Nope. King's work has always been a hit and miss for me. This one is definitely a miss.

His previous works had some shining moments that really caught my attention. However, this particular piece seems to lack the essence and charm that made his other works stand out.

The story line feels rather flat and uninteresting. There is no real build-up of tension or excitement to keep the reader engaged.

Moreover, the characters are not well-developed. They lack depth and personality, making it difficult for the reader to form any kind of emotional connection with them.

In conclusion, while King has had some great works in the past, this one fails to meet my expectations. It is a disappointment and I would not recommend it to others.

Uggh. This book was truly unfortunate. It was the other half of the two-book album that King released in the late 90's, with the other being "The Regulators." In each, King used a significant number of the same characters but in different roles and with different stories that had many similarities. You can read my review on "The Regulators." It was bad, but this one - King really went big on this one.

It is his most overtly religious book since "The Stand" and might even be more religious than that. "Desperation" has hints of a cool idea. It begins almost exactly like "Children of the Corn," but this time with a creepy cop pulling over an out-of-town couple. Who doesn't like a super scary authority figure? That could have been gold. The book deals with an evil spirit/demon/god unleashed from an old mine, similar to something out of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Transition of Juan Romero." That's a great story and has great potential!

After reading both books, I suspect that if King had just focused on one story and not tried to get so fancy with two, he may have had something worthwhile. But there is nothing, NOTHING, worse than going for super sincere, super religious and failing. This book made me want to hit myself in the face with a bible because God knows that's what King was doing. (See what I did there? I'm so clever!)

I am a Stephen King completist, and I am now seeing the problems with that. I know there are still some good ones out there that I haven't read yet, but with a lot of these, there is probably a reason I put off reading them for so long. I'm especially dreading "Rose Madder" and "Bag of Bones." I know very little about these books, I just have a bad feeling.

One nice thing? I listened to the audio version of this, and it was read by Kathy Bates, and she was awesome! The lady brought her A game to some D material. If you must consume this disaster, I recommend this route.

Desperation by Stephen King

Desperation has rapidly emerged as one of my all-time favorite novels by Stephen King. Right from the initial pages, it seized me firmly by the throat and refused to release its grip. The spine-chilling atmosphere, breakneck pace, and indelible characters combine to make this a truly captivating read.

The story is set in the once-thriving copper mining town of Desperation, now eerily deserted in the heart of the Nevada desert. It's the last place one would expect travelers like the Carver family, on their way to vacation, and writer Johnny Marinville, astride his Harley, to be stopped and charged. However, Desperation still has a local cop, a unique regulator who patrols the wilderness highway. The secrets buried within Desperation are as terrifying as the forces summoned to confront them. A terrifying transformation is underway, and the travelers will soon uncover the true meaning of desperation.

I had a particular soft spot for David and Steve, and was also drawn to Johnny's narrative. On the other hand, I despised Collie Entragian and the other villains with a passion. They were both terrifying and grotesque, made even more disturbing by King's use of raw, often brutal language that was perfectly in tune with their warped nature and the desperate circumstances the characters found themselves in.

This novel is无疑 one of King's more brutal works, but what stood out to me was the way the moments of warmth and humanity balanced out the darkness. Themes of faith, hope, and inner strength provided the story with a powerful emotional core. I also appreciated the references to other King novels like Rose Madder, which added an extra layer of connection and depth. As always, King's distinctive writing style was a joy to behold - intense, vivid, and immersive.

Knowing that The Regulators is a companion piece to this story, I'm eager to delve into it next and see how the characters and themes are reimagined. It's been a long time since a book gave me that "just one more chapter" feeling, but this one did precisely that. It reminded me of the thrill of binge-watching a great series, where you lose all sense of time and don't want it to end. A thrilling, emotional, and deeply engaging read. Highly recommended.

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Mini Review: Stephen King is, without a doubt, an outstanding author. His imagination knows no bounds, and the manner in which he constructs the worlds where his characters dwell is simply amazing. This holds true for "Desperation" as well. However, I found that this particular novel was a bit slower-paced and more drawn out compared to his other works. Typically, I can breeze through a 500+-page book of his in just a day or two, thanks to their fast pace and captivating nature. Sadly, that wasn't the case with "Desperation." I grew bored in certain sections and even resorted to skipping entire paragraphs. I've heard that "The Regulators" is the companion or alternate universe of "Desperation," and I do intend to read it soon. I have high expectations that I'll enjoy it more than "Desperation."

My Rating: 3 stars