I really adored this one. When I began it, I had absolutely no clue regarding the plot. It was rather refreshing to delve into a King novel without having seen the movie or at least having some inkling of what to anticipate.

This book also had a profound impact on me on a personal and almost spiritual plane. God and the power of prayer are significant aspects of this story. Coincidentally, I have recently come to understand how crucial God and prayer are in my own life, so it was fortuitous that I read it when I did.

On a different note, this book gave me numerous nightmares and instilled a new fear in me of getting pulled over. In fact, just two days after commencing this book, I was pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign. As the officer exited her vehicle and started walking towards mine, I instantly thought of the events I had just read in Desperation the previous night, and I was actually shaking as I retrieved my driver's license. (Thankfully, I only received a written warning and was not hauled into a small town to be terrorized by a demon from the depths of hell.)

It is an extremely great book.

In these silences something may rise.

Honestly, Desperation took me aback in many ways. This book stands out from everything else I have read by Stephen King thus far. It delves deep into the realm of religion and beliefs, which is a departure from his usual themes. However, some of the characters lack the depth and complexity that I have come to expect from King's works.

The giant cop Collie Entragian enforces the law on Route 50 with an iron fist. Those who dare to break the rules are whisked away to Desperation, a place where strange and terrifying things occur. An ancient evil force lurks within the town, growing stronger with each passing day.

This book is one of the creepiest I have ever read. Spiders, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, buzzards, and every other imaginable creepy creature seem to lurk around every corner. The evil force, Tak!, and the gory and macabre scenes are described in such vivid detail that they will haunt your nightmares. King's narrative skills are on full display here, and everything seems to be amplified to the extreme. I loved how messed up this book was.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of the book. However, there were a few characters that could have been better developed. Steve and Cynthia, for example, had important roles to play but felt a bit one-dimensional. John Marinville wasn't the most likable character either, but by the end of the book, I understood his motives and actions.

The constant religious undertone in this book is a polarizing feature. Some people may be put off by it, but I found it to be an interesting exploration of faith and belief. The way it is developed through the character of David, a young boy, and how it affects the other characters and their beliefs is truly fascinating.

I will admit that it was a bit difficult for me to get into the first 100 pages of the book, as I was feeling a bit under the weather at the time. However, once I got past that initial hurdle, I was completely hooked. King's ability to build suspense and deliver stunning revelations kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The battle between good and evil in Desperation is truly epic, and it has earned its place in my top 5 favorite King books.

Usually, when I pick up a book as thick as this one, I anticipate that the first hundred pages or so will be dedicated to world building, character development, and slow-paced reading. However, King had a different idea. He said, "Nah, we're diving right in. Just figure it out as you go." And I have to admit, I loved him for it!

This book was an extremely enjoyable read. It kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly trying to figure out what exactly this group was up against. The long and seemingly never-ending dust storm added a sense of claustrophobia to the story, which I found quite effective. David, the main character, is truly remarkable. He's such a tough little guy. While the adults around him are falling apart, he remains steadfast and constantly leads the group to safety. I really loved this kid.

To be honest, I would have given this book five stars if it weren't for the spider scenes. I can handle violence and gore, but poisonous spiders acting like soldiers was just too much for me. It was a bit too creepy and disturbing. Nevertheless, I would still highly recommend this book to others. It's a thrilling and engaging read that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is embarking on a comprehensive re-read of his works, starting from the very beginning and going all the way to the end. It has been a considerable amount of time since I truly delved into Uncle Stevie's captivating world. However, with a reading rate of one book per month, I am fully committed. My aim is to read and review each one with the utmost honesty and self-reflection that I can offer.

Background – “Desperation” was initially published in September 1996 in hardcover by Viking Press. Alongside it was a semi-companion novel, “The Regulators,” which was published under his previously retired pseudonym, Richard Bachman. “Desperation” and “The Regulators” presented parallel universes, with many of the characters existing in each reality under different circumstances and situations. Additionally, the first hardcover editions of the two novels, when placed side by side, formed a complete painting.

King's inspiration for writing this novel stemmed from his 1991 cross-country drive across the United States. During this journey, he stopped in Ruth, Nevada, a small desert community off Highway 50. According to interviews, his first impression was that all of the town's citizens were dead. This observation set his creative juices flowing, as he wondered who could have killed them. The idea that the sheriff might have been responsible quickly took hold.

Length-wise - my oversized paperback lists it as 706 pages, while my Kindle indicates 614 pages.

Plotline – In short, the story involves a murder spree in a small Nevada town. A more detailed description would involve a group of diverse people driving by Desperation, a town of less than 200 people located along an isolated and desolate stretch of Interstate 50.

These random travelers include Peter and Mary Jackson, an English professor and poet driving Peter's sister's car to New York for her; the Carver family, Ralph and Ellen (dad and mom), and David and Kirsten (son and daughter), traveling together in their RV; John Marinville, a previously critically acclaimed author recovering from addictions and traveling cross-country on his motorcycle (much like the author King did); and Steve Ames, John's assistant following him in a truck to ensure he makes it safely without a relapse, along with Cynthia Smith, a younger hitchhiker Steve picked up along the way.

Unbeknownst to these travelers, they are all going to encounter Collie Entragian, a deranged and psychotic police officer from Desperation. Collie is a unique kind of cop that one is completely unprepared for when meeting him. There is something seriously wrong with Collie... And whatever form of evil exists, it is infecting the town and the surrounding landscape. However, what Collie doesn't know, but only suspects, is that one of these travelers has a connection to a power that might save them all. Or perhaps not...

Thoughts and Reflections – There is a frequently quoted statement from King - “I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out. I'm not proud” – that is extremely fitting for this particular book.

I was only about 150 pages into “Desperation” when this quote immediately came to mind. For me, this is my personal Uncle Stevie gross-out book of all time. He employs every conceivable type of creepy and gross-out situation that I can think of, including (but not limited to) shock murders, mutilations, body parts, snakes, spiders, buzzards... You name it, it's here. There is even a scene involving a young girl and a wolf that I will not describe in detail, as it will stay with me for a long time... That was a particularly difficult one, even for Uncle Stevie. I was left with the impression that this was his all-out attempt not only to scare his readers with a haunted small-town scenario but also to make us beg for mercy before we finished our visit to Desperation. As Uncle Stevie said, he's not proud.

This was King's version of the Halloween's Michael Myers, Friday the 13th's Jason Vorhees, and Nightmares on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger type of thrill, where you are constantly on the run from an inhumane psycho killer who is always hot on your heels and refuses to let you escape. I would even add a related Dark Tower feel that several of King's previous novels have seemed to bring into our world (like Insomnia and Rose Madder). In my opinion, this was King unapologetically setting aside any desire for critical acclaim and allowing his uncultured, unsophisticated, and unpolished “inside voice” to go full throttle in scaring and grossing out his readers. Nothing more and nothing less.

As for how well this approach worked, I have some mixed thoughts. The first third or so of the book was extremely tense and nail-biting reading – easily worth four stars. It was one of King's better starts and quickly drew me in. He effortlessly blended in the character introductions and backgrounds while propelling the story forward with high intensity. However, somewhere near the middle of the book, things seemed to slow down a bit, which was understandable given all of the action and drama up to that point. Unfortunately, things continued to get slower, and the last quarter of the book was almost a struggle to finish, as I had to battle through the excessive prose and weak ending – barely worth two stars. I cannot recall any King book in which the ending simply fizzled out like this one. It also felt like King really struggled with the themes he was attempting to explore, and it came across as a bit muddled and unsure of what he was truly trying to convey. For me, it was rather disappointing in more ways than it was successful, especially considering the strong opening.

Other Notes –

There was a television film adaptation of “Desperation” in 2001, starring Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt, and Steven Weber. It aired on ABC and was based on Stephen King's own screenplay adaptation of his novel.

Besides the connections to “The Regulators,” King's reference to his other works continues in this book:

Cynthia Smith previously appeared as a member of the same shelter for abused women as Rose Daniels in “Rose Madder”.

Ellen Carver recalls reading a book titled “Misery in Paradise” written by Paul Sheldon, the successful writer and protagonist from King's earlier novel, “Misery.”

Terms and phrases used in his Dark Tower series are employed by Collie Entragian, the deranged police officer.

Overall – This novel had one of the best beginnings, launching like a bullet and capturing your attention for the first couple of hundred pages. But in the end, it just couldn't live up to the setup or my hopeful expectations. Overall rating - 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I stood up well after nearly twenty years. It has been such a long time. I am too tired to put together a long and detailed review. However, I really want to point out one thing. I reread this particular book right after my second time going through "It". And to my surprise, I found out how many similarities the two books share. Of course, this book is a far superior one. There was also a really nice reference to those pesky tommyknockers. It added an interesting element to the story. Now, I am moving on to reading "The Regulators". I'm curious to see what that one has in store for me.

This incident really scared me to death! It was so terrifying that it was enough to lower my overall rating. I just couldn't help but feel that I was such a wimp.

I mean, everyone else seemed so calm and composed, while I was just freaking out.

It made me question my own courage and ability to handle such situations.

I know I should try to be braver in the future, but it's easier said than done.

Maybe I need to face more challenges and build up my confidence gradually.

But for now, this experience has really left a mark on me and made me realize how much I still have to work on.

I just hope that the next time something scary happens, I won't be such a coward and can handle it with more grace and courage.

Close your eyes.

Imagine yourself cruising down Highway 50. The windows are rolled down, and the wind is tousling your hair as if you were in front of a powerful fan. The tunes are blasting out of the front speakers, and everything seems to be going perfectly. You and your friend are having the time of your lives.

That's when you notice the blue and red lights flashing behind you, accompanied by a quick 'whoop whoop' indicating that you need to pull over.

A strange man, who appears to be a law enforcement officer, slowly makes his way to the side of your car. His dragging steps build up the suspense as he approaches your door. He stands there, waiting. You and your friend look at each other, wondering 'what the hell is going on'. He continues to stand there and asks for your information. But you both think, he hasn't even looked at us yet. What's up? What follows this simple pull-over will change your life forever. There will be blood. There will be gore, and that is just the beginning.

"The spiritual state of unbelief is desperation" - (Disembodied voice of God)

I picked up Desperation because I'm a fan of King's novels, and what I love even more are his small town stories. He has quite a few of them: Under the Dome, Needful Things, Tommyknockers, and those are just a few. King has a knack for capturing the small town mentality. He constructs his characters around these lost and forgotten towns, the kind that you've only heard about in ghost stories from long ago camping trips. We encounter quite a few different people, including Entragian, a townie police officer who is possessed by God knows what. This encounter leads us deeper into the dank pit that is the town of Desperation - a town infested with insects, its streets covered in animal hides, and not a soul in sight. This really enhances the great atmosphere that we, the constant reader, are supposed to experience. There are other authors who can do this as well, but King has mastered this prose. This might sound like I'm on the King-can-do-anything bandwagon, but that's not the case. Our author friend can do many amazing things, like scaring the pants off us with a deadly clown that lives in the sewers or making us wet our pants while being trapped in a haunted hotel with an abusive parent/father. With Desperation, Steve added God to the mix, along with a boy who could communicate with Him. This was initially a bit amusing to me because of some of his other characters, like Mrs. Carmody from The Mist. She's depicted as a bible-thumping wacko, but in Desperation, the game changes, and we're supposed to follow David. I'm trying not to give anything away because this is a good novel, not one of his best, but definitely a keeper. All I know is that with this book, I found myself wishing for a bit faster progress. There was a point where the story plateaued for a while, but in true King fashion, the story rears its ugly head and delivers with blood-curdling, gore-spewing greatness.

Did I like Desperation? Heck yeah. Would I recommend it? Probably.

Will I ever drive the lonely Highway 50 in my life now? F$@K NO!

I really enjoyed this book a great deal. In fact, especially during the first half or so, I simply couldn't put it down.

The villain in it was truly fascinating. I kept wondering why he was doing what he was doing and what was happening to him in the meantime. These questions continuously intrigued me.

There were also several memorable characters. I have to admit that not all of them were super likable, but nevertheless, I found them interesting. I liked the way Cinthia and Steve got close, quickly yet almost without realizing it. However, David sometimes felt a bit annoying with his talk of 'god's will' and such. I could understand Jhonny to a certain extent.

This book contains a lot of religious elements. Maybe it is the most religiously impregnated one I have read so far by King, and perhaps even in my entire life. It made me a little skeptical at times, especially because I couldn't understand how the characters could continue to do what they did after 'their' god acted so cruelly. Maybe this is something I also think about in real life. This made me wonder about King's actual points of view on this matter and realize that I don't know much about this aspect.

Anyway, although it is quite long, it is easy to read. There is a whole lot of creepiness with made-up language, cruel gods, mineshafts, and other such things. The cave aspect actually reminded me a little of Locke & Key by Joe Hill, mostly because of the evil can tah, I guess, and also because of this 'door' to something else.

I had lost track of King after the eighties.

During that time, I devoured all the stories that came my way so that gradually I would forget his way of approaching terror.

I was strongly urged to read this story and finally I agreed. And the truth is, I loved it.

The entire first part kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what it was going to tell me. A story of a serial killer or something similar, I thought. And in a short paragraph of the story, King hit me right in the chest and it took me the rest of the narrative to catch my breath.

It doesn't tell anything that I haven't read before, I don't discover anything worthy of praise. It's the same old thing and the same old thing doesn't have to be bad. But, how good it feels when they make me feel this bad?

Maybe it's the nostalgia that King brings back, or the way he manages to create such a vivid and intense atmosphere.

Whatever it is, I'm glad I gave this story a chance and was reminded of why I once loved his work so much.

I'm looking forward to reading more of his stories and seeing if he can still have the same impact on me.

DNF at 81 %.

Probably it's not the book's fault, but I found it extremely difficult for me to both get into the story and pick it up.

I have been dipping in and out of this book for a long time.

I have had trouble wanting to read it because I feel so disconnected from the story.

I have no opinion on the characters and felt no horror at all.

So, I'm deciding to DNF this book for now and pick it up again some other time.

I hope to give it a more fair shot then.

Maybe when I come back to it, I will be in a different state of mind and be able to fully engage with the story and the characters.

Until then, I'll move on to other books and see if they can capture my interest more effectively.

This work may not reach the level of King's best novels (after all, there aren't many books that can achieve that height). However, it is an extremely exciting and engaging narrative.

It combines elements of terror and adventure in a most recommendable way. The story unfolds with a captivating charm that keeps the reader hooked from beginning to end.

The author has skillfully crafted a world filled with thrilling moments and unexpected twists. The terror elements send shivers down the spine, while the adventure aspects add a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Whether you are a fan of horror or adventure, this novel has something to offer. It is a must-read for those who enjoy being immersed in a world of excitement and mystery.

So, pick up this book and prepare to be taken on a wild ride of emotions and experiences.

Audiobook - Narrated by Stephen King - Surprisingly good narration.

I say surprisingly good because years ago I listened to something Stephen King read (unfortunately, I can't recall what it was) and was rather disappointed with his flat and emotionless voice. So, when I downloaded this book and discovered it was narrated by the author himself, I was severely let down. However, after some thought, I decided to give it a try. And I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. He did an outstanding job. It was as if he was right there in my living room, an old friend come to visit, sharing a cup of coffee and regaling me with his latest adventure.

I have reread many of King's books, but I haven't revisited Desperation or The Regulators since I first read them in the 90's. There was a great deal that I had forgotten... until...

"There’s a place along Interstate 50 that some call the loneliest place on Earth. It’s known as Desperation, Nevada.

It’s not a very nice place to live. It’s an even worse place to die.

Let the battle against evil begin.

Welcome to...

Desperation."

Oh crap, I think, as a knot forms in the pit of my stomach.

Stephen King is truly a master storyteller. In my opinion, he is the best there is. In this book, he presses all my buttons and then some. The characters and the visuals are, as always, perfect.

The religious theme of the book, I must admit, was somewhat off-putting to me. However, the rest of the story more than makes up for it.

This is an excellent read. And for those who enjoy audiobooks, if you're a little deterred by Stephen King's voice at the beginning, I encourage you to persevere. I assure you, it will grow on you and add a great deal to the experience of visiting Desperation.