The Regulators

De: Stephen King

Narrado por: Frank Muller

The battle against evil has begun in this "devishly entertaining" (Publishers Weekly) story of a suburban neighborhood in the grip of surreal terror - a number-one national best seller from Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman.

Peaceful suburbia on Poplar Street in Wentworth, Ohio, takes a turn for the ugly when four vans containing armed "regulators" terrorize the street's residents, cold-bloodedly killing anyone foolish enough to step outside their homes. Houses mysteriously transform into log cabins, and the street now ends in what looks like a child's hand-drawn Western landscape. Masterminding this sudden onslaught is the evil creature Tak, who has taken over the body of an autistic eight-year-old boy, Seth Garin.

"A rip-roaringly violent thriller whose main action takes place in little more than an hour and a half" (Booklist), The Regulators features an introduction by Stephen King on "The Importance of Being Bachman".

©1996 Richard Bachman. All rights reserved. (P)2016 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Endure it

The beginning of the story is very slooooow and.. some may not be ready for a story that begins so sporadically

another great story!

I listened to desperation the "mirror" story of this one, then I followed it up with this story! I was immediately drawn back in!

o_o

What did you love best about The Regulators?

I loved the way the author sequenced the story. It wasn't beginning to end, it was like you were finding pieces of the story and putting it together.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No one.

Which scene was your favorite?

I don't have one.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I wouldn't

Any additional comments?

The book is very dark and sexual at some points. It has left me feeling a little shaken, sometimes horrified which I think denotes King as a very good writer. I would recommend reading this book in text because listening to it can be a little confusing as there are so many characters. King does a great job describing the characters and what it occurring with immense detail.

Not my favorite

I've "read" quite a few SK books and loved most of them. This was not one. The story was OK but the narrator is terrible. His sing song voice was extremely annoying. I would not buy another book read by him. The story itself is engaging but extremely fantastical. Leaves many unanswered questions.

Great

Stephen King great as always. Frank Muller was the voice of my childhood. RIP Frank.

Stephen King at his "Baddest"

Would you consider the audio edition of The Regulators to be better than the print version?

By all means Mr Muller pulls you right into the story and keeps you hooked until the last drop of blood.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Trying to pick a favorite character is like trying to pick my favorite ice cream flavor; they all taste so good, and add to the plot so well.

Have you listened to any of Frank Muller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not yet but will be looking for his name on my future audibles.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

set to music (on the street where you die )

Never slows down!

l read the book years ago, and this was my first listen. The performance was solid, even though the reader is a bit breathy. As much as this story is great in an audible format, I much prefer reading it, as my mind is better at setting the "tone" and pace than the narrator does. Great listen, but probably won't re-download any time soon.

Better with its (and my) age!

When this book first came out, I was utterly intrigued by the idea that King and "Richard Bachman" were releasing books that were interconnected, with similarly named characters, but in very different situations. In retrospect, King invented a multi-verse before the idea and term ever entered our every day entertainment lexicon.

As a kid, I loved "Desperation" more, because it felt more straight forward and a typical King story - disparate strangers find themselves in a position to combat a common evil. With "The Regulators", King (in retrospect) tried something gonzo and completely different. A small town is terrorized by faceless road warriors - and it turns out that the autistic boy who was taken in by his aunt is behind it.

"The Regulators" is linked to it's companion through characters' encounters with the Tak demon in the "Desperation" coal mines. That's where the relationship ends - as although the character names are the same - they aren't the same characters. Davey Carver isn't a religious tween, but an adult college professor. Johnny Marinville is still a writer, but his past isn't as colorful as it is in "Desperation." And whereas some characters in "Desperation" are throwaways, they play a bigger part in this one - and vice versa.

Something about the comic book nature and total "out there" concept of 80s cartoon characters/action figures coming to life and blowing a town to smithereens is so crazy - it works. Also, Frank Muller's narration (initially too speedy and annoying at the beginning) grew on me, as it fit the 50s sci-fi radio play vibe of the novel.

The characters seem a little more one dimensional in this book and the character roster is a little more crowded with people who don't have a part in Desperation, which means some of them are merely there for cannon fodder. Also, as I listened to this immediately after Desperation, it was hard to keep the characters straight between them and their Regulators counterpart.

When I was a teen, Desperation was the better of the two, but 20ish years later, I think The Regulators is a better, more enjoyable book because it attempts to be something completely different. It's a book before its time.

Great story. King is a master.

Spellbinding work. you really get to know the characters. the mirror to Desperation character wise. listen to them back to back and really enjoy the universe. King is amazing on several levels. i mean Bachman ;)

Very intense & gripping

I loved this story, it was nonstop intensity, terror, and you can’t help but root for the characters to make it. There were times I thought a character would come back to life because they seemed too good to kill off. Loved the narrator’s voice, he pulls you into the intensity and doesn’t let you go. Hold on for this old but good one!