When I was 13 I visited with my older brother (MUCH older brother, he's 16 years older than me). He has always been a huge King fan along with his wife, so they have a pretty decent-sized library full of King books. At the airport I grabbed a book to read on the plane that looked fascinating, but I didn't really LOOK at it. Once the plane had taken off I realized I grabbed Wolves of the Calla, the FIFTH book in the Dark Tower series. Naturally I put it aside, I'm not going to start a series in with book five.
His wife—on the other hand—was in love with The Dark Tower series and hadn't yet purchased the fifth book. In fair exchange I let her have the fifth book and she let me take my pick of a huge stack of King books. I grabbed Desperation out of the pile because of the bear on the cover. I thought it looked disturbing, and I wanted to read a book that would scare me. When my sister-in-law came back in she laughed and remarked "That one kept your brother up for weeks." Thanks for the foreshadowing I suppose? Lol.
I finished the novel in a week, and have re-read it since multiple times. I even enjoyed the made-for-TV special they did even if it wasn't all that fantastic. I strongly feel that Desperation is one of King's scariest novels and it's extremely difficult to explain why. In a lot of ways people view The Regulators as the scarier novel of the two, because Tak possesses a small child. However, I feel like The Regulators didn't bring the same slow, steady unease that crawled through me as I read Desperation. I love both books, and I love the new perspectives each bring.
Desperation is still the clear-cut winner.
Perhaps it's the imagery, the tone it sets, and the fact that Tak possesses a law enforcement officer out in the middle of nowhere. Someone you'd need to rely on in times of trouble... yet hidden inside is a living nightmare. Each of the characters are flawed, and I won't lie, I HATE David Carver. I find him obnoxious. But as much as I hated David Carver, I found myself loving Mary, Steve Ames, and Marinville all the more. Especially Marinville, I feel King writing bits and pieces of himself into that role, which makes Marinville truly shine.
The ending was also fantastic. It wrapped things together, it felt satisfying. From start to finish I felt this unease and even at the end there's still that question up in the air if Tak, or creatures like him, will ever truly be gone? My first King novel, and forever my favorite (tied with The Long Walk).
His wife—on the other hand—was in love with The Dark Tower series and hadn't yet purchased the fifth book. In fair exchange I let her have the fifth book and she let me take my pick of a huge stack of King books. I grabbed Desperation out of the pile because of the bear on the cover. I thought it looked disturbing, and I wanted to read a book that would scare me. When my sister-in-law came back in she laughed and remarked "That one kept your brother up for weeks." Thanks for the foreshadowing I suppose? Lol.
I finished the novel in a week, and have re-read it since multiple times. I even enjoyed the made-for-TV special they did even if it wasn't all that fantastic. I strongly feel that Desperation is one of King's scariest novels and it's extremely difficult to explain why. In a lot of ways people view The Regulators as the scarier novel of the two, because Tak possesses a small child. However, I feel like The Regulators didn't bring the same slow, steady unease that crawled through me as I read Desperation. I love both books, and I love the new perspectives each bring.
Desperation is still the clear-cut winner.
Perhaps it's the imagery, the tone it sets, and the fact that Tak possesses a law enforcement officer out in the middle of nowhere. Someone you'd need to rely on in times of trouble... yet hidden inside is a living nightmare. Each of the characters are flawed, and I won't lie, I HATE David Carver. I find him obnoxious. But as much as I hated David Carver, I found myself loving Mary, Steve Ames, and Marinville all the more. Especially Marinville, I feel King writing bits and pieces of himself into that role, which makes Marinville truly shine.
The ending was also fantastic. It wrapped things together, it felt satisfying. From start to finish I felt this unease and even at the end there's still that question up in the air if Tak, or creatures like him, will ever truly be gone? My first King novel, and forever my favorite (tied with The Long Walk).
Last edited: