Good Story, but...

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mal

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Jun 23, 2007
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Sai King could copy my phone book and I'd think it's the greatest! I'm too biased. I just reread this a few months ago. The paperback was given to me by my wife's Dad, who is 98! I thought it was a heck of a good tale. Very fast moving...I couldn't catch my breath.
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
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But Peckinpah wanted total control (as per usual), and both Bachman and King refused to grant it. Stanley Kubrick then showed interest, which was fine with Bachman, but King would have none of that.

I read Desperation, then Regulators. I had assumed Regulators would be a kind of sequel to Desperation. I was taken aback; but I think disappointment sometimes happens upon first reading of a story. I think I need to reread The Regulators.
I read somewhere, must have been in Hollywood Trade or some other magazine like that, that Shelly Duvall and Molly Ringwald were interested in starring in it. ;;D
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
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I read Desperation and then The Regulators back to back, in that order, when they were first published. I didn't hate The Regulators, but I didn't love it either. Of the two Desperation is my favorite. I liked The Regulators better after a re-read a couple of years ago. But, there is something about it that doesn't lend itself to a place on my top 20 King novels. Maybe it's the sparseness of prose or just the violence forced upon these folks. Nope, can't be the violence because there's tons of that in Desperation. Maybe it's the lack of hope?
 

skimom2

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Oct 9, 2013
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This one is at the absolute rock bottom of my personal King List. To me, it is the ugliest, dirtiest, darkest book or story he's written, and that counts the stories in Full Dark, No Stars. It doesn't feel like a King (or Bachman) book at all; to be honest, reading it was the first time I questioned to myself if Mr. King tanking on drugs (not a query I usually entertain, but there's a 'man on the edge' quality in the writing that surprised me). I gave it another chance, years later, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.
 

Sunlight Gardener

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Jul 22, 2013
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This one is at the absolute rock bottom of my personal King List. To me, it is the ugliest, dirtiest, darkest book or story he's written, and that counts the stories in Full Dark, No Stars.

Even darker, uglier and dirtier than Pet Semetary? Woah, that's bad. That book is like torture for me, it's so black. No redeeming qualities whatsoever besides being a riveting story of course. Cujo is another one that is so dark that even though it's a great book, I don't particularly enjoy reading it all that much. While I actually enjoyed the Regulators a lot, I can see what you mean as being very different.

On another note, your post made me assess which King book would be "Rock Bottom" in my SK library. There isn't one that stands out greatly among the rest, but Tommyknockers would probably be pretty low down there I guess. It seems really really long and slow...at least the last time I read it. As much as I hate to admit it, Revival would probably be on the low end too. Just didn't resonate much for some reason...a least not the way his other books do.
 
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Sunlight Gardener

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Started a re-read of Regulators today for the first time in 10 years or so. Very curious to see how my positive memories of the book stack up to reading it this time. I feel like I must be building it up into a better book than it actually is, since I loved it so much, but it is almost unanimously disliked amongst SK fans here and one of his lowest rated books.

I gotta tell ya though. I read the first 20 pages today and so far it's just as good to me as I remember. I completely love the "Residential suburban Ohio on a sunny beautiful Summer Day" setup of the story. Using that backdrop to introduce all the characters living on that street right before all hell breaks loose is just beautiful IMO. I confess, I am hooked right back into it from the get go. Can't wait to get back into it tomorrow.
 

Sunlight Gardener

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Jul 22, 2013
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Just finished my Regulators re-read. Yeah I am in a definite minority here, but I thoroughly enjoyed that book every bit as much as I remember the first time when I read it years ago. I started thinking that maybe I had built it up too much in my mind after reading how much people here dislike it. Nope, it's still awesome and one of my SK favorites lol.

Starting Desperation again since I always read them one after the other and the stories fit together in a bizarre way. I fell right back into both of them as soon as I started. Excited to read some of the parts in Desperation that I have forgotten over the years.
 

carrie's younger brother

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Mar 8, 2012
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Just finished my Regulators re-read. Yeah I am in a definite minority here, but I thoroughly enjoyed that book every bit as much as I remember the first time when I read it years ago. I started thinking that maybe I had built it up too much in my mind after reading how much people here dislike it. Nope, it's still awesome and one of my SK favorites lol.

Starting Desperation again since I always read them one after the other and the stories fit together in a bizarre way. I fell right back into both of them as soon as I started. Excited to read some of the parts in Desperation that I have forgotten over the years.
I love The Regulators; much more than I like Desperation. The Regulators hits all the right SK buttons for me. It's one of my SK top 10.
 

Pucker

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As a matter of style I preferred Desperation, but I grew up in one of those sleepy, leafy suburbs where everything was totally okay all the time (except when my parents came home drunk) and watching all that get blasted apart in The Regulators spoke a kind of language I can understand.

I rarely go back to these two, but thinking about them right now my mind is entirely full of Ron Perlmann telling the blonde wife:

"I don't want that! Especially from you!"

Tak
 
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Bardo

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Nov 19, 2011
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I with you, I had a hard time keeping the cast in mind with this book, I did finish though! Now reading Desperation which flows quite nicely but,
The reoccuring players from Regulators are still a bit jumbled in my mind, Ill go back and re-read Reg's again shortly
 

Senor_Biggles

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This one is at the absolute rock bottom of my personal King List. To me, it is the ugliest, dirtiest, darkest book or story he's written, and that counts the stories in Full Dark, No Stars. It doesn't feel like a King (or Bachman) book at all; to be honest, reading it was the first time I questioned to myself if Mr. King tanking on drugs (not a query I usually entertain, but there's a 'man on the edge' quality in the writing that surprised me). I gave it another chance, years later, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth.

Started reading this thread and I was trying to figure out exactly how to explain why I like The Regulators so much and then you went and did it for me. Thanks Skimom! It is ugly, it is dirty, it is dark, it does leave bad taste in the mouth and it works for me.
 
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skimom2

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Started reading this thread and I was trying to figure out exactly how to explain why I like The Regulators so much and then you went and did it for me. Thanks Skimom! It is ugly, it is dirty, it is dark, it does leave bad taste in the mouth and it works for me.
See? Isn't it nice that Mr. King has a little something for everyone? :)
 

prufrock21

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Jun 2, 2011
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Early King is grungier, more intense--more grossed-out, if you will--than the more mellow King we witness today. It's like early King is a shot in the arm (or the buttocks), and later King is a punch in the stomach. Which do you prefer?
 

Sunlight Gardener

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Jul 22, 2013
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Skimom, I'm curious but after re-reading it a couple months ago, I honestly can't think of anything overly dirty, dark or gross about The Regulators that stands out when compared to other SK books. Yeah it was gritty and there was a lot of violence but I can't think of many of his books that don't have some of that.

I actually went into it looking for stuff because a couple people here voiced the same opinion. I actually found it more optimistic than a lot of King works and nowhere near as gross as a book like Dreamcatcher for instance, nor anywhere near as dark as Pet Semetary. What am I missing? I kept waiting for the gross out parts or terribly dark parts and I think I must have not recognized them for whatever reason. Lol, maybe I am just sick I don't know.
 
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danie

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Feb 26, 2008
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Skimom, I'm curious but after re-reading it a couple months ago, I honestly can't think of anything overly dirty, dark or gross about The Regulators that stands out when compared to other SK books. Yeah it was gritty and there was a lot of violence but I can't think of many of his books that don't have some of that.

I actually went into it looking for stuff because a couple people here voiced the same opinion. I actually found it more optimistic than a lot of King works and nowhere near as gross as a book like Dreamcatcher for instance, nor anywhere near as dark as Pet Semetary. What am I missing? I kept waiting for the gross out parts or terribly dark parts and I think I must have not recognized them for whatever reason.
SG-I'm tagging Skimom so she'll see your post.
skimom2
 

Pucker

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May 9, 2010
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Skimom, I'm curious but after re-reading it a couple months ago, I honestly can't think of anything overly dirty, dark or gross about The Regulators that stands out when compared to other SK books. Yeah it was gritty and there was a lot of violence but I can't think of many of his books that don't have some of that.
.

I wouldn't presume to answer for anyone else ... and I think you may rest assured that Skimom will answer for herself, but for my money, what is "dirty, dark and gross" about The Regulators has nothing to do with anything that happens in the actual story.

The Regulators
is about what we perceive.

That is why it takes place somewhere we are expected to recognize.

That is why it posits serenity in that place . . . and why the word "why" is in this sentence three times.

That is why, when things start to go wrong -- and keep going wrong -- most of the people who inhabit this "wrong" place will not admit that anything at all is (or could ever be) wrong.

I don't like this story.

I mean . . . I like it for how it teaches me about stories . .. what they can do . . . and how what they can do influences how I think about things that go beyond the stories, themselves.

But I don't like what happens in this story.

It's wrong.

And not wrong the way Pennywise . . . or Flagg . . . or ... even that overblown Crimson King himself is wrong.

It's wrong in a more fundamental way; a way that we should more readily recognize .. . but don't.

Most people on this forum would not argue with the fact that Mr. King is a genius.

But I wonder -- so I do -- how many of us could articulate clearly, why we say it is so.

I can't.

And this story is a good example of why I can't.
 

Sunlight Gardener

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Jul 22, 2013
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.

I wouldn't presume to answer for anyone else ... and I think you may rest assured that Skimom will answer for herself, but for my money, what is "dirty, dark and gross" about The Regulators has nothing to do with anything that happens in the actual story.

The Regulators
is about what we perceive.

That is why it takes place somewhere we are expected to recognize.

That is why it posits serenity in that place . . . and why the word "why" is in this sentence three times.

That is why, when things start to go wrong -- and keep going wrong -- most of the people who inhabit this "wrong" place will not admit that anything at all is (or could ever be) wrong.

I don't like this story.

I mean . . . I like it for how it teaches me about stories . .. what they can do . . . and how what they can do influences how I think about things that go beyond the stories, themselves.

But I don't like what happens in this story.

It's wrong.

And not wrong the way Pennywise . . . or Flagg . . . or ... even that overblown Crimson King himself is wrong.

It's wrong in a more fundamental way; a way that we should more readily recognize .. . but don't.

Most people on this forum would not argue with the fact that Mr. King is a genius.

But I wonder -- so I do -- how many of us could articulate clearly, why we say it is so.

I can't.

And this story is a good example of why I can't.

I'll be honest, I don't get any of that or understand it. In fact I get the exact opposite feeling from reading it. This is the first SK book I always find myself wanting to read in those very first golden days of summer when it finally gets warm and beautiful outside. I just want to sit outside in the sun and enjoy it again. Those are the associations I get from the book, mostly because that is the setting of the book itself I guess. It's also the way I read it for the first time which may make a difference. I get nothing except good feelings from reading it. I would argue that Desperation (which I love too and is much more popular) is much darker than The Regulators.
 
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Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
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Yeah I don't get any of that or understand it. In fact I get the exact opposite feeling from reading it. This is the first SK book I always find myself wanting to read in those very first golden days of summer when it finally gets warm and beautiful outside. I just want to sit outside in the sun and enjoy it again. Those are the associations I get from the book, mostly because that is the setting of the book itself I guess. It's also the way I read it for the first time which may make a difference. I get nothing except good feelings from reading it. I would argue that Desperation (which I love too and is much more popular) is much darker than The Regulators.

Good post.

Good screen name, too.
 
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