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Maleficio
Maleficio es una obra escalofriante de la moderna novelística de terror. Un viejo gitano pronuncia una sola palabra y, tras seis semanas y cuarenta kilos menos, Billy Halleck, víctima del maleficio, se convierte en un desecho humano. En el colmo de la desesperación, intentará encontrar una solución jugando con las fuerzas de la vida y de la muerte.
368 pages, Paperback
First published November 19, 1984
1693 people are currently reading
101534 people want to read
About the author
Richard Bachman
23 books5,266 followersThis is a Stephen King pseudonym.
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run—and then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman–Turner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books—Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)—to people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signet Books, to print these novels under a pseudonym.
In his introduction to The Bachman Books, King states that adopting the nom de plume Bachman was also an attempt to make sense out of his career and try to answer the question of whether his success was due to talent or luck. He says he deliberately released the Bachman novels with as little marketing presence as possible and did his best to "load the dice against" Bachman. King concludes that he has yet to find an answer to the "talent versus luck" question, as he felt he was outed as Bachman too early to know. The Bachman book Thinner (1984) sold 28,000 copies during its initial run—and then ten times as many when it was revealed that Bachman was, in fact, King.
The pseudonym King originally selected (Gus Pillsbury) is King's maternal grandfather's name, but at the last moment King changed it to Richard Bachman. Richard is a tribute to crime author Donald E. Westlake's long-running pseudonym Richard Stark. (The surname Stark was later used in King's novel The Dark Half, in which an author's malevolent pseudonym, "George Stark", comes to life.) Bachman was inspired by Bachman–Turner Overdrive, a rock and roll band King was listening to at the time his publisher asked him to choose a pseudonym on the spot.
King provided biographical details for Bachman, initially in the "about the author" blurbs in the early novels. Known "facts" about Bachman were that he was born in New York, served a four-year stint in the Coast Guard, which he then followed with ten years in the merchant marine. Bachman finally settled down in rural central New Hampshire, where he ran a medium-sized dairy farm, writing at night. His fifth novel was dedicated to his wife, Claudia Inez Bachman, who also received credit for the bogus author photo on the book jacket. Other "facts" about the author were revealed in publicity dispatches from Bachman's publishers: the Bachmans had one child, a boy, who died in an unfortunate, Stephen King-ish type accident at the age of six, when he fell through a well and drowned. In 1982, a brain tumour was discovered near the base of Bachman's brain; tricky surgery removed it. After Bachman's true identity was revealed, later publicity dispatches (and about the author blurbs) revealed that Bachman died suddenly in late 1985 of "cancer of the pseudonym, a rare form of schizonomia".
King dedicated Bachman's early books—Rage (1977), The Long Walk (1979), Roadwork (1981), and The Running Man (1982)—to people close to him. The link between King and his shadow writer was exposed after a Washington, D.C. bookstore clerk, Steve Brown, noted similarities between the writing styles of King and Bachman. Brown located publisher's records at the Library of Congress which included a document naming King as the author of one of Bachman's novels. Brown wrote to King's publishers with a copy of the documents he had uncovered, and asked them what to do. Two weeks later, King telephoned Brown personally and suggested he write an article about how he discovered the truth, allowing himself to be interviewed. King has taken full ownership of the Bachman name on numerous occasions, as with the republication of the first four Bachman titles as The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels by Stephen King in 1985. The introduction, titled "Why I Was Bachman," details the whole Bachman/King story.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,909 reviews
May 7, 2019
“Some guys-- a lot of guys---don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me.”
Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli
William Halleck is a damn fine lawyer, a rising star in his firm, and well liked by judges and police officers. His life was coming together nicely and without too much extrapolation he could probably anticipate the continuing arc of his success. There was really only one thing that he was fighting against on a daily basis...his weight. The scales were not his friend. He was a stress eater, a man who would rather have two Big Macs peeking out of their wrappers than the goosepimple naked Coors Twins cooing his name.
He is 6’4” and weighs 251 pounds, which isn’t exactly fat if you are a professional football player bristling with heavy musculature, but if you are a white collar worker who doesn’t exercise and eats high calorie, high carb meals from breakfast until bed, the weight gain is going to settle right around your bread basket. I’m 6’4” and weigh 200-205. If I were to put on 50 pounds, I would be obese according to all the BMI charts. Given the fact that I’m retired from any form of athletics except shooting a few hoops in the driveway and going for walks, that 50 pounds would be the worst kind of weight gain, and I would be looking for new pants several sizes larger. Some reviewers/readers have questioned whether Halleck at 6’4” and 251 pounds was actually obese, which might say something about the current state of the American waistline. A nation floating down the river deNILE.
Halleck was a chubby checker, unable to see his feet when he was standing upright on a scale. Pissing was simply an act of faith because for Halleck to see willie perform, he would need to put mirrored tiles on his bathroom floor and walls.
Libido is usually the first to go when people become overweight. Their desires and lusts are exchanged for french fries, strawberry pie, and milkshakes, but Halleck didn’t have that problem. In fact, at the moment that his life was about to go off course, he was almost ready to cross off a bucket list item right up until the time he…
hit a woman with his car.
His wife, Heidi, out of the wild blue decides to be spontaneous. She’s not a prude, but she has never given any indication that she was uninhibited enough to go searching for Billy’s fishing tackle while he was steering a moving vehicle.
Now, he didn’t just hit any woman. Oh no, to completely screw up your life you have to hit a gypsy with a vengeful father. Taduz Lemke is a gypsy patriarch who might be anywhere between 106-120 years old. He knows things that the rest of the world has forgotten.
Robert John Burke stars in the 1996 film version.
When he touches Halleck’s cheek and whispers the word…thinner, William starts to lose weight at an alarming rate.
He has been cursed, not just cursed, but gypsy cursed.
“You were starting to sound a little like a Stephen King novel for a while there.”
Wait, what was that about Stephen King?
Back in the late 1970s and through the mid-1980s, Stephen King was writing more books than could be published. In those days publishers believed that an author could only publish one book a year successfully. King decided to create a pseudonym as Richard Bachman so he could publish more than just one book a year. He was also having doubts about his own success. Had he just gotten lucky? Could he produce a best selling book without Stephen King emblazoned on the cover? The Bachman books were doing ok, but they did a lot better after a bookseller named Steve Brown in Washington D.C. thought the style shown by Bachman was very similar to the writing style of Stephen King.
Meet Mr. Richard Bachman. The actual subject of the photo is Richard Manuel, the insurance agent of Kirby McCauley, who was King's literary agent.
The truth was out, and Thinner became a bestseller. Brown showed a lot of class. He went to the publisher first to show what he had discovered and asked what he should do. King called him and asked him if he would like to do an interview to tell the world how he made his discovery. For those interested, here is a link to Brown’s discussion of the discovery: http://www.liljas-library.com/bachman...
So the reference to himself that he put in Thinner was a tongue in cheek, knee slapping moment of poking fun at himself.
Stephen King and Tom Holland (director of the film) on the set. King had a cameo role as Dr. Banger.
Halleck is now losing two to three pounds a day, and that is with eating as much food as he can stuff into his stomach. He is desperately searching for the gypsy caravan so he can convince the prehistoric gypsy to take the curse off, but the flame of vengeance still burns in the heart and soul of Taduz Lemke.
He is going to need some convincing.
Halleck knows just the guy.
Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli, an Italian mobster whom Halleck helped defend in court, is a man with a code regarding helping friends in need. Out of all the people Halleck has tried to explain his situation to Ginelli is the only one who believes him.
Ginelli is a terrific character. He is certainly someone you will not forget. I thought thatStephen King, erhh Richard Bachman, put real flesh on the bones of all the characters. The plot is taut like a quarter bouncing off a nubile bottom and crackles like a corn crib on fire. In my opinion, one of the best Stephen King, erhhh Richard Bachman, books I’ve ever read.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli
William Halleck is a damn fine lawyer, a rising star in his firm, and well liked by judges and police officers. His life was coming together nicely and without too much extrapolation he could probably anticipate the continuing arc of his success. There was really only one thing that he was fighting against on a daily basis...his weight. The scales were not his friend. He was a stress eater, a man who would rather have two Big Macs peeking out of their wrappers than the goosepimple naked Coors Twins cooing his name.
He is 6’4” and weighs 251 pounds, which isn’t exactly fat if you are a professional football player bristling with heavy musculature, but if you are a white collar worker who doesn’t exercise and eats high calorie, high carb meals from breakfast until bed, the weight gain is going to settle right around your bread basket. I’m 6’4” and weigh 200-205. If I were to put on 50 pounds, I would be obese according to all the BMI charts. Given the fact that I’m retired from any form of athletics except shooting a few hoops in the driveway and going for walks, that 50 pounds would be the worst kind of weight gain, and I would be looking for new pants several sizes larger. Some reviewers/readers have questioned whether Halleck at 6’4” and 251 pounds was actually obese, which might say something about the current state of the American waistline. A nation floating down the river deNILE.
Halleck was a chubby checker, unable to see his feet when he was standing upright on a scale. Pissing was simply an act of faith because for Halleck to see willie perform, he would need to put mirrored tiles on his bathroom floor and walls.
Libido is usually the first to go when people become overweight. Their desires and lusts are exchanged for french fries, strawberry pie, and milkshakes, but Halleck didn’t have that problem. In fact, at the moment that his life was about to go off course, he was almost ready to cross off a bucket list item right up until the time he…
hit a woman with his car.
His wife, Heidi, out of the wild blue decides to be spontaneous. She’s not a prude, but she has never given any indication that she was uninhibited enough to go searching for Billy’s fishing tackle while he was steering a moving vehicle.
Now, he didn’t just hit any woman. Oh no, to completely screw up your life you have to hit a gypsy with a vengeful father. Taduz Lemke is a gypsy patriarch who might be anywhere between 106-120 years old. He knows things that the rest of the world has forgotten.
Robert John Burke stars in the 1996 film version.
When he touches Halleck’s cheek and whispers the word…thinner, William starts to lose weight at an alarming rate.
He has been cursed, not just cursed, but gypsy cursed.
“You were starting to sound a little like a Stephen King novel for a while there.”
Wait, what was that about Stephen King?
Back in the late 1970s and through the mid-1980s, Stephen King was writing more books than could be published. In those days publishers believed that an author could only publish one book a year successfully. King decided to create a pseudonym as Richard Bachman so he could publish more than just one book a year. He was also having doubts about his own success. Had he just gotten lucky? Could he produce a best selling book without Stephen King emblazoned on the cover? The Bachman books were doing ok, but they did a lot better after a bookseller named Steve Brown in Washington D.C. thought the style shown by Bachman was very similar to the writing style of Stephen King.
Meet Mr. Richard Bachman. The actual subject of the photo is Richard Manuel, the insurance agent of Kirby McCauley, who was King's literary agent.
The truth was out, and Thinner became a bestseller. Brown showed a lot of class. He went to the publisher first to show what he had discovered and asked what he should do. King called him and asked him if he would like to do an interview to tell the world how he made his discovery. For those interested, here is a link to Brown’s discussion of the discovery: http://www.liljas-library.com/bachman...
So the reference to himself that he put in Thinner was a tongue in cheek, knee slapping moment of poking fun at himself.
Stephen King and Tom Holland (director of the film) on the set. King had a cameo role as Dr. Banger.
Halleck is now losing two to three pounds a day, and that is with eating as much food as he can stuff into his stomach. He is desperately searching for the gypsy caravan so he can convince the prehistoric gypsy to take the curse off, but the flame of vengeance still burns in the heart and soul of Taduz Lemke.
He is going to need some convincing.
Halleck knows just the guy.
Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli, an Italian mobster whom Halleck helped defend in court, is a man with a code regarding helping friends in need. Out of all the people Halleck has tried to explain his situation to Ginelli is the only one who believes him.
Ginelli is a terrific character. He is certainly someone you will not forget. I thought that
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
February 21, 2021
Now that´s truly the last diet one needs.
That´s why one shouldn´t provoke so much cursing, because it can have consequences. I like the idea of getting what one deserves and such a detailed description of body horror is truly worthy of the King, maybe nobody else could switch into the perspective and under the hanging skin of a victim of such a special weight loss method. Businessmen ought consider making it a lucrative model by paying Romani people for their special services, maybe with emphasizing not to do it in that exaggerated dimension. Now I want a novel with a fattening curse.
If one wants to go forcefully meta, deep, philosophical, and social criticism, one could also see it as an innuendo to eating disorders, superficiality leading to especially women forcing themselves to fit stupid beauty idols, and the madness of self destruction by not accepting ones´ body after having been brainwashed by the industrial beauty indoctrination complex. But I guess it´s much more probable that King just wanted to write a good story and well, was drunk and or high, just as always these days. So it could also be seen as a subconscious cry of his body, begging to stop destroying himself, that metaphorized to such a premise.
And what an ingenious plot device is this, immediately creepy, absolutely comprehensible, and with fantasy and sci fi, it could go into all directions. Extremely thin is the lighter way, but go ultra bulky with future tech and there is no limit, maybe just gravity or the available space. But when no maladies, and thereby death, endanger the expansion of the body, many thousand of pounds superfat überchubbys could roll around in exoskeletons that make sure that their own mass doesn´t crush their organs while they are reaching levels of XX…. unimaginable for todays standards, true mountains of flesh, if genetic engineering enables the growth of extra muscles without training too. Imagine such a behemoth angrily rolling towards one.
There are possible psychological and pathological options too, how one person, a group, or a whole society would degenerate under such conditions. Not the happy, fat Wall E style, but more the violence and madness of extremely skinny or fat cults, body modifications, cyborgs, etc. There are some lovely ideas of such terror sects in dark fantasy, extreme horror, and some sci-fi and I don´t see much difference to most real, established ideologies with the only distinction that the body stays intact in reality, while the mind and soul rot away the same.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
That´s why one shouldn´t provoke so much cursing, because it can have consequences. I like the idea of getting what one deserves and such a detailed description of body horror is truly worthy of the King, maybe nobody else could switch into the perspective and under the hanging skin of a victim of such a special weight loss method. Businessmen ought consider making it a lucrative model by paying Romani people for their special services, maybe with emphasizing not to do it in that exaggerated dimension. Now I want a novel with a fattening curse.
If one wants to go forcefully meta, deep, philosophical, and social criticism, one could also see it as an innuendo to eating disorders, superficiality leading to especially women forcing themselves to fit stupid beauty idols, and the madness of self destruction by not accepting ones´ body after having been brainwashed by the industrial beauty indoctrination complex. But I guess it´s much more probable that King just wanted to write a good story and well, was drunk and or high, just as always these days. So it could also be seen as a subconscious cry of his body, begging to stop destroying himself, that metaphorized to such a premise.
And what an ingenious plot device is this, immediately creepy, absolutely comprehensible, and with fantasy and sci fi, it could go into all directions. Extremely thin is the lighter way, but go ultra bulky with future tech and there is no limit, maybe just gravity or the available space. But when no maladies, and thereby death, endanger the expansion of the body, many thousand of pounds superfat überchubbys could roll around in exoskeletons that make sure that their own mass doesn´t crush their organs while they are reaching levels of XX…. unimaginable for todays standards, true mountains of flesh, if genetic engineering enables the growth of extra muscles without training too. Imagine such a behemoth angrily rolling towards one.
There are possible psychological and pathological options too, how one person, a group, or a whole society would degenerate under such conditions. Not the happy, fat Wall E style, but more the violence and madness of extremely skinny or fat cults, body modifications, cyborgs, etc. There are some lovely ideas of such terror sects in dark fantasy, extreme horror, and some sci-fi and I don´t see much difference to most real, established ideologies with the only distinction that the body stays intact in reality, while the mind and soul rot away the same.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
January 13, 2021
This was Bachman’s coming out as Stephen King party . . . the last title officially released under the Bachman pseudonym before the big reveal.
I think King was crying to be released, because there are some thinly veiled references that make me go like this:
This book was released shortly before IT. There is a line about and evil clown with a balloon.
There is a whole section where one of the characters says that “This is all starting to sound like a Stephen King novel” <- not the exact quote, but pretty close.
Was he just toying with the readers? Ready to give it up? I should go back and reread the intro to the Bachman Books because I think he might talk about this when discussing why he was Bachman.
This was my second time reading Thinner. First time in paperback probably 20 years ago, this time on audio. I have also seen bits and pieces of the movie. This is one of those stories has stuck with me because I frequently think of parts of this book. Why that is, I am not sure . . . it is not like I am often confronted with gypsy curses. Maybe it is because I am always trying to stay in shape and lose weight. In fact, I listened to most of this book while out walking and trying to shave off a few pounds. The irony did not escape me!
Looks like I gave it 3 stars previously based on my distant memories from my last read. I am upping it to 4 stars this time. It is worth it! Might even be a 4.5!
It is by no means the perfect or best King book, but it is pretty good and decently creepy. It makes you think a lot about mistakes made in life and the fairness of any price you must pay. There is some gore, some suspense, some intrigue, and a lot of frustration. All of it put together makes for a great reading experience. King fans should be sure to read this one and it wouldn’t be all that bad of a place to start if you want to try King and this is the only book you have access to.
Note: You will notice that some of the things are very dated, but that makes sense for an early 1980s release.
I think King was crying to be released, because there are some thinly veiled references that make me go like this:
This book was released shortly before IT. There is a line about and evil clown with a balloon.
There is a whole section where one of the characters says that “This is all starting to sound like a Stephen King novel” <- not the exact quote, but pretty close.
Was he just toying with the readers? Ready to give it up? I should go back and reread the intro to the Bachman Books because I think he might talk about this when discussing why he was Bachman.
This was my second time reading Thinner. First time in paperback probably 20 years ago, this time on audio. I have also seen bits and pieces of the movie. This is one of those stories has stuck with me because I frequently think of parts of this book. Why that is, I am not sure . . . it is not like I am often confronted with gypsy curses. Maybe it is because I am always trying to stay in shape and lose weight. In fact, I listened to most of this book while out walking and trying to shave off a few pounds. The irony did not escape me!
Looks like I gave it 3 stars previously based on my distant memories from my last read. I am upping it to 4 stars this time. It is worth it! Might even be a 4.5!
It is by no means the perfect or best King book, but it is pretty good and decently creepy. It makes you think a lot about mistakes made in life and the fairness of any price you must pay. There is some gore, some suspense, some intrigue, and a lot of frustration. All of it put together makes for a great reading experience. King fans should be sure to read this one and it wouldn’t be all that bad of a place to start if you want to try King and this is the only book you have access to.
Note: You will notice that some of the things are very dated, but that makes sense for an early 1980s release.
January 9, 2024
Another successful buddy read with my friend, Shannon and another truly entertaining King reread for me!!!
I love this story so much, but I know what you're thinking: is it really 5-star perfect?
I'm sure it's not for everyone, but it's a hell of a fun reading experience for me. This is my third time through this one and honestly, probably not the last.
Thinner follows Billy Halleck, a successful attorney living the good life in a wealthy Connecticut suburb.
Billy has a lovely wife, Heidi, a sweet daughter, Linda, and friends and associates he pals around with at the local country club.
He also has an extra 50-pounds or so around the middle, evidence of the many rich meals and treats he can afford.
All is good in Billy's life until the night Heidi decides to spice things up on a drive home from an event.
With Billy desperately distracted, tragedy strikes. The other party is no one in this town, however. They don't have rich friends and connections like Billy. Connections to the judge and the police.
Billy doesn't even get a slap on the wrist for the role he played in that tragic night.
Others want justice for what happened and if they can't get it through the traditional ways, it's no bother. They have their own ways; old ways.
A soft caress with a gnarled hand and one word whispered with intention, thinner.
Thus, changing the course of Billy's life forever.
Y'all this story is gruesome and wildly unrelenting.
The body horror is just that, horrible, horrifying and sure to make you cringe. If you aren't into graphic descriptions of terrifying things happening to a human body, you may want to steer clear.
I find writing as Bachman, King is much more blunt in his delivery and build-up. This reads very quickly and advances through the plot at a rapid fire pace.
I love going along with Billy as he comes to grips with what is happening to him and tries to fix it.
In order to do so, he calls in a favor from his friend, Richard Ginelli, when he feels like the problem is too big for him to handle himself.
Unfortunately, once on the case, Ginelli is like a guard dog slipped his leash. He can't be called back and things escalate.
As gritty and physically horrifying as this story is, there's also some great food for thought mixed in. Blame, guilt, disregard for others, privilege, power and blood feuds; you can find it all in here.
If you are looking for a quick, quirky, messy, horrific tale, you should definitely give Thinner a shot.
I love this story so much, but I know what you're thinking: is it really 5-star perfect?
I'm sure it's not for everyone, but it's a hell of a fun reading experience for me. This is my third time through this one and honestly, probably not the last.
Thinner follows Billy Halleck, a successful attorney living the good life in a wealthy Connecticut suburb.
Billy has a lovely wife, Heidi, a sweet daughter, Linda, and friends and associates he pals around with at the local country club.
He also has an extra 50-pounds or so around the middle, evidence of the many rich meals and treats he can afford.
All is good in Billy's life until the night Heidi decides to spice things up on a drive home from an event.
With Billy desperately distracted, tragedy strikes. The other party is no one in this town, however. They don't have rich friends and connections like Billy. Connections to the judge and the police.
Billy doesn't even get a slap on the wrist for the role he played in that tragic night.
Others want justice for what happened and if they can't get it through the traditional ways, it's no bother. They have their own ways; old ways.
A soft caress with a gnarled hand and one word whispered with intention, thinner.
Thus, changing the course of Billy's life forever.
Y'all this story is gruesome and wildly unrelenting.
The body horror is just that, horrible, horrifying and sure to make you cringe. If you aren't into graphic descriptions of terrifying things happening to a human body, you may want to steer clear.
I find writing as Bachman, King is much more blunt in his delivery and build-up. This reads very quickly and advances through the plot at a rapid fire pace.
I love going along with Billy as he comes to grips with what is happening to him and tries to fix it.
In order to do so, he calls in a favor from his friend, Richard Ginelli, when he feels like the problem is too big for him to handle himself.
Unfortunately, once on the case, Ginelli is like a guard dog slipped his leash. He can't be called back and things escalate.
As gritty and physically horrifying as this story is, there's also some great food for thought mixed in. Blame, guilt, disregard for others, privilege, power and blood feuds; you can find it all in here.
If you are looking for a quick, quirky, messy, horrific tale, you should definitely give Thinner a shot.
June 11, 2018
And I thought the Atkins Diet sounded unhealthy…
William Halleck is a successful lawyer living in upper middle class splendor in a Connecticut suburb with his wife and daughter, and his biggest problem is that he’s overweight. His perfect life is upset when he accidently ran over an old Gypsy woman when he was *ahem* distracted behind the wheel. Since Billy is one of the solid taxpayers who plays golf with all the right people the whole mess is quickly tidied up in court without him getting so much as a ticket. However, another old Gypsy puts a whammy on him and suddenly Billy can’t keep weight on no matter how much he eats. As he becomes a shadow of his former self Billy sets out on a desperate quest to track down the Gypsy and try to convince him to lift the curse of growing thinner.
This was the last of the novels Stephen King released under the pen name of Richard Bachman before his cover was blown shortly after its publication. (In fact, he gets cute by having a couple of characters describe the situation as sounding like a King novel.) As with the other Bachman books it seems like Uncle Stevie ran leaner and meaner in this one. He keeps the story focused tightly on its key concept, but he’s also delivering some nice subtext about American culture. We’ve got a nicely ironic curse of a man’s thoughtless greedy consumption being turned back on him as well as exploring the hypocritical way that the decent folk of New England will have their fun with the Gypsies and then run them out of town.
One of the strongest points here is in Halleck as a character. Billy seems like a decent guy who genuinely feels guilty about the death he inadvertently caused, and he’s got the brains and courage to face up to the bizarre situation and act to save himself. However, he also went along with sweeping the whole mess under the rug, and he’s willing to turn to a dangerous friend when he’s really in trouble. So there’s a nice mix in him that he’s both somewhat willing to take responsibility even as he trying to wriggle out of the consequences of it.
It’s a very solid piece of horror fiction that makes me wish that King would have gotten to do more Bachman books before the secret leaked out. He has published others under the name, but none were ever quite as good as the early ones.
William Halleck is a successful lawyer living in upper middle class splendor in a Connecticut suburb with his wife and daughter, and his biggest problem is that he’s overweight. His perfect life is upset when he accidently ran over an old Gypsy woman when he was *ahem* distracted behind the wheel. Since Billy is one of the solid taxpayers who plays golf with all the right people the whole mess is quickly tidied up in court without him getting so much as a ticket. However, another old Gypsy puts a whammy on him and suddenly Billy can’t keep weight on no matter how much he eats. As he becomes a shadow of his former self Billy sets out on a desperate quest to track down the Gypsy and try to convince him to lift the curse of growing thinner.
This was the last of the novels Stephen King released under the pen name of Richard Bachman before his cover was blown shortly after its publication. (In fact, he gets cute by having a couple of characters describe the situation as sounding like a King novel.) As with the other Bachman books it seems like Uncle Stevie ran leaner and meaner in this one. He keeps the story focused tightly on its key concept, but he’s also delivering some nice subtext about American culture. We’ve got a nicely ironic curse of a man’s thoughtless greedy consumption being turned back on him as well as exploring the hypocritical way that the decent folk of New England will have their fun with the Gypsies and then run them out of town.
One of the strongest points here is in Halleck as a character. Billy seems like a decent guy who genuinely feels guilty about the death he inadvertently caused, and he’s got the brains and courage to face up to the bizarre situation and act to save himself. However, he also went along with sweeping the whole mess under the rug, and he’s willing to turn to a dangerous friend when he’s really in trouble. So there’s a nice mix in him that he’s both somewhat willing to take responsibility even as he trying to wriggle out of the consequences of it.
It’s a very solid piece of horror fiction that makes me wish that King would have gotten to do more Bachman books before the secret leaked out. He has published others under the name, but none were ever quite as good as the early ones.
October 29, 2021
“Thinner,” the old Gypsy man with the rotting nose whispers to William Halleck as Halleck and his wife, Heidi, come out of the courthouse. Just that one word, sent on the wafting, cloying sweetness of his breath. 'Thinner.' And before Halleck can jerk away, the old Gypsy reaches out and caresses his cheek with one twisted finger. His lips spread open like a wound, showing a few tombstone stumps poking out of his gums. They are black and green. His tongue squirms between them and then slides out to slick his grinning, bitter lips…. Thinner”
Attorney Bill Halleck enjoys living his upper classs life. He’s got it all, an expensive home, a loving family and a job he loves. Then, in a moment of carelessness, Bill commits vehicular manslaughter when he strikes a jaywalking old woman crossing the street. But Bill has some powerful connections, and he gets off with a slap on the wrist, much to the dismay of the woman’s mysterious and ancient father, who exacts revenge with a single word: “Thinner”
Now, a terrified Bill finds the weight that was once so difficult to shed, dropping rapidly by the week. Soon there will be nothing left of Bill Halleck…unless he can somehow locate the source of his curse and reverse what’s happened to him before he wastes away into nothing…
From beginning to end, I was invested in this story. Stephen King has created an intense psychological thriller that culminates in a showdown between two people from different worlds. The gypsy curse was well executed without seeming too cheesy, and the main character's race against the clock definitely made this a page turner. I've always been a fan of the body horror sub genre. This book is a great example of body horror done correctly, with some horrifying descriptions throughout the novel.
I thought Billy's character was great. Through it all, he never loses his sense of determination or his sarcastic sense of humour. But, my favourite was Ginelli, an Italian mobster whose enormous personality almost stole the whole book from Billy!
The ending was fantastic and I didn’t see it coming at all. This is a great read if you enjoy psychological thrillers.
I'll leave you with a little quote from the novel: “There are no curses, only mirrors you hold up to the souls of men and women.”
Highly recommend 👌🏻
Attorney Bill Halleck enjoys living his upper classs life. He’s got it all, an expensive home, a loving family and a job he loves. Then, in a moment of carelessness, Bill commits vehicular manslaughter when he strikes a jaywalking old woman crossing the street. But Bill has some powerful connections, and he gets off with a slap on the wrist, much to the dismay of the woman’s mysterious and ancient father, who exacts revenge with a single word: “Thinner”
Now, a terrified Bill finds the weight that was once so difficult to shed, dropping rapidly by the week. Soon there will be nothing left of Bill Halleck…unless he can somehow locate the source of his curse and reverse what’s happened to him before he wastes away into nothing…
From beginning to end, I was invested in this story. Stephen King has created an intense psychological thriller that culminates in a showdown between two people from different worlds. The gypsy curse was well executed without seeming too cheesy, and the main character's race against the clock definitely made this a page turner. I've always been a fan of the body horror sub genre. This book is a great example of body horror done correctly, with some horrifying descriptions throughout the novel.
I thought Billy's character was great. Through it all, he never loses his sense of determination or his sarcastic sense of humour. But, my favourite was Ginelli, an Italian mobster whose enormous personality almost stole the whole book from Billy!
The ending was fantastic and I didn’t see it coming at all. This is a great read if you enjoy psychological thrillers.
I'll leave you with a little quote from the novel: “There are no curses, only mirrors you hold up to the souls of men and women.”
Highly recommend 👌🏻
June 2, 2023
Still enjoyed it as much as the last three times!!
__________
This was my third time reading this, and I love it even more. In my top five King books of all time. Love, love, love, love it! And that ending! Still one of the best in a King book.
__________
Loved it, it's every bit as good as I remembered and more. One of my favourites of all time and one of the best / creepiest audiobooks.
Highly, thoroughly and totally recommended.
__________
This was my third time reading this, and I love it even more. In my top five King books of all time. Love, love, love, love it! And that ending! Still one of the best in a King book.
__________
Loved it, it's every bit as good as I remembered and more. One of my favourites of all time and one of the best / creepiest audiobooks.
Highly, thoroughly and totally recommended.
October 6, 2021
Billy, a overweight lawyer who one night while driving home runs over an gypsy woman, he's brought to trial but is acquitted because he's friends with the judge. While leaving the courthouse, an old gypsy man brushes his hand on Billy's cheek and whispers "thinner." From that moment onwards Billy starts to rapidly lose weight until his clothes are falling off him, I'll leave it there - that's all I'm going to say but this is my favourite Bachman story by far.
Has anyone seen the adaptation?
Is it worth the watch?
Has anyone seen the adaptation?
Is it worth the watch?
October 3, 2015
The premise really prompted me to read this novel. Aside from the fact that King wrote this, the premise really made me curious as to what the novel was all about. It was about a man who got cursed, and now he's losing weight everyday, and he fears that it will come to a point where he'll turn into nothing.
Everything was good, but nothing was great. That's the main problem of the novel for me. While the start of the novel was batshit amazing and fast paced, the middle and the end was a huge dragger and almost made me not finish this. The reason he got cursed was witty, but after King revealed that, everything went downhill. The events were terribly uninteresting, and there was this fucking chapter, chapter fucking 22 that was so boring at first, and was too fucking long, it made me stop reading the novel for a few days. The chapter did improve halfway through, but I'm still annoyed with the length, and the boredom the first half exuded.
The characters were satisfactory, but all I can say is that I only liked 2 characters in the whole novel. The main character Billy, and his friend Ginelli. All of the others were either mediocre or plain old annoying. I've read a lot of King's books, so I'm safe to say that his characters are most of the time spectacular. This novel was lacking, sad to say.
I honestly can't really commend the plot development because I didn't like the middle to about 85% of the novel. It was a lot dragging and a bunch of useless things were said. I know the novel is damn short already, but it could've been shorter. The gypsies were a bit interesting, but they also lost their funk sooner than expected.
The redeeming quality of the novel after that terrible middle part was the ending. It was well thought out and obviously something King would throw in. Such a huge turn of events for the main character. He just can't seem to win.
3/5 stars. I almost gave this a two, but like I said above, the ending was good. Not my favorite King book, and I'm sadly disappointed with this. I know a lot of my friends enjoyed this, but it just wasn't for me. My favorite thing about the novel was the premise, and that's obviously not a good thing.
Everything was good, but nothing was great. That's the main problem of the novel for me. While the start of the novel was batshit amazing and fast paced, the middle and the end was a huge dragger and almost made me not finish this. The reason he got cursed was witty, but after King revealed that, everything went downhill. The events were terribly uninteresting, and there was this fucking chapter, chapter fucking 22 that was so boring at first, and was too fucking long, it made me stop reading the novel for a few days. The chapter did improve halfway through, but I'm still annoyed with the length, and the boredom the first half exuded.
The characters were satisfactory, but all I can say is that I only liked 2 characters in the whole novel. The main character Billy, and his friend Ginelli. All of the others were either mediocre or plain old annoying. I've read a lot of King's books, so I'm safe to say that his characters are most of the time spectacular. This novel was lacking, sad to say.
I honestly can't really commend the plot development because I didn't like the middle to about 85% of the novel. It was a lot dragging and a bunch of useless things were said. I know the novel is damn short already, but it could've been shorter. The gypsies were a bit interesting, but they also lost their funk sooner than expected.
The redeeming quality of the novel after that terrible middle part was the ending. It was well thought out and obviously something King would throw in. Such a huge turn of events for the main character. He just can't seem to win.
3/5 stars. I almost gave this a two, but like I said above, the ending was good. Not my favorite King book, and I'm sadly disappointed with this. I know a lot of my friends enjoyed this, but it just wasn't for me. My favorite thing about the novel was the premise, and that's obviously not a good thing.
February 1, 2022
The last Bachman book released before Stephen King official was announce to write under the pseudonym. It's the most "Stephen King" feeling of the book, with a supernatural curse and whatnot… and it's also an extremely disappointing book.
I'm apparently in the minority of King fans as I simply do not like this book. I've read books that he's writing that have page counts triple this one, but never have I been so bored by one of his books. I found it tedious and almost gave up so many times, then something wonderful happen. King introduced simply one of his most interesting side characters and suddenly the book became fascinating.
“Some guys-- a lot of guys---don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me.”
Yes, Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli is not a nice person, he's the villain of another book if you will, but he's a great character. Unlike so many characters when presented with the supernatural, he accepts it and moves on. He's resourceful and while he absolutely goes in horrible directions, he gets things done.
…
He's kind of terrifying, but never boring and saved this book enough for me to finish it.
I still don't like it, and mostly just wish King would have given the character a better book to be in, but hey, he raised it from one start to 2/5 stars.
I'm apparently in the minority of King fans as I simply do not like this book. I've read books that he's writing that have page counts triple this one, but never have I been so bored by one of his books. I found it tedious and almost gave up so many times, then something wonderful happen. King introduced simply one of his most interesting side characters and suddenly the book became fascinating.
“Some guys-- a lot of guys---don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me.”
Yes, Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli is not a nice person, he's the villain of another book if you will, but he's a great character. Unlike so many characters when presented with the supernatural, he accepts it and moves on. He's resourceful and while he absolutely goes in horrible directions, he gets things done.
…
He's kind of terrifying, but never boring and saved this book enough for me to finish it.
I still don't like it, and mostly just wish King would have given the character a better book to be in, but hey, he raised it from one start to 2/5 stars.
December 23, 2021
Es una historia que me recuerda mucho a El resplandor, un libro que mucha gente me ha recomendado y al que le tenía demasiadas expectativas. Ahora, considero que ambos son lentos en cuanto al manejo de la trama, el lector sigue leyendo pero pareciera que en capítulos casi que no avanzara nada, lo cual para mí resultó en un problema porque me hacía querer dejar la lectura. Solo en los capítulos finales se desarrolla todo a un ritmo vertiginoso y que va en picada, como estar montado en una montaña rusa. Y el final, vamos, que es extremadamente cruel: mi experiencia fue justo la misma con ese libro. Por eso de allí la comparación aunque no tengan nada que ver ambas tramas.
A partir del capítulo 19 cuando el encuentro entre Billy y los gitanos se da es que se pone interesante y todo va cuesta abajo... o cuesta arriba, (ambos sentidos pueden emplearse depende de dónde se mire).
No es un mal libro, pero sí lento y con un personaje in-so-por-ta-ble en todas sus letras. Billy Halleck es un tipo que nunca admite sinceramente ser culpable de la muerte de la gitana y por si fuera poco, busca otro culpable... Y la diana cae directo en el blanco: su mujer, porque no podía ser de otra forma. En fin, Halleck se la pasa machacándose en su propia miseria y su odio desmedido empieza a dirigirse a su mujer.
¡Spoilers significativos a partir de aquí!
Ahora vamos al final, cuando Taduz Lemke, el jefe de los gitanos le da el pastel de la maldición todo cobra sentido para mí y para Billy. Él decide dárselo a su mujer, porque al fin materializa su odio y ve una manera de vengarse al saber que el "único" afectado en toda la situación fue él y no su esposa, que también tuvo parte de culpa. Pero el gitano siempre ha sido inteligente y como la justicia nunca es bien impartida por la ley, se da con propia mano y en el camino siempre caen algunos inocentes.
El pastel es ingerido por la esposa, pero lastimosamente también por su hija (Karma, Billy, el karma). Creo que el final es de lo que más me ha gustado, de los mejores de King ya que es extremadamente cruel. Muy maldito y todo con el protagonista, porque nunca me cayó bien. No hablo de los demás personajes porque los más importantes son Billy, su mujer y los gitanos. Todo se reduce a lo decadente de su relación a partir del accidente.
Obviamente, si lo recomiendo pero hay que leerlo con tranquilidad, sin desespero y sabiendo que el final es buenísimo pero que hay que recorrer un buen y considerable trecho. Le doy 4 estrellas pero es porque el protagonista no fue de mi gusto, sencillamente es un personaje muy gris y bastante irritante. Ya está, es un mero gusto personal. Pero objetivamente, la personalidad y actitud mierd* de Halleck está bien lograda, por algo me molestaba.
A partir del capítulo 19 cuando el encuentro entre Billy y los gitanos se da es que se pone interesante y todo va cuesta abajo... o cuesta arriba, (ambos sentidos pueden emplearse depende de dónde se mire).
No es un mal libro, pero sí lento y con un personaje in-so-por-ta-ble en todas sus letras. Billy Halleck es un tipo que nunca admite sinceramente ser culpable de la muerte de la gitana y por si fuera poco, busca otro culpable... Y la diana cae directo en el blanco: su mujer, porque no podía ser de otra forma. En fin, Halleck se la pasa machacándose en su propia miseria y su odio desmedido empieza a dirigirse a su mujer.
¡Spoilers significativos a partir de aquí!
Ahora vamos al final, cuando Taduz Lemke, el jefe de los gitanos le da el pastel de la maldición todo cobra sentido para mí y para Billy. Él decide dárselo a su mujer, porque al fin materializa su odio y ve una manera de vengarse al saber que el "único" afectado en toda la situación fue él y no su esposa, que también tuvo parte de culpa. Pero el gitano siempre ha sido inteligente y como la justicia nunca es bien impartida por la ley, se da con propia mano y en el camino siempre caen algunos inocentes.
El pastel es ingerido por la esposa, pero lastimosamente también por su hija (Karma, Billy, el karma). Creo que el final es de lo que más me ha gustado, de los mejores de King ya que es extremadamente cruel. Muy maldito y todo con el protagonista, porque nunca me cayó bien. No hablo de los demás personajes porque los más importantes son Billy, su mujer y los gitanos. Todo se reduce a lo decadente de su relación a partir del accidente.
Obviamente, si lo recomiendo pero hay que leerlo con tranquilidad, sin desespero y sabiendo que el final es buenísimo pero que hay que recorrer un buen y considerable trecho. Le doy 4 estrellas pero es porque el protagonista no fue de mi gusto, sencillamente es un personaje muy gris y bastante irritante. Ya está, es un mero gusto personal. Pero objetivamente, la personalidad y actitud mierd* de Halleck está bien lograda, por algo me molestaba.
January 5, 2022
Billy Halleck living his best obese life, has it pretty good. He has a somewhat good marriage, a wonderful daughter, and a career as a lawyer. One night driving home his wife decides to play spank the monkey with him resulting with hitting and killing an elderly woman from a Romani family. Billy avoids being charged with manslaughter thanks to friends in high places. Lempke, the ancient father of the woman, places a curse on Billy by touching his cheek and whispering, "Thinner." The next few days finds Billy losing weight at an alarming rate. In fact Billy can't stop shedding the pounds no matter how much he eats. There are a lot of stereotypes flying around on both sides. A few gave me a good chuckle. Especially the curse of the white man from town.
🐱🐱🐱🐱
🐱🐱🐱🐱
October 2, 2017
This was an addicting and enjoyable book to read!
It’s a great revenge novel and I enjoyed reading about how Billy Halleck goes from a big, fat man to something rather morbid.
Billy Halleck, an upscale attorney accidentally hits and kills an old gypsy woman in his car when she steps out from the sidewalk. Now is he guilty of vehicular manslaughter or not? Unfortunately for Billy, an old gypsy man believes he is and puts a curse on him. The old gypsy man touches his check and says "THINNER".
Or did he? It seems like Billy’s wife, doctor and friends think that he’s losing his mind and reaching for why he’s suddenly losing weight at a very rapid pace.
"Gypsy curse?!
You're crazy Billy Halleck."
So, Billy decides to prove them all wrong and contact the others that were involved with the gypsies that fateful day. This is a story of revenge, being resentful towards others and having to live with the decisions you make in life.
King really did well on the character development in this book and the ending sure blew me away! I did not see that coming.
This is a must read for Stephen King fans or anyone that loves creepy ass books.
It’s a great revenge novel and I enjoyed reading about how Billy Halleck goes from a big, fat man to something rather morbid.
Billy Halleck, an upscale attorney accidentally hits and kills an old gypsy woman in his car when she steps out from the sidewalk. Now is he guilty of vehicular manslaughter or not? Unfortunately for Billy, an old gypsy man believes he is and puts a curse on him. The old gypsy man touches his check and says "THINNER".
Or did he? It seems like Billy’s wife, doctor and friends think that he’s losing his mind and reaching for why he’s suddenly losing weight at a very rapid pace.
"Gypsy curse?!
You're crazy Billy Halleck."
So, Billy decides to prove them all wrong and contact the others that were involved with the gypsies that fateful day. This is a story of revenge, being resentful towards others and having to live with the decisions you make in life.
King really did well on the character development in this book and the ending sure blew me away! I did not see that coming.
This is a must read for Stephen King fans or anyone that loves creepy ass books.
March 26, 2023
“The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing.”
― Richard Bachman, Thinner
Does anyone reaalize this book has an average rating of only 3.32 on here?
How dare they??!! LOL.
Best Stephen King book ever! The only king book to make it into my all time favorite books list. I loved Genelli. More another time.
― Richard Bachman, Thinner
Does anyone reaalize this book has an average rating of only 3.32 on here?
How dare they??!! LOL.
Best Stephen King book ever! The only king book to make it into my all time favorite books list. I loved Genelli. More another time.
December 19, 2013
Overweight lawyer William Halleck strikes and kills a gypsy woman who is crossing the street. He is acquitted but a relative of the woman touches Halleck's cheek and curses him. Now he's losing three pounds a day with no end in sight. Can he track down the gypsy man and get him to remove the curse or will he waste away to nothing?
What's so scary about a fat guy losing weight? A lot, it turns out. Never has getting a tug job in the car from your wife gotten someone into so much trouble. I felt for old William Halleck and his curse. I also shared his anger toward his wife because of her reaction to the whole thing.
As with most King/Bachman books from this era, the story is shorter than his later works, more killer and less filler. Bachman references Stephen King a couple times, weird since now everyone and their senile grandma knows the two are one and the same.
The more King I read, the more I realize he returns to the same concepts repeatedly, be it unprepared people going up against staggering odds, preaching against over-reliance on technology, or fascination with drifter/carnie culture and people getting shot in the hand with slingshots. Different parts of this book seemed like dry runs for parts of Wizard and Glass, Joyland, and Doctor Sleep.
If I had to pick out something to gripe about, it would be the involvement of Ginelli. It seemed like Halleck just stepped aside and let Ginelli do all the heavy lifting near the end. The ending more than made up for that, though.
Four out of five stars. I'm going to go eat something.
What's so scary about a fat guy losing weight? A lot, it turns out. Never has getting a tug job in the car from your wife gotten someone into so much trouble. I felt for old William Halleck and his curse. I also shared his anger toward his wife because of her reaction to the whole thing.
As with most King/Bachman books from this era, the story is shorter than his later works, more killer and less filler. Bachman references Stephen King a couple times, weird since now everyone and their senile grandma knows the two are one and the same.
The more King I read, the more I realize he returns to the same concepts repeatedly, be it unprepared people going up against staggering odds, preaching against over-reliance on technology, or fascination with drifter/carnie culture and people getting shot in the hand with slingshots. Different parts of this book seemed like dry runs for parts of Wizard and Glass, Joyland, and Doctor Sleep.
If I had to pick out something to gripe about, it would be the involvement of Ginelli. It seemed like Halleck just stepped aside and let Ginelli do all the heavy lifting near the end. The ending more than made up for that, though.
Four out of five stars. I'm going to go eat something.
November 4, 2018
I’ve only read a few of Stephen Kings book but I have watched more in movies.
This is the first one as Richard Bachman.
And yes, I did enjoy it and would recommend for anyone who likes dark side/light horror.
I don’t like horror, this is more “jumpy” as you Imagine “stuff” that happens.
I’m rating this personally as a 3.5 due to I’ve read more psychological thrillers worse than this.
Great introduction to Bachman’s work though.
Funny ending. As in odd, strange.
November 18, 2017
There is a certain directness, a freight train coming down the tracks quality about Stephen King’s early Richard Bachman books that I very much enjoy. King writes an unrelenting cause and effect that is terrifying because it does not jump out and yell BOO! but rather walks quietly up to you with a mask on and a butcher knife, like John Carpenter’s Michael Myers, a slow-motion dream scape of fear.
Thinner shares these qualities with other of King / Bachman books like The Running Man and The Long Walk. From the opening pages, we know what the central focus is and King never lets us go, we’ve been strapped into the carnival ride, and we’re off. Like the best roller coasters, we can see the drops and curves ahead, and we’re just clink-clinking and moving towards the fun.
In Thinner, an overweight lawyer runs over an old gypsy woman and his legal friends work it out so he walks Scott free. Or does he? An old gypsy man seems to have other ideas and perhaps lays down an old-fashioned curse. Paunchy attorney begins to quickly get … thinner.
Like so much of King’s most successful stories, he plants an otherwise pedestrian idea into the flower pot and then waters it to produce some kind of scary mutant, man eating plant. The normal becomes para-normal and the everyday becomes Samhain with pagan curses raining down with old testament vigor.
King also populates this book with some of his best characters, Richard Ginelli and Taduz and Gina Lemke breathe fresh and vibrant life into this already good story.
Relentless, spooky and fun, like the a roller coaster – or a freight train coming down the tracks that you’re stuck on.
Thinner shares these qualities with other of King / Bachman books like The Running Man and The Long Walk. From the opening pages, we know what the central focus is and King never lets us go, we’ve been strapped into the carnival ride, and we’re off. Like the best roller coasters, we can see the drops and curves ahead, and we’re just clink-clinking and moving towards the fun.
In Thinner, an overweight lawyer runs over an old gypsy woman and his legal friends work it out so he walks Scott free. Or does he? An old gypsy man seems to have other ideas and perhaps lays down an old-fashioned curse. Paunchy attorney begins to quickly get … thinner.
Like so much of King’s most successful stories, he plants an otherwise pedestrian idea into the flower pot and then waters it to produce some kind of scary mutant, man eating plant. The normal becomes para-normal and the everyday becomes Samhain with pagan curses raining down with old testament vigor.
King also populates this book with some of his best characters, Richard Ginelli and Taduz and Gina Lemke breathe fresh and vibrant life into this already good story.
Relentless, spooky and fun, like the a roller coaster – or a freight train coming down the tracks that you’re stuck on.
January 23, 2016
Billy Halleck is living a good life. He's an up-and-coming lawyer, has a wife and a teenage daughter, and a nice home. He is also overweight, a fact which his doctor is always reminding him of. One day while driving, Billy accidently sideswipes an old gypsy woman who is crossing the street and kills her. Billy is cleared of any charges for this incident, as he is good friends with the police and the judge. There's also no love lost between law enforcement and the gypsies, since the police just want the gypsies out of their town. When Billy is leaving the courthouse, he is stopped by a very old ancient looking gypsy man who gently caresses Billy's cheek with his finger, and whispers one word to Billy..."Thinner". Soon after this, Billy finds that he is losing weight without even trying. As each day goes by, Billy loses more and more weight and he realizes at the rate he's going, he will soon be a human skeleton if it doesn't stop. He believes that the old gypsy man placed a curse on him. Other people are believing that Billy is losing his mind. Billy then decides he must seek out the old gypsy man and get him to undo the curse.
I was looking for something a bit different to read and this book definitely delivered. The story had great atmosphere with very vivid descriptions. I really liked and felt for Billy and could feel his horror right along with him. The gypsies in the story were really brought to life. There was such a sense of foreboding in the air whenever they were around, especially Taduz Lemke, the gypsy that cursed Billy. I also enjoyed Billy's gangster friend Ginelli who was there for Billy when Billy was at his most desperate. The book was creepy, strange, bizarre, and outlandishly funny at times, too. It was extremely entertaining, a lot of fun, and never boring.
I was looking for something a bit different to read and this book definitely delivered. The story had great atmosphere with very vivid descriptions. I really liked and felt for Billy and could feel his horror right along with him. The gypsies in the story were really brought to life. There was such a sense of foreboding in the air whenever they were around, especially Taduz Lemke, the gypsy that cursed Billy. I also enjoyed Billy's gangster friend Ginelli who was there for Billy when Billy was at his most desperate. The book was creepy, strange, bizarre, and outlandishly funny at times, too. It was extremely entertaining, a lot of fun, and never boring.
March 15, 2015
The older Stephen King novels continue to amaze me......this one grabbed me from page one and did not let go! When grossly overweight attorney Billy Helleck unintentionally hits an old gypsy woman who darts out into the street, the incident is not properly investigated, and soon after, he, his buddy Judge Cory who presided plus friend, Officer Hopley are "touched" and "cursed" by a super old, super creepy (rotted nosed) gypsy. As the evil curses begin to erode their bodies, Billy (now skeleton-like) takes matters into his own hand (with the skilled aid of friend and gangster Ginelli) to try to have the horrors bestowed upon he and his friends reversed resulting in a shocker of an ending!
Thought it was GREAT!
Update: March 15, 2015
Finally watched the movie.......Very creepy.......Very grotesque.......Very well done, But does have a bit of a different take on the "still" shocking ending (that was great!) Ewwwwww!
March 31, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for this lean (and in some ways, mean) thriller written under Stephen King's pulpy alias, Richard Bachman
After the epic Gone With The Wind, which took me a month and a half to read (I loved it), I wanted something light and relatively short to read next. Plus: Halloween was coming up! So I decided on this taut, tense thriller by Richard Bachman (a.k.a. Stephen King). It did the trick.
The premise is simple. Overweight, slightly smug East Coast lawyer Billy Halleck has accidentally hit and killed an old woman, who was jaywalking. Because the judge is his old golf buddy, he’s not convicted of any crime, even though, as we later learn, Billy’s attention wasn’t completely on the road.
Turns out, however, that the deceased was part of a travelling Romani troupe (they’re called Gypsies in the book), and her father, a decrepit old man with a hole for a nose named Taduz Lemke, has put a curse on Billy. One day Lemke surprises him, touches his head, and says one word: “Thinner.”
Soon after this, Billy begins rapidly losing weight. At first this is welcome (he can now see his feet when he’s on the scale!), but soon the pounds start shedding at an alarming rate. His wife Heidi thinks it might be cancer. His coke-snorting doctor is perplexed and sends him for tests. Only Billy knows the truth. He’s been cursed.
Can he get Lemke to lift the curse before he wastes away to nothing?
The scariest parts of the book come when Billy begins investigating who else may have been cursed by Lemke because of the old woman’s death. One man’s gruesome transformation is recounted by his horrified wife in an unforgettable, booze-soaked scene. Billy talks with another victim in near darkness, and it’s bone-chilling in its old-school creepiness.
And, of course, Halleck’s own body renders him a pariah to anyone who sees him. King chronicles the man’s physical and psychological decline in vivid detail.
If body horror is your thing, this book will creep you out.
What few reviewers have pointed out is that the book, published in 1984, in a way foreshadowed the first wave of AIDS-related illnesses that would soon make headlines. I thought of how many people dealing with AIDS were ostracized like Billy.
While at first I thought the book had only a novella’s worth of material, King introduces a character in the second half who gives the plot a great big jolt. Imagine those defibrillation paddles in emergency rooms: that’s what Richard Ginelli does to the story.
Ginelli, one of Billy’s earliest clients, is an infamous organized crime boss who takes charge of the situation when Billy calls for help. He’s such a vital, colourful presence, and his street smart wisdom so entertaining, that he emerges as the book’s single most unforgettable character.
Not everything works, mind you. There’s cultural insensitivity towards the Romani, of course. Billy’s physician is a total, unconvincing cliché. And the devolving relationship between Billy and Heidi feels sudden and unearned. (I’m not sure if we can attribute Billy’s misogyny to his physical/mental decline.)
But the ending… oh, the ending (which owes a lot to a certain Richard Matheson story)! I’m glad I hadn’t seen the movie. Mr. King has pretty much ruined my love of a certain baked good forever, especially if it’s emerged warm from the oven and is... pulsing. Yuck.
After the epic Gone With The Wind, which took me a month and a half to read (I loved it), I wanted something light and relatively short to read next. Plus: Halloween was coming up! So I decided on this taut, tense thriller by Richard Bachman (a.k.a. Stephen King). It did the trick.
The premise is simple. Overweight, slightly smug East Coast lawyer Billy Halleck has accidentally hit and killed an old woman, who was jaywalking. Because the judge is his old golf buddy, he’s not convicted of any crime, even though, as we later learn, Billy’s attention wasn’t completely on the road.
Turns out, however, that the deceased was part of a travelling Romani troupe (they’re called Gypsies in the book), and her father, a decrepit old man with a hole for a nose named Taduz Lemke, has put a curse on Billy. One day Lemke surprises him, touches his head, and says one word: “Thinner.”
Soon after this, Billy begins rapidly losing weight. At first this is welcome (he can now see his feet when he’s on the scale!), but soon the pounds start shedding at an alarming rate. His wife Heidi thinks it might be cancer. His coke-snorting doctor is perplexed and sends him for tests. Only Billy knows the truth. He’s been cursed.
Can he get Lemke to lift the curse before he wastes away to nothing?
The scariest parts of the book come when Billy begins investigating who else may have been cursed by Lemke because of the old woman’s death. One man’s gruesome transformation is recounted by his horrified wife in an unforgettable, booze-soaked scene. Billy talks with another victim in near darkness, and it’s bone-chilling in its old-school creepiness.
And, of course, Halleck’s own body renders him a pariah to anyone who sees him. King chronicles the man’s physical and psychological decline in vivid detail.
If body horror is your thing, this book will creep you out.
What few reviewers have pointed out is that the book, published in 1984, in a way foreshadowed the first wave of AIDS-related illnesses that would soon make headlines. I thought of how many people dealing with AIDS were ostracized like Billy.
While at first I thought the book had only a novella’s worth of material, King introduces a character in the second half who gives the plot a great big jolt. Imagine those defibrillation paddles in emergency rooms: that’s what Richard Ginelli does to the story.
Ginelli, one of Billy’s earliest clients, is an infamous organized crime boss who takes charge of the situation when Billy calls for help. He’s such a vital, colourful presence, and his street smart wisdom so entertaining, that he emerges as the book’s single most unforgettable character.
Not everything works, mind you. There’s cultural insensitivity towards the Romani, of course. Billy’s physician is a total, unconvincing cliché. And the devolving relationship between Billy and Heidi feels sudden and unearned. (I’m not sure if we can attribute Billy’s misogyny to his physical/mental decline.)
But the ending… oh, the ending (which owes a lot to a certain Richard Matheson story)! I’m glad I hadn’t seen the movie. Mr. King has pretty much ruined my love of a certain baked good forever, especially if it’s emerged warm from the oven and is... pulsing. Yuck.
January 6, 2016
I first saw the movie for this back in the 90s, long before I read this book. And if you've never seen the film, believe me when I say, it's bad. It’s AWESOMELY bad. Overacted, terribly-paced, full of dumb effects and the worst “fat suit” I’ve ever seen. But, for some reason, I can't help but love it. I’ll watch it over and over again on Netfilx like it was reruns of The Office. Maybe I just like terrible movies. I don’t know.
But, that said, I've never read this book. Never even thought about it, until I saw a used copy for sale at a local bookstore for just a few bucks. “Why not?” I said. And I picked it up.
Let me just say: THIS BOOK IS GREAT. Soooooooo much better than that crap movie. I’m not a huge Stephen King fan by any stretch, but he really nailed it with this one. Maybe I’m a Richard Bachman fan then? THINNER never rambles, or wastes times. Everything is tied into moving the plot forward. And King fills in the blanks with interesting and varied metaphors that never seem forced or tired. It's a book built to be read quickly. And that's just what I did.
As far as the plot goes, it’s pretty simple. A body horror story about a fat lawyer who accidentally kills a gypsy’s daughter, who is then cursed to lose weight until he (presumably) dies. It doesn’t really revel in the supernatural - aside from the entire story being catalyzed by a “mysterious force” - and instead focuses more on the visceral breakdown on the protagonist’s body, sanity, and life. As such, it’s easy to lose yourself In Billy Halleck’s plight, and to connect with the “hero” who is really more deplorable than he is likable.
Again, not being a huge reader of King, it’s hard to say where this ranks amongst his other works, but for me, this was my kind of story delivered in my kind of style. Bloody good times.
But, that said, I've never read this book. Never even thought about it, until I saw a used copy for sale at a local bookstore for just a few bucks. “Why not?” I said. And I picked it up.
Let me just say: THIS BOOK IS GREAT. Soooooooo much better than that crap movie. I’m not a huge Stephen King fan by any stretch, but he really nailed it with this one. Maybe I’m a Richard Bachman fan then? THINNER never rambles, or wastes times. Everything is tied into moving the plot forward. And King fills in the blanks with interesting and varied metaphors that never seem forced or tired. It's a book built to be read quickly. And that's just what I did.
As far as the plot goes, it’s pretty simple. A body horror story about a fat lawyer who accidentally kills a gypsy’s daughter, who is then cursed to lose weight until he (presumably) dies. It doesn’t really revel in the supernatural - aside from the entire story being catalyzed by a “mysterious force” - and instead focuses more on the visceral breakdown on the protagonist’s body, sanity, and life. As such, it’s easy to lose yourself In Billy Halleck’s plight, and to connect with the “hero” who is really more deplorable than he is likable.
Again, not being a huge reader of King, it’s hard to say where this ranks amongst his other works, but for me, this was my kind of story delivered in my kind of style. Bloody good times.
July 24, 2024
A re-read of Thinner whilst on my journey to reading all of Stephen King's books in publication order. This is one of my favourite Stephen King books and one of my favourite books of all time. It’s creepy, bizarre and down right disturbing. I don’t know how/why anyone would come up with this story but it’s so good.
This book grabbed me so quickly – it’s one of the strangest books I’ve ever read but its King so I wasn’t that surprised! It will be going into the re-read pile like most of King’s books. I know some people don’t rate this book too highly and I think it might be because it is so bizarre and out there.
It almost feels like a short story because it is so fast paced, it’s got that odd short story feel with it’s quick explanations and resolutions and I loved it.
"You were starting to sound a little like a Stephen King novel for a while there,"
"Some guys - a lot of guys - don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me."
I really hated Willian Halleck in the beginning of this book but I gradually started to feel really sorry for him. This book is so well written and the character development is incredible. I even started to feel how William does hating his wife for her casual, uninterested attitude I mean it was partly her fault but she didn’t share the consequences or his any of his trauma. A really fabulous ending too.
This book grabbed me so quickly – it’s one of the strangest books I’ve ever read but its King so I wasn’t that surprised! It will be going into the re-read pile like most of King’s books. I know some people don’t rate this book too highly and I think it might be because it is so bizarre and out there.
It almost feels like a short story because it is so fast paced, it’s got that odd short story feel with it’s quick explanations and resolutions and I loved it.
"You were starting to sound a little like a Stephen King novel for a while there,"
"Some guys - a lot of guys - don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me."
I really hated Willian Halleck in the beginning of this book but I gradually started to feel really sorry for him. This book is so well written and the character development is incredible. I even started to feel how William does hating his wife for her casual, uninterested attitude I mean it was partly her fault but she didn’t share the consequences or his any of his trauma. A really fabulous ending too.
January 4, 2024
Like a lurid Twilight Zone episode.
This is the book that led to unmasking Stephen King's pseudonym, and how could he have stayed hidden in this, a book which sounds so clearly like King, with the constant fatalistic-sarcastic inner dialogue and the hypercontemporary cultural references, among other tells. He tried to throw off the scent by having the characters say "like in a Stephen King book." Smooth, no one's going to suspect it now. The prior Bachman books were all written prior to King's booming popularity, while this one was contemporaneous, and King's style of the day was all over it. The only difference was its relative brevity.
There are no good people in this story (largely excepting female characters), least of all the incredible shrinking protagonist. It's a scathing condemnation of New England WASPS above all else. The toughest part of the book is baked in: the heavily stereotypical portrayal of "Gypsies," a pejorative that drops hundreds of times, typical for the 1980s. But when the entire concept depends on a Gyspsy curse, what are you going to do? (Not read it, of course. For all that I enjoyed it in its disgustingness, it's not essential King, and the cultural references are extremely dated now; fine to let it fade away.)
No good people, but there is a "good" ending, at least a satisfying one, in a Twilight Zone plus Tales from the Crypt vein.
I think of this as part of King's mob period. Thinner, Roadwork, Christine, and The Drawing of the Three all feature organized crime bosses, with mostly similar personalities.
This is the book that led to unmasking Stephen King's pseudonym, and how could he have stayed hidden in this, a book which sounds so clearly like King, with the constant fatalistic-sarcastic inner dialogue and the hypercontemporary cultural references, among other tells. He tried to throw off the scent by having the characters say "like in a Stephen King book." Smooth, no one's going to suspect it now. The prior Bachman books were all written prior to King's booming popularity, while this one was contemporaneous, and King's style of the day was all over it. The only difference was its relative brevity.
There are no good people in this story (largely excepting female characters), least of all the incredible shrinking protagonist. It's a scathing condemnation of New England WASPS above all else. The toughest part of the book is baked in: the heavily stereotypical portrayal of "Gypsies," a pejorative that drops hundreds of times, typical for the 1980s. But when the entire concept depends on a Gyspsy curse, what are you going to do? (Not read it, of course. For all that I enjoyed it in its disgustingness, it's not essential King, and the cultural references are extremely dated now; fine to let it fade away.)
No good people, but there is a "good" ending, at least a satisfying one, in a Twilight Zone plus Tales from the Crypt vein.
I think of this as part of King's mob period. Thinner, Roadwork, Christine, and The Drawing of the Three all feature organized crime bosses, with mostly similar personalities.
October 26, 2023
Sinopsis: Un viejo gitano pronuncia una sola palabra y, tras seis semanas y 40 kilos menos, Billy Halleck, víctima del maleficio, se convierte en un desecho humano. En el colmo de la desesperación, intentará encontrar una solución jugando con las fuerzas de la vida y de la muerte.
Uff no ha estado mal, pero ha habido tramos que se me hicieron largos, sobre todo la búsqueda de los gitanos. Creo que sobran páginas.
La mejor parte la de su "amigo" Ginelli, y el final me gustó ya que no me lo esperaba así. Sorprendente en King ya que me suele decepcionar.
Por eso le subí al final la nota a 7/10.
Uff no ha estado mal, pero ha habido tramos que se me hicieron largos, sobre todo la búsqueda de los gitanos. Creo que sobran páginas.
La mejor parte la de su "amigo" Ginelli, y el final me gustó ya que no me lo esperaba así. Sorprendente en King ya que me suele decepcionar.
Por eso le subí al final la nota a 7/10.
January 1, 2020
Well... thin in size and thin on characterisation, but yet, somehow now my second favourite Bachman after The Long Walk. Why? Because it is just a well worked story. It has an interesting premise about the main protagonist being cursed by a 'gypsy', and him thinking 'hey wait one Goddamn minute, I will not take this'. and looking to find ways of fighting back!
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In summary - a good story; suspenseful at times; A Bachman jam; but a book indicative of the times it was written in, even for King, with a fair amount of man blaming women for his woes and seeking to punish her when giving the chance - you'll have to read the book to get the context.
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A recommended Bachman read.... unlike Rage & Roadwork! 7 out of 12.
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In summary - a good story; suspenseful at times; A Bachman jam; but a book indicative of the times it was written in, even for King, with a fair amount of man blaming women for his woes and seeking to punish her when giving the chance - you'll have to read the book to get the context.
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A recommended Bachman read.... unlike Rage & Roadwork! 7 out of 12.
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August 12, 2019
"They were brightly dressed, but not in the peasant garb an older person might have associated with the Hollywood version of Gypsies in the thirties and forties. There were women in colorful sundresses, women in calf-length clamdigger pants, younger women in Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans. They looked bright, alive, somehow dangerous."
I would have read this book sooner, had I known what a dish it would turn out to be. I’m not sure if there’s a pun intended. I think I would have appreciated it even more if I had read it in calmer, more collected state, but I will probably re-read it anyway, so it’s alright. This book represents the two great bodily pleasures for the human race – food and sex – also as the two sources of all the woes that befall our protagonist/antagonist. I sympathize with Billy Halleck, because stress makes me eat as well. I haven’t yet been in a crazy accident caused by deviant sexual behaviour, but there’s a first time for everything. As for why I categorize Billy as both protagonist and antagonist, it is because he is both. Everybody in this book – with the exception of his young daughter – is. The characters, the situation, the culmination…the whole book is full of equivocation and it raises more questions than it gives answers. Right and wrong seem more like abstract concepts, old-fashioned und peculiar, belonging to a different time and place. Ultimately, even the best and most noble intents and purposes get eclipsed by the instinct for survival and the need to protect yourself, those dearest to you and also to avenge. The story begins with primal instincts – like the need of food and sex – as the cause for all the trouble and ultimately the characters seem to stay equally raw and led by primal instincts until the very end. Even the motives of our “hero” Ginelli seem questionable and his friend Billy Halleck wonders how much of it is a friendly loyalty and how much something quite different and a lot darker, lurking beneath the surface. The book raises topics as guilt and innocence and shows how the two are not always easily distinguishable and that right and wrong, good and evil, justice and revenge sometimes might be the biggest mysteries and the hardest truths one has to live with. They can be like identical twins, very different at the core, but very much alike on the outside. And you start questioning everything you have ever known.
Billy Halleck’s life changes one miserable evening, when his wife Heidi decides that it’s the perfect time for her to try spicing up their marriage, hence she decides to give him a hand job while they’re on the road. Billy loses concentration and the result is the death of Susanna Lemke, the daughter of very old and very powerful Gypsy man who doesn’t leave his daughter’s death unpunished. As Billy is let off the hook, because of who he is and because of who his victim is, he faces an entirely different kind of justice system.
“Thinner” whispers Tamuz Lemke on that faithful day and everything for Billy Halleck changes drastically.
We see him losing not only his weight, but what also seems like his soul and his sanity. The guilt, the anger, the fear turn him into a different man, he becomes his worst enemy. A seed is sawn in his soul on that day and it spreads like a wild fire. The impossibility to believe what’s right in front of you, being torn by rational thinking and your senses that tell an entirely different story is also something that is well known to me.
“Some guys - a lot of guys - don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me.”
And I do. Thank you, Me. Ginelli.
I think nothing is truly simple and perhaps there is no such thing as ultimate truth. Was Billy truly cursed or was it the power of suggestion that was doing away with him? Or a combination of the two? Who is the innocent one, who is the guilty one? No such creature in this book. Everyone has their own layers of innocence and guilt. Heidi chooses an unfortunate time to discover this new side of her. She should have known better than to distract someone on the road. Billy should have known better than to keep driving in this condition. Susanna Lemke should have known better than to cross the way she does. Tamuz Lemke should have known better than to initiate a blood vendetta that would not bring his daughter back, but would only entail more misery and loss.
'Did that bring your daughter back, Mr Lemke? Did she come back when Cary Rossington hit the ground out there in Minnesota?'
Lemke's lips twisted. 'I don't need her back. Justice ain't bringing the dead back, white man. Justice is justice.
And Gina Lemke should have known better than to follow in his footsteps. A series of wrong decisions and feelings stronger than reason lead to a wild chase and something that ultimately goes way beyond the case in point, as Gina Lemke points out:
'He cursed us,' she said, and there was a kind of wondering contempt in her voice. 'Tell him for me, mister, that God cursed us long before him or any of his tribe ever were,'
We plan our affairs carefully. Most of us would like to believe that we are good people. We are not. Each of us is guilty of something and in front of someone. It is a basic flaw and positive of the human condition. We all need a certain level of selfishness and ruthlessness in order to survive and be productive. It is the measure, the degree that has the final say. From Billy and Heidi’s point of view it was all just an accident, an unfortunate event, a case of “wrong place, wrong time”. They didn’t mean to hurt anybody. They just wanted to have some fun. From Taduz und Gina Lemke’s point of view they are cold-blooded, cruel monsters, ready to run over (figuratively and literally) anybody in their path in order to have what they want. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between.
Ultimately Billy Halleck does strike back. They see to that by refusing to give him any benefit of the doubt whatsoever. And Billy fights his own demons, other demons than the scales – he loses weight progressively, to the point of being anorexic – and the old gypsy man with the rotten nose. There is a part of him that quietly, but definitely and persistently hates his wife for her choice of place and time.
It is hard for me to place a judgement on any of the characters and I don’t think I want or need to say who is right and who is wrong and decide who deserves what. What I want to do instead, what I can’t help doing, is seeing human beings in pain. Yet, I can’t help sympathizing with the Hallecks, the alleged murderers, more than I do with the alleged victims. Because I do feel that the Hallecks realize what they have done and the reasons behind it and are the kind of people who do learn from their mistakes. The Lemkes, on the other hand, seem permanently on the defensive and on the vengeful side, as Gina’s poignant words to Ginelli show. They are abused and mistreated and no one can deny that. But they fill their hearts with so much hatred and bloodlust that they don’t realize how alike they and those they fight against might be. They are people who fight, for all the wrong reasons and in all the wrong ways, because they feel that this is all they have left. And everything else in between is just a dream. And it goes on and on.
…he is crazy, this friend of yours, and he will never stop. Even my 'Gelina says she sees from his eyes he will never stop. “But we'll never stop, either” she says...
For a moment he stared at the festering hole in the middle his face, and then his eyes were drawn to the man's eyes. The eyes of age, had he thought? They were something more than that … and something less. It was emptiness he saw in them; it was emptiness which was their fundamental truth, not the surface awareness that gleamed on them like moonlight on dark water. Emptiness as deep and complete as the spaces which may lie between galaxies.
How much do we let ourselves being ruled by our primal instincts and how much do we rely on reason and compassion to lead us forward? We are all a combination of passion and rationality and I think that we need both and both balance each other out and feed off each other and make us equally weak and strong. I have been told that I am very emotional and that this hinders me and makes me lose control and sober judgement and while I believe it to be true, I also know those all those strong passions also incite me toward deep contemplations and soul-searching and that ultimately makes me turn toward serious thinking and evaluating, which is, after all, inherent in reason and rationality. There is little of the latter in this book. But there is a lot of heart. I couldn’t help liking and sympathizing with Billy Halleck and his attempts to protect himself and his family and take responsibility for what he had done, all the while wanting as little harm as possible to befall his enemies. Part of him didn’t want to go with it at all, even if it meant being lost forever. Hurting and/or killing another living being is not something that should come lightly to any of us, regardless of the reason. But it seems to come quite easily and naturally to the Lemkes, hence it is harder for me to sympathize with them, despite everything that happens to them.
So I couldn’t keep my word and not “take side”, but I didn’t do it lightly. I stand by my words that there is no completely guilty or completely innocent party in this situation. Or anywhere at all. There is only the aftermath and what you learn from it.
12.08.2019
I would have read this book sooner, had I known what a dish it would turn out to be. I’m not sure if there’s a pun intended. I think I would have appreciated it even more if I had read it in calmer, more collected state, but I will probably re-read it anyway, so it’s alright. This book represents the two great bodily pleasures for the human race – food and sex – also as the two sources of all the woes that befall our protagonist/antagonist. I sympathize with Billy Halleck, because stress makes me eat as well. I haven’t yet been in a crazy accident caused by deviant sexual behaviour, but there’s a first time for everything. As for why I categorize Billy as both protagonist and antagonist, it is because he is both. Everybody in this book – with the exception of his young daughter – is. The characters, the situation, the culmination…the whole book is full of equivocation and it raises more questions than it gives answers. Right and wrong seem more like abstract concepts, old-fashioned und peculiar, belonging to a different time and place. Ultimately, even the best and most noble intents and purposes get eclipsed by the instinct for survival and the need to protect yourself, those dearest to you and also to avenge. The story begins with primal instincts – like the need of food and sex – as the cause for all the trouble and ultimately the characters seem to stay equally raw and led by primal instincts until the very end. Even the motives of our “hero” Ginelli seem questionable and his friend Billy Halleck wonders how much of it is a friendly loyalty and how much something quite different and a lot darker, lurking beneath the surface. The book raises topics as guilt and innocence and shows how the two are not always easily distinguishable and that right and wrong, good and evil, justice and revenge sometimes might be the biggest mysteries and the hardest truths one has to live with. They can be like identical twins, very different at the core, but very much alike on the outside. And you start questioning everything you have ever known.
Billy Halleck’s life changes one miserable evening, when his wife Heidi decides that it’s the perfect time for her to try spicing up their marriage, hence she decides to give him a hand job while they’re on the road. Billy loses concentration and the result is the death of Susanna Lemke, the daughter of very old and very powerful Gypsy man who doesn’t leave his daughter’s death unpunished. As Billy is let off the hook, because of who he is and because of who his victim is, he faces an entirely different kind of justice system.
“Thinner” whispers Tamuz Lemke on that faithful day and everything for Billy Halleck changes drastically.
We see him losing not only his weight, but what also seems like his soul and his sanity. The guilt, the anger, the fear turn him into a different man, he becomes his worst enemy. A seed is sawn in his soul on that day and it spreads like a wild fire. The impossibility to believe what’s right in front of you, being torn by rational thinking and your senses that tell an entirely different story is also something that is well known to me.
“Some guys - a lot of guys - don't believe what they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or drink or think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I wouldn't just go around saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect.' The definition of an asshole is a guy who doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you can quote me.”
And I do. Thank you, Me. Ginelli.
I think nothing is truly simple and perhaps there is no such thing as ultimate truth. Was Billy truly cursed or was it the power of suggestion that was doing away with him? Or a combination of the two? Who is the innocent one, who is the guilty one? No such creature in this book. Everyone has their own layers of innocence and guilt. Heidi chooses an unfortunate time to discover this new side of her. She should have known better than to distract someone on the road. Billy should have known better than to keep driving in this condition. Susanna Lemke should have known better than to cross the way she does. Tamuz Lemke should have known better than to initiate a blood vendetta that would not bring his daughter back, but would only entail more misery and loss.
'Did that bring your daughter back, Mr Lemke? Did she come back when Cary Rossington hit the ground out there in Minnesota?'
Lemke's lips twisted. 'I don't need her back. Justice ain't bringing the dead back, white man. Justice is justice.
And Gina Lemke should have known better than to follow in his footsteps. A series of wrong decisions and feelings stronger than reason lead to a wild chase and something that ultimately goes way beyond the case in point, as Gina Lemke points out:
'He cursed us,' she said, and there was a kind of wondering contempt in her voice. 'Tell him for me, mister, that God cursed us long before him or any of his tribe ever were,'
We plan our affairs carefully. Most of us would like to believe that we are good people. We are not. Each of us is guilty of something and in front of someone. It is a basic flaw and positive of the human condition. We all need a certain level of selfishness and ruthlessness in order to survive and be productive. It is the measure, the degree that has the final say. From Billy and Heidi’s point of view it was all just an accident, an unfortunate event, a case of “wrong place, wrong time”. They didn’t mean to hurt anybody. They just wanted to have some fun. From Taduz und Gina Lemke’s point of view they are cold-blooded, cruel monsters, ready to run over (figuratively and literally) anybody in their path in order to have what they want. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between.
Ultimately Billy Halleck does strike back. They see to that by refusing to give him any benefit of the doubt whatsoever. And Billy fights his own demons, other demons than the scales – he loses weight progressively, to the point of being anorexic – and the old gypsy man with the rotten nose. There is a part of him that quietly, but definitely and persistently hates his wife for her choice of place and time.
It is hard for me to place a judgement on any of the characters and I don’t think I want or need to say who is right and who is wrong and decide who deserves what. What I want to do instead, what I can’t help doing, is seeing human beings in pain. Yet, I can’t help sympathizing with the Hallecks, the alleged murderers, more than I do with the alleged victims. Because I do feel that the Hallecks realize what they have done and the reasons behind it and are the kind of people who do learn from their mistakes. The Lemkes, on the other hand, seem permanently on the defensive and on the vengeful side, as Gina’s poignant words to Ginelli show. They are abused and mistreated and no one can deny that. But they fill their hearts with so much hatred and bloodlust that they don’t realize how alike they and those they fight against might be. They are people who fight, for all the wrong reasons and in all the wrong ways, because they feel that this is all they have left. And everything else in between is just a dream. And it goes on and on.
…he is crazy, this friend of yours, and he will never stop. Even my 'Gelina says she sees from his eyes he will never stop. “But we'll never stop, either” she says...
For a moment he stared at the festering hole in the middle his face, and then his eyes were drawn to the man's eyes. The eyes of age, had he thought? They were something more than that … and something less. It was emptiness he saw in them; it was emptiness which was their fundamental truth, not the surface awareness that gleamed on them like moonlight on dark water. Emptiness as deep and complete as the spaces which may lie between galaxies.
How much do we let ourselves being ruled by our primal instincts and how much do we rely on reason and compassion to lead us forward? We are all a combination of passion and rationality and I think that we need both and both balance each other out and feed off each other and make us equally weak and strong. I have been told that I am very emotional and that this hinders me and makes me lose control and sober judgement and while I believe it to be true, I also know those all those strong passions also incite me toward deep contemplations and soul-searching and that ultimately makes me turn toward serious thinking and evaluating, which is, after all, inherent in reason and rationality. There is little of the latter in this book. But there is a lot of heart. I couldn’t help liking and sympathizing with Billy Halleck and his attempts to protect himself and his family and take responsibility for what he had done, all the while wanting as little harm as possible to befall his enemies. Part of him didn’t want to go with it at all, even if it meant being lost forever. Hurting and/or killing another living being is not something that should come lightly to any of us, regardless of the reason. But it seems to come quite easily and naturally to the Lemkes, hence it is harder for me to sympathize with them, despite everything that happens to them.
So I couldn’t keep my word and not “take side”, but I didn’t do it lightly. I stand by my words that there is no completely guilty or completely innocent party in this situation. Or anywhere at all. There is only the aftermath and what you learn from it.
12.08.2019
August 26, 2020
Stand alone horror story by Stephen King under the pen name of Richard Bachman
First published in 1984.
This is not so much a classic horror story but it still has the chill factor that we’ve come to expect from Stephen King.
Billy Halleck and his wife, Heidi, are driving down Main Street minding there own business when Heidi decides, for the first time in her life, to get Billy sexually aroused whilst he is driving. Billy completely taken aback looks over at Heidi just as a woman walks out from between two cars. With eyes no longer on the road Billy hits the woman and killers her. It turns out that the woman Billy killed was a part of a travelling group of gypsies.
There is a trial but it was a white wash job. Billy is found not guilty of any misdoing and is set free.
The head of the Gypsy troupe, a Taduz Lemke by name, is none too happy with this result and decides to serve up his own brand of justice. After the trial when everyone is outside the court house shaking hands Mr. Lemke approaches Billy and whispers in his ear ‘thinner’ and then strokes Billy’s cheek and walks off with out another word.
Billy, who is more than a tad over weight, suddenly starts losing weight. At first Billy is real happy about his weight lose but with his appetite undiminished and still losing weight his pleasure soon becomes concern.
His weight lose is so great now that he has to buy a new wardrobe and he is still getting thinner.
Billy is convinced that the old Gypsy has put a curse on him and the only way to stop it is to confront Taduz Lemke.
Billy’s wife is now convinced that her husband is having mental break down and tries to get him committed as unstable and a danger to himself and others.
Billy now feels he is left with no other alternative but to find the Gypsies and have the curse removed.
Nothing in Billy’s wildest imaginings could prepare Billy for what was to follow.
This is yet again another ripper of a yarn from S.K. Being inside Billy’s head with all the torment and anguish in there is really quite unsettling.
As for the end let’s just say that there are enough just deserts for everyone.
A great creepy 4 star read.
First published in 1984.
This is not so much a classic horror story but it still has the chill factor that we’ve come to expect from Stephen King.
Billy Halleck and his wife, Heidi, are driving down Main Street minding there own business when Heidi decides, for the first time in her life, to get Billy sexually aroused whilst he is driving. Billy completely taken aback looks over at Heidi just as a woman walks out from between two cars. With eyes no longer on the road Billy hits the woman and killers her. It turns out that the woman Billy killed was a part of a travelling group of gypsies.
There is a trial but it was a white wash job. Billy is found not guilty of any misdoing and is set free.
The head of the Gypsy troupe, a Taduz Lemke by name, is none too happy with this result and decides to serve up his own brand of justice. After the trial when everyone is outside the court house shaking hands Mr. Lemke approaches Billy and whispers in his ear ‘thinner’ and then strokes Billy’s cheek and walks off with out another word.
Billy, who is more than a tad over weight, suddenly starts losing weight. At first Billy is real happy about his weight lose but with his appetite undiminished and still losing weight his pleasure soon becomes concern.
His weight lose is so great now that he has to buy a new wardrobe and he is still getting thinner.
Billy is convinced that the old Gypsy has put a curse on him and the only way to stop it is to confront Taduz Lemke.
Billy’s wife is now convinced that her husband is having mental break down and tries to get him committed as unstable and a danger to himself and others.
Billy now feels he is left with no other alternative but to find the Gypsies and have the curse removed.
Nothing in Billy’s wildest imaginings could prepare Billy for what was to follow.
This is yet again another ripper of a yarn from S.K. Being inside Billy’s head with all the torment and anguish in there is really quite unsettling.
As for the end let’s just say that there are enough just deserts for everyone.
A great creepy 4 star read.
August 2, 2023
skinny legend.
March 8, 2018
First Stephen King book of the year and I guarantee there will be more.
Full review (but kinda short): https://amelianamora18.wixsite.com/am...
Full review (but kinda short): https://amelianamora18.wixsite.com/am...
April 11, 2017
3.5 stars.
This was my first Stephen King novel. I thought that it was good enough but not like great or anything.
I had two main problems with it. The first problem was with the pacing of the novel. The first half was good but when I reached the halfway point, I was confused because I felt like the conclusion should have been coming. The story was slowly building up from page one and it was creepy, ominous and eerie but then a good 25% of the novel just dragged on and on. I just thought the road trip William went on was just so boring and I wanted it to end which is never a good thing when reading a book. The second problem I had was with the characters. I didn't like any of them except for Ginelli. He was the only entertaining character. Every character except Ginelli and William felt like cardboard cutouts and they weren't fleshed out enough for me. I was especially disappointed that King didn't flesh out the gypsies as I would have been really interested in finding out more about them.
I thought the story itself was good. It was quite creepy and as the story went on, it just got more and more horrifying but in a subtle way. I just wish that the story and characters were better because it would have made me like this book more. I thought the end was good and I liked it. I enjoyed the writing. Apart from a few passages, I was really engaged with the story because of the writing and I thought the writing had quite an addictive quality to it.
I would recommend this story if you are a King fan and I would read more by Stephen King.
This was my first Stephen King novel. I thought that it was good enough but not like great or anything.
I had two main problems with it. The first problem was with the pacing of the novel. The first half was good but when I reached the halfway point, I was confused because I felt like the conclusion should have been coming. The story was slowly building up from page one and it was creepy, ominous and eerie but then a good 25% of the novel just dragged on and on. I just thought the road trip William went on was just so boring and I wanted it to end which is never a good thing when reading a book. The second problem I had was with the characters. I didn't like any of them except for Ginelli. He was the only entertaining character. Every character except Ginelli and William felt like cardboard cutouts and they weren't fleshed out enough for me. I was especially disappointed that King didn't flesh out the gypsies as I would have been really interested in finding out more about them.
I thought the story itself was good. It was quite creepy and as the story went on, it just got more and more horrifying but in a subtle way. I just wish that the story and characters were better because it would have made me like this book more. I thought the end was good and I liked it. I enjoyed the writing. Apart from a few passages, I was really engaged with the story because of the writing and I thought the writing had quite an addictive quality to it.
I would recommend this story if you are a King fan and I would read more by Stephen King.
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