This collection gathers four early novels written by Stephen King under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, showcasing his raw, unfiltered storytelling before he became a household name. The anthology includes:
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“Rage” (1977): A disturbed high school student takes his class hostage, exposing societal fractures (later withdrawn by King due to its disturbing relevance to real-life school violence).
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“The Long Walk” (1979): A dystopian nightmare where 100 boys compete in a deadly walking contest, blending psychological horror with existential dread.
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“Roadwork” (1981): A grieving man’s descent into madness as he battles urban progress and personal loss.
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“The Running Man” (1982): A game-show dystopia where a desperate contestant fights for survival in a televised manhunt (famously adapted into the 1987 Schwarzenegger film).
King’s Bachman persona allowed him to explore darker, more nihilistic themes—capitalism’s cruelty, institutional oppression, and the fragility of sanity—with a grit absent from his supernatural works. The collection’s 1985 edition features King’s revealing preface, “Why I Was Bachman,” detailing his experiment in anonymity.
“A showcase of King’s brutal, unpolished genius—where hope is thin, and the monsters are human.”
Note: Later editions omit “Rage” due to the author’s request.
