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View Poll Results: Which one do you Prefer?

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  • Desperation

    89 67.42%
  • The Regulators

    43 32.58%
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Thread: Desperation Vs The Regulators

  1. #126
    BAZZINGA candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy's Avatar

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    i prefered regulators as it seemed a little rough around the edges like a lot of the bachman novels, whereas when king writes as himself he is a lot smoother.

    in this instance i felt that the story of the regulators and tak needed that roughness to make it more creepy.

    and as a childless person, to me there is nothing scarier than the mind of a child

  2. #127
    Vagrant Dead frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik is a splendid one to behold frik's Avatar

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    The Regulators - definitely!

    It's the book I read first. Practically non-stop action - and hard-hitting too.
    Then I read Desperation. The first 75 pages or so were awesome - very creepy and unnerving. Then the story came to a crawl and became somewhat boring.

    sk

  3. #128
    Millionth Post Club divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster has much to be proud of divemaster's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jean View Post
    Desperation. Hands down. No comparison.
    This right here. I don't recall which one I read first as I read both when they came out together. Desperation is one of my King favorites. Easily top 10. The Regulators was just plain horrible. I'll never pick that one back up off the shelf. Bottom 5.

  4. #129
    Gunslinger Apprentice AIMB will become famous soon enough AIMB's Avatar

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    The Regulators.

    I know that Desperation is the better book in my mind, but the heart says Regulators. Poor little Seth. The premise is so ridiculous but I love it.

  5. #130
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    I read Desperation first and loved it. The Regulators came 2nd, and I just finished it last night. I believe the Regulators to be superior to Desperation. For me, Desperation was too predictable. The Regulators had to be one of the wildest novels I ever read. All the Bachman books are pretty gruesome, but they keep moving; real page turners.

    I read Desperation and The Regulators after the Dark Tower series. I believe the Crimson King went mad is because of Tak. I am almost certain of it now.

  6. #131
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    hello 19eye, and welcome to the site.

    I agree that the regulators was more of a wild read and more random than desperations.

    I think this is why i liked it more as it was told in such a scarey random manner

  7. #132
    Gunslinger Apprentice 19eye-rosecrow-gun is on a distinguished road 19eye-rosecrow-gun's Avatar

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    Hey thank you for your welcoming candy, I really like your avatar and sig. I used to watch that movie all the time when I was a kid (amongst others). The wolf monster (gmork?) used to scare the hell out of me. I think he'd take the American Werewolf in London any day.

    When I read Desperation it reminded me of a miniature STAND. Instead of the whole U.S., it happened in a little town. In the end, Tak was destroyed by god's will, kind of like Flagg in The Stand. In the Regulators, nobody had a chance against Tak. People only had one chance to take, and if they screwed that up, they'd have been killed.

    Anyhow, I wonder if you guys think the Crimson King got posessed by Tak? I think TCK had been a guardian of the tower but was weakened by its strength, or maybe as a kind of dream catcher, filtering all the bad energy so it couldn't get to the tower itself? I don't know, but I do think Tak posessed him. After all, Tak is red and lives in a world of nothingness. I won't cover all the details but I believe Tak and CK have the same kind of sadistic behavior. Just something to consider.

  8. #133
    Along the Path of the Beam rico567 is on a distinguished road

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    I looked at the poll, but did not vote. I've read The Regulators, but not Desperation. I got the former in a box of SK books I paid $7 for, and it wasn't among the books I wanted (which were several of the DT books). When I finally got around to reading it, I thought it had to have been something SK wrote in high school, and put in a closet somewhere, kind of like the original Carrie manuscript, and it got hauled out later after he reached the point commercially where he could publish his grocery list and it would make the NYT Top Ten.

    I read The Regulators for a second time recently, under the rubric that every dog gets one bite, and although it worked a bit better on second reading.....not enough. More like "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

    Coming from the author who wrote The Stand and the whole DT epic, it was a poor joke, at best. That's where I am. Since I have read that The Regulators and Desperation are related in some ways, I'm going to have to be convinced -and more than I have so far reading this thread- that I should add it to my shelf....even if Desperation is ahead in the poll 2-1. My opinion of polls may be best summed up by Cornelius Vanderbilt's statement "The public be damned."

  9. #134
    The Tenant Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean's Avatar

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    rico: in my opinion, there's nothing in common between The Regulators and Desperation, taken as works of literature. The whole approach to the text, the writing, the characters, the story told is so different they might as well have been written by different authors (the one who wrote the Regulators having tried to steal some names and basic concepts from the one who wrote Desperation, but unable to go any further than this). Desperation is firmly sitting in my Top Five King Novels, The Regulators - as firmly - in Bottom Five. Don't let any superficial similarities mislead you, and please please form your own opinion.

    Luckily, it won't demand any sacrifice. Reading three first pages of Desperation is enough to convince you that it has only nodding acquaintance with that other novel.

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  10. #135
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jean View Post
    rico: in my opinion, there's nothing in common between The Regulators and Desperation, taken as works of literature. The whole approach to the text, the writing, the characters, the story told is so different they might as well have been written by different authors (the one who wrote the Regulators having tried to steal some names and basic concepts from the one who wrote Desperation, but unable to go any further than this). Desperation is firmly sitting in my Top Five King Novels, The Regulators - as firmly - in Bottom Five. Don't let any superficial similarities mislead you, and please please form your own opinion.

    Luckily, it won't demand any sacrifice. Reading three first pages of Desperation is enough to convince you that it has only nodding acquaintance with that other novel.
    rico567, please pay attention to this. Jean is spot-on. I loved Desperation. Top-tier King for sure. The Regulators was crap. "Like a high school reject novel" as you so aptly described.

  11. #136
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    Read "Desperation" first, but after reading both (and I of course may be subjective here) Desperation somehow felt like the first of a 2 part series. Just a feeling I guess.

    However, while I enjoyed and liked "Regulators", "Desperation" seemed to be "Hands Down" the better book.

    Just my 3 beans





    P.S.

    Just an observation but there sure seem to be are a lot of literary critics "weighing in". LOL J/K folks (or am I? hmmmmm. lol)
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  12. #137
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    Default Which one should I read first?

    I'm trying to decide between The Regulators and Desperation. They both sound equally enthralling, and I'm having a hard time picking which I should start reading first. It's begun to bother me, not being able to decide, so I'm posing it to you guys as a question.

    Which one would you read first? Or, which do you suggest should be read first? Does it matter?
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  13. #138
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    Quote Originally Posted by Candice Dionysus View Post
    I'm trying to decide between The Regulators and Desperation. They both sound equally enthralling, and I'm having a hard time picking which I should start reading first. It's begun to bother me, not being able to decide, so I'm posing it to you guys as a question.

    Which one would you read first? Or, which do you suggest should be read first? Does it matter?
    I read Desperation first myself and think that was a good choice, for a number of reasons. Aside from the fact that I liked The Regulators better (especially the ending), I read Desperation right after Rose Madder, and there's a character in the former consistent with the latter.

    That's just me, though.

  14. #139
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    If I do that, then I'll have to find my copy of Rose Madder, and read that. Either first, or in between them.

    I have so many books... I don't know where to put them all - some of them are on the second bookshelf downstairs (the first bookshelf is my mothers bookshelf, and is mostly DVD's, actually), some of them are in a tote here in my room, and the rest of them are in another tote somewhere in the basement. I know it's not up here, so I'll have to check the bookshelf, and if it's not there, then the basement.
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  15. #140
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    i read desperation before regulators too, i didn't do it for any other reasons than thats the way the books came to me. i did prefer it this way though as i recognised some things in the regulators that are not as 'clear/defined' as they are in desperation,

    IMO regulators is the better book, and so this was another reason i was glad to read it last

  16. #141
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    Ah, very interesting. It's good to see other Tower Junkie's opinions on this kind of thing - that's why I came here when I couldn't decide. ^_^
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  17. #142
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    Desperation first.
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  18. #143
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    Well, it's clear which one I'm going to be reading first, then. So far it's unanimous. Hehe.
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  19. #144
    Army of the 12 Monkeys pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle is a glorious beacon of light pathoftheturtle's Avatar

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    I think you'll find Desperation interesting enough without having read Rose Madder. In fact, it was the latter novel which was more of a chore for me. It was published first, but still, it just might be better to read it later.

    I definitely feel that Desperation is the best of these three, myself. I also tend to think that it is usually better to read it after The Regulators, although I'm not entirely sure that these two opinions of mine are completely dependent upon one another.

    But, anyway, if you are decided now, and also more or less committed to reading both eventually, then I don't think that it is a real big deal. I just hope that you enjoy them.

  20. #145
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    I'm sure I will - so far the only book King wrote that I've had trouble reading is Bag of Bones. For some reason, I just couldn't get into it. I put it down, and never picked it back up. I'll read the whole thing eventually, but I just... I dunno, I'd have to say it's my least favorite right now, because it's the only one I just couldn't read.
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  21. #146
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    I'd say Desperation. I think it'll make a few things in The Regulators a bit clearer.
    Although I did read The Regulators first and loved it so you can really enjoy it either way.
    Only the gentle are ever really strong.

  22. #147
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    Thanks for the input. ^_^
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  23. #148
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    Quote Originally Posted by pathoftheturtle View Post
    I think you'll find Desperation interesting enough without having read Rose Madder. In fact, it was the latter novel which was more of a chore for me. It was published first, but still, it just might be better to read it later.

    I definitely feel that Desperation is the best of these three, myself. I also tend to think that it is usually better to read it after The Regulators, although I'm not entirely sure that these two opinions of mine are completely dependent upon one another.

    But, anyway, if you are decided now, and also more or less committed to reading both eventually, then I don't think that it is a real big deal. I just hope that you enjoy them.
    I read Desperation first and I reread it after The Regulators and I still think it's the best of the three books that have been mentioned. For once, Path and I agree entirely on something
    I'm sure you'll like them both so start with the one you grab first!

  24. #149
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    Quote Originally Posted by pathoftheturtle View Post
    I definitely feel that Desperation is the best of these three, myself.
    So do bears.

    Back to the title question, I don't really think the order matters.

    In some time, this thread will have to be merged.

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  25. #150
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jean View Post
    Back to the title question, I don't really think the order matters.
    I agree. The Regulators and Desperation are twin novels of a sort. They happen in different worlds an can be read in different orders, although Desperation feels to me like it came first. That might just be because I read it first .

    Of the two books Desperation is my favourite.

    As for Rose Madder, yes they it shares a character with Desperation and as such is set before. However, you don't really need to read it first. The character (who happens to be quite central in this book) is quite minor in Rose Madder, and you can always catch up on his/her background later.

    That being said, I really like Rose Madder, even if King himself wasn't keen on it.

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