Reviews

The Regulators by Richard Bachman

lifepluspreston's review against another edition

4.0

The Regulators by Richard Bachman--I was primarily struck by one thing as I was reading this book, how difficult writing horror in the age of the cell phone must be. I couldn't help but think throughout the book about how many of the problems could be nearly immediately solved through ready access to a cell phone. Here, King demonstrates the early brilliance that rocketed him to preeminence in his field. King writes creepy kids better than almost anyone, and the world in this book feels lived in and viscerally real. It's a delightfully weird, though dated, romp. Thumbs up.

dandoc37's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

erikbergstrom's review

2.0

The only part of this that really felt Bachman-esque was the hyperviolent opening. Other than that, it's typical King bullshit where characters have to explain his latest wacky mythology through silly sounding dialogue, like everything needs to be tied to The Dark Tower for some reason. It's getting boring at this point, really! I'm sure Richard Bachman has been rolling in his grave ever since this was published...

zone_a3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

phil629's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This was the last of the Richard Bachman books I read to complete the set. I found this one hugely disappointing and a real slog. I am glad it’s over. Some reviews suggested it was superior to Desperation, however, I thought both were pretty poor, with The Regulators being, in my view, the least enjoyable. Obviously, both books share a common storyline albeit set in different environments, but I found most of the characters were equally unlikeable. Moreover, I couldn't help but notice the recurring theme of misogyny present once again something that really irritates me.

wyll's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

lysandous's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

runnersince2023's review against another edition

3.0

Bit slow this one

This was probably my least favourite SK book. Thought it was quite slow and at times felt like a bit of a slog getting through it.

The ending was decent though.

telemanusjellybeanco's review against another edition

1.0

Definitely not my favorite King novel. I read Desperation years before The Regulators, but the stories seem exactly identical, jus focused around two different groups of people. I was hoping for more of an explanation and character expansion on Tak, but King did not deliver. While the imagery and metaphors in this book are gruesomely beautiful, I don't feel that they were enough to sell me. Sorry, I practically already read this story, so one star.

mklynch27's review against another edition

3.0

Liked it more than I thought I would. Was interested in the repositioning of characters from desperation but the cast was maybe a little too big. I feel this way about a lot of king books but I tend to be hooked by the premise and pacing of the beginning and then less impressed the longer it takes to resolve but that’s just me