Stephen King, renowned as the “King of Horror,” has captivated readers for decades with his chilling narratives. Yet, among his extensive bibliography, one novel stands apart – not for its terror, but for not being available to readers anymore.
Rage, a book King penned under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, has been deliberately withdrawn from publication at the author’s own request. This decision stemmed from unsettling real-world events that echoed the plot.
Originally written in 1965 during King’s high school years, Rage was published in 1977. The story delves into the mind of Charlie Decker, a high school student who, after a violent outburst, kills his teacher and holds his classmates hostage. The narrative offers a deep exploration of adolescent turmoil and the potential for violence within.
Over the years, Rage became disturbingly associated with several school shootings in the United States, raising serious concerns about the novel’s influence.
In 1988, Jeffrey Lyne Cox, a senior at San Gabriel High School in California, brought a semi-automatic rifle to school and held a classroom hostage for over thirty minutes. According to reports, Cox had read Rage multiple times and identified closely with its main character, Charlie Decker.
Just a year later, in 1989, another alarming incident took place in Kentucky. Dustin L. Pierce, a student at Jackson County High School, entered a history classroom armed with a shotgun and two handguns. He held the class hostage during a nine-hour standoff with police. Authorities later discovered a copy of Rage among his personal belongings.
The most widely reported link came in 1997, when 14-year-old Michael Carneal carried out a shooting at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. Carneal opened fire on a group of praying students, killing three and injuring five. A search of his locker revealed a copy of Rage, intensifying public scrutiny of the novel and its potential role in influencing such violent acts.
The association of Rage with these tragic events deeply troubled King, who expressed concern that the novel might serve as “a possible accelerant” for susceptible individuals.
In the wake of the Heath High School shooting, King requested that Rage be allowed to go out of print, a decision he elaborated on in various interviews and writings.
In his 2013 essay titled Guns, King reflected on the novel’s potential impact and his responsibility as an author, stating that while Rage was never intended to inspire such acts, the possibility that it could be a negative influence led him to make the decision to withdraw it.
Since it became unavailable to the public, Rage has become a sought-after collector’s item. Original copies, especially first editions, have been known to be sold for stellar amounts in the resale market.