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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 (199 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

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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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    5 out of 5 stars
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Creepy as hell

Very tense and with characters as loveable/hateable as any horror movie cast. Pairs well with the Regulators

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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

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great story

#audible1 what a wonderful book and even better to have it narrated by Stephen king

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amazing as usual

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

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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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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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Great!

Very compelling, very entertaining listen, unpredictable and it kept me guessing the whole time, although a little heavy on the Christianity for myself.

King's narration is the weak link here. He's not great at voices, and almost all of his characters sound the same, but he still does a decent enough job.

Would recommend if you want a fun underrated King book.

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Loved King’s Narration

I read Desperation 20 years ago. Listening to it on Audible with Stephen King narrating was fantastic.

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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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