Desperation (novel)

Did You Know?

• The term can-toi is used in the Dark Tower series to describe the Low Men in Yellow Coats, strange animal-human hybrids.
• The character of Cynthia Smith first appeared in Rose Madder.
• Ellen Carver recalls a book titled Misery in Paradise, written by Stephen King's fictitious character Paul Sheldon in his novel Misery.

Plot

Peter and Mary Jackson are driving on a lonely Nevada highway when a disturbed deputy named Collie Entragian pulls them over and arrests them. He takes them to the police station in the nearly empty mining town of Desperation, where he kills Peter. Other people are being held captive there: the Carver family, whose daughter Entragian also killed; Johnny Marinville, a writer traveling cross-country on a motorcycle to find new material; and Tom Billingsley, the town's veterinarian.

Johnny's assistant Steve, who had been following him from a distance, discovers Johnny's abandoned bike and starts searching for him with a hitchhiker named Cynthia. Entragian leaves with Ellen Carver, and while he is gone, the deeply religious eleven-year-old David Carver frees everyone and becomes their spiritual guide. The group hides in an empty theater and is later joined by Steve, Cynthia, and Audrey, a mine employee. They understand they are the only survivors of a massacre committed by an evil supernatural being called Tak, which was trapped in an old mine shaft.

Tak can take over human bodies, though the host quickly decays, forcing it to switch hosts. It can also control desert animals like coyotes, buzzards, spiders, and scorpions. Billingsley is killed by a cougar under Tak's control, and Audrey, possessed by Tak, tries to strangle David but is stopped by Steve and Johnny. Tak then takes over Ellen's body and captures Mary.

After a trance, David says God has other plans for them. Mary escapes as Ellen's body falls apart, and Tak moves into a golden eagle. The survivors gather ANFO to blow up the well where Tak escaped. Tak kills David's father Ralph, who sacrifices himself, and Johnny stops David from giving his own life, instead blowing up the well and sealing Tak inside.

David, Mary, Steve, and Cynthia drive away from Desperation. In Mary's car, David finds a hall pass in his pocket from his earlier deal with God, with a message written on it by Johnny.

Characters

Mary Jackson is a poet and wife of Peter Jackson. Peter Jackson is an English professor. Collie Entragian is a former police officer and the third host of Tak. Kirsten Carver is the seven-year-old daughter of Ralph and Ellen Carver. David Carver is the twelve-year-old son of Ralph and Ellen Carver, with a close relationship with God. Ralph Carver is the husband of Ellen and father of David and Kirsten. Ellen Carver becomes Tak's fourth host. Tom Billingsley is a retired town veterinarian and former councilman. John Edward Marinville is an acclaimed author traveling on a motorcycle. Steve Ames is Johnny's assistant. Cynthia Smith is a hitchhiker. Brian Ross is David's best friend. Cary Ripton is the pit-foreman and Tak's first host. Brad Josephson is a receptionist and Tak's second host. Tak is an extradimensional demonic entity.

Release and adaptation

King was inspired to write Desperation after a cross-country drive in 1991, during which he visited Ruth, Nevada, near U.S. Route 50, and imagined the town's inhabitants were dead, killed by the sheriff. The novel was released simultaneously with The Regulators, published under King's Richard Bachman pseudonym. In 2006, ABC broadcast a television film adaptation directed by Mick Garris, starring Ron Perlman, Tom Skerritt, Steven Weber, and Annabeth Gish. In 2026, a new adaptation was reported in development at Searchlight Pictures, produced by King, Sam Raimi, Zach Lipovsky, and Adam Stein, with the latter two in talks to direct.

Reception

Andy Butcher reviewed Desperation for Arcane magazine, rating it an 8 out of 10. He noted that the book builds from a vague sense of unease into out-and-out unpleasantness, with mass murder, snakes, spiders, ancient evil, and visceral scenes. Butcher found the plot direction somewhat obvious and the story reliant on a deus ex machina involving a child with a direct line to God, but stated that King's descriptive strength makes the book extremely readable and gripping.