The Regulators
by Stephen King, Richard Bachman
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
horror fans
I don't know how I missed this book over the years. I've read most of the Stephen King library. The Regulators is good, solid King--not, perhaps, one of my favorites, but a captivating (and chilling) read. As is common in his novels, the characters are strong, and the constant "Where does he come UP with this stuff?" question runs through the reader's mind. It starts off strong--action happens almost immediately--and feeds the reader enough information in the beginning to hook them but...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
King, Bachman buffs.
This is a decent book of Bachman's. I actually don't understand why Bachman is called "Stephen King without a conscience." This seems like pretty standard King fare.
The book begins with a pretty normal day in the life of a suburban Ohio town. Just as the reader is drawn into the normality of the day, however, violence strikes. This is perhaps a bit more of a direct violence than what's in King's books.
At the beginning of the book, that's all it is, violence. A body count for its ...more
The book begins with a pretty normal day in the life of a suburban Ohio town. Just as the reader is drawn into the normality of the day, however, violence strikes. This is perhaps a bit more of a direct violence than what's in King's books.
At the beginning of the book, that's all it is, violence. A body count for its ...more
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Read in May, 2008
There is a scene in American Werewolf in London that I instantly thought of when reading The Regulators. The dream sequence where terrifying half-human creatures burst into the family home and open fire with neither reason or remorse. If you know the scene that i'm talking about, then you'll understand just how striking and fast paced it is. I can say the same is true about the writing in The Regulators, with only occasional 'letters' or 'diary entries' to fill in the blanks between the action.
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Read in February, 1998
This is one of those cases where I feel like everyone says Desperation is better just because that's what everyone ELSE has said, so you feel compelled. It's like iPods (gag) and Hillary Clinton being evil (she's not). People just like to go with the flow of popular thought. (See The Cell for more info about group-thinking and the fun it leads to!)
I liked The Regulators better between the two books sharing the same characters...more
I liked The Regulators better between the two books sharing the same characters...more
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Read in January, 1996
A weak companion novel to the excellent Desperation, which was published simultaneously. The metafiction trickiness of having all the characters share names with the cast of Desperation leads absolutely nowhere. Are we supposed to be creeped out that Stephen King and Richard Bachman both used the same character names.... almost as if the two authors are somehow... connected?
So distracting that it put me off the entire plot. I remember enough . . . I guess it was an interesting weird tale, but ...more
So distracting that it put me off the entire plot. I remember enough . . . I guess it was an interesting weird tale, but ...more
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This was released as a companion book to Desperation. But there is no comparison between the two. Desperation is creepy and thought provoking on many levels. Regulators is about an autistic kid who, while possessed by the same demon from Desperation, conjures up a fantasy world of evil characters who proceed to kill everyone in his neighborhood. It's really just a bunch of nonsensical violence and supernatural happenings with no real explanation or payoff in the end. I really only read it b...more
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I was lucky enough to read Desperation first. In The Regulators, Stephen King took the same characters from Desparation, and then wrote a completely different story. I thought it was a really neat idea, the way a stage theater troupe will use the same actors again and again for different plays, so you see those familiar faces, but in different parts.
Regulators had a lot of bizzare imagery that made it worth the read. It took my imagination on a wild journey, and because the characters wer...more
Regulators had a lot of bizzare imagery that made it worth the read. It took my imagination on a wild journey, and because the characters wer...more
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Read in June, 2007
And so it began.
I embarked on my latest Stephen King obsession (the first one having occured about 10 years ago). This time, the bulk of it was the Dark Tower series and this related book. I'm a life-long fan of King, it just takes me a little longer to get through them, as they tend to scare the living daylights out of me. Go ahead, try to read The Regulators and sleep with the lights off...Tak will visit you in your dreams, i promise you that. tak tak tak
I embarked on my latest Stephen King obsession (the first one having occured about 10 years ago). This time, the bulk of it was the Dark Tower series and this related book. I'm a life-long fan of King, it just takes me a little longer to get through them, as they tend to scare the living daylights out of me. Go ahead, try to read The Regulators and sleep with the lights off...Tak will visit you in your dreams, i promise you that. tak tak tak
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Read in October, 2006
I read this on the bus on the way to and from NY. The trip was great, the book was not. I would classify it as shock horror. It was interesting at very few points, but it gave me that uneasy feeling you get when you watch a bad late night movie that tries to do too much on a really low budget. I can't think of a single scene where I was really feeling anticipation or excitement, the only reaction I can specifically recall was disgust.
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Read in January, 2004
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in October, 2007
My first S. King book. For a while there, I was a bit bored, but all in all, esp given the ending (which I thought was quite heartwarming for a 'horror' novel), I'm giving it three stars. Don't think I'll read anymore of his work, as I realize that I like to watch horror a heck of a lot more than reading it.
Maybe, too, I'm a bit snooty because recently I read "Dracula" and wow, now THAT was amazing.
Maybe, too, I'm a bit snooty because recently I read "Dracula" and wow, now THAT was amazing.
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4 comments
recommends it for:
Anyone who loves a good horror novel
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I have read it many, many times and it just gets better. I love the descriptions in the book and the creepy plot line. The simple beginning of the book which quickly turns to King's typical horror novel really pulls you in. I like this book a lot more than its companion novel, Desperation. They are both excellent but I love the story in this book more.
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recommends it for:
people who want a reason to not move to Ohio
I just realized that the friend I made a pact to read The Stand with, also roped me into reading this book with her too. Somehow The Stand was a step up. She went on to read Desperation but I quit with The Regulators. You know it's going to be messed up when it's a King book (well he was Bachman then) and it takes place in Ohio and not in Maine.
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Read in April, 2008
Meh, definitely not the best King work, which is probably why it was initially published as a Bachman book. A little weird, a little cliched, didn't find it particularly scary, didn't find it particularly relateable. I think you have to have some love for suburbia to like this book possibly.
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Read in May, 2008
The Regulators was an awesome sequel to Desperation. It was like reading Desperation again but with a couple of huge twists. The references back to the first book were very clever as well, and pretty funny. It was a very unique idea for a novel, and was pulled off perfectly.
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Read in January, 1997
recommends it for:
people afraid of toys.
the companion piece to stephen king's desperation, it wasn't as good as i wanted it to be. it had some points of interest, but it was a little corny and largely forgettable. desperation, on the other hand, was the jam. definitely look into that one.
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recommended to Russell by:
Someone who likes Stephen King
recommends it for: People who like Stephen King
recommends it for: People who like Stephen King
An old lady stands on her door step and squeezes her nipple until it's bruised because a demonically possessed little boy tells her to. The little boy also attempts to go down on a plastic doll at one point. Who knew that possession could be so sexy?
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This book is meant to be paired with Desperation. Both books have the same characters in radically different roles with different relationships to each other. I loved the characters so much in Desperation that I couldn't even finish this.
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Read in January, 2003
After reading Desperation and getting to know the characters so well, I had to read this again. In contrast, this story seemed very violent in an empty way. Still, it was interesting to read as a companion to Desperation.
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Read in March, 1997
I enjoyed both The Regulators and Desperation. I like how he used the same names for the characters but they were different. I'm not explaining it well, but it was an aspect between the two books that I liked.
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