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Roadwork

Richard Bachman (Pseudonym),

Stephen King (Goodreads Author)

3.58 · Rating details · 21,941 ratings · 757 reviews

#1 bestselling master of suspense...

King's other half can be even creepier.

They're tearing down Bart Dawes's home, leveling his memories, and destroying his past, all for a new highway extension. Funny what that kind of progress can do to a man. Scary, too.

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Kindle Edition, 324 pages

Published (first published March 1981)

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Dec 09, 2013 Dan Schwent rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

A new stretch of interstate is being build and Bart Dawes' house is right in its path. He has until January 20th to find a new place for he and his wife to live and also a new location for the Blue Ribbon, the industrial laundry where he has been employed for twenty years. What will happen if he doesn't?

I wasn't very old when the original four Bachman books were released but I can't imagine this one did very well before King outted himself. It doesn't really have a lot going on. Bart Dawes is c ...more

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May 28, 2017 Johann (jobis89) rated it liked it · review of another edition

"I know something else as well: there's a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters."

Roadwork tells the story of Bart Dawes, a man suffering from grief following the death of his young son. To add to his woes, he is to lose both his workplace and home as a consequence of the extension of a nearby interstate highway.

Let me give you a little background into my history with the Bachman books... before Roadwork, I had "I know something else as well: there's a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters."

Roadwork tells the story of Bart Dawes, a man suffering from grief following the death of his young son. To add to his woes, he is to lose both his workplace and home as a consequence of the extension of a nearby interstate highway.

Let me give you a little background into my history with the Bachman books... before Roadwork, I had read The Running Man and Thinner. I thought The Running Man was okay, I liked the idea and I enjoyed the ending, however it felt like it dragged a bit in the middle. I had a better experience with Thinner, it felt more like a King book to be honest and that's probably why. The Bachman books seem to have a pretty bleak outlook with dark endings, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, I like that sometimes. It just feels a bit depressing at times and I much prefer reading King when he is actually King - I prefer his general writing style and the types of stories we get. So I went into Roadwork feeling a bit apprehensive and not really looking forward to it.

However, I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. I didn't love it, but it was a quick, addictive read. Some people on bookstagram had said they had struggled to plow their way through it, but I didn't find that to be a problem. The character of Dawes was very easy to sympathise with. Initially my thoughts were, "This guy is annoying, just get over it", but this swiftly turned into feeling a lot of sympathy for the character once you learned more about him and his history, as well as the reasoning behind his actions. The loss of a child can very easily send you into a downward spiral, especially when combined with the knowledge that you're going to lose your house. It's very understandable that you'd want to hold onto whatever is left in your life.

When reading more about Roadwork, I found out that King wrote this book as a way of dealing with the grief after losing his mother to cancer. Once I knew that, it really did make me view it differently and you can see the pain and heartache entrenched in the pages, and the inability to let go. This is clearly King trying to work through the pain and try to make sense of it all. I believe that over time it has become one of King's favourites of the earlier Bachman books.

Usually I don't rate books using half stars, but I was so stuck deliberating between 3 and 4 stars for this one, that I've had to introduce half stars! So I give this one 3 and a half stars out of 5. An enjoyable Bachman book for me personally, but I can understand why others may not have enjoyed it as much. ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Ashley Daviau rated it liked it · review of another edition

My feelings are really smack dab in the middle on this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I thought some parts were interesting but for the most part, I found it quite pointless if I'm being completely honest. It seemed like something that should have been a short story but was stretched needlessly into a full length novel.

Normally I always love King/Bachman's characters but they left a lot to be desired in this story. I had a hard time finding anything to like about any of the ...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Becky rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audiobook, disappointing, reviewed

Well then. As much as it pains me to do this, I calls 'em like I sees 'em, and this was an effort in futility on just about all fronts.

Now I know, I know, the Bachman books are depressing and dark and bleak and grim. I know all that. I expected it, and was even looking forward to it. But this... This was almost painfully tedious to get through. It was so pointless. So futile.

I've read all of the Bachman books, and they've all been dark and grim and whatnot... but they've all had a point. I did ...more

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Oct 30, 2017 Lyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman reminds me of Philip K Dick’s mainstream, non- SF stories. The style and tone of Confessions of a Crap Artist and Humpty Dumpty in Oakland with some scare the freaky deaky out of you is how this comes across.

Actually, I also thought about the 1993 Joel Schumacher film Falling Down, starring Michael Douglas. Both stories center around a good protagonist who has had enough. They thought they were living the American Dream but that dream has a dark underside ...more

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Feb 28, 2015 Franco Santos rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king

So sad.

Creo que estoy a punto de ponerme a gritar. Por las cosas perdidas. Por tu sonrisa, Mary. Perdóname si echo la cabeza hacia atrás y me pongo a gritar por la sonrisa que ya nunca aparece en tu rostro. ¿De acuerdo?

Hacerte viejo es como conducir el coche a través de una capa de nieve que cada vez se hace más y más espesa. A partir de determinado momento uno no hace otra cosa que girar y girar las ruedas, que no cesan de patinar. Eso es la vida. Ningún tractor vendrá a sacarte del atasco. Tu ...more

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Aug 20, 2007 Dan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Misoneists and midlife crisis sufferers.

I read this after reading The Long Walk and couldn't get into it at all to begin with. I found it a little bit dull and difficult to relate to. But as the story progressed I became absolutely engrossed in it, it really becomes difficult to put down. It's incredibly sad at times, but can often be humorous and very suspenseful.

This is a straight novel, no supernatural elements a la' king. In short, its a tale of one man standing in the way of progress, clutching onto the remains of the past with w ...more

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Oct 14, 2017 Margaret rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Stephen King, considered "roadwork" one of his not so good novels. I want to disagree with His majesty . Lots of readers thought that it would have been a fine short story, but it failed as a novel. I object to that. For me, "it" and "the stand" would be better if they were "less" ,but "roadwork" is exactly the right size.Because it is real life. In 300 or so pages, it holds the full extension of human vulnerability and despair, in front of painfull fate ,grievous blows of life and the system's ...more

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Jan 09, 2015 Ruth Turner rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king-revisited

Audiobook – Narrated by G Valmont Thomas – Dreadful narration.

This is the first audiobook narrated by Thomas that I’ve listened to and it will probably be my last.

His reading voice is beautiful and if he’d stuck to that I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. But he didn’t.

His character voices were just awful. It was like watching a puppet show. At least that’s the image that kept popping into my head. I couldn’t finish listening to it.

***

Ebook:

Bleak and depressing as the Bachman books tend to be. ...more

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Jun 13, 2018 Stratos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ΒΙΒΛΙΑ-ΣΤΗΒΕΝ-ΚΙΝΓΚ

Ο μαιτρ του θρίλερ ξέρει να χειρίζεται και να σκιαγραφεί χαρακτήρες της καθημερινότητας μ έναν μοναδικό τρόπο. Σκέψεις και φράσεις μέσα από την ψυχή του απλού ήρωα.
Να σαν αυτή: " Ο πόνος στις πλάτες των γονιών δεν είναι το πιο φρικτό πράγμα. Το πιο φρικτό πράγμα απ όλα είναι είναι η ταχύτητα με την οποία τα παιδιά ξεχνούν αυτές τις ίδιες πλάτες και στρέφονται στις δικές τους υποθέσεις"
Το έγραψε ως ...πιτσιρικάς, πριν περίπου 38 χρόνια, μέσα του όμως κουβαλάει αγωνίες, σκέψεις, σοφίες, πόνο ενός ...more

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Oct 15, 2018 Nick Iuppa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a book about loss. It’s as simple as that. Bert Dawes lost his son Charlie to a brain tumor. He loved his son very much, so much that his wife, Mary, has to admit that theirs was a special connection. Hell, Burt still talks to the kid and somehow imagines Charlie talks back to him.
Now the city is handing Bert another loss. They want Bert to leave a home jam-packed with memories and mementos, the site of so many happy hours with his wife and son, and a neighborhood equally filled with a This is a book about loss. It’s as simple as that. Bert Dawes lost his son Charlie to a brain tumor. He loved his son very much, so much that his wife, Mary, has to admit that theirs was a special connection. Hell, Burt still talks to the kid and somehow imagines Charlie talks back to him.
Now the city is handing Bert another loss. They want Bert to leave a home jam-packed with memories and mementos, the site of so many happy hours with his wife and son, and a neighborhood equally filled with a sense of love and safety and wonder. They want Bert to leave the place he works. Oh, he can find another home for the business. But he doesn’t want to. He can’t. No one understands. They don’t seem to grasp the compound loss that Bert feels... it’s a loss that many of us can relate to if we’ve lost a loved one or a job we really cared about or had to move out of a home we love for one reason or another.

Once again Stephen King shows us more than his ability to paint pictures with words, or capture the details of the moment, or scare the holy hell out of us. He shows us his deep insight into the human condition and how good people can somehow do bad things because they have to.

In the end, Bert does the only thing he can. He doesn’t procrastinate; though his apparent procrastination seems to be what everyone locks onto. He doesn’t go crazy. His actions are well planned and clear, even when he isn’t exactly sure where they are going. Stephen King is sure, and so are we. Bert has to make two statements and they are very important statements for all of us... they so important that they’ve been said before over and over again until they’ve become clichés and even famous movie lines.

In the end, Bert goes to great lengths to get TV coverage of his last act so he can tell the world that this little neighborhood, this little home, this little man, this life... “ Is important... this means something.” And then when all else fails he has to add, unfortunately, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore."
...more

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Jun 10, 2017 Chrissa Vasileiou rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king

Yπάρχουν κάποια βιβλία που,πραγματικά,δεν θα συνιστούσαν καμία απώλεια για τη λογοτεχνία,αν δεν είχαν γραφτεί ποτέ. Το "Έργα οδοποιίας" είναι ένα τέτοιο βιβλίο. Ο ίδιος ο King έχει πει πως το θεωρεί το χειρότερο -ίσως- βιβλίο του Bachman και απλά θα έρθω να συμφωνήσω. Πέστε να με φάτε!
Αν επρόκειτο για διήγημα 80 σελίδων μάξιμουμ θα έλεγα ίσως άλλα πράγματα τώρα,αλλά για μυθιστόρημα 300+ σελίδων ούτε για αστείο! Σκυλοβαρέθηκα,και ο μόνος λόγος που το έφτασα μέχρι τέλους είναι γιατί σιχαίνομαι να ...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Abbie | ab_reads rated it it was ok · review of another edition

1.5 stars. Move aside Rage and Gerald’s Game, new least fave King coming through!

I can’t even be bothered to write a review for this, it was just crap. Main character drew no sympathy from me, he was distasteful and absolutely fixated on vaginas. I swear every other word was ‘vagina’. And it was dull. That’s all you’re getting from me folks.

The reason it’s not a 1 is the possible Dark Tower connection.

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Jan 24, 2017 Badseedgirl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017-tbr, king-for-a-year-2017, ha-pages-read-2017, read-in-2017, signet

This one is more like 3.5 stars. A perfect example of psychological horror. There are no monsters in this book except the ones in Bart Dawes own brain. The best part of the book was the way that Mr. King was able to make the highway extension feel like a character.

This story was written in 1981, I'm not sure if it would even have been published in a post 9-11 American society, at least not by a major publisher.

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Aug 27, 2016 Cody | codysbookshelf rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, stephen-king

Roadwork - Stephen King, Richard Bachman
It's amazing what a difference a few years can make. When I was first getting into Stephen King's work, I had no idea where to start. I will never forget finding myself in a small used bookstore in Decatur, Alabama, perusing a bookshelf filled with worn King paperbacks and being shocked that a man could write so much. I picked titles at random, trying to remember what books my friend (a huge King fan at the time) had recommended to me days before this trip ...more

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Jul 16, 2016 Latasha rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-challenge, horror

I wasn't sure about this one but by the end I did like Bart and over all enjoyed this book. it's kinda heart breaking :(

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Mar 22, 2015 Thomas Strömquist rated it liked it · review of another edition

Another great surprise in re-reading Stephen King was Roadwork, which I must confess that I did not remember a lot of details about. First: it was a whole lot easier to connect to the pained Barton Dawes now than when I was 19 (even if it was quite a shock discovering that the disillusioned man with crumbling marriage, crumbling physique and crumbling life is 40(!) - I had him at about 60 in my head, but on the other hand, what's the difference between 40 and 60 when you're 19?). Anyway, it's qu ...more

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Sep 18, 2017 Trey added it

2 stars for the story.
One extra, for Bart Dawes.
Sad portrait of a character desperately trying to come to terms with an imposing external reality and slowly losing grip of his internal reality. Throughout the story, I came to like Bart, the main character whose elbowed off the stage of his work and social life like a has-been actor. It's just too bad I had to shove and push my way through over-description to really appreciate him.
I'm sure the suspense in the story had more impact back when it fi ...more

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Dec 08, 2015 George K. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery

Τριακοστό όγδοο βιβλίο του Στίβεν Κινγκ που περνάει στην λίστα με τα διαβασμένα, έβδομο που είναι γραμμένο με το ψευδώνυμο Ρίτσαρντ Μπάκμαν. Πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που δεν έχει καμία απολύτως σχέση και σύνδεση με το Φανταστικό, είναι μια άκρως ρεαλιστική ιστορία, που περιγράφει με ιδιαίτερο τρόπο την αντίδραση ενός μεσοαστού άνδρα στην επικείμενη κατεδάφιση του σπιτιού του, απ'όπου θα περάσει ένας νέος μεγάλος δρόμος. Αυτά τα έργα οδοποιίας θα βγάλουν στην επιφάνεια την τρέλα και τα προβλήματα Τριακοστό όγδοο βιβλίο του Στίβεν Κινγκ που περνάει στην λίστα με τα διαβασμένα, έβδομο που είναι γραμμένο με το ψευδώνυμο Ρίτσαρντ Μπάκμαν. Πρόκειται για ένα βιβλίο που δεν έχει καμία απολύτως σχέση και σύνδεση με το Φανταστικό, είναι μια άκρως ρεαλιστική ιστορία, που περιγράφει με ιδιαίτερο τρόπο την αντίδραση ενός μεσοαστού άνδρα στην επικείμενη κατεδάφιση του σπιτιού του, απ'όπου θα περάσει ένας νέος μεγάλος δρόμος. Αυτά τα έργα οδοποιίας θα βγάλουν στην επιφάνεια την τρέλα και τα προβλήματα που έχει ο πρωταγωνιστής, Μπάρτον Τζορτζ Ντοζ. Η αλήθεια είναι ότι η μοίρα δεν φέρθηκε καλά σ'αυτόν (και στην γυναίκα του), μιας και το πρώτο του παιδί δεν πρόλαβε καν να γεννηθεί, ενώ το δεύτερο πέθανε από καρκίνο στον εγκέφαλο. Κυρίως ο δεύτερος θάνατος είναι που επηρέασε σε μεγάλο βαθμό τον Ντοζ.

Συνήθως τέτοιου είδους ιστορίες, με κοινωνικά προβλήματα, δύσκολες καταστάσεις, κρίσεις κάθε είδους, είναι από αυτές που μου αρέσουν πολύ. Και η συγκεκριμένη ιστορία μου άρεσε σε μεγάλο βαθμό. Μου φάνηκε αρκετά σκοτεινή, καλογραμμένη και ενδιαφέρουσα, με ωραίες περιγραφές της κοινωνικής και οικονομικής κατάστασης της χώρας την δεκαετία του '70, με την ενεργειακή κρίση και το αβέβαιο μέλλον. Επίσης δέθηκα με τα προβλήματα του πρωταγωνιστή, αν και μου φάνηκε κάπως υπερβολικός στις αντιδράσεις του (από την άλλη, απλώς του την έδωσε!). Ίσως να τραβάει λίγο παραπάνω, ενώ σίγουρα μπορεί να μην ταιριάζει με το γούστο αρκετών αναγνωστών (και ας είναι φαν του συγγραφέα), όμως προσωπικά με άφησε ευχαριστημένο, διάβασα μια ωραία ιστορία, ευκολοδιάβαστη και εθιστική, με διάφορους κοινωνικούς προβληματισμούς. ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Robjr73 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king

Wow. This is a Stephen King (I mean Bachman) story unlike any other. The main character stands out from any character I’ve ever read in a fiction. If you’ve never read Roadwork I can tell you that most likely you will either love it or hate it. You will either care about this character or you won’t and if you don’t...well you’ll probably want to move on quickly and pick up IT or The Shining to get this book out of your memory.

I was immediately drawn into this character’s misery and paranoia. It ...more

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Aug 11, 2016 Tobin Elliott rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fiction

In my rereading of King's work, this, along with Eyes of the Dragon and The Tommyknockers, was one of the novels I was kind of dreading, because, though I remembered very little of the novel, I distinctly remember being somewhat bored with it and flat out not liking it much.

Yeah, well, that was the young me. The unmarried me. The me that hadn't been a father. The me that had been too young to, on occasion, look back on his life and wonder what it all meant.

This time, this novel resonated quite s ...more

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Oct 08, 2018 Scott rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king-scary

**The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is doing a re-read of his works from the beginning to the end. It’s been a long time since I have really immersed myself in Uncle Stevie’s world, but a rate of a book a month, I am all in. My goal is to read and review each one with as much honesty and reflection that I can give. **

Background – “Roadwork” was originally published as a paperback original in 1981 under Stephen King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. It is a shorter length book. My paperbac ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 The Cow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This review is for die-hard King fans only:

Most of the reviews here pretty much sum Roadwork up. A well-written, tragic tale of a "beautiful loser", whose life has gone downhill at an exponential velocity, ever since he learned that there was going to be a highway built through his living room. Compounded with the death of his son, Charlie (which he has never gotten over), this becomes a recipie for disaster. But what I really want to dicuss here, is the powerful, strong links to the Dark Tower ...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Dierdra McGill rated it really liked it

Shelves: authors-i-want-to-read-again, horror, suspense, mystery

I have only read one other of the Bachman novels, The long walk and I remember really enjoying it so when I came across Roadwork I was excited to read it. The Bachman novels are not really so much horror as Kings novels are and the difference is nice. I find it sad King had to stop writing as Bachman personally.
Roadwork is about a man who loses his place of employment and his house because the city is building a highway through both. He doesn't want to lose either and doesn't take it well at al ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 Luzbeth De Lenfent rated it really liked it · review of another edition

No lo he comenzado con mucha expectativa debido a que no me parecía muy atrapante la sinopsis. Sin embargo no esperaba menos que un personaje principal interesante siendo una obra de Stephen King, y creo que verdaderamente la psiquis de Bart que desde el principio se muestra trastornada hace que se sostenga un climax paradojicamente inestable, ya que oscila entre la indecisión y el desconocimiento de las causas de sus decisiones. El respaldo del desequilibro mental de Bart es loable: es una pers ...more

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Dec 05, 2017 Sinn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: belletristik-horror

Die Geschichte eines Mannes, der langsam aber sicher jede Rationalität hinter sich lässt, ist genau das, was Stephen King und Richard Bachman voneinander unterscheidet. Ich meine ... ernsthaft. Wie lange hat es ersterer je geschafft nicht irgendwelchen Fantasie-Wesen die Schuld für den Wahnsinn in den Köpfen der Menschen zu geben? Eben. Sogar in seinen jüngeren, an Krimis orientierten Werken ist das so.

Aber unter dem Synonym "Richard Bachman" schrieb der wohl bekannteste Horror-Autor der Welt au ...more

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Nov 26, 2018 Matt Tandy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was at least my fourth time reading Roadwork, and previously I hadn't enjoyed it. I felt it was too stark and dark, not offering any real hope. This time around, I read it immediately after the breakdown of my own marriage, and had a very different perspective on Bart Dawes and the stand he takes. Roadwork is a brilliant exploration of the breaking point of people and how they react to it. Bart is almost never rational in his decisions, but his journey is truthful (though sometimes farfetch ...more

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Aug 02, 2018 Luke Kondor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Bart Dawes has an appetite for self-destruction. It took me back to certain periods of my life, looking into the bottom of my pint glass, ruining relationships and opportunities and unable to say exactly why other than feeling the need to break things for myself. Whatever that is -- that spiritual cancer -- this book nails it.

But it is way too long and this copy had a surprising amount of typos and it really doesn't have that narrative pull that you need for a book this length. It could have be ...more

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Nov 21, 2017 Gerardo.V rated it liked it · review of another edition

Nunca pensé que iba a demorar tanto en leer un libro inferior a cuatrocientas páginas, y encima de King. Se me hizo tedioso por el simple hecho de que es una novela muy lineal. No hay giros abruptos, y no sorprende en ningún momento. Además, nunca pude empatizar con Barton Dawes.
Lo positivo podría ser lo de siempre, a lo que nos tiene acostumbrados el autor; la estructura psicológica de los personajes y sus claras motivaciones.
En definitiva, debe ser lo más flojo que he leído de King. Lo sient ...more

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Aug 23, 2018 Beth rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Definitely not one of my faves. I really did not want to reread this one in my opinion this is my least favourite Bachman book. I will say though it wasn't as painful as the first time. Reading Roadwork the first time through for me was long and pointless to me. I felt like I wasted my time. This time it still seemed long and drawn out for a predictable ending. This time (maybe just a little bit) I can relate to Bart's angst and frustration. Which made the story smoother but just really not a st ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
STEPHEN KING PROJECT: ROADWORK [SPOILERS]	2	17	Apr 09, 2018 05:34PM
STEPHEN KING PROJECT: ROADWORK [NO SPOILERS]	1	15	Feb 26, 2018 02:02AM
Madison Mega-Mara...: # 44 Roadwork by Richard Bachman	1	1	Aug 22, 2017 07:21AM
Letras Macabras: Carretera Maldita, de Stephen King	16	111	Aug 16, 2017 10:16AM
Horror Aficionados : Roadwork - Stephen King Challenge # 10	27	67	Sep 25, 2016 02:20PM
Narration never uses main character's name. Why?	2	16	Sep 18, 2015 03:29PM
2017 Reading Chal...: Roadwork by Stephen King	5	27	Feb 25, 2015 04:23AM

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About Richard Bachman

Richard Bachman

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This 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, Signe This 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... ...more