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  • Desperation

  • Written by: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Stephen King
  • Length: 21 hrs and 15 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (198 ratings)

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Desperation

Written by: Stephen King
Narrated by: Stephen King
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Publisher's Summary

"The terror is relentless" (Publishers Weekly) in Stephen King's number-one national best seller about a little mining town, Desperation, that many will enter on their way to somewhere else. But getting out is not easy as it would seem....

Located off a desolate stretch of Interstate 50, Desperation, Nevada, has few connections with the rest of the world. It is a place, though, where the seams between worlds are thin. And it is a place where several travelers are abducted by Collie Entragian, the maniacal police officer of Desperation. Entragian uses various ploys for the abductions, from an arrest for drug possession to "rescuing" a family from a nonexistent gunman. There's something very wrong here, all right, and Entragian is only the surface of it.

The secrets embedded in Desperation's landscape and the evil that infects the town like some viral hot zone are both awesome and terrifying. But as one of the travelers, young David Carver, seems to know - though it scares him nearly to death to realize it - so are the forces summoned to combat them.

©1996 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)1996 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

What the critics say

"Stephen King's knack for turning the stray junk of pop culture into sick, darkly engrossing thrills has rarely been this much in evidence as in Desperation." ( Salon)

What listeners say about Desperation

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but not great

I am a complete Stephen King fan. That being said, although I love his writing, I am not a fan of his narration. Mr. King does not get into character the way many of his narrators do.
I also did not find that the characters in this book were as well defined as most of Stevens characters. still, an excellent listen enjoyed the book.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book!!

I love this book! It is an amazing book to read, and is so cool to hear Stephen King himself narrate it. Any Stephen King fan needs to hear the audible audiobook. #Audible1

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good beginning but a little too weird afterwards

Desperation starts off really good, just like most Stephen King novels. The first third is very interesting and the mystery behind what is going on keeps your attention. However from there it starts to ramble and gets real weird. I've read most of his work and am used to King's weirder stuff but this one just wasn't doing it for me. Also I think it was a disservice for King to narrate it himself. A professional narrator may have elevated the book with a stronger performance. Kind isn't a bad narrator...he is just meh.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Expected

Excellent as expected of King. The wheel of his mind continues to turn…and burn…and scare.
Enjoyed this read

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stephen King Should Read ALL His Books

I read this book when it was first published but listening to King read his own words made the story come alive. His reading of Bag of Bones is a must-listen, an Audible masterpiece.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

amazing as usual

These books are never a disappointment, love how Authors faith us brought into them.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • JJ
  • 2022-09-08

Stick to writing

The story was made torture by the narrator. It was like listening to nasal hairlip drone. Story was okay, the usual for SK, get on Something then can't let it go. Unfortunately candylatch and canta will be stuck in my head for months

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

Great story great narration from king, I could’ve swore I heard faint background noise several times. Could also be the voices in my head

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Ken
  • 2022-08-06

starts off strong

Starts off really strong but lost me at the end. The end made it feel like a waste.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Classic SK

Everything that we know and love about Stephen King novels wrapped up in this book. SK truly is the GOAT!

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