Desperation

Title: Desperation

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1996

Date read: 8th May 2020

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Desperation" by Stephen King is a terrifying supernatural horror novel set in the desolate Nevada desert, exploring themes of good versus evil and the nature of faith.

A diverse group of travellers, including the Carver family, a married couple named the Jacksons, famous writer Johnny Marinville, and his assistant Steve, are separately making their way along the remote Highway 50. Their journeys are violently interrupted by Collie Entragian, the monstrous and seemingly insane sheriff of the dying mining town of Desperation. Entragian, an impossibly large and brutal figure, pulls them over on various pretexts, from drug possession to fabricated crimes, and brings them to the deserted town's jail.

It quickly becomes clear that Desperation is not merely abandoned; its residents have been brutally murdered, and Entragian himself is a vessel for an ancient, malevolent entity known as Tak. Tak is a primal, destructive force that was unearthed from an old mine shaft, "The China Pit." Tak can possess living beings, but its hosts rapidly deteriorate, forcing it to constantly seek new ones, and it can also control desert wildlife like coyotes, buzzards, and scorpions.

Among the captives is David Carver, an eleven-year-old boy with a deep, personal connection to God, who has experienced what he believes are direct communications and even miracles. David becomes the spiritual guide and a reluctant prophet for the desperate survivors as they try to comprehend the unimaginable evil they face.

As the body count rises and Tak shifts between its human and animal hosts, the survivors realize they are being systematically hunted. They are forced to band together, using their individual strengths and David's unwavering faith, to fight against the overwhelming horror. Their fight culminates in a perilous plan to return to the China Pit, the source of Tak's power, and seal it away before the entity can escape Desperation and unleash its full terror upon the world. The novel is a visceral battle for survival, sanity, and the very soul, highlighting humanity's fragility and the power of belief in the face of absolute evil.

Comments:
Another amazing story and I love the connections (once again) to past and future stories.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)