Before reading: Something very interesting happened in 1996...two books were released at the same time. One was Desperation by Stephen King and the other was The Regulators by Richard Bachman. These books were mirrors of each other. When you place their hardcovers side by side, they make a complete picture. I have absolutely no idea what any of this means or what I'm about to read but I'm geeking out so hard and am very excited. After reading: The verdict is in...I liked The Regulators better than Desperation. Per usual, my King opinions don't seem to line up with the majority, so let me explain. Desperation is technically a much better book. It is textbook King, has great characters and world-building, and it is a great horror novel. Now, The Regulators, is camp. It is weird and theatrical and whimsical. It is also a quick read. For those reasons, I was more drawn to this book than the other. All that being said, they are both great and excellent companion pieces. This