Desperation

Rating:
Summary: A powerful read!
Review: The story is set in a once thriving copper mining town called Desperation, only now it appears to be eerily deserted.
From the first page,
"Oh! Oh, Jesus! Gross!"...
..."On that sign. That speed-limit sign...There was a dead cat on it...nailed there..."
this book had me hooked. Great characters, each with recognisable traits. I found myself not being able to stop reading...HAVING to know what was going to happen, yet as I got nearer to the end of the book I didn't want it to end.

An excellent book which I also found theologically thought provoking.

Rating:
Summary: Revisiting King
Review: When I was in high school, I went through a major Stephen King phase. He was the only author I would read, and I didn't stop until I'd read every thing he wrote (up to "The Green Mile"). That was a few years ago, and recently I was in the mood to come back to him and do some catch up with the things he's written since. I read "Desperation" and I'm currently in the middle of its sister book "The Regulators," and while I enjoyed "Desperation," I do have to admit that I've outgrown King somewhat. I don't know if he's gotten worse as a writer, or whether he's always written like this and I'm just remembering him from a different perspective, but his writing is just so SLOPPY. I feel like there's no tightness to it at all; it's like a really fatty piece of meat---there are good parts, but you have to cut around all of the inedible portions to get to them.

He builds some nice effective creepy dread in the novel's first half, but by the time it's over, it's not really scary anymore. I admit that I was pretty hooked for the whole thing and did my share of page turning, but the whole time I was reading I was aware that I was reading schlock well below my reading level, and King's writing never affected me like that before. I know that sounds pompous, and I really don't mean it to, but it's just the honest truth. He really belongs in the same class as John Grisham, except he's got more imagination in his thumbnail than Grisham has in his entire body. After I finish "The Regulators" I think my Stephen King craving will be satisfied for some time to come.

Rating:
Summary: Strong theme, interesting read
Review: I've read literally ALL of Stephen King's books. If this were my first, I might give it five stars. Having read The Stand, The Talisman, and It, I have to drop it down to four. I thought the story was a little weak-I'm not sure I ever really "got" what Tak is, beyond a bad demon of some sort. And the link to The Regulators (a truly bad book) is mystifying.

To me, though, the spiritual theme made it fascinating. As always, Stephen King puts good forces against evil, always with a little free will thrown in for good measure...free will that *almost* but not quite ruins the day, and ends up serving some greater purpose in itself.

David Carver's transformation from a blind faith based on something he believes to a heart-wrenching realization that what he's been saying all along-that God is cruel-is actually and personally true is touching and really hits home. And Johnny, very similar to Larry Underwood in many ways (good ole Larry, my favorite King character ever). The reluctant hero, transformed from the self-serving lush. For some reason he's just incredibly endearing.

Rating:
Summary: No Filler Here, this is King at his best
Review: First of all, King's ability to introduce and maintain so many diverse characters shines brighter than ever in Desperation. Secondly, King creates a compelling spiritual aspect to the story without the church-ianity so common in contemporary stories. Let me put it this way, you can buy this part of the story even if you are the kind of person that is put off by the preachiness of your average Ziggy comic. Finally, King pieces together the many faces of our shape-shifting villain, Tak, (as well as the constantly changing point of view within the narrative) in a seamless and cogent manner. King has a lot going here, and brings it all home with great style.

Sure there are flaws, namely Marinville's undeveloped war flashback, but this story just keeps on rolling with no apologies. The worst aspect of Desperation is the unnatural dialogue of Cynthia. King gives Cynthia a tough-talking masculine voice which is more like a retired teamster from the Bronx, and less like the voice of a tough little runaway chick. I mean, passages like, "Don't call me cookie and I won't call you cake", are a bit much. Some advice from a loving fan Stephen, leave your own voice out of these female characters! It's impossible to believe that they are women at all!

I recommend this book provided: 1.) you have the time to invest in it's 700 pages and 2.) that you can bear 4 page passages about spiders. Overall, a great sleeper hit from the greatest suspense writer to ever touch the page! Tak! Mi him en Tow!

Rating:
Summary: Not even close to King's best
Review: This may actually be the worst King I've ever read. I'll grant that it keeps you turning pages early on. But after a while the obsession with sex gets a little annoying. Even if not his worst, it's certainly his most vulgar. Additionally, this one wraps up in what I've found to be usual King fashion. Far too quickly and with little of the suspense and fear that the story starts with. As is often the case with his stuff, I found myself just wanting to get through the last 100 pages. Just to get it over with. It left me feeling cheated.

Rating:
Summary: Good story starts to break down . . .
Review: I'm 2/3 of the way through this book and the fiction quality is starting to degrade. The first part of the book is by far the best, when everyone is brought to Desperation, but the slew of campy stock characters gets to be a bit tiring. For example, Cynthia frequently says a bunch of stupid things that no one in that situation would say, things like "Don't call me 'cookie'." Don't get me wrong, it's a fast and somewhat entertaining read, but definitely not King's best (and neither is the Stand, for that matter). There are also hints of "deus ex machina" here, not to mention a lot of adverbs (and I say that zestfully, Mr. King).

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: I am a Stephen King fan, but even this book surprised me. Amazing heart and charisma. He did it again. I highly recommend this book, but there is a warning to the faint of heart. It can get bloody and if violence really bothers you, you will not be able to see past it and look into the eyes of this book. I couldn't put it down and then I couldn't sleep for a week. I had to hide this book under dresser so I could sleep at nite. This book is alive with it's character's, it's details, it's rythym, and it's soul. Yes, this book has a soul. The details are astounding, and you will fall in love with the people. Stephen King reminds us again, to go to the innocent to be saved. Suffer the children. Great theme. You will love it.
I also recommend: Stephen King's; It, and Pet Semetary.

Rating:
Summary: Suspense, & Terror - A Must Read Book
Review: Desperation:The title says it all. It is a book written by a best selling novelist, Stephen King. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat. You can feel the characters fear and their pain. If you are ready for suspense and terror, it is a must read book. This book is about a huge tale of a small town and the unbelievable things the people who may pass through, will have to go through in order to survive. I highly recommend this novel. You won't be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Stephen King!!!
Review: It's been a while since Stephen King has written a book as good as this one. I put this in the same category as The Stand and It.

To be honest with you, I didn't like the start of the book. I had to force myself through the start of it and right when I was going to really give up... it got good. Hey!! Just like The Stand!!

But it didn't just get good, it got really good. A real page turner once things started heading in the right direction. I couldn't wait to put it down clear till the nail-biting conclusion.

I liked the characters that Stephen King created in this book. As real-to-life as any Stephen King has created. Marinville is a joy to read even though he can be a complete jerk. The story of Steve and his hitch-hiking friend, Cynthia, is fun as they are thrown into the story. But especially the story of The Carver family, and the young child, David.

The theme of this book is that God is cruel, and while his cruelty is refining, there is a purpose to everything that happens... whether it is good or bad. While I don't believe God is as cruel as Stephen King makes him out to be (hey, this is through the eyes of Stephen King for crying out loud), it does make you stop to realize the small and simple (but sometimes large and complicated) things God will do in your life to bring about his will and good-will to man-kind.

A fantastic read and highly recommended... but this book is not for the faint of heart.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I am a big Stephen King fan. I really admire his ability to create real characters and how he gets inside their heads. He really does have a gift, which is evident in tales such as The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, The Body, etc.

Unfortunately, Desperation reads like it was written by somebody attempting to ape King's style, and missed all of the depth. This is a very superficial and messy story. I did not care about these characters, they did not seem real. That's rare for King.

I have read his brilliant book 'On Writing' - the sad thing is that he breaks many of his own rules in Desperation. It reads like a second draft - with still many unnecessary sentences, smelly adverbs, etc still in it. In fact, it reminded me of the story in 'On Writing' that he provides as an example of an unedited work.

I guess that if you merely want a fast-paced horror tale with a lot of action, then there's a lot for you to like here. But that's not why I read King.