Desperation
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Wiktionarypar Image:Desperationbook.jpg Desperation is the title of a horror novel by Stephen King. It was published in 1996 at the same time as its "mirror" novel, The Regulators.
Desperation is the story of several people traveling along the desolate Highway 50 in Nevada who all get abducted by Collie Entragian, the deputy of the fictional ghost town of Desperation. Entragian uses various subtexts for his abductions, from an arrest for drug possession to “rescuing” a family from a nonexistent gunman.
As the travelers deal with Entragian, they realize that something is far from right with this physically-massive police officer. His statements and behavior indicate that he may be insane, an assumption which seems to be confirmed as Entragian brutally assaults and kills several people for no understandable reason.
The travelers learn quickly that Entragian is far worse than just insane. He is possessed by an ancient supernatural entity which calls itself Tak, a creature which had been set free by a local mining company when they unearthed an old mineshaft where Tak had been imprisoned since the late 1800’s. Tak has the ability to control the local desert creatures like vultures, scorpions, and coyotes, and needs a host to travel around outside of the ini (The ini is an underground chamber which is Tak’s entryway into this world. The story seems to indicate that Tak is, actually, a physical being trapped in another world or dimension, but can send its spirit into our world through this opening and possess creatures here).
The travelers, along with a couple of rag-tag citizens of the now-empty town of Desperation, find themselves in the middle of a struggle between the evil of Tak and the will of God, who expresses His desires to them though a boy named David Carver.
Due to David's interaction with God, the novel contains a philosophical depth on the subject of religion. While David is trying to escape Desperation along with the other travelers, he is often faced with situations where he must question his faith.
Desperation was released simultaneously with the novel The Regulators (published by King under the name Richard Bachman). The two novels share many similarities, most notably the cast of characters. The original hardcover versions of the novels had artwork on the cover that connected when the two books were placed side by side.
A miniseries version, written by King and directed by Mick Garris, starring Ron Perlman, Annabeth Gish, Steven Weber and Tom Skerritt, will air in May 2006.
Dark Tower connections
- The term can-toi (that is, 'children of the desert') is used in the Dark Tower series to describe the Low Men in Yellow Coats.
- In The American West cinema, the lines "Little Bitty Baby Smitty, I seen you bite your mommy's titty." are scrawled crudely on the wall. This line comes from another King novel, It, one of the most crucial novels in the Dark Tower universe.
- There was some debate as to whether or not Tak was a manifestation of the Crimson King, the primary villain in The Dark Tower. In Desperation, there are references to the ini (Tak’s place of origin) looking like a crimson eye. In The Dark Tower, the Crimson King’s sigul is an open eye on a crimson background.