The RegulatorsHardcover

I read Desperation many years ago and loved it. I knew there was a Richard Bach man novel that was a 'mirror' novel, but had never taken time to get it and read it. There were just too many good Stephen King novels to get through. So here I am, many years later and caught up on most of those novels. So, I felt it was time to read Richard Bachman novels. I started with this one, and it was great. Right on par with Desperation. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.

Where to begin? Oh, man - I read this book when I was in high school and fell in love with the absurdity of it all. I read Desperation before I first read this and didn't even make the connection between the characters until reading both stories again some 15 years later. I love the parallel storytelling involving the same characters from Desperation and that same quack of a villain, Tak.

I really have no complaints about this story that opens on what appears to be any ordinary day in a suburb of Ohio, except on this day the residents woke up in the Twilight Zone, but I don't think any episode of the Twilight Zone could be this bloody or gory. The way this story opens, King sets the scene so beautifully that you almost hear the birds chirping yourself. That is, until you hear the first gunshot go off...

With that said, if I do have any complaints it's about Tak as a villain. I expressed my low opinion of Tak in my review of Desperation. Compared to the Crimson King of the Dark Tower series or that iconic Randall Flagg from The Stand, I just don't think this villain compares - he was just a little pervert with a craving for chocolate milk and Chef Boyardee ( I personally love the lasagna myself).

But the mayhem the little S.O.B caused...

I felt sorry for everyone involved,especially the children. However I have conflicting emotions about the outcome of this story. The way it ended, it sort of calls to mind why this story went on as long as it did. When the truth was finally revealed about why "little toy vans" were out to get them, the threat was dispatched with relative ease. It was no wonder a certain character only joins the other people almost the last 20 percent of the story. I really saw no other way for this story to end but how it did.

This story is a good read if you love classic King. I read this coming off of Bag of Bones and I felt so nostalgic. This is the stuff I fell in love with The King for. Not that sleepy hollow crap I just read about a man trying to uncover the ghostly past about his cabin in the lake while battling some old coot for the very soul of a child that, in my opinion, he had no business really caring about. I'm sure there's a lot of people who prefer the new King and that's fine. But me - bring on the gore! The Regulators had plenty of it and so long as you don't take this story serious, I think you'll find it very entertaining to say the least.

Having just read Desperation, I was anxious to dive into Stephen King’s (aka Richard Bachman’s) parallel-universe novel, The Regulators. King uses many of the same character names, briefly visits the same setting of Desperation, NV, and spotlights the same villain, a sadistic, murder-hungry entity named Tak (who loves Spaghettios and chocolate milk nearly as much as killing). But the story unfolds on the other side of the country, on a soon-to-be-decimated suburban block in Wentworth, OH. If you’re squeamish about blood and gore, pick another novel. From page 19 on, this one provides more carnage than a slaughterhouse—and very few resting spots along the way. But it’s classic King, and if you’re a fan, The Regulators is a ‘must-read’. Just don’t expect your favorite characters to survive!