Just finished, have Questions.

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Soapstone

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Jul 13, 2015
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I read The Regulators first, Desperation second: of the two books, I enjoyed Desperation more.

I am curious as to how the whole Mythos of the two books work, and how they tie together exactly, are they alternate worlds to each other? Or is something else going on? I noticed the most of the same cast was in both books.

Does anyone know what Stephen King intended with the two books and how they work together?
 

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
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I recall reading a post or two, once or twice, that King had in mind a troupe of actors and so we have the same people in the two stories. Throws ya for a loop, hey? When Collie is one thing in one, one thing in another? The clueless have no idea what we know, Soap. It pays to have a clue. Check out StephenKing.com - The Library (the library) that might have something like what I've posted. I really enjoyed Desperation...although once in a while I get in the mood for Spaghetti-Os
 

bobledrew

Inveterate yammerer
May 13, 2010
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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Keep in mind that King published one under his own name, and the other under the Bachman moniker.

I think this tells you something about the approaches to the books.

King is a tireless experimenter, from "The Plant" to "Green Mile" to "Riding The Bullet" to challenges he's set himself like Misery, Rose Madder, Dolores Claiborne, or Gerald's Game.

I think it's entirely in his character to take a set of names and an entity and create two different works of art from them.
 

Soapstone

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Jul 13, 2015
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so far, i dont know much about how bachman is different than king, only having these 2 books to compare. but i have noticed that king usually has a them to his books, i havent read pet semetary yet but i know the major them of that is to essentially not play god, and accept death. and i love how the 2 big themes of desperation is family and god.
 

inhumanking

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2012
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Virginia
I read The Regulators first, Desperation second: of the two books, I enjoyed Desperation more.

I am curious as to how the whole Mythos of the two books work, and how they tie together exactly, are they alternate worlds to each other? Or is something else going on? I noticed the most of the same cast was in both books.

i read them in the same order, and also enjoyed Desperation more. i may have enjoyed Regulators more had i read Desperation first, as it seemed Desperation delved more into Tak's... well, 'origin' for lack of a better word. they did indeed seem like alternate worlds of each other, and it was an awful lot of fun reading these back-to-back (i actually listened).


Other than having the same characters in each book, there's not much the two books have in common. Desperation has God, The Regulators doesn't.

i disagree... i felt there were many things (major & minor) in common other than the presence of God as a character; not to get too 'spoilerish', but from the isolated group of people under siege, to specific people playing similar roles or experiencing similar events in both stories.
 
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