Rating: 
Summary: Thought-provoking, and scary as hell...a great combo!
Review: I found 'Desperation' to be thrilling, frightening, and inspirational. King starts off with a typical setup(small group of strangers thrown together in an unfamiliar setting to battle something they don't understand). Add a bit of religious undertone,and you've got another 'Good vs. Evil' story, right?
Wrong! 'Desperation' is the most even-handed analysis of 'faith' that King has ever written. By developing David Carver, and his 'mission' to make a difference in the lives of others, King gives us a sympathetic, highly believable, character. I think anyone who reads it will see that the story adresses questions we've all wondered about regarding faith, and why God answers some prayers, but seemingly doesn't answer others.
Johnny Marinville's 'change of heart' at the end of the story is perhaps not unexpected, but the motivation for it came as a pleasant surprise!
The mark of a really great King novel is the believability of the characters. I found I could really sympathize with this group, come to think of them as friends, cheer them on, and sympathize when they encountered tragedy. 'Desperation' ranks with 'Dreamcatcher' and 'The Stand' as the best SK novels. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: ONE OF KING'S BEST! A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE!
Review: Having just slogged through "Bag Of Bones", my expectations for this book were pretty low. Basically, I was anticipating another seven hundred page turkey; my only real motive for reading it was making room on my bookshelf. Imagine my surprise to find it to be one of the best King novels I've ever read. At first, it looked like Jim Thompson-style noir. The villain, a six-foot seven small town Nevada psychotic cop, prowls U.S. 50, "the loneliest road in America", rounding up innocent motorists, kidnapping, imprisoning and killing them. So far, so good. The pure simplicity of such a storyline, especially in the hands of a master storyteller such as Steven King, can't fail to draw a reader in. The brute evil of Collie Entragian, the cop, combined with the isolation of the abandoned western mining town in which the story is set, creates a powerful, suspenseful conflict for the group of travellers Entragian has waylaid and locked up in the jail of the town of Desperation. But there's more. It soon becomes apparent that the supernatural is at work (what Steven King book would be complete without the supernatural?). Entragian speaks to the coyotes, buzzards, scorpions, spiders, snakes and other desert creatures in an unknown language, commanding them to help him carry out his nasty business. He has made good use of them so far, doing away with the entire population of Desperation, and will soon be turning his efforts against the travellers in his jail. For all of it's atmosphere and suspense, this novel is actually a return by King to the exploration of good versus evil, the nature of God and the mystery of faith which he delved into in "The Stand". David Carver, the protagonist, is an eleven year-old boy on vacation with his family when captured by Entragian. He must pit his recently acquired religious faith against the evil spirit of Tak, who has risen from the nearby Diablo mine and inhabited Collie Entragian's body. This faith is mercilessly tested throughout the story, and it's not always clear that God is with this unfortunate little group. If "Desperation" has a weakness, it's probably in the characters. In my opinion, King has never been much in that department and he doesn't show any new ability along those lines in this book. I cared about David and the other good guys only because the story itself grabbed me. However, if that's the worst you can say about a Steven King book, chances are you're talking about a good read. Believe it or not, this is some of the tightest seven hundred pages I can recall reading. I strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Natural Phenomonon of Literature
Review: As with most King works I love them. This is no exception. As the title of this article suggests a book this good is very rare. I liked it for a lot of reasons, to start, it was a Christian novel and had a LOT of cool stuff. The action was relentless here. From page 1 to page 547(the end i think) this was just hiding, fighting, running from jail and a drama. I felt for these characters a lot. What marks a good King book for me is how I bond with the characters(IT, The Stand etc..). I was really touched by David Carver's devoutness to God. I learned a lot about God(I know it sounds weird cause who would know that Stephen King actually taught me about God). Now back to the action, it is very rare in a book when ALL of it is just fast paced can't-put-it-down. I had fun trying to figure out the 'mystery' of what Tak was, what he did, etc. etc. This was also really creative, and once again I wonder how he figured this story out! Anyone who likes a book that is exciting and fast paced(who wouldn't) should pick this book up!
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly involving, chilling horror
Review: The thing I noticed the first time I picked up a Stephen King book was his uncanny knack for detail. He could take a simple thing and go on about it for a paragraph and make it interesting. This is one of the key elements in "Desperation," a novel that thrives on its details. If it wasn't for the incredible descriptions of the Tak character, we wouldn't get that utterly grotesque mental picture of a creature that causes the bodies it inhabits to, quite literally, fall apart. Blood seeps from every orafice on the body like it serves as nothing more than a river system of open wounds. Tak is one mean SOB, and he's also one of King's most memorable villains. And of course, in order to combat a villain of Tak's stature, you need a good hero, or a group of good heroes. We have them in "Desperation." The middle-aged writer traveling the country, the young channel to God... Each character is interesting and well written, as King's character's usually are. "Desperation" is mostly about Tak, and the power that he mysteriously holds over a small desert town full of dead bodies, and coyotes that obey his every command. The people who end up in this dead end town are nothing more than meat on a slab to this mischievious force, whom the devil would more than likely take in as a son or a brother. Tak is a merciless force of the paranormal that is hard to understand, but that is okay, but evil in itself can be a difficult concept. Heck, humanity can be a difficult concept, but that's what makes it interesting. Not really knowing what Tak wants even while we're seeing things from his point of view makes for some of the novels most interesting passages. Maybe it takes a reader that really gets inside and becomes part of the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed "Desperation," and being the nut I am for perverted jokes, I always laughed at King's little innuendoes. He must be a great guy to hang out with at parties.
Rating:
Summary: Made me a convert
Review: I had always avoided King because I think of myself as preferring "serious" literature. Desperation changed my mind about the horror genre entirely, and although I have since read several more of King's novels, it remains my favorite. People have complained this book is a rehash of previous works, but many solid writers re-visit themes and motifs that have particular meaning for them. No one criticized Hemingway for it. I'm not a big horror fan in general, but the real horror in this book is internal and familiar to almost everyone. Belief vs. skepticism. Insecurity and guilt. What if? Sure, there are a lot of memorable action scenes, but what fascinated me more is the unusual re-telling of the Book of Job. This book reminded me of some of Philip K. Dick's religious sci-fi novels. There's a tremendous amount of passion and soul-searching here. The writer is obviously the author's alter-ego, which adds another layer of depth. One of the other reviewers mentioned that Desperation caused him/her to seriously evaluate his/her religious beliefs. That's pretty impressive for a mass-market paperback, and I had the same reaction. The book can be read on at least three different levels, and it holds up on all of them. Just reading people's reviews made me want to go through it again.
Rating:
Summary: a very overlooked King book
Review: this is probably my favorite Stephen King book. I have read it 3 times, each time during lengthy trips across the world, and ech time I've read it it was as if it was my first. It is a very great book for me. For some reason I can imagine things in the book PERFECTLY, or at least in a way that makes the book truly come alive for me anyway. Each place they went to hide from Entragian was a place that I had been in in my life before or at the time I first read it. For instance the seedy, abandoned theater that they took to for shelter was the pornon theater that my father had purchased when I first read the book. And the way taht the theater was described didn't prove me wrong at all but actually made it seem like, in a wierd way, he was talking about the same building. But, either way that you imagine it, you are bound to enjoy it, because it is truly an excellent book. very creepy and...I guess that atmospheric would be an ok word to describe it. It picks up really fast..like right when it starts..Anyway. I Strongly reccomend this book as well as the sequel written under King's pseudonym, The regulators. You are sure to enjoy them.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King at His Best
Review: Last fall, I had a little time on my hands to kill and I decided to stop by the library. I picked up the Stephen King book Hearts in Atlantis. I brought it home and finished reading it. I was intrigued. However, I was perplexed-this was my first Stephen King book-and I didn't find it to be all that horrifying. Anyway, I read Pet Sematary, just to be sure, and halfway through I was hooked. In October, at Border's Books and Music, I purchased Desperation. I read a few pages when I got home, and I found myself unable to put it down. This is by far his best book I have read so far. The setting is in the lonely town of Desperation, Nevada. Entragian, or Tak, the evil spirit who has taken his body, is out to rule the world. Steve Ames and Cynthia stumble upon a horrific scene as they follow Steve's boss into Desperation. The Carvers, Mary Jackson, Jonny Marinville, and Steve Ames and Cynthia are now trapped, and Tak is getting angrier by the minute. How will they survive? I strongly reccomend this book to anyone with a strong stomach. (You'll know why when you read it) There's a twist and turn every other page. You'll find yourself reading this book all night! You won't be able to put it down! Guarenteed!
Rating:
Summary: Made me a convert
Review: I had always avoided King because I think of myself as preferring "serious" literature. Desperation changed my mind about the horror genre entirely, and although I have since read several more of King's novels, it remains my favorite. People have complained this book is a rehash of previous works, but many solid writers re-visit themes and motifs that have particular meaning for them. No one criticized Hemingway for it. I'm not a big horror fan in general, but the real horror in this book is internal and familiar to almost everyone. Belief vs. skepticism. Insecurity and guilt. What if? Sure, there are a lot of memorable action scenes, but what fascinated me more is the unusual re-telling of the Book of Job. This book reminded me of some of Philip K. Dick's religious sci-fi novels. There's a tremendous amount of passion and soul-searching here. The writer is obviously the author's alter-ego, which adds another layer of depth. One of the other reviewers mentioned that Desperation caused him/her to seriously evaluate his/her religious beliefs. That's pretty impressive for a mass-market paperback, and I had the same reaction. The book can be read on at least three different levels, and it holds up on all of them. Just reading people's reviews made me want to go through it again.
Rating:
Summary: Desperate attempt at insanity
Review: This book was about the fourth Stephrn King book that I read, I found it to be amzingly inventive. It starts off with Mary and Peter Jackson, driving down a lonely highway in Nevada, after Mary sees a dead cat nailed to a road sign she becomes uncomforatble. Soon a strange police cruiser appears to be stalking them and after a while they are pulled over. Things lead to another from here, I would elaborate on the plot more but I have a helluva head ache so I'm signing off.
Rating:
Summary: Nightmares every day
Review: Hands down... This book gave me ongoing nightmares for 2 consecutive weeks.
That's the power of Stephen King.
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