book data
3758 ratings, 3.32 average rating, 98 reviews
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published
September 1st 1996
by Penguin Audio
binding
Audio Cassette
isbn
0140863222
(isbn13: 9780140863222)
description
Richard Bachman is really Stephen King, and The Regulators is a kind of companion novel to Desperation, which was published simultaneously. The...more
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avg 3.32
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 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
I just reread this work, the strange companion novel to Stephen King's release "Desperation". Certainly not my favourite Stephen King/Bachman book, but not my least favourite, either.
In high school, we actually read a Stephen King novel in AP English class. My professor's theory is that in the future, King may be an actually famous author, not so much for his works per se, but for the introspection into late 20th-Century life that his characters offer. King's characters are real, ...more
In high school, we actually read a Stephen King novel in AP English class. My professor's theory is that in the future, King may be an actually famous author, not so much for his works per se, but for the introspection into late 20th-Century life that his characters offer. King's characters are real, ...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 charac...more
I liked The Regulators better between the two books sharing the same charac...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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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
King fans, horror fans
"The Regulators" goes with Stephen King's "Desperation." It's not a sequel or a prequel to it, so it doesn't matter what order you read them in, but they do go together.
"The Regulators" has a surreal sort of quality that makes it particularly spooky. A normal little town is suddenly taken over by demonic creatures that look like the characters of a popular cartoon program. They are responding to, however, a leader who has taken over the body of an autistic litt...more
"The Regulators" has a surreal sort of quality that makes it particularly spooky. A normal little town is suddenly taken over by demonic creatures that look like the characters of a popular cartoon program. They are responding to, however, a leader who has taken over the body of an autistic litt...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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This one is paired with the book "Desperation" in a very interesting way. I won't say how, except that you'll get a better result if you read the other book first.
This one didn't have as interesting of a setting (suburban America, rather than a deserted town out West), and I'm afraid a few of the characters got on my nerves. Still, some of the scenes were nail-bitingly chilling, and I can really appreciate the fact that King was kind of experimenting with something here.
This one didn't have as interesting of a setting (suburban America, rather than a deserted town out West), and I'm afraid a few of the characters got on my nerves. Still, some of the scenes were nail-bitingly chilling, and I can really appreciate the fact that King was kind of experimenting with something here.
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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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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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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
friends
Great book! Stephen really steered away from what he would usually right. To me this was like a scary cartoon that came to life which that is pretty much what I think Stephen was trying to do. Also Stephen King wrote this book under the name of Richard Bachman.
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