December 31, 2003

Desperation and The Regulators

From Stephen King's Desperation:

"...Sane men and women don't believe in God. That was all, that was flat. You can't say it from the pulpit, because the congregation'd run you out of town, but it's the truth. God isn't about reason; God is about faith and belief. God says, 'Sure take away the safety net. And when that's gone, take away the tightrope, too.'"
--Reverend Martin, a slightly alcoholic preacher

Desperation and The Regulators, both by King, are two very interesting books. The easiest way to explain how the two books work together is by calling them parallel dimensions. They involve the same characters, but the characters have different fates in the story. The characters themselves might have changed some as well (i.e. age changes, children become parents and parents become children, someone mentioned in passing in one story becomes a major character in the other). The storylines, while slightly similar, are also dramatically different.

The books themselves are obviously two very individual pieces of literature. Desperation is much more of a spiritual book than The Regulators,while the focus in The Regulators is apparently the story-telling (think almost Quentin Tarantino-like).

All in all, the two books combine to create a unique literary experience that I would recommend to less squeamish readers.

Posted by Randy at December 31, 2003 03:21 AM