e proibiu sua reimpressão. Ele fala mais sobre isso no ensaio "Guns" (disponível em inglês no kindle unlimited) que eu li depois de ler Rage, para entender mais o ponto de vista do autor na questão da posse de armas e desarmamento nos EUA.
Em Guns, King tenta chegar num consenso com os apoiadores do desarmamento e aqueles que defendem a posse de armas, oferecendo alternativas que saciariam os dois, porque essa questão é muito complicada nos Estados Unidos e uma solução radical seria praticamente impossível. Quando ele fala sobre Rage, King não culpa o livro pelos ataques que aconteceram, mas pensa que seria certo retirá-lo das livrarias. "
Em Guns, King tenta chegar num consenso com os apoiadores do desarmamento e aqueles que defendem a posse de armas, oferecendo alternativas que saciariam os dois, porque essa questão é muito complicada nos Estados Unidos e uma solução radical seria praticamente impossível. Quando ele fala sobre Rage, King não culpa o livro pelos ataques que aconteceram, mas pensa que seria certo retirá-lo das livrarias. "