Hi. Been a fan of King since the early 80-ties and have read every book. I think anyway, is difficult to know with King. He has written so much and most of it is very good. My favourite is It which i have read many times by this time. One thing I never quite understood was when he came out with Depresssion as King and The Regulators as Bachman. Partly the same characters and incidents are dealt with but the characters, in some cases, have the same name but very different characteristics. I didn't see the point of that. Is there anyone who know? At the momment I have just started on Doctor Sleep which have started promising. Of course I didn't care about the reviews who was very mixed here in sweden. I have found that there is still people who just won't agree that he is a fabolous storyteller.
Hallo from sweden
- Thread starter Kurben
- Start date
-
This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.
Welcome Kurben, good to have you with us. 
I've just started on The Regulators but don't have an answer for you on that right now... maybe somebody else can jump in with one?
I've just started on The Regulators but don't have an answer for you on that right now... maybe somebody else can jump in with one?
I've read here in the past, Kurben, that King had in mind a kind of traveling troop of players...for the two stories mentioned. So in each story, the various players play different parts.
I wondered about it too when I read The Regulators, having just finished Desperation. Desperation was about my fourth sK only, so I was not familiar with sK's legendary linking of characters. I think Regulators/Desperation rather unique nevertheless in this sense. Wikipedia says this...Welcome Kurben, good to have you with us.
The Regulators - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oh, welcome!
Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
Hi and welcome. Maybe this will help:
Stephen King explains the genesis of The Regulators, which was published on the same day (September 24, 1996) as Desperation:
As I neared the three-quarter mark on Desperation, I had a scrap with a single word printed on it: REGULATORS. I had had a great idea for a novel, something that had to do with toys, guns, and suburbia. I didn't know if I would ever write it - lots of those "printer notes" never come to anything - but it was certainly cool to think about.
Then, one rainy day (a Richard Stark sort of day) as I was pulling into my driveway, I had an idea. I don't know where it came from; it was totally unconnected to any of the trivia tumbling through my head at the time. The idea was to take characters from Desperation and put them into The Regulators. In some cases, I thought, they could play the same people; in others, they would change; in neither would they do the same things or react in the same ways, because the different stories would dictate different courses of action. It would be, I thought, like the members of a repertory company acting in two different plays.
Then an even more exciting idea struck me. If I could use the rep company concept with the characters, I could use it with the plot itself - I could stack a good many of the Desperation elements in a brand-new configuration, and create a kind of mirror world. I knew even before setting out on this course that plenty of critics would call this twinning a stunt ... and they would not be wrong, exactly. But, I thought, it could be a good stunt. Maybe even an illuminating stunt, one which showcased the muscularity and versatility of story, its all but limitless ability to adapt a few basic elements into endlessly pleasing variations, its prankish charm.
Stephen King explains the genesis of The Regulators, which was published on the same day (September 24, 1996) as Desperation:
As I neared the three-quarter mark on Desperation, I had a scrap with a single word printed on it: REGULATORS. I had had a great idea for a novel, something that had to do with toys, guns, and suburbia. I didn't know if I would ever write it - lots of those "printer notes" never come to anything - but it was certainly cool to think about.
Then, one rainy day (a Richard Stark sort of day) as I was pulling into my driveway, I had an idea. I don't know where it came from; it was totally unconnected to any of the trivia tumbling through my head at the time. The idea was to take characters from Desperation and put them into The Regulators. In some cases, I thought, they could play the same people; in others, they would change; in neither would they do the same things or react in the same ways, because the different stories would dictate different courses of action. It would be, I thought, like the members of a repertory company acting in two different plays.
Then an even more exciting idea struck me. If I could use the rep company concept with the characters, I could use it with the plot itself - I could stack a good many of the Desperation elements in a brand-new configuration, and create a kind of mirror world. I knew even before setting out on this course that plenty of critics would call this twinning a stunt ... and they would not be wrong, exactly. But, I thought, it could be a good stunt. Maybe even an illuminating stunt, one which showcased the muscularity and versatility of story, its all but limitless ability to adapt a few basic elements into endlessly pleasing variations, its prankish charm.
That's so cool, Spidey!!!
Thanks a lot! I have wondered for years about this. And now I have an answer from the best possible source. Hadn't seen this before. thanks again
Thanks a lot! Have wondered for years and here is an answer that you gotrta believe. Thanks again
Thanks you guys. There is also this explanation in the StephenKing.com Library on the "Inspiration" page for The Regulators.
There is also this explanation in the StephenKing.com Library on the "Inspiration" page for The Regulators.
Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
[/QUOTE]Ah the Swedish Chef - love that guy (Bork, bork, bork)
Neesy
#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
That chef should have shown up as a quote but I must have had my cursor in the wrong spot when I put the first happy face (rickin frackin dadburn new board!) 
Welcome to the message board Kurben. Stay around & post alot its great people here. Oan I have read Desperation but not The Regulators so it looks like im going to have to make a stop at the book store soon.
