Desperation

When I started reading this book it really caught my attention. The story goes into a very elaborated description of creepy events. I couldn't stop reading because it was very interesting; However, as I got to about 3/4 of the way from finishing this story, the plot unfolded into a wild sequence of unnatural events. It really caught me off guard and the ending was a bit disappointing, not in the sense that I wanted a specific character to win or anything, but how incredibly fictitious it got. I know Stephen King's story are mostly surrealistic/creative but this one pushed the boundaries. There are some types of fantasies that provide a good read, but this one is the type of fantasy that is plainly absurd (even though some may argue that it has a profound meaning). Overall, Desperation provides a good read for about 3/4 of the way, then I think it would be best to leave the rest to one's own imagination. I would still recommend it because it is not a complete disaster but I wouldn't put it on the top of my list.

A good scary novel, though at times it feels overwritten. And there's so much crying in the finale, it got on my nerves. King doesn't quite satisfy in terms of the creature's motives and that proved frustrating for me, but I still enjoyed the ride while it lasted.

While reading Desperation, one is drawn into a world of seemingly archaic folklore and believable characters. As with several of Steven King's books, an undercurrent of the classic good-vs-evil motif is cleverly balanced with humor and mystery.
Several of the story arcs revolve around the excavation of an old mine that collapsed in the past killing many miners. A small child wanders into the newly reopened mine, and unknowingly becomes the host of an evil parasitic entity. This cycle of body-snatching and psychological terror presents several of the characters with dilemmas.
I highly recommmend this novel. It ranks up with classic Steven King novels. The reader may also be interested to know that The Regulators by Richard Bauchman is somewhat of the sister novel to Desperation. This is even evident with the covers of these hardback novels.

i thought this book was pretty good. it was, at least, about a million times better than it's partner, 'the regulators'. and the few boring parts (for instance, johnny marinville's little daydreams about his life) are easily outweighed by the really great ones. the book gets a bit slow near the end but for the most part was chilling! i should add that it takes place in nevada, which i was going thru at the time i read it. probably added to the realism, if anything!

Having just slogged through "Bag Of Bones", my expectations for this book were pretty low. Basically, I was anticipating another seven hundred page turkey; my only real motive for reading it was making room on my bookshelf. Imagine my surprise to find it to be one of the best King novels I've ever read. At first, it looked like Jim Thompson-style noir. The villain, a six-foot seven small town Nevada psychotic cop, prowls U.S. 50, "the loneliest road in America", rounding up innocent motorists, kidnapping, imprisoning and killing them. So far, so good. The pure simplicity of such a storyline, especially in the hands of a master storyteller such as Steven King, can't fail to draw a reader in. The brute evil of Collie Entragian, the cop, combined with the isolation of the abandoned western mining town in which the story is set, creates a powerful, suspenseful conflict for the group of travellers Entragian has waylaid and locked up in the jail of the town of Desperation. But there's more. It soon becomes apparent that the supernatural is at work (what Steven King book would be complete without the supernatural?). Entragian speaks to the coyotes, buzzards, scorpions, spiders, snakes and other desert creatures in an unknown language, commanding them to help him carry out his nasty business. He has made good use of them so far, doing away with the entire population of Desperation, and will soon be turning his efforts against the travellers in his jail. For all of it's atmosphere and suspense, this novel is actually a return by King to the exploration of good versus evil, the nature of God and the mystery of faith which he delved into in "The Stand". David Carver, the protagonist, is an eleven year-old boy on vacation with his family when captured by Entragian. He must pit his recently acquired religious faith against the evil spirit of Tak, who has risen from the nearby Diablo mine and inhabited Collie Entragian's body. This faith is mercilessly tested throughout the story, and it's not always clear that God is with this unfortunate little group. If "Desperation" has a weakness, it's probably in the characters. In my opinion, King has never been much in that department and he doesn't show any new ability along those lines in this book. I cared about David and the other good guys only because the story itself grabbed me. However, if that's the worst you can say about a Steven King book, chances are you're talking about a good read. Believe it or not, this is some of the tightest seven hundred pages I can recall reading. I strongly recommend this book.

Desperation is no doubt one of the best Stephen King books ever written. From the start of the book, it's hard to put down. It proves that King is the king of novels! The story strats off with eight people, The Carver Family, Johnny Marinville, and the Jackson couple- Peter and Mary, who in the first third of the book get arrested for a false crime by the local cop, later named Entragian. He eventually arrests them all and takes him to the Desperation town jail, which is a local town. But it turns out the cop isn't all what he appears to be. For as soon as the Jacksons arrive, he kills Petr, and the Carver's daughter. Later on, Steve, Johnny's agent, along with a hitchhiker named Cynthia, go on a search for him and find a horrible secret. And thre is the strange words the cop says-TAK. The battle between good and evil is starting. Welcometo Desperation!

Hi, another great Stephen King book for you. Here is a little about it.
When a strange, evil power called Tak enters the body of a cop and stalks Desperation, Navada, the people there did not have a chance. But will the people he has been catching and locking up meet the same fate? Or will a young boy's faith and power keep them going?

I used to have the luxury of reading Stephen King's books in order, as they were released. He got faster, I got slower, who knows--stuff happens. This is all in explanation of why I just read Desperation. As usual for me, I liked the story, but loved the characters. I guess I'm not truly a horror fan. I read King for the realistic people and how they react in his "what would happen if..." situations. Typical of King's sharp timing, Desperation had excellent tension and suspense. It also had my all-time favorite King character--Johnny Marinville. This has-been author (Marinville, not King) with not much more than his sense of humor intact, takes us on the ultimate redemption trip. I don't mind that these stories usually wind up as a classic tale of good vs. evil, I just don't want the ending too simple or predictable. Desperation kept me guessing until the last 50 pages or so. It made me wish Johnny Marinville's travels could continue on--into other books.

To correct an earlier poster who had a negative review: If God was really cruel and the book was really bad, then He would want you to read it so you would suffer, not keep it away from you.

When you blow the whole premise of your review, it discredits entirely and utterly.

That being said, why do people say "It's not King's best.."?

Of course not, only one can be his best and that has already been written - (insert your own favorite here).

That aside, I enjoyed reading it and found the whole premise very disturbing. The God (Good) v. Evil was first used effectively in Salem's Lot by King and is not different here.

I find comfort in knowing there is a benevolent power that supercedes all evil..but maybe that's just me.

a policeman stops people on the road. there is something very wrong about this policeman- and his small town. something has happened. an evil force has presented itself. the people captured by the policeman must escape and stop it. first they have to find out what's going on. a boy seem to have closer contact with divine forces. this is a very "planned book". there are no irrelevant figures introduced, no sidetracks. very unusual actual. that part is great. good description. good writing style. a touch of psychology. frankly the touch of divine forces irritated me, and the author's sudden "change" really annoyed me. all in all this book wasn't very inventive. the ending must be considered an anticlimax. the characters ended up being a little too stereotypical. but hey, there was suspence here. and the plot just continued, without sidetrackes, admirably. so it's a good read.

After reading THE REGULATORS, I feel DESPERATION is a nice twist on the original story. In fact, while I did enjoy that version, the setting of DESPERATION was more up my alley. I liked the history/legend that was played out. Both I found had the Stephen King feel.

If you love Stephen King you must read Desperation. It is quite long and probably could have been edited a bit more. That being said, it is one that will keep you awake at night. It is one of his more graphic so it is probably not for rookies but I loved it. Very original and very -well the title says it all.

This may actually be the worst King I've ever read. I'll grant that it keeps you turning pages early on. But after a while the obsession with sex gets a little annoying. Even if not his worst, it's certainly his most vulgar. Additionally, this one wraps up in what I've found to be usual King fashion. Far too quickly and with little of the suspense and fear that the story starts with. As is often the case with his stuff, I found myself just wanting to get through the last 100 pages. Just to get it over with. It left me feeling cheated.

I am a Stephen King fan, but even this book surprised me. Amazing heart and charisma. He did it again. I highly recommend this book, but there is a warning to the faint of heart. It can get bloody and if violence really bothers you, you will not be able to see past it and look into the eyes of this book. I couldn't put it down and then I couldn't sleep for a week. I had to hide this book under dresser so I could sleep at nite. This book is alive with it's character's, it's details, it's rythym, and it's soul. Yes, this book has a soul. The details are astounding, and you will fall in love with the people. Stephen King reminds us again, to go to the innocent to be saved. Suffer the children. Great theme. You will love it.
I also recommend: Stephen King's; It, and Pet Semetary.

For those of you who find reading Stephen King an enjoyable little bit of escapism with a few chills and tingles thrown in (I'm talking about the casual reader here not the Constant Reader), you may find Desperation tolerable in it's slightly formulaic tendencies. For the Constant Reader, the serious King afficionado, you will see what Desperation really is: a cry for help? The final throes of a dying dog? The last bitter moments of a waning bit of creative brilliance? Pick your metaphor and run with it. I have read it all! Everything the King-meister has published & I gotta tell you, Desperation is so far from his best, it would need a stepladder and a pair of elevator shoes just to reach up and lick IT's boots. Tired and worn, Steve-O needed to take an extended vacation during the time he wrote Desperation (along with the Bachman-retarded The Regulators) because it has been done and it is a cliche premice and so many other things. Here we have King in mid-life crisis mode, churning out purile rubbish just for the sake of getting it out of his system like a bad hot dog or an under-ripe apple. Mental expulsion akin to cerebral diarhhea. Am I being over critical. Yes. Do I like the newer Stephen King outing as opposed to the classics like The Shining & Firestarter & Night Shift & The Dead Zone & IT? Here and there Steve-O's brilliance still shines through, but Desperation ain't one of those times. I'm not the kind of person that gets off on making fun of other people for their short-comings, but after reading a dozen or more reviews of Desperation where the readers praised it as a taught, heavy-hitting horror fest, well... I'm just going to say this and get it over with: If you found Desperation to be ranked among King's all-time classics, you 1) haven't read very much King or any good King (and you found Gerald's Game to be a delight) or 2) you like your fiction fed to you through an i.v. because you're comatose in the brains & imagination department or 3) you are ABSOLUTELY out of your f*cking MIND and you probably have the IQ of salamander sweat. Desperation, like I said before, is not an acquired taste. I'm not going to roll over any time soon and accept it as a classic piece of horror fiction. That will never happen. I love Stephen King as a writer, he, along with Ray Bradbury, Dan Simmons & Kurt Vonnegut is one of my absolute favorite authors!!! I have read every piece of fiction he has published, for God's sake, but Desperation is a plodding, dragging, dying beast of a novel. It should not be read, but put out of its misery. Tak.

Deal with it!

As a person of faith, I felt this book conveyed eloquently how even though we can't understand the evils in this world, we can believe that God is going to work it all out. Childlike faith is presented so well in this story and the characters real and honest. Stephen King is one of my favorite authors and he doesn't disappoint, it is both scary and endearing, a great read.

As always with King, the language is XXX, not for youngsters, but adults with thick skin, hearty imaginations and a love for a page turner of the first magnitude will love this one. Not a quick read at 706 pages, but well worth the time invested. A couple of really clever twists sewn into the fabric of a story, that while fantasy and horror, also is very uplifting.

I have started to read several of King's books and found myself stopping 300 pages in. Personally I put Desperation down as one of my favorite books of all time! It's dark, methodical and entertaining. The usual backstory (flashbacks) in King's work are a bore to me, but not in this story. Overall a creative piece that comes together beautifully at the end.

I had been told and had read that this novel was extremely gorey and graphic. So i was a little hesitant at first about reading it. But, now that its finished i must say it wasn't that graphic. Some spots, yeah but not what i had thought it would be. This book is a fast read. This book is suspenseful. It doesn't bottom out much. Something is always happening. I mean this book isn't going to go down as a great work of literature but for what it is and compared to all the other books out there i have to say that its one of King's best. It is a really good book and read.

Stephen King seems to go hot & cold for years at a time. His early triumphs (The Shining, The Dead Zone, & the Stand) were followed by a period of draught (Christine, Cujo, Firestarter). Then came a strong period again in the mid-to-late 80's (Pet Semetary, It, & Misery), followed again by a weak period that has lasted through most of the 90s (Gerald's Game, Delores Clairborne, & the truly unreadable Insomnia). But recently King has shown signs of coming out of that funk. The Green Mile wasn't bad, once you got past the goofy serialization gimmick. And Desperation is a good, albeit decidedly un-great, book. The spiritual elements that lay beneath the surface of much of King's work are right up front here as good & evil clash again. Not one that will have King fans saying, "this is it, I give up," nor one that will have them saying, "HE'S BAAACK!!!", simply a decent read.

Desperation is very good Stephen King that builds a sense of peril and has the readers turning page after page well after they were supposed to turn the lights out.
However, the biggest surprise and pleasure is reading it with the Bachman (King) book The Regulators. It is such a weird deja vu experience having character you think you know in both books. Heros relegated to more minor roles and events playing out differently then you think they will because of your preconceptions. Overall a very enjoyable experience.

...because I could not put this book down! Not since Misery has a King novel held my interst as did Desperation. There are enough reviews about this book that clearly describe some of the ideas and characters you'll encounter while reading it, so I'll spare you another long review. My reason for posting my comments are simple. If you enjoy reading a novel, and find yourself trying to predict the outcomes of the various scenarios presented in its pages...and being WRONG every time, then you'll love Desperation as much as I did. The story, characters, and overall message King presents to you with this novel are actually quite touching and memorable. I mean, aside from the harsh language, religious references, and edge-of-your-seat moments filled with gore, but does anyone pick up a Stephen King novel expecting otherwise? Within an hour of finishing it I logged on to the store.Com and ordered me a hardcover edition of The Regulators. If the companion novel is anything like it, I'm sure I'll love it too.

i bought it completely on impulse. and i have never made a better decision in my life. i never read horror before and now i almost read King exclusively. The story is wonderful and takes you into the world of the supernatural and King actaully puts you there. you become mesmerized no matter how outrageous something might seem you're stuck. David Carver was my first introduction into the wonderful development mr king puts into his charaters. there are about 30 pages at least where an accident involving David's friend is involved and it is so beautiful it makes King an even more incredible author because he writes horror by choice he can write anything he wants. the book is frightening,mysterious,wonderful and even life affirming(those who read it know what i mean). This book is one of the best if not the best book i ever read

From the very first chapter I found this book gripping. It is one of those books that is very hard to put down, and as a result my work suffered. But I shall not complain about that as it was one of the most entertaining reads that I have ever had. I am just about to start on the companion novel, "The Regulators" and I hope it's just as frightening and entertaining. I have read a few of King's novels, and this surely ranks up there with the best, although "The Stand" still tops my list. But for someone who enjoys that type of story, 'good against evil', 'God against Satan', then this book is for you. The characters may not be quite as developed as they could be, but that's just a small thing. The fact is, is that this book does what it intends. It keeps you turning pages and scares you silly. Terrific read!

I have always wanted to say, when asked what type of Christian I was, that I was similar to that of Stephen King and the Indigo Girs. King constantly engages with Christianity in ways that realistically explore our faith and times. He does not "sugar-coat" the fact that we as Christians live amid unreconcilables. Desperation, like The Stand before it, explores what faith truly means. King is dealing in Desperation with the question of how we can reconcile a God who loves us and yet allows us to suffer, many times without giving us clear reasons as to why. This strikes me as significant and important in ways that didactically "Christian" novels (such as, most notably, Frank Peretti) never get to the heart of in any way nearly as truly or richly as King.

i'll just say that this book was so good i fell asleep on it because i couldn't put it down. i was entranced by the horror in such a way that, when someone knocked on my door, i jumped and almost fell out of bed. read it and have a blast being afraid!

I felt that Stephen kings desperation was one of thwe best books I've ever read. That is one of the reasons i rated this book with a five.The reasons why i rated this book with a five are as follows, The book had great detail, and great visual detail, and the suspense was awsiome. The detail in the book was very good I could picture everything the authof described. The visual detail was even better, the author made me feel like i was the one in the story, and i could feel the characters pain happiness and fear. Also the suspense in the novel was awsome, it kept me on my toes and made me want to keep reading on and on.I would reccommend this book to any one mature enough to handel foul language and some unspeakable situations. The age group i would reccommend to would probobley be sixteen and up. Although I am only thirteen there are many dfourteen year oldes who are not mature enough to handel this book.

While I am not a fan of long books and Stephen King writes long books, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I got through the book. I enjoy unusual plots with twists, and Desperation met both of these qualities. I really liked the plot, I was surprised at the ending. I would highly recommend the book.

Desperation is another in the long line of Stephen King greats. King delves into the world of the supernatural, exposing the powers that lurk within. Unlike some of King's other works, I couldn't get myself to put the book down. Somewhat like Pet Semetary and Carrie in the fact that King allows for a slightly less realistic plot in order to further one's own fear of the unknown. Although Desperation won't cause me to enjoy sleepless nights of terror, the idea of an all-consuming, irrestible force from the dark side is very tempting. I rate Desperation an 8 on a scale of one to ten. Not a nine, because I feel true terror is accomplished with more realistic plots. At least an eight because it kept me interested through nearly 700 pages, not once making me wish it could be any shorter

I didn't expect to like this, but it turned out to be a treasure.

In ON WRITING, Stephen King mentioned some of his previous works. One of them, he said, was about as close as he could get to crying for help in his drugged out state. I don't remember the title, since it was something I hadn't read, but I suspect it was DESPERATION. 1996, and it just feels like a cry for help.

No, I cannot check my copy of ON WRITING. I read it about a dozen times, then shipped it to some US soldiers in Iraq. I'm sure they'll appreciate my gift for the treasure it is.

DESPERATION by Stephen King. Some time this year, I came up with my 10% rule, and I have no idea why. View 10% of a film or read 10% of a book, and if it doesn't have me by then, screw it. Life's too short. I'm far more generous than an acquisition editor.

Well, the first 10% or so of this book isn't bad. By the numbers horror about an entire town that's screwed. Here are our protagonists. Here's a nasty antagonist with a delightfully wicked sense of humor. First you make the reader like your characters, then you turn the monsters loose. King's explanation of what he does, and you know he does it well.

But jeez, have we not seen this a few dozen times before? I've written it myself, and be grateful I destroyed it unpublished. After that first 10% or so, I read a few more pages solely because the author is Stephen King. Then he unveiled "the writer character" and I damn near stopped right there. Then some writing that chilled me to the bone, followed by a little speed bump of an unnecessary scene. After that, I quit counting pages. His magic grabbed me, the way it often can, and I just kept reading and enjoying. Hundreds of pages in a row, all quite well done, all vintage Stephen King.

I've read more than one of King's "small town goes down the tubes" stories, and more than one of his "good versus evil epic" stories. DESPERATION is better than most, and I have nothing bad to say about it. I damn sure prefer it to TOMMYKNOCKERS or THE STAND, for example. Even its "flaws" become endearing. They make it unique and memorable, as every book should be.

Despite all that King has written about how he bad was before he got clean, don't you ever doubt that he was fully aware (on some level) of every single aspect of every single character in DESPERATION at all times. That's what makes him a writer, folks. He's always true to his characters, even when they're burned out book writing dope fiends.

A wonderful tale full of horror and insanity. A group of people driving by the town of Desperation, Nevada, are stopped by Collie Entragian, a Desperation Police Officer, and are brought into the town to fight the ultimate battle against evil with the help of the praying boy, eleven-year-old David Carver. This story is very interesting, especially at the beginning. It starts off strong and loses the reader a little towards the middle, but if you read this, don't give up on it. It is long, but the end is fantastic. A few of the characters such as Johnny Marinville and David Carver are amazingly crafted. The scene where Entragian pulls over Marinville is also very comical. A fun story with a few scary parts. Classic King.

Having only read one King book ("On Writing") before this, I was looking forward to it. Desperation was engrossing at times and tough to get through in spots. Many times it had the feel that the author was rambling to fill space. There were passages that filled pages and didn't add value to the story at all.

Desperation is a very good story that could have been better told.

In "On Writing" King recounts a lesson he learned early in his writing career; it is something to the effect of: "Rewriting is writing minus 10%." He was saying that, during a rewrite you eliminate 10% of what you have written. Desperation seems like he ignored his own advice. It was a very captivating story that could have used another rewrite.

Although this is only my third book of Mr King I have read (after "Rose Madder" and "Dark Tower IV: Wizzard and Glass"), I am really impressed. First thing which made me addicted to King was movie "The Stand". If ever in my life I will go on American Highway 50 in Nevada around the Austin, I will be really afraid. I like the way the King reveals his characters. If in the beginning Collie Entragian seemed to be a cop who really cares about law, then after killing Mary's husband and after cop's meeting with Johny Marinville, I changed my mind. King knows how to build level of being scared step by step. From now on I will by every book written by Stephen King I see ! I really recommend everybody to READ IT !!! Thank u for attention.

"Desperation", is a great treat to get from good 'ol Steve, after many more "realistic" stories. I loved "The Green Mile", but always like when King goes back to his true form, out and out, horror. "Rose Madder" was the last book that excited me the way that "Desperation" did. A cast of characters worthy of "IT" and "The Stand" and enough wolves, rats, and snakes and other creep-crawlies to leave you squirming in your seat. Bizarre villains, and an ancient legend worthy of Tolkein and, more importantly, King's old style! I loved this book, couldn't put it down . That's whay King fans want, a novel you just can't put down for a week, and "Desperation" really delivers in that category!!

"Desperation",by Stephen King, is an excellent book. Its about different families that end up traveling through the same town of Desperation, hence the name of the book. The families have no ties together, but they all meet in Desperation. But in the town of Desperation, there is a psychotic, derranged cop. He is not himself, he is, "possessed", I guess would be an okay term. He can talk to animals, which do his bidding for him. But after the families meet, Entragian, the cop, starts pulling them over for bogus mishaps. He beats some of his victims, and others he is nice to, but either way, you end up in jail. Eventually the families end up in jail together and escape. But they are not safe, Entragian is always on the look out. This book is an excellent read. Its not for the young, with bad language, drug content and a little sexuality, but it is a good book if you ever have free time, go ahead and pick it up.

This is a good book, a standard good vs. evil plot with a mismatched group of good guys working together - similar to the classic Night of the Living Dead situation. But instead of zombies, we have a deranged cop, who is apparently under the control of the Crimson King from the Dark Tower.

Simply put: If you like King, you'll love this book, if you don't read much of his stuff, you'll enjoy it anyway.
Good story, great plot, deep characters, the whole ball of wax. I did feel that the young hero of the story was a little to obvious, but not enough to put me off.
Buy it... read it, and enjoy it.

What is it with the publishers of King's books, that they
seem content to let him go on and on? Like other reviewers
I enjoyed the start of the book, and the initial stories
of the highway travelers being pulled over were gripping,
because, it could happen to you! (characteristic of many
early King novels). A hundred pages in or so and we're back
to King on automatic pilot where the verbage comes thick
and fast. I couldn't be bothered to finish this, making this
the second King book I have read to die of boredom (Insomnia
being the first, and if anything, the cure). King's earlier
works, Christine, The Dead Zone, even IT, were page turning
thrillers. Lately he seems to be just a page churning filler.
Mr. King, get a good editor, and stay away from 'uncut editions.'

By the time I finished Ch. 1, Pt. IV, (pg. 432), I told my son, who'd read it through, that I'd acquired neither sympathy for nor empathy with a single character in the novel and I could care less who got killed.
He said if I'd struggled that far and still couldn't get into it to forget it 'cause I'd probably hate the ending, so I spiked the book and switched to John Grisham.
I love much of King's work. His IT remains in my all-time top ten by any author. But when he retreats from Gothic/macbre to sheer fantasy or pseudo-realism, I lose interest.
After his wonderfully creepy vacation to the Overlook Hotel, I wish he'd gone back to Maine and stayed.
I'll buy his next book, of course, out of sheer "desperation" for a return to vintage King.

.....but, after about 10 chapters I remembered why I quit reading King's work (after Misery), and put it down. Unbearable silliness. You would think that a mature author whom has mastered the art of the horror novel would eventually allow his sense of humor to mature also, but Mr. King has one of the most juvenile senses of humor of any author, in any genre, and it appears to be trapped in a 9 to 12 year old age bracket with no signs of ever maturing. So silly and unfunny is his humor, that it destroys any horror, suspense, or drama that he masterly brings forth. I don't consider myself to have an intellectual funnybone, but jeez, I do know the difference between silly and funny, and my ability to detect between the two caused me to put the book down...with no intentions of ever picking it (or his future work) up again.

I read this book and I loved it!! It was gripping right from start to finish.
The characters were defined well and the plot was well thought out.
I love the way the book is set up. By having each story of "abduction"
told separatly then all of them meeting, it gave good contrast between
the individual situations.

I think that everyone should stop comparing it to "The Stand".
"The Stand" was a very good book but "Desperation" is an entirerly different
book. I'm sure Stephen King doesn't wasn't every book to be identical
Readers should read the book with an open mind and try not to look for a comparison.
Read the book and except it for what it is... A literary masterpiece of horror!!

This book had a great premise, but it ended up letting me down. First off, it took King nearly 700 pages (in hardcover) to tell this story when he could have done it in 300. There's literally 30 pages of back story for every character. Overblown, in my opinion. This could have been a much stronger read if cut in half.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. There are some great moments here that are a pleasure to read, but there are too many where I was left tempted to skip pages and a few times I did (which I hate to do) and didn't feel like I missed anything. The whole God thing got tiring after awhile and the end left me scratching my head.

I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars. I've given other King books 3 stars, but I've also enjoyed them a lot more than I did this one, and I felt this could have been a lot better, so I guess I'll have to settle on 2.

In desperation strangers who range from an alcholic writer to a kid that believes in god just a little to much are thrown together by fate and are at the hands of the local sherriff. The books starts of by showing how each character got caught by the sherriff or the spirit that is his in the sheriffs body. They are all thrown in jail while tak the spirit rounds up more victims. Predictably they escape and they fight the evil spirit.
the body count his enormous in this one. Tak kills over three hundred people in less the six hundred pages. He kills the whole town!!!!. Although this was'nt that scary ( king's scarier one's lie in his older work) and predectible it was still a pretty solid book. I just have one more complaint.

I'm shocked that Desperation is rated higher than The Regulators. Granted, I did not read the entire book. However, I read nearly 200 pages and got to the point where I considered reading further to be a waste of time that could be better spent with better books. Desperation started off like it was going to be a real page turner, and I wanted to stay up all night to read more. But it peetered out as soon as the Carver family came into the picture. Bits were very entertaining, but wholly unsatisfying. The villian started off as quite frightening but his stupid, ridiculous dialogue and that of characters like Cynthia got on my nerves. I have to say I was glad to see the reference to Rose Madder (highly recommended), though. The Regulators was great, Desperation I couldn't get through.

Steven King writes novels pretty much the way McDonald's sells hamburgers, churning them out on a never-ending assembly-line. True, they're not nourishing or particularly tasteful, but every once in a while they're just something for which one has an occasional hankering.
But there is also another bonus involved in both processes. One knows exactly what one is going to get. In the case of McDonald's, we're going to get an overcooked piece of identifiable beef that is not going to send us to the emergency ward. With King, we can predict that we will not be sorely disappointed, but neither will we be looking to the thesaurus, searching for superlatives to describe our reading experience.
This is particularly true of <Desperation.> It delivers on all the fronts that we have come to expect from Stephen King in the last decade. It has a plot only marginally predictable, with some truly ingenious twists, a cast of characters that have been formed out of a cookie-cutter, and enough blood and gore to get us 600+ pages past the meandering flashbacks that clutter the otherwise inventive narrative. What has become most predictable and formulaic in recent King novels, primarily the smarmy repartee, the inability to resist bringing in brand name endorsements (Jolt Cola, Ryder Trucks, and Barney's NY fashions, to name a few), gets in the way of an otherwise very good horror story. At this stage, we really could do without the 40's movies banter, which was highly appropriate when the characters were played by Bogart and Bacall or Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, but ring tinnily here. Even an 11-year-old always has a smashing retort whenever he is addressed by one of the other characters.
Which brings us to the central character himself, David, a thinly disguised Christ-figure, who suffers the ultimate sacrifice, but must somehow muster the faith and the strength to do battle with the Tak-evil force that surfaces from the China Pit in this Nevada podunk town. We've gone through this before in <It> and <The Talisman>, the young protagonist who is wise way beyond his years, who must undergo the ultimate suffering before emerging as a savior. And yes, if there are complaints to be made about King repetition, this surely has reverberations regarding <The Stand>. It takes place in Nevada and deals with a band of good-guys standing up to an unspeakable evil.
Chalk it up to 4/5ths inspiration, 1/5th repetition.
This is, despite its flaws, an immensely readable novel, with enough actually compelling philosophy (a-la The Book of Job) and even asks the same questions that caused Ivan in <The Brothers Karamazov> to deny a God who could condone human cruelty. This reader, at least, was beguiled into believing I was reading something meaningful as well as entertaining.

When I was in high school, I went through a major Stephen King phase. He was the only author I would read, and I didn't stop until I'd read every thing he wrote (up to "The Green Mile"). That was a few years ago, and recently I was in the mood to come back to him and do some catch up with the things he's written since. I read "Desperation" and I'm currently in the middle of its sister book "The Regulators," and while I enjoyed "Desperation," I do have to admit that I've outgrown King somewhat. I don't know if he's gotten worse as a writer, or whether he's always written like this and I'm just remembering him from a different perspective, but his writing is just so SLOPPY. I feel like there's no tightness to it at all; it's like a really fatty piece of meat---there are good parts, but you have to cut around all of the inedible portions to get to them.
He builds some nice effective creepy dread in the novel's first half, but by the time it's over, it's not really scary anymore. I admit that I was pretty hooked for the whole thing and did my share of page turning, but the whole time I was reading I was aware that I was reading schlock well below my reading level, and King's writing never affected me like that before. I know that sounds pompous, and I really don't mean it to, but it's just the honest truth. He really belongs in the same class as John Grisham, except he's got more imagination in his thumbnail than Grisham has in his entire body. After I finish "The Regulators" I think my Stephen King craving will be satisfied for some time to come.

The one thing to remember when you read Desperation and Regulators: They are totally unrelated in plot. Each book stands alone as a separate story and they may be read in any order. One has nothing to do with the other regardless of the fact that they have the same cast of characters, some the same, like Tak and John, and some not (in one book, Dave is Ralph's father, in the other, Ralph is Dave's father). I bet King drove his logistics editor crazy with these two books!

A tiresome, cheezy story, lacking even a single character to care very much about - unless you are a sucker for little boys with God on their side. Throw in (or out) an open pit mine full of gratuitous gore and a creaky structure and you can number this among King's weaker efforts. You want real characters? Read Delores Clayborne. Real scares? Read Thinner or The Library Policeman. A Real Plot? Read The Stand. A Real Bore? Read Desperation.

I've always felt the first fifty pages were a little slow as King introduced the characters, but upon re-reading the book I saw the real genius in what King did with his "slow build" approach. It's not even that slow. This is classic King. If you feel like he isn't "horror-fying" enough anymore, you need to read Desperation. The Regulators is also very good, but I recommend you read Desperation first.

I purchased this book, in paperback, at a local Wal-mart at about 12:45 am, after work. I don't know exactly what persuaded me to pick up King after a hiatus of a few years, but I'm glad I did. A few years ago, I stopped reading King for reasons personal to me. I must say, I was hooked, and genuinely frightened, within the first chapter. I read the book in less than a week, staying up until four, or sometimes five in the morning, reading until my eyes burned. I believe that King has matured quite a bit, and his use of Christian themes is very surprising. Read it, I promise you that you won't be disappointed. (Pet Sematary remains his most frightening, albeit disturbing novel, however)

Desperation is my favourite "stand alone" King novel to date. King's "Dark Tower" books are my favourite King books but Desperation is up there high on the list! It's a superior work to it's sister book "The Regulators" (which I personally enjoyed) written under the name of Richard Bachman and the writing and storytelling skills that king has pleanty of are on full display. It's a big novel, worth your time and very enjoyable.

King is the master of imagery. No matter how bizzare the setting, the monster, the dream, he manages to make the reader see, hear, and smell his surroundings. I enjoyed the story, particularly in comparing it with its companion THE REGULATORS. However, before the end comes, Stephen King twists this novel into a kind of weird political, anti-mining, wrath-of-God, destroying-Mother-Earth, left-wing, environmentalist tripe. If this kind of blatant political stridency annoys you, don't read this book. If you're calloused to this popular trend in modern art culture, though, you may enjoy the vivid imagery.

Gory details??? Maybe some of his images are sickening to the soft bellied mother of 2 suburban children, but my grandmother, a diehard king fan, and i do not see them as unnecessary. If you dont like it leave and leave the rumors that King is a horror novelist behind as well. He does not write horror novels, he tells tales and brings characters to life. Desperation was only saved by its dealings with a form of "evil" that are a bit different than the classic forms of it and by the characters. If it had not been for the personalities and the normalness of the characters i would have stopped reading a long time ago. Had king not written the book i would have called it a triumph, but i expected much more from him.

And then I started reading The Regulators! What rubbish! Only by comparison does Desperation seem to have any worthy quality to it at all! The plot is drawn out and stagnant, and seems deliberately over-gross (a King trademark, I guess). And that title! Is it a new thing now to try so hard to mislead potential readers? I guess not; I did enjoy Salem's Lot after all. But this ... this ... ugh, just as well I give up hoping that King's more modern books aren't all the same kind of let's-feed-the-audience-some-left-over-ideas or just-for-the-heck-of-it-my-name-is-King-after-all second-rate story lines. Oh well, back to Cook and Grisham and Palmer and Cornwell and Koontz and .....

Ah, Stephen King, you've struck gold again!! Every time I read this book, I read it in a totally different way; it's almost biblical! He effortlessly follows a complete spectrum of personalities, virtues and emotions, intertwining them both masterfully and beautifully. I laughed, cried, and changed my whole outlook on life - best SK book yet :)

Desperation is one of King's best in a long time. Stephen has outdone himself by keeping his readers on the edge of their nerves. The book leaves you waiting to find out what happens next at the end of each chapter, while providing your brain with tons of action. Then, once you've grown to like the characters so much, there's still another book for your likings, The Regulators. Written as, Richard Bachman. You'll enjoy this one, as it's one of King's best I've ever read. It's also one of the coolest looking hardcovers to come along in a long time, as once you put the two together they form into a "mural".
Believe me, this book is definatley worth the buy.

King has done it again with this great book. I finished it in less than 5 days, reading every second i possibly could. King's absolute genius shows here as he comes out with a great plot. He throws a bunch of things your way, seemingly irrelevant, until the end. At the end he manages to tie everything together so closely only a true genius could think of it. Although there are a lot of characters to keep track of, you find yourself not only doing just that, but also feeling like you have known them your whole life. A definite must-read, King-fan or not!

I Loved this book. I dont know why anyone would hate this book. This was one of those books that I could not put down when I got started. From Suspense to sheer terror, from Love to Pain to Healing, the book was a roller coaster ride. And being a christian I loved the way he incorporated into the mix, King is Good!(God IS Love!) I was almost sorry to have finished the book, The characters were wonderful. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! TAK!

I'm still not done with this book, but I have to say it's one of my favorite King books yet. I had never even heard of it and picked it up on a whim. This one builds up suspense from moment one and doesn't let you go. It's dark and spooky and just plain hard to put down. As with all King books, you feel like you are right there with the characters. The book lacks no detail or grip! Thanks, Mr. King!

I Highly recommend this book. It is my favorite book, and i have read quite a few. It is both a horror novel, and on another level one that makes you think twice about your very existence. It manages to blend the surreal battle of good and evil, with an idealistic outlook on the way things are. Stephen King puts such realistic characters into such an insane setting, you can never really tell when it is too much. This book has definitely changed my life, and has caused me to start writing my own novel. If you read this i hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

Leave on a holiday and find yourself fighting for your life and soul. This is the basis of Stephen King's Desperation. I love Stephen King. In my opinion no other horror writer can match him, and this is definitely one of his better novels. Scary, thought-provoking and uplifting, this book is difficult to put down. I recommend it to fans and non-fans alike.

Stephen King has been traveling new paths lately. Note HEARTS IN ATLANTIS (stories about Vietnam) or his memoir-slash-tips-for-writers piece, ON WRITING. In the last few years, he has strayed a bit from what he does best, though - scaring the bejebus out of his readers. It's his meat and potatoes.
Call this a main course, then.
King paints his morbid town and colors his palatte with interesting characters. This book reads fast, hard and relentless. As always, get a few friends to read it because this is one of those books you'll want to discuss with others when it's all said and done. If you haven't picked up King in awhile because his books aren't "scary" enough, this is one you shouldn't let get by you.

Stephen King once again "Tak"-cles the world of spiritual war, not only within the physical world but within the human soul. The story starts with irrational killings galore, but it doesn't take the reader long to see that King is weaving a story of morality and one's purpose in life. Prepare for a large mixture of emotions, from wincing at death to tears in your eyes at King's great ending. This novel left me critically evaluating my life for days after finishing. For anyone who thinks that King only produces evil books, this is THE book to show a side of King that many do not know.

A dull tale which was more of a stunt than a story. SK published this book and "The Regulators" at the same time is a publicity stunt and it shows in both books. While this is the better of the two, nether is a worthwhile read. Keep to SK's earlier works if you're looking for storys to enjoy.

I felt seriously disappointed, let down, and cheated by "The Regulators." But "Desperation" evens the score. I don't think it's among King's _very_ best. I'd say, don't miss it--but it's OK to wait for the paperback.

I think this is the first King novel that has dealt so explicitly with an almost conventional Christian/religious subplot... King talks about God in this one, not just about generalized vague forces of good and evil. Have to go back and read "The Dead Zone" again... Well, I'm not a conventional Christian, but if I can accept it in C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien I can accept it in Stephen King.

I only gave this novel 2 stars because I wrote a previous review on this King novel and bashed it unnecessarily. This book is a great one indeed, while being a bit long for the subject material, it is a deffinetly great read (if you like horror, that is)...sorry for the low rating.

I'll be the first to admit, it's hard for me to get through a King novel. Most of the time I find him a bit too wordy, but this book got my attention from page one! Desperation is over 700 pages long and I read it in 2 days. This is an excellent King novel and it keeps you on the edge of your seat! Highly recommended for King fans and folks who are on the fence about his writing! My fav King book by far!!!!! Check it out!

Although this book is as gruesome as anything I've ever read, I had to admit the writing was top-notch. King is certainly a rare talent--so immensely creative. The story is a page turner, the characterization is strong, and everything works well together.

I've been a Stephen King fan for, like, FOREVER and have virtually read 'em all. This is the absolute top, so far, OMHO. I had to keep shutting the book to digest the horror and calm down before continuing. Amazing twists and turns. It just doesn't get better (or scarier).

This book was rather comical at parts...Whenever someone would yell "Tak!" it was rather funny...but it got old too soon. This book was not horror however, for it didn't incite even the most minute amount of fear into you, unless you happen to be a ten year old. I could not even finish this book, as it was not aimed at mature level readers. King intwined a tres numb Judeo-Christian value into the novel which absolutely degraded the level of the book. This book was not King's forte and should best be left alone.

This book wasn't too scary, but it was wonderfully suspenseful. Gory, gruesome and yet beautifully spiritual - a weird mix and yet it worked so good. I read the last page and felt satisfied, like after Thanksgiving dinner.

I was disappointed with this book, as well as The Regulators. These are the books from Stephen King that I read and promptly forgot. They were good entertainment while I was reading them, but they were just not "unforgettable."

I haven't read Stephen King since I was a teenager and finally just put The Tommyknockers down due to long-winded nothingness. That was about 20 years ago, and after reading King's "On Writing" I was excited enough to try again.

I actually skimmed most of the FIRST THIRD of the book. The backstory on each character was way overdone. I don't need 4 pages about diseases the older man feared. He's having a hard time adjusting to his age. I get it!

And insulting other authors while he's in the middle of blathering on about...I couldn't even tell you, how downright tacky is that? Why does Stephen King think he's in a position to constantly put other writers down? King's ego came through in a big way and destroyed the whole story. Otherwise, he would care about boring his reader to death and realize that not every word he writes is gold! Editor anyone?

Mr. King,you have much bigger problems than adverbs.

"Desperation" is a great book. However, compared to it's pseudo-book, "The Regulators," it is not as good. "Desperation" is a story about God. It covers His influence on many different kinds of people. The characters in "Desperation" covers people from all different backgrounds, which is what makes the characters interesting. Their conflicting personalities make "Desperation" work. Stephen King has done a great job in making this story work. Even though the book takes a little too long in some of its aspects, the book, once its finished, is a good experience, and worth buying.

Desperation was by far the best book Stephen King has written. I loved Pet Cemetary, and Cujo, but this one tops them all! I picked it up and had to pry it from my hands. I really keeps u on the edge of your seat the whole time. A couple of times I found myself talking out loud, like the characters could actually hear me. The way the characters are portrayed, makes u care for them. That makes the book even better, when u can feel the characters fear. Overall, the book is wonderful, and exhilarating. I would say it is a success, or at least in my eyes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a up to the minute thriller

This book took me awhile to read, mostly because i had to go back and read a few pages over in order to understand the ending. Stepher King confuses me when he jumps back and forth, but by the end, it all makes sense and that's what makes me keep reading it, you want to see what happens to that guy or whatever, but you have to read 3 more chapters before you can find out. It's neverending, but I personally liked it. The gore and visualizations were amazing, I could see it in my mind and I could smell what he described, I was blown away. The book was great, I'd love to read it again.

Before listening to Deperation on tape I never really cared for any of King's works because I thought they were somewhat shallow (probably because I "only saw the movie"). After Desperation (AD) I was amazed at the depth of King's thought process and how he makes your mind work overtime just trying to surmise what is ahead for the characters. This story kept me on the edge of my seat while driving in commute traffic and actually kept me in my car in the company parking lot until the story came to a break. Kathy Bates did a superb job in recording this story, making it even more enjoyable.

I gave up on Stephen King after reading the hardcover edition of GERALD'S GAME when it first came out. I hated all that supernatural stuff that he threw in that had nothing to do with the story, which started out as a great psychological tale and should have stayed that way. So I decided I would give him another chance and picked up DESPERATION. What a mistake! This book was awful. Nothing like the Stephen King of years ago. I had to force myself to finish it. It's clear that this book went straight from manuscript to finished book. Ugh!!!! It's going to be another few years before I pick up a new book by Stephen King!

This book is very suspenesful with enough imagery to make it seem like your watching a movie in your mind. This is definetely one of Stephen's best work but not for anybody that can't handle bad language and pretty nasty details.

Something is very wrong in the little desert town called Desperation. Something-is waiting.... Is it the psychotic giant cop named Collie Eneurgen? Is it responsible for the abnormal behavior of the numerous snakes, buzzards, coyotes, and spiders that people the deserted town? Join Stephen King on an unforgettable journey through a world too horrifying to be imagined.

And, if nothing else, this book will make you think twice about stopping for a police car on a lonely road....

Plan a trip to Desparation...I promise, you won't forget it.

I have been an avid Stephen King reader for many years. I started with "The Stand" which I thought was great. However, of the 30 or so books of his I've read, "Desperation" takes the cake! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. It is typical King with stories of multiple characters and the back and forth thru time scenario. But it is the most INTENSE book of his that I've read. You find yourself losing track of time and wanting to stay awake until you finish the book. It is definitely "on the edge of your seat" reading. I recommend anyone, Stephen King fan or not, to read this book.

Stephen King once again presents a long and detailed story of the all but deserted mining town of Desperation. Set in the desert mountains, rage, torment, sex and violence abounds with a smattering of religion. A dark and mesmerizing adventure worth the investment of your time and concentration.

I have only read a few of Stephen King's books, but Desperation is the best book I have read yet. The characters are well written, and I simply loved the character of Collie Entragian. The humor and cynicism (sp?) in the book was a surprise. I definitely recommend this book. I hope the movie does the book justice. I don't want to give too much away, but for those who have already read Desperation, my only complaint is that a certain character ended up all alone in the end. Other than that, reading Desperation was an incredible ride. My only fear is that the next Stephen King book I read will not be as good as Desperation.

FINALLY!!!! He gets back to the style that made me start reading him 15 (!) years ago.
A great read. Like every one else (almost) has said. Classic King with the battle between Good and Evil.
My opinion: SKIP the Regulators. "Desperation" is a better, creepier story line. I went out a bought and read "The Regulators right after reading "Desperation" -- the juxtaposition of characters was confusing and a big let down.

Realizing there is a lucrative market for this genre of writing and thus ample reward for churning out books like "Desperation", I nonetheless am disappointed that there wasn't more substance and depth...especially when compared to King's great early novels. To my thinking everything about this book is thin (well, except for the excessive number of pages generated by large margins, large fonts, and plenty of blank pages, all the better to justify its hefty list price, I suppose)... the plot, the characters, it just has a feeling of being churned out rather mindlessly. I think it's one of the worst, if not *the* worst pieces King has produced. Dare I hope there is another Stand, The Dead Zone, The Shining, in him to write? One can hope, at least, there aren't more Desperations.

I discovered this tattered paperback at a rental cottage at the beach last month. One of the few SK novels I have not read. I ended up spending most of my vacation reading this book instead of doing the things I planned to do at the beach.
Great read! Loved it!

Well, we have seen Stephen King grow and change. I am not knocking, we all change but...
I am a Jesus Freak who checks out the Devil by reading about him (Tak ah la) and was ecstatic to find that God played such a heavy line in one of S.K.s books which proved something we all should know: God kicks ass! I sure hope S.K. brings the Main Star into more of his books.
As for Desperation, the setting was so real I'm off for a holiday to find the town.
One thing, we find that S.K. has chosen yet again to have a writer as one of the main characters. Remind you of anyone?

This is the book that I'm currently reading right now. I just wandered into boarders, while I was upset, and started rumaging through the stephen king section. Right from the first page I was hooked. It just draws you in and it keeps the suspense level at an all time high. It's really a great read.

This book was great.

It's one of those books that makes you want to see a movie based on it.

It's got a cool atmosphere/setting, some cool characters and the villain's history and origin is explained enough to keep a '?' from appearing over reader's heads.

Yes, it's got good vs evil, but what doesn't?

Yes, it's got a character that acts unusually calm and collected during intense extremes... is this impossible? Hell no.

Proof = Michael Jordan, he performed terrific during intense extremes. Yes, it's totally possible.

Everyone that's successful has the common belief that what they want or understand is going to happen. If one strays from this belief, even for a second, you mess up and fail.

The character in the story obviously has an unalterable belief, that's why he succeeded.

SO WHAT? THIS IS FICTION! Even if there's some sort of super calm/collected individual or super force in the book, it doesn't matter and it doesn't need to be explained... IT'S FICTION. The fictional world is relatively all accepting, meaning everything someone comes up with is true and possible in this world. If you expect reality when reading fiction, you're pretty strange.

You big babies, if you want something to critique, step into the non fiction world and actually find something concrete to prove.

It had been quite some time since I had read a book by Mr. King and I had forgotten what he was capable of when on top of his game. This book is a masterpiece and would be the crowning achivement of lesser writers' careers. King is a master of taking seemingly ordinary situations and turning the world he has created upside down while still keeping the believability quotient high. Although the book is long, it holds your interest throughout. I would highly recommend it whether you are a King fan or not.

This book starts out STRONG! From the beginning it grips you like a vise. The middle is very, very suspenseful, but I was dissatisfied with the explanation behind what was happening. Perhaps I have read too many King Novels and see the ending before it gets there. Too familiar with the writer. Maybe I just didn't like the ending. Honestly, I thought the book was EXCELLENT...until King EXPLAINED what the thing was. Once he did that, it seemed like the mystery was gone and I had no desire to continue on with the story...I did though. I love this man, he is a master.

OK, let me put this straight, I didn't think this was a bad story. But I didn't find it as astonishing as I usually do when it comes to King's books. To be honest, I haven't really liked any of his novels since Needful Things. But still I read every single one, as soon as they come out, trying to find that old KING-feeling, but...
Read Dean Koontz instead, at least he's still got the touch...

Stephen King should be best author of the year. He has a wild imagination. I enjoy reading his novels because he is very detailed with his writing. Its like a mini movie screen in your brain while you are reading. This book is very interesting and confusing at times but you need to know whats going on. This novel switches scenes and writes about dreams people have. I would recommend this novel to people who have strong stomachs because it will blow you away. People with a great imagination should definitely read this novel.

I THOUGHT THAT THIS BOOK WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS KING HAS WRITTEN. I LOVE READING HIS WORK AND IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS ONE, I WILL ONLY TELL YOU THAT IT IS ONE TO READ ON A WEEKEND. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I WAS DRAWN IN AS IF I WAS A CHARACTER. KING DOES A GREAT JOB OF KEEPING THE SUSPENSE IN THE AIR. YOU WILL BE ON EDGE WONDERING IF THE PRISONERS WILL GET OUT OF THIS TOWN, AND IF SO WILL THEY BE CARRIED OUT OR WILL THEY WALK OUT? WHO IS THE NEXT VICTIM? I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EITHER BUY OR BORROW THIS BOOK, YOU WILL BE AMAZED!

This book is absolutely amazing. It is a true testament to the writings of Stephen King. From the first page, the thrills are evident. Not a page was turned that I was "NOT" on the edge of my seat. There aren't too many books that make me lie awake in bed after reading it, wondering what was waiting for me in the darkness.....but this one did. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering reading a King novel for the first time. It will definitely get you hooked: without a doubt.

This book was so much darker, and better than I expected it to be. I thought it might be good, but ... WOW. Mr. King knocked it out of the park with this one. One of the best opening scenes he has ever written.

I'm a huge fan of Stephen King and I've read quite a few of his books but "Desperation" was by far my favorite. From the front cover to the last page I was kept on the edge of my seat and always wanting more. There wasn't a single slow part to the book, the entire thing flowed perfectly. King really goes into in-depth descriptions of scenes and settings, in my mind I could picture Desperation and it's inhabitants. Though this book might not be for the weak of stomach or weak of mind (What King book is?) I thought it was superb. I would recommend it to anyone.

...modern Stephen King I have read.
It has VERY well-developed characters, settings, and overtones. The plot is well developed, you learn the right amount at the right time. Moreover, the deep religious tones make give the book good morals.
Stephen King does it again...

No one writes a better opening chapter than Stephen King, and "Desperation" has one of the best, most truly frightening, of any I've read.
Unfortunately, S.K. also has a tendency to start bouncing off the walls midway through the tale, and that's precisely what happens here. The sense of menace quickly dissipates once you realize the nature of the beast, and that's revealed way too soon. I would have liked a little more restraint, a little less gore, and a lot less laughing by the characters at lines that are painfully unfunny.

Definately not his best work. If your a fan of Stephen King you may enjoy his very untraditional charcters in this book. Definately a change (but not a positive one) for Stephen King. If you've never read King don't pick this book, instead try "The Stand." Desperation read as a desperate attempt by King to simply complete a new book.

what was going on in this book. I am a NEW READER OF STEVEN'S books. The first one was Bag of Bones which I liked very much. It was a page turner and the description of the characters, the medaphores, and action was superb.

My second book was his memoir's titled On Writing by Stephen King. This book was a story of his life up to his accident that was one-third of the book and the balance for writers on how he writes.

Now be careful there are at least two very different versions of the memoirs with the same title. One is very good , the other marginal.

Now about Desperation I was on page 448 before I finally found out what was going on in the book. I knew I was missing a lot but not just sure what I was missing. I kept reading and got more and more confussed.

I am also fairly sure that a lot of Stephen's fans missed the point also.

Now I must go back and read the story again. I must have missed half of the story.

THe secret is the two characters not really described who do not appear in any of his other books, CAN AND TAK.

I had to go to WIKIPEDIA to find out what the book was all about. I suggest every one read the analyis of the book and then read it over again.

Although I found this book reasonably satisfying, it does not stand comparison with some of his greatest work, such as The Stand and The Shining. The ridiculous practice of naming the characters as in The Regulators (which I read first), prevents the reader from forming a clear image of each person in the book. I have found King's books a strange mixture over the past few years; from the excellence of Rose Madder and The Green Mile to the mediocrity of Gerald's Game and The Regulators. I hope that we have not seen the best of Stephen King.

This is a very exciting book. Though it has a slow start. I advise you if you read it you may want to sit down and read it all. The most exciting part in the book would have to be when David passes out and the young Marinville tells him everything he needed to know about Tak. Tak is this unusual charecter in the book he is not a person but not a spirit. I would probably descride him as a god. Tak tries to take over the town of Desperation by getting into someones body and while he is in that persons body he tries to kill everyone. Another way he killed people was he had little stone statues that are shaped as snakes, wolfs, scorpions, spiders, and sometimes eagles, also know as can taks. People would come across them they were somehow attracted to them and picked them up. After they would pick them up they would grow about a foot taller because of Tak. They would also turn on anyone that they came up to even if they were their friends. The main characters in the book are Johnny Marinville, David, God, Ralph, Tak, and Mary. This book has a odd ending but I beileve the rising action is more exciting than any other point in the book. I would recomend this book for anyone who likes a scare and who doesn't mind gory details. This book is also very detailed. Of course, Stephen King does write very detailed books.

How do you describe this book? Well, if hyou haven't already got it...GET IT!!! This is by far one of the best books i have read. I know The Regulators was published along side Desperation but The Regulators disappointing. Takes a whie to get into it. In my opinion Desperation is one of Stephen's finest achievements. Great plot. Great characters. Great story line. Keeps you engrossed. Superb book. Buying it is money well spent. ...

This book kept me riveted. Desperation is an intense tripthrough the supernatural. However, the action was a little tooslow-paced. King told the story through several points of view and so a great deal of the pages were devoted to telling the story from these individual perspectives. It also seemed far too convenient to make Tak such a weak enemy. Too much of the book seemed to be devoted to unnecessary details. I've read most of Stephen King's novels and short stories and I must say that Desperation ranks in the top 3.

I'm only fifteen years old, and this is only the second Stephen King novel I've ever read (the first being "Bag of Bones"), but, in my humble opinion, I don't see how it could get much better than this. This book pulled me in, made me feel like a part of the story, and like I knew the characters as if they were my closest friends. Everyone says that Stephen King's earlier work is better than this, but I don't see how it could get better. However, if it is, I can't wait to get my hands on the early stuff.

I love stephen King books and movies.I collect them all,he is my favorite onlong with Dean Koonez.I have most all of his movies and books and some audio tapes.I perfer the audio tapes but are to expenive....I would love to met King,I think he is the greatest,I will be moving to New Hampshire soon,and I know he lives in Main.hopefully he will have a book signing or something ,then I can met him..good going Stephen King,keep them books coming.I get them as soon as they come out.and can harldy waite for the next one.

Stephen King is not usually my cup of tea but I have to admit he's a master writer and Desperation is King at the top of his form. The plot is tight and well-paced, the characters fully drawn and the setting absolutely perfect. The dialogue goes without saying--it is King at his best, writing in that folksy voice that is as perfect as Mozart. This is a tale of flat-out supernatural horror with a moralistic theme, yet King is never preachy. For those who love Stephen, he doesn't get much better than this.

My best friend detoured all visitors I had while I read this book. I was so into it I ignored everyone who spoke to me for two days. Getting to the final page was definitely worth offending my friends.

This was King at his finest! A plus plus!

This is one of the King's classics. I rank it up there with the Dark Tower books and The Talisman, as his essential novels.
This is about the lonely empty mining town Desolation, in Nevada. And the many people who are forced together under unfortunate and terrible circumstnaces. You see, Collie Entragien is a psycho cop (who is possessed by Tak, a demon). He stops passersby and forces them into this dead town.
And thus starts the epic battle between God and Satan. Through the power of their faith and belief (and the little boy who holds most of it), most of these prisoners are able to overcome their foe from hell.
This book is very well written, suspenssseful, and entertaining. The author proves that even hacks themselves can have classics. And this is one of them.

As a writer, I absolutely hated this book. You must have an incredible suspension of disbelief in order to even begin to like it. Using the "God" device became highly repetitive and even more highly predictable, even worse than the Wesley Crusher syndrome. The rest of the book was fairly well constructed until it came to the end, when it looks to me as if King suddenly realized the deadline was tomorrow and had to tie it up too quickly. He has the potential to be a classic author if he'll only stick to short stories.

"Desperation" and "The Regulators" are two wonderful examples of Stephen King's attention to detail and his insight into the human psyche. In "Desperation", King touches upon religion in a way that can unite all readers, regardless of their personal beliefs. Through the eyes of a "gifted" child, King takes the reader on a journey of horror and redemption. Without attempting to analyze or reason, my favorite author both terrifies me and gives me hope.... He is the master

Reading Desperation right after "The Green Mile" left me expecting more. I think that Mr. King has no brought us an interesting cast of characters. His discussion of how the evil forces influenced and effected them was well-done. The beginning of the book was even scary. Sadly, the last third of the book loses momentum and could have been better. Never does it approach the epic proportion of The Stand as advertised. Yet it is not a bad read. Wait for the paperback and buy it through the store Books

It was refreshing to take a vacation, even if the trip was to Stephen King's Desperation, Nevada. It had seemed that King's best work was clearly far behind him, but Desperation is a fantastic comeback. It's not scary, but it overflows with suspense. It's weird, and a lot of questions end up unanswered, but the conclusion is satisfactory. Once you've read this, pick up The Regulators, which King wrote under his pseudonym Richard Bachman.

I had forgotten that I'd read this book before, however, I still read the entire thing again, and enjoyed it. Interesting inclusion of the religious theme, and a few surprises along the way. King fans will not be disappointed.

Stephen King did it again! Just when I thought he could never write anything that would match "It" and "The Stand"... Boy, was I wrong! "Desperation" is really one of his best books and desrves an Honourable place with the classics: "It", "The Stand", "The Shining", "Pet Sematary" and, yes, "DESPERATION". P.S.A true King's fan shouldn't complain and those who hate King will hate him even more! It's one of his finest ever!

I've read everything King (and Bachman) have written. It's like a roller coaster ride. Up with The Stand and The Green Mile and down with Insomnia and Desperation. If you like otherworldly creepy crawlies and murky monsters, this book will probably appeal to you. I like my evil/horror in a more realistic package. I bought The Regulators when I was about halfway through Desperation. It's gone to the bottom of the reading pile. I'll get to it eventually, but I've got better things to read right now

A typical Stephen King book. A bit different from the movie. He wanders around in the plot a lot and gets lost sometimes in side stories (verbal diahrrea). If you can scan past the excess there is a good book in here somewhere.

this had to be the best book i have read all year...the book was well written...i recommend this book to any person that like suspense....there were days where i couldnt put the book down...the writer leaves you wanting to know what was going to happen next...excellent .......A MUST READ.......

A spiritual trek down route 66 through the state of Nevada seemed like the perfect honeymoon to me until I read this book. King sparkles with some of his past magic in this terrific return to form. More graphic than past King, but not without reason. However, I too was puzzled by what point King was attempting to make about God and religion. I think he's pretty undecided. Anyway, no trapsing through the desert for me. Nevada is creepy enough without these images in the back of my mind.

This book is kind of long it took me about 4 days to read but I loved it. Its very suspensful and creepy. I enjoyed it so much I ordered the regulators which is related to it in some way, I'm very anxious to read it.

This is my first Stephen King book that I've ever read (besides Green Mile) and neeedless to say, he lives up to all of his hype. The book began with the story of a deranged cope, and took you all the way through the demonic spirit "Tak" and his ability to conquer anyone and anyting. The hero of the story is a young 11 year old boy, who lets us know that anyone can be a hero. This has made me a Stephen King fanatic and I'm onto my next book, The Shining. He's got it all!

Ok, I read some of the reviews ppl gave Mr. King but I have to say those who just read this book and no other book by Mr. King and gave it a bad review need to get a life. Ok, I mean yea every author has their bad novels and trust me this isn't it. If you know king he likes to try different things not just one kind of story idea (horror). His best novel to me is Dolores Claiborne though I hate the movie. Pick up that book. I know he can't impress everyone but those who he can't impress are thick headed snobs.

I have always been a King supporter, having read just about every book the man has written. His most recent works, however have left me a little cold. I decided to pick up "Desperation" thinking that it might be more like his "old style" of writing. Boy Oh Boy, was I right. This story ranks right up there with some of his best. His characters are well developed, and the plot keeps you wanting to stay up into the late hours reading. Great read, I highly recommend it!

Desperation:The title says it all. It is a book written by a best selling novelist, Stephen King. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. You can feel the characters fear and their pain. If you are ready for suspense and terror, it is a must read book. This book is about a huge tale of a small town and the unbelievable things the people who may pass through, will have to go through in order to survive. I highly recommend this novel. You won't be able to put it down.

I have never been of the opinion that Stephen King is a "horror writer". Novels like The Body (Stand By Me), The Long Walk, (Rita Hayworth and) The Shawshank Redemption and Misery, are not exactly what you would call horror. Mostly his tales are dark, some more than others. This is one of those that we can classify as pretty damn dark. And excellent with it.

There are some novels where, when you reach the end, you feel a kind of sorrow. For me, this was one of those... Deep, spiritual, a truly excellent novel.

I have read both old and new King and this very book Desperation is in the top percentile right up there with The Dead Zone and The Stand. Though not quite up there with The Stand but it is close enough to be mentioned right along with that classic.

The fact that is was released realitvly late in Kings career is definetly something to be praised.

I am not sure if it is wise to compare these two books. The evil spirit Tak seems to be the common theme in both books, but I suppose, King could author many more books based on this Tak. Individually both books rate high on plot, action and readability. Desperation though seems to bring out the true essence of Tak via transformations and symbolism. In desperation, I found an uneasy comparison between Christianity and Islam through David and Tak--"tak ah wan- tak ah lah?

OMG I couldn't get past about the 5th chapt. This is true torture. Mr. King, I am a avid reader of your books. I don't mind a bit dark. This is repulsive. Right up there with Cujo.
Why don't you throw this in the fire and go back to Gunslinger. Finish what you've started. This was awful.

After some disappointing recent works, this book is one
of King's best. He is definitly back to his award-winning
form. This book is one of his classic good vs. evil battles.
With evil creature Tak, nothing is good enough. It basically
wants to kill everyone! But a Higher Power has other plans.
With a young David Carver as the unsuspecting hero, this book
is a page turner. Be sure to read this book, even if it is
the only book you read in the next five years.

My Husband and I listened to the audio version of Desperation, on our trip up the California coast this past weekend. Let me tell you that everytime we passed a CHP we did a double take and did a slight shudder. Not only did King terrify us,but,he made us think about our place on earth . The characters were well written. We were most impressed with Kathy Bates. She was able to use her voice effectivly for each of the characters. Read this book...Hear this book

Stephen King has outdone himself with this hair raising tail.
Normally long winded and detailed at the beginning, King has
written a book that from the start captures the reader's
imagination, instilling fear and hopeful disbelief. In it's
simplicity, Desperation is almost believable, making it that
much more terrifying. I highly recommend it to anyone who
enjoys a fast paced horror novel. It is not a typical
Stephen King novel, but fans will love it.

This book has it all--great scares, awesome characters, fantastic setting and a really great theme. I love books by Stephen King, but this one really stood out to me as one of his best. Maybe not as good as "The Stand" or "Duma Key", but it is definately my favorite. Even if you're new to SK, pick this one up first.

Great read, I couldn't wait for the end, but kept hoping there would be more. King really makes use of his characters in this one. Everyone has their place and their purpose. A bit gory, but then it is horror after all. At one point I got creeped out and had to stop reading for a day. Great plot, great characters, great book. Finally a king book that wasn't mired in excessive description. Instead it gets right to the action.

I have not read a King novel that for me personally dropped below a seven (and there have been times when I really tried to convince myself that I wanted to or needed to finish a lousy novel) and Desperation did not disappoint me. It was a great story, was unpredictable, unlike primetime television, and had me leaving lights on behind me as I raced down the dark hallway to my bedroom. It's why I read King and I thoroughly enjoyed it

Desperation is King's best yet!The setting-which happens to be hopelessly in the middle of No-Man's-Land- is truly unnerving.King,as usual, takes his time with the characters and plot,making it all too real for his readers. The gore fits surprisingly well within the story and King's subtle references to his past novels and television efforts are truly humerous!
Tak is probably King's best villain yet!Keep up the good work Stephen!

This book is very blunt and to the point with everything. A tactic I greatly enjoy in spurts mixed with settling reality. But the closest this work does to that is sputtering down in the middle, which for me created a sense of boredom not perspective. I never felt for these characters because of their indispensable nature and sheer stupidity. A good horror story is one that seems to have no hope, no solutions but death or worse. However this story contained a thousand solutions from beginning to end.

Now, with so many books out right now, I rarely find one that's good that doesn't have Stephen Kings name written all over it. This is one good read! I could not put this one down. Like with most of Kings novels, this got off to the usal bumpy start, but that only lasted a couple of pages. Soon (very soon) the stuff King is well known for jumps in and takes you for a horror roller coaster ride! This is one HELLUVA GOOD BOOK!

I read this book and The Regulators and found them most intriging. I could'nt put them down. I would love to see them as a movie but I don't believe film can do them justice. Only our own imaginations can put the words to pictures. Stephen King is a master at manipulating our minds into what he sees when he writes these stories. And I mean that in the most positive way. I can never wait for his next stories. Way to go, King.

I really loved this book. The first story of Desperation - actually a collection of novels which are slightly interwoven - was the one I liked best for King is always at his best when depicting country folks living in a small town and when concentrating on people and their environments and interactions. Great story about the 60ies and the feel of this particular period in time (not to forget that he brought me to reading John Wyndham again!!!).

It had me from the first chapter.....creepy and gory at times, but a great Stephen King novel. Lots of plot and great characters.......Stephen King is one of the best writers and this book is another example. I don't think I've ever read a bad King novel...not yet, and doubt I ever will. Absoulutely recommend it.

Frankly,I've had enough of Stephen King. His story plots are all the same. Makes me wonder whether he is running out of ideas. I used to love his books, but now I must say that I have become completely bored of his stories. The worst of all the books I've read are Desperation and Regulators. Oh goodness! It is such a disappointment. Why write two books of exactly the same plot with the same characters? Geez, please Mr. King, be original

In my opinion, this book is a bit below average for StephenKing. It reminded me of his short story "Rage" in itsfeeling. None of the characters were particularly likeable, which is unusual for a King novel. I'm interested to see what "The Regulators" is like - King's pseudonym always seemed darker to me, but "Desperation" was so black I wonder if he's switched personas with Bachman?

I've read a few of SK's books and I've liked most of them. This one I didn't like too much. It was way too long considering what happened in it. The characters were not interesting enough and I kept mixing them up. As one of the reviewers mentioned; how can the good guys loose when you know that god is on their side? The end was a let-down and where was the suspense?
Enough said.

Desperation does not seem to be the best book i've read.But as a thriller it satisfied me.According to other evil&monster related books of Mr. King this is not a very good one.Especially that language of the dead was really bad.(TAK,ah wan etc.)I could't believe my eyes when I first saw this strange language.I was expecting something better.Never mind I like Mr. King's books and i'll keep reading them...

These books that King has come out with in the past decade are not about Horror anymore and the people who don't see that are the same people who read Christine and think "well thats Stephen King" But you cannot expect to read his books and be terrified Why would you want to read these books if all you want is to be scared? There is so much more to this books! I just wanted to tell you that.

The book was one of three Steven King books that i've read. I personaly was thrild to read a book that was so inspiering to my own reilgos interest. Desperation was the first book that I've read that has ever done that, and I am glad I had a chace to have experionsed it. The insperation that the book gave me was one I will never forget, it both interiged me as well as arosed my thouths, and interist

one of stephen king's best. how can anyone give this anything other than 5 stars? and what's with the 1 and 2 stars? this is an exciting and gory book. the story is amazing and feels like you're actually a character in it. that's how deep it is. get this book because it's frickin sweet.

"Desperation", is classic King. The book is an emotional rollercoaster with horror at every turn. Not only does King battle good over evil, but also puts a new perspective on your own spirituality, and beliefs. The battle has begun in "Desperation", figuritively and literally, with David and Johnny at the front lines. This book is definitely movie material.

In my lifetime, I have enjoyed more than one novel by King, but this one surely doesn't belong to the category. An easy, straight-forward horror story could be very entertaining if the man wouldn't load his storyline with religious righteousness and general pro-American crap. Also the book goes on much too long, given the amount of ideas it includes. In the end, King's black-and-white goody-goodness really started to piss me off. Blah.

of course this book's better than Regulator but it's still doesn't make any sense. i know it suppose to be scary but it turns out to be boring. from my point of view, this book seems like just repeating itself and Stephen King's just adding words, phases, sentances, paragraph to make the story longer and fill in those pages.

I have enjoyed many of Stephen King's books. This is not one of them. This book was put together like a recipe of typical King books. Take one part kid with special powers, one author with troubled past, one unknown evil. Place characters in deserted town and see what happens. The only reason why I finished it was because I thought something interesting might happen. Gues what? It didn't.

This was my first Stephen King book and it deffenitly won me over. I rarely read, but I found myself not being able to put it down. Desperation is a small town off a desolate strip of the interstate. A psyco sheriff kills all of the people in the town, I'm not going to give away anymore, but you should take my word for it and pick up this gem. "It's Phat!"

This is the first book by King I ever read, and it has sparked me to read many others. There is not much I can say about this book except it is one of King's best, if not the best. Also the villian in this book ranks right up there with Flagg(the Stand, Eyes of the Dragon, Dark Tower sereis). Desperation is must read for anyone and everyone, even if you don't like King's work.

So far I've read 5 sk novels and this is my least favorite. It has gory details and parts that make you shiver(from the gore) but thats about it. That cop gave me the creeps at first but then it wore off fast! There were to many things to remember, like con tas,can taks,can cans, & can tamatoes. good details but it dosen't make this one a top contender with other ones i've read

I was very impressed with this novel. It was very suspensfull, and chillingly scary. King's tradition of good versus evil is well intact in this story. However, I share some critics belief that it is a little too far fetched. I mean, it's somewhat fake and leads some readers to think: "this isn't real!" But, it's a very good book and I recomend it to anyone! Enjoy!

From the beginning to the end, this book had me on edge. The image of blood coming out of Collie Entragian, then Ellen Carver was very graphic and gross, but all was in accordance to Tak's demeanor. The history of the China Pit really brings the entire book to light because you go throughout the whole story wonders why Collie is as crazy as he is. Then you realize, it wasn't Collie, it was Tak

Plan and simple, I loved this book. King truly is the King. His use of language is so intricate and beautifully woven that one so easily becomes entranced in the story. Through his gift of the written word, King is able to "suck" us into the world of Collie Entragian and his victims desperate struggle to survive. A most have for any true King fan.

Stephen king dilivers the good in this fast pased dessert horror show. i do believe that this is the finest arrangement of kings dark imagination. punch arter punc Desperation is a heart pounding story of spirts that refuse to rest. I feel like im on reading rainbow but i highly recomend this book to anybody who wants to travel to the darkes space the human (mabey) can go.

This noval was greatly written with the colorful adjectives of sounds smells and the touch of something out of the ordinary. I give this grip taking thriller two thumbs up. Not only did it give me nightmare's of the sheriff but I never want to go driving through Nevada. Especially if I come to a town really called Desperation. Over all it was a great and scary story.

This book is an apt example to justify Mr King's rise to the top. His characters are described so vividly you either think you know them already or at least you are sure of the guy who should play him in Hollywood. It commands your attention in the first 5 pages and you won't put it down til it's done.....

I'm not a critic and I've never given a review before (especially online) but this is one book I will never forget. It was absolutely chilling and the best book I have yet to read. I can not believe how incredible this book was and i recomend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys Stephen King. I even recomend it to people who have never read a Stephen King book before.

I'm not usually a big fan of Steven King. I think he sets up interesting stories and characters, but his ending usually leave something to be desired. That was not the case this time. The story was pretty creepy, and thought-provoking. The characters were intriguing, and the ending did not disappoint.

Stephen King is horrible in this book. Well- let's talk first. He makes the characters so likable and real, that when he kills them off; it's like losing a friend. Their personalities are like normal peoples. Wicked good book! But if you're kinda of soft, you might not like it. There's a part were Steve and Cynthia find a whole mess of dead people hung on coat hangers and a hand in an aquarium. Kinda gross, huh?

This is a fairly decent read, and I also lump the coordinating Regulators into this category. It seems to me that King is having a little trouble coming up with storylines, but, due to his wizardry with words, he can take any sub-par plot and make it profitable. My recommendations are The Stand, It, The Tommyknockers, Misery, and Different Seasons.

this book is a brilliant scare. i couldn't put it down and read it in about 2 days because it is so good. the only bad thing i would say is about the God bits in it, as i can see why some people would find it a bit boring in those parts. i however, didn't mind them in the slightest so don't let that put you off, as it is a really brilliant read.

What I liked most about this book was the diverse cast of characters. There's pretty much something for everyone and they all play off each other really well.

The plot itself was also highly entertaining, but it wouldn't have been half as good if it weren't for King's superb characterization of the players on the canvas.

Although, I felt very familiar with the characters and the occurrences in this novel, that in no way decreases my enjoyment of it. From the first chapter I felt like I couldn't put it down. Even though you feel like you know what is going to happen, you still have to keep reading to make sure. Made me put my animal sculptures a little higher on the shelf.

This was the first Stephen King book that I ever read. I saw it at a 2nd hand store and figured for $5 I couldn't go wrong. Well I have to say when I opened it that night after work I could not put it down! This book was amazing! The intese details paint a perfect picture. Definately a good read.

Just off Route 50 in Nevada lies the small mining town of Desperation, where a local cop has suddenly turned anything but lawman.
His victims were the lucky ones. But for a small group of survivors, desperation is no longer just the name of a town - it's a state of mind.
And it will take an extraordinary young boy to lead them through a living nightmare.

This was an interesting book dealing with the old questions between good and evil. The evil was scary and disturbing, the good was trusting and pure, and the final fight between these two was the storyline of the book. When the women woke up in the dark room with spiders crawling all over her i thought that was the best part of the book to me.

I think that this book was good. I mean it was superb but it lacked the physicological aspect as the Regulators did. I mean I read this one first and thought. "Man this book was great. I mean it's a good pace. Then I read it's counter part and The Regulators blew it away! No doubt about it. It was a great book though but not the best.

I had just about given up on King's books. None of his stuff from the past few years was the same caliber as his stuff from the 80s. Now, I have been proven wrong. This book is definitely in the same league. It isn't Christine or The Stand, but it is in the league with all his other stuff from the 80s.

This is my second Stephen King novel I have read (first was "It")I loved this book, it took me over a month to read, because of limited time. It was a great big, scary book! I hope that they make this into a move, because, man, I'd LOVE to see it. I've just started reading the Regulators, and hope it'll be as good as Desperation

Blood. Gore. Death. I read this on Halloween and I wasn't scared, nor did I really care about the characters. I was kind of hoping for that kid to get his head bitten off by a coyote. The story would have been much nicer if it had been the odd sheriff vs. the innocent bystanders, instead of Tak vs. God. That's hardly a fair fight.

This book started out with an incredible sense of creepiness and dread, but it fell apart for me when the mystery of it all was reveiled. I had the same reaction to Insomnia. This book also has heavy religious overtones, which may not appeal to everyone. For me, The Regulators was a tighter (if more brutal) novel, and a lot more fun.

Despiration is a real page turner, a good verses evil book. The story is about an evil being that murders most of the people in a desert town on Highway 50, the lonliest highway in America. This towns name is suitable to what the main characters are expieriencing, Despiration. An extremely fast read that will keep you guessing...

I read this book last June, and I am still afraid to be home alone. No one has ever spooked me the way Collie Entragian did! What an awsome job Mr. King has once again done in literally scaring the living daylights out of me. Because of this book my husband can no longer leave the house at night without me. Please read this book.

I think King is one of the best authors , and is at his top notch right at this outstanding book. Seeing the dead cat on the sing and then getting cought by a very creepy officer, for having dope witch is not theres in the first place, they barrowed the car from the man's dope head sister. Read this book for the best thrill ever!

I find it hard to believe that people find anything of value in this book (or most of what King publishes). Skeleton Crew was good as was a few of his earlier books, but James Joyce this guy is not. I suggest that instead of spending time reading endless pages of drivel you take a new look at your college reading assignments.

I still can't, after all these years, understand how Stephen King ties it all up with a Big Red Bow ...but he does. This man has the ability to make me love the people he creates. I can only imagine how he feels about them! If you don't read this book, you do yourself a disservice. (Also a must read...."Insomnia"

This is defintely my favorite Stephen King novel. There is non-stop action all the way to the end. The only down-side to the novel I think was David. He just didn't seem believeable. Other than that this was an excellant novel.

This was the best book I have read in some time. The characters were well defined, and the plot was well conceived. I liked it enough to read it twice and recommend it to anyone who likes King.
The haunted mine was a good twist, and the book was much better than the Regulators. Even though the characters are entwined.

I'm 17 years old. I read this book and I have to say it was completely terrifying! I loved every part about it. I couldn't sleep a wink after reading it. Every sound made me jump. And to all the people who think this book was rotten and could of done a better job writing it themselves all I have to say is.....just try to!!!!

I've read a lot of Stephen King books and enjoyed most of them, but this is his worst one yet. You can tell he's running out of ideas when you read his most recent books like "Gerald's Game." Mr. King, either start writing good stuff again or retire with your fame and fortune but don't torture us with this crap!

I have read many, close to all, of Stephen King's books and agree with most of the world that the man definately has talent upon talent.

With Desperation, as well as The Regulators, I feel King has written something very special.

I read it on a trip home to Nevada, it is set in the desert by the way, and was completely enthralled it. I actually read it straight through.

Wow! Is the only expression I could mutter after reading Desperation. One of his best no doubt. Now I'm not saying it was better that Carrie, The Shinning, or the Dark Tower. But a wonderful book, that deals with the power of faith and belief. It was gripping and terrifying at the same time. A definite buy.

This book and The Regulators is Stephen King at his best. These two books were absolute page-turners. I just couldn't put them down. The characters were so well developed that I was feeling for them every step of the way. I wanted things to work out for them. I wanted them all to live on after the book ended.

I am a huge Stephen King fan. I've read just about all his books. This one is probably my favorite. It is just so creepy even from the first line in the book. I recommend this to anyone just starting to read King's books or for the die hard lover of his books. This one doesn't disapoint.

The shorth and simple truth can be summarized in a few short sentences...This is a good book by today's standards. It is not, however, one of the best that he has written. Devoted fans will heap praise and drink the book in. (i.e. me) Casual readers of King will not enjoy this novel as much as some of his others.

The shorth and simple truth can be summarized in a few short sentences...This is a good book by today's standards. It is not, however, one of the best that he has written. Devoted fans will heap praise and drink the book in. (i.e. me) Casual readers of King will not enjoy this novel as much as some of his others.

This book starts out with a bang!! Most books it takes awhile to get interested in, not this one. From page one I was hooked. My favorite characters were David and Johnny. I just ordered the Regulators which is related to this one somehow and I can't wait to start it.Best book I've read in a long time. 4 stars.

Overall this novel was pretty good, but not King's best by far. It has a similar theme to The Stand and an even less exciting plot line. By the end of the book, I was so sick of certain characters that I just wanted them to just go away -- especially that "shitty little prayer boy."

Tak! The words of an innocent at first, but thug-looking cop.Collie Entragian. A crazy cop sweeps a hillbilly, a famous book writer, the Carver family, and Pete and Mary off their feet and into a jail cell. But little do they know, that this cop is not at all what he seems, until they meet the power of Tak.

This book is the best one ever written by Stephen King - ever! That's my opinion. It includes great dialogue, trumendous action, suspense, this book is a thriller! The Regulators, the which-way sequel, is great, too. I give it an + 10! This book is good. I recommend "Desperation." 10+! 100% good!

With "Desperation", King has returned to his throne as the ultimate ruler of horror. I had stopped reading Steven King .... Castle Rock and company had gotten stale and repetitive. However, King found his way back to his talent in the Southwest. It was creepy and tense; in a word, "TAK"!

This was the first book I have read by Stephen King and it was really captivating. I loved the good verses evil motif throughout the story, this is something that I have never been exposed to before and it really made me think. Some of it is disgusting, but hey, I guess that's part of the fun of it!

I am normally a John Grisham reader... I decided to pick up a Stephen King novel just for laughs. I was very pulled into his writing style and the general story. This is a book for any kind of reader. I plan to buy more of his books because of this book. I could not put it down. Good job Stephen!

Definitely a very insightful book. I'm not one for reading "Cristian" books, but it added to the story. Especially with the war between the two Gods. I encourage everyone to read this book whether they like King of not!

Stephen King has done it again in this Horrific story of death,God, and love.... This story connects a writer, a couple of love birds,and a family of four on vacation all are traveling on Highway 666 north or south Home or on vacation. These people are about to meet the deamon of highway 666...