There's a place in Wentworth, Ohio, where summer is in full swing. It's called Poplar Street. Up until now it's been a nice place to live. The idli...
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May 07, 2009
Jimmy
rated it: 
It feels unusual to give this thing such a high rating. I remember the beginnings of almost all of his novels surpassing the endings as far as my interest in King's writing goes. Maybe I just prefer open-ended scenarios a lot more, whether it be with film or literature, and he tends to try to wrap the plot up at seemingly arbitrary points in the story. His endings are hyperbolically ridiculous too. Anyway, what I remember so vividly about this story was the insane suburban slaughter at the b
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Sep 11, 2007
Lisalit
rated it: 
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
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Oct 08, 2007
Carol
rated it:
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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Feb 13, 2009
Lucas
rated it: 
This is another very good book from Stephan King, or Richard Bachman, and I'm glad i picked it. The Regulators is what I expected from one of King's books and i wasn't disappointed by the suspence and plot of this book. This is a good sequal to Desperation, and it is good because it brings a brand new setting to the monster Tak. This way nothing from the last book can try to be recycled like most sequals.
The only problems I have with this book are that the characters take so long to More...
The only problems I have with this book are that the characters take so long to More...
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Oct 19, 2011
chucklesthescot
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 12, 2011
Gail
rated it:
OH this is a fun, classic Steven King book although at its publication date it was done under a pseydonym. I got the "book' in audio version from the library. It is marvelously Steven King gory.
What a welcome antidote to all the maudlin/cheery/let's buy somethinng of pre-Christmas hooplaI listened to the book all weekend while cheerfully decorating a little Norfolk Pine tree for Christmas and quilting. Just the right blend - Christmas and King. I had tired of listening to More...
What a welcome antidote to all the maudlin/cheery/let's buy somethinng of pre-Christmas hooplaI listened to the book all weekend while cheerfully decorating a little Norfolk Pine tree for Christmas and quilting. Just the right blend - Christmas and King. I had tired of listening to More...
Sep 06, 2010
Benjamin
rated it:
I read more than 100 novels each year and have read most of King's stuff. Obviously, with so much output from one writer, there are bound to be hits and misses. This one was a miss, in my opinion but there is still enough here to make it worth the read.
I had already read Desperation, the companion book to this volume, and came away with the feeling that I had just experienced a pretty good King novel. It also was far from his best but I enjoyed it none-the-less. So, naturally, I turn More...
I had already read Desperation, the companion book to this volume, and came away with the feeling that I had just experienced a pretty good King novel. It also was far from his best but I enjoyed it none-the-less. So, naturally, I turn More...
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Jun 06, 2010
Laura Karina
rated it:
I would have liked to give this book 2 1/2 stars, but I'll settle with the 3 rating.
It wasn't a -bad- book, but I really can't say I loved it.
I both loved and hated the fact that everything seemed to be described with excruciating detail- it made for a very interesting (if long) introduction to everything, but by the very end of the book, it became most annoying. "I get it, already, can we move along with the story?" kinda feeling.
As for the story itself, I th More...
It wasn't a -bad- book, but I really can't say I loved it.
I both loved and hated the fact that everything seemed to be described with excruciating detail- it made for a very interesting (if long) introduction to everything, but by the very end of the book, it became most annoying. "I get it, already, can we move along with the story?" kinda feeling.
As for the story itself, I th More...
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Mar 21, 2010
Kandice
rated it:
This is the companion book to Desperation, and although it's listed here as being written by Stephen King, it was actually Richard Bachman. Ha ha, for those of you that know they are one and the same. King/Bachman uses the same character names in both books which makes for an exercise in memory if they are read close together. For the first 100 or so pages I would think of the character from Desperation as the name was recycled in The Regulators. As a testament to his skill, after that point, I
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Aug 27, 2009
Amanda
rated it:
One of the most frightening and horrible books I've ever read. Oh God, this story unfolds with a kind of unnatural speed and a huge amount of horror. As I was reading, I almost wished i could stop because it was just too scary. I'm really scared of being in a situation where it doesn't seem like there's a way out.
What Stephen King/ Richard Bachman does in this book is explore the unnatural beings in the Dark Tower universe and the imagination of a child. He brings together two polar More...
What Stephen King/ Richard Bachman does in this book is explore the unnatural beings in the Dark Tower universe and the imagination of a child. He brings together two polar More...
Jul 03, 2011
Nicholas
rated it: 
In a word: chilling. Maybe it's the fact that I started this at the start of summer with all of its potential, exactly the way this macabre, surreal carnival does. The Regulators takes place on an average American street, one so familiar to small towns that it could literally be anywhere. Baseball is in the air, neighbors are friendly and lawns are neatly manicured. Dogs are playing off-leash in the street and kids are off to go get ice cream or to just hang out - and in a flash like the onset o
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Dec 17, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
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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Nov 08, 2010
Larry
rated it:
As a huge Stephen King fan, I'm a little biased when it comes to rating his work. It would take a really awful book for me to dislike it. Luckily, this book was not awful, it was great. It takes place on a small suburban street over a period of just 2 hours or so. A monster with reality altering powers basically uses that street as his own personal playground. This is classic King, with detailed descriptions of everything we see (this bugs some readers, but I like that style).
My More...
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Sep 28, 2011
Nickwieme
rated it:
I've been an avid King reader for two years now and this is my first try at Bachman, I was enormously pleased! Especially after a very disappointing Duma Key read. This book literally had everything I love most about King books; the multi-character universe (a vast amount-like Under the Dome and The Stand) and an extraordinary situation pitted against ordinary characters. The action picks up and never lets go and as the haze of what's really happening becomes clearer I became more invested. The
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Aug 06, 2011
Celeste
rated it: 
Good books move you. If you want to be moved, find a different book.
This was a large book and it was promising initially (first thirty pages). However, none of the characters developed much except for Audrey and Seth. As none of the other characters were likeable or interesting and were rather two-dimensional, I was not moved at all when they started expiring. In fact, I didn't feel one way or another about any of them.
I read it through to the end and, as with the few other More...
This was a large book and it was promising initially (first thirty pages). However, none of the characters developed much except for Audrey and Seth. As none of the other characters were likeable or interesting and were rather two-dimensional, I was not moved at all when they started expiring. In fact, I didn't feel one way or another about any of them.
I read it through to the end and, as with the few other More...
Apr 27, 2010
Alouette
rated it:
When there weren't any more R.L. Stine books available, and Christopher Pike had done all he could for me, I sneaked into the adult fiction section of the library and snagged this one when no one was looking. I'm pretty sure this is the first King book I ever read, and I'm pretty sure I was waaaay too young for it. I got about halfway before I started having nightmares about monsters and shotguns and dumped it back at the library as soon as physically possible, having thought I'd learned a les
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Feb 12, 2011
Marianne
rated it:
I gave this three stars because I'm not really quite sure how I felt about this book. There were several points throughout that I simply had to put it down because it was just too much.
What I liked: I thought the characters were great; they felt real. The story was good. I kept wondering what on earth could possibly happen next.
What I didn't like: My only real complaint is the...intermissions (for lack of a better word.) While they made interesting reading, I would ha More...
What I liked: I thought the characters were great; they felt real. The story was good. I kept wondering what on earth could possibly happen next.
What I didn't like: My only real complaint is the...intermissions (for lack of a better word.) While they made interesting reading, I would ha More...
Mar 14, 2009
Barbie
rated it:
type of book: horror
I received this book from/at: Brandy Bee at Gadsden Regional where I took her for an epidural for her bad back
ideas expressed/message/plot: A young, autistic boy, Seth, becomes the vessel of an old evil (spirit? demon?) known as Tak, who has an odd fascination with Westerns (esp. The Regulators) & a cartoon called MotoKops. Tak thrives by talking lives & is able to make manifest his favorite TV characters & terrorize the 'burbs where Seth lives.
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I received this book from/at: Brandy Bee at Gadsden Regional where I took her for an epidural for her bad back
ideas expressed/message/plot: A young, autistic boy, Seth, becomes the vessel of an old evil (spirit? demon?) known as Tak, who has an odd fascination with Westerns (esp. The Regulators) & a cartoon called MotoKops. Tak thrives by talking lives & is able to make manifest his favorite TV characters & terrorize the 'burbs where Seth lives.
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Jun 25, 2010
Chase
rated it:
This book was interesting. I love the concept of aliens, ghosts, and western all mixed into one. It was not king's best, but I guess it is not really King; it is his alternate ego Richard Bachman.
The only problem with this book was that there were so many characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. One of King's many gifts is that I am able to build personal attachments with each character, but because this book had such a long list of characters I had a tough time be More...
The only problem with this book was that there were so many characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. One of King's many gifts is that I am able to build personal attachments with each character, but because this book had such a long list of characters I had a tough time be More...
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Sep 13, 2011
Christine
rated it:
This book was written by Stephen King under the name Richard Bachman. I thought this was an interesting book mostly because I had already read the mirror novel Desperation and most of the character names are the same from that book. I love the writing that Stephen King uses. His narrative is omniscient; however, he knows exactly how to lead the reader into suspense. The characters in this book are well developed and all have flaws that are believable, one even cheating on her husband. I als
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May 19, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
Likely my least favorite King book. Weak all around.
Writing: 2
Typical King fare. Decent writing, but nothing to go nuts about.
Story: 1
I...I have no idea what this book was about. A demon-possessed kid who could project his imagination onto the real world...? Ummm...yea, I have no idea what the heck was going on.
Characters: 2
Surprisingly weak for a King story. No one I could relate to. Too many cookie cutter suburbanites who weren't fleshed ou More...
Writing: 2
Typical King fare. Decent writing, but nothing to go nuts about.
Story: 1
I...I have no idea what this book was about. A demon-possessed kid who could project his imagination onto the real world...? Ummm...yea, I have no idea what the heck was going on.
Characters: 2
Surprisingly weak for a King story. No one I could relate to. Too many cookie cutter suburbanites who weren't fleshed ou More...
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Mar 08, 2011
Maria
rated it:
This is probably one of the very first books i pick up from S.King and it has a more personal meaning!I remember the first time i check out this because was probably around 12-13 years back but even there is a huge timeline different the results was the same.. It still drag me into it so much I still felt the same fear while reading it and it was still the same.. Started...reading... hurray up to actually finish it because of fear LOL I think thats the major plus of S.King it has the unique way
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Jan 24, 2012
Dan
rated it:
Not one of my favorite Stephen King books. I read this right after finishing it's twin book "Desperation" by Stephen King. I like this book less than Desperation for most of it, but by the end I liked it about the same. The story ended up being pretty cool, but just like Desperation there was a lot of stuff in there that I think should have been edited out. Good writing, good story, but longer than it needed to be. King has become one of my favorite authors, but to this date Desperatio
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Jun 06, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
This book has some of the same characters that are in Desperation. I think it takes place some years after the events of Desperation. I really thought The Regulators was much better, it takes place on a typical suburban street and therefore seems almost believable ..... maybe if there was a crack in the world's fabric of reality this might happen on your own street ..... that's what made this fun :) Loved the depth of characters he explores, and he does it for so many on the block, makes you
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Oct 04, 2011
The last King novel I read was Udder the Dome a few months back, and perhaps it is because of that novel that I cannot bring myself to finish this one. There are so many similarities; small knit community, unexplainable events, closed off town (or street), supernatural occurrences. The worst thing, perhaps done on purpose and perhaps not, is the names. So many are re used from the regulator and into the dome! Audrey, the Carvers (like the Calverts), and many others that are just far too similar
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Apr 11, 2011
Artie
rated it:
I was interested in this book because it was pitched to me not as a sequel, but as a companion piece to one of his other books Desperation. I wanted to see how this would actually work out in practice. I was not let down. What he meant by companion is that many of the characters appear in this book, but in different roles. The themes are also explored differently in each book. Plot wise I am never that upset with King's work, I am willing to hold some suspension of disbelief, but, to me, King's
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Jan 29, 2012
Ritchie
rated it:
Und ein weiteres Buch von Stephen King habe ich verschlungen, in diesem Falle geschrieben von seinem bösem "Zwilling" Richard Bachman.
"Regulator" ist eine Art Parallelgeschichte von Stephen King's "Desperation". Dieselben Figuren aus "Desperation" sollten in "Regulator" übernommen. Einige sollten die gleiche Rolle spielen, andere wurden gemäß der Geschichte verändert. Jedoch sollte keine der Figuren dasselbe tun, das es sich schließlich More...
"Regulator" ist eine Art Parallelgeschichte von Stephen King's "Desperation". Dieselben Figuren aus "Desperation" sollten in "Regulator" übernommen. Einige sollten die gleiche Rolle spielen, andere wurden gemäß der Geschichte verändert. Jedoch sollte keine der Figuren dasselbe tun, das es sich schließlich More...
Feb 09, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
Weirdest story—ever. King has a reputation for pushing boundaries, and this book is an example of that. He pushes the boundaries of reality as well as the boundaries of good taste. Who other than Stephen King would conceive of the idea of an autistic boy being possessed by an evil entity—an evil entity that makes the boy’s fantasies reality, with a murderous twist.
Good taste warning; this book is not for everyone. There is a fair amount of animal murder, but the killing is simpli More...
Good taste warning; this book is not for everyone. There is a fair amount of animal murder, but the killing is simpli More...
Dec 27, 2010
Dudley
rated it:
Of five:
Readability- 4
Story- 3
Characters- 1
Intrigue- 1
Easy to read, and the story was anice idea--and scarier to me than many of King/Bachman's other books, though I enjoyed this one less. The characters were terrible, most of them anyway, and I just didn't think it was very well written. More and more throughout the book I found myself not really caring if I reached the conclusion. In such a fat book, it says a lot that when I was 60 pages from the end More...
Readability- 4
Story- 3
Characters- 1
Intrigue- 1
Easy to read, and the story was anice idea--and scarier to me than many of King/Bachman's other books, though I enjoyed this one less. The characters were terrible, most of them anyway, and I just didn't think it was very well written. More and more throughout the book I found myself not really caring if I reached the conclusion. In such a fat book, it says a lot that when I was 60 pages from the end More...
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Dec 04, 2010
Dennis
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This was an older King title that I came across which I had never read. It sounded pretty good, although there was only a BRIEF desription of the plot (one little paragraph) at the beginning. I figured "What the Hell..." Well, it started out promising, with a quiet peaceful town enjoying a hot summer afternoon until some vibrantly colored vans showed up and starting blowing away the townspeople with shotguns aimed out of their windows. Not the sort of thing I was expecting! Then the st
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