I really relished reading this book. It is rather long, yet I never grew bored. Instead, I was constantly eager to know what would happen next.

It is one of those novels by SK that people either love or loathe due to its length. Additionally, it is one of those novels where a small town in Maine, adjacent to Derry, along with all its inhabitants, plays a significant role. Here's how I view it: We have three main characters. There's Bobbi (and of course her dog Peter), an author of western novels who stumbles, thereby initiating everything that occurs in this book. Then there's Gardener, her friend, an alcoholic and a potential suicide, truly at the lowest point in life, returning once more to Haven and to his friend and former lover, Bobbi. And finally, we have the town of Haven. Yes, I'm aware it's a town, but for me, it's like a third character. I believe none of the little stories in this part of the book were superfluous. They all served the purpose of helping us get to know the town, understand what's going on, and observe how everyone reacts. Of course, one could argue that the plot would have functioned without all those pages dedicated to Haven, but the story wouldn't have been as effective without them. I think a great deal of the book's atmosphere would have been lost if SK had omitted those 'Haven stories'. So, if you consider seeing them more as a third character, specifically the character of the town itself, rather than as a collection of unnecessary stories, then perhaps you can see that they can be crucial if you allow them to be and understand what they add to the overall story. This is the way I perceive all those books by SK that have a substantial 'town part' in them, like Needful Things or Under the Dome. And it works for me; those books are among my favorites by SK.

Not being a fan of many of SK's endings, I was apprehensive that I would dislike this one as well. It wasn't the best ending I've ever read, that's for sure, but I had expected worse. Perhaps this is because I'm not fond of endings in which some outer space race/alien suddenly appears out of nowhere and that's it.
Like: whoa, great book, but how will I end this properly... ah I know, put an alien in it... well here it was quite evident from the start that it was all about them, and maybe this is why it works for me this time ;-)

**"The Tommyknockers": A Captivating Read**

The Tommyknockers is a novel that truly embodies the classic style of Stephen King. With over nine hundred pages, it is a pure and hard science fiction book that requires a vivid imagination in several passages. It has elements of classic terror that I personally enjoyed. Although it may not make you jump out of your seat, the tension is palpable, and as you progress, you'll be eager to know more about what's happening in the charming town of Haven.

The story unfolds in an isolated town where Bobbi Anderson, a solitary writer, discovers a strange object in the forest. Obsessed with unearthing it, she has no idea that its size is much larger than it appears. Meanwhile, Jim Gardener, a former professor and occasional lover of Bobbi, decides to visit her and is shocked to find her behaving erratically and having a new ability to build advanced scientific devices.

As the plot advances, Gardener joins the efforts to unearth the alien spacecraft, but without falling into the same obsession as Bobbi. However, he realizes that the behavior of the townspeople is becoming increasingly aggressive, and they all seem to be developing supernatural mechanical abilities. He also discovers that some individuals are suffering mutations, but curiously, he himself appears to be immune due to a metal plate in his head (and his constant state of drunkenness).

The book gradually draws you into the story, sometimes at a slow pace, making you wonder what is really going on as the subplots intertwine with the main one in a somewhat convoluted way. As we know, King often introduces his characters by telling anecdotes (or rather extensive mini-stories) before the main story. He elaborates a lot in some passages, but if you like King, you'll understand that this happens in many of his books. So, if you're already accustomed to it, this won't affect you, and in fact, you'll enjoy it.

Interestingly, the book takes its title from a type of urban legend where the Tommyknockers are like gnomes or ghosts that knock inside abandoned caves. In conclusion, it's a recommended book for fans of Stephen King, science fiction, and horror in general. However, I think that for those who aren't fans of King, this novel might not be the best place to start reading his work. But I admit that it's also possible that they'll read it and get hooked on the author, as he has a very particular style that attracts new readers.

I liked it and recommend that you read it if you have the opportunity.

Dude, I have an absolute passion for Stephen King. He is truly a genius in every single aspect of novel writing. His characters are so vivid and complex, almost four-dimensional. He is the undisputed master of creating unique and captivating circumstances that draw the reader in. With his settings, metaphors, and descriptions, he completely owns the reader, making them feel as if they are right there in the story.

However, this particular book really sucked. I can't even begin to think of anything that I liked about it. Although the concept of digging up a spacecraft is inherently rich and interesting, it's as if he took a really good idea and just butchered it in every possible way. I have read a great deal of King's work, but this one, I firmly believe, is his only failure.
Fortunately, the book I purchased had a flaw in its binding. As I turned each page, it would rip out effortlessly. So, I simply threw it away as I went along. There was no real loss there.
Don't bother with this book. It's just not worth your time.

It's a disappointment considering King's usual high standards.

I'll be sticking to his other works in the future.

The Tommyknockers is a captivating science-fiction/horror novel penned by the renowned Stephen King and published in 1987. The story commences with Bobbi Anderson's chance discovery of an extraterrestrial ship while strolling through the woods. From there, the narrative follows Jim Gardener and delves into the strange and often terrifying effects that an invisible gas emitted from the ship has on the townspeople of Haven, Maine.

This was the final book that King wrote during his cocaine-fueled days, and it is evident. The concept is truly outlandish, something that no clear-headed individual could have conceived. Given the substantial length of the novel, it is almost certain that there are elements that could have been trimmed, perhaps due to King's lack of focus resulting from his heavy drug use. However, despite these drawbacks, I was never once bored. This is a quality that I highly appreciate about the novel: even though some of the included details may seem superfluous and not directly contribute to the main storyline, it is still masterfully written and a pleasure to read.

The reason for docking a star is twofold: first, the text has a tendency to meander quite a bit, which can be a bit tiresome at times. Second, the ending leaves something to be desired. Of course, it's no secret that King's endings often leave readers disappointed. In this case, the ending wasn't so much bad as it was rather far-fetched and a little difficult to believe.

Overall, I have to say that I really enjoyed this novel. It undoubtedly has its flaws, but it doesn't deserve the excessive criticism it has received. It's a fun and engaging read, and I fully expect to be drawn back to it for a reread in the not-too-distant future.

Okay, let's be clear. This book is undoubtedly worse than "Ready Player One" and even "Catcher in the Rye", although my loathing for the latter is absolute and untainted. Now, that leaves us with "Skullsworn" and "Ready Player Two". Both were more excruciating to read, yet they were also significantly shorter. It's a tough call, but I'm going to say this is the fourth worst book I've ever had the misfortune of picking up.

The saddest part is that I initially thought the beginning was tolerable, and I naively started to have a glimmer of hope that perhaps, just maybe, my expectations were so low that I might actually end up enjoying this. I'll also admit that the last 10% was somewhat decent. However, that leaves the middle 70% to be a meandering, incoherent, absurdly horny, and just plain weird reading experience that was as tedious as it could get. Most of what was happening was goofy ghost-alien nonsense, and when it wasn't that, it was just random characters blabbering on and on and on about nothing in particular. And then having sex. And then thinking about having sex again. And then blabbering some more. And then ghost-aliens. And then sex. This cycle repeats for 500 pages.

I do find it interesting that King incorporated elements of this book into other works after getting sober. It's basically a merger of "Dreamcatchers", "Needful Things", and "Under the Dome" into one uncomfortable mess. I didn't like "Needful Things" either, so perhaps the story of "a town gets taken over by a malevolent presence" isn't one that King excels at. Anyway, the worst is definitely behind me, and I would not recommend anyone read this, unless you're a die-hard King completionist like me or have a masochistic streak and enjoy pain.

Okay, okay, I know what some of you may be thinking. This isn't a perfect book, how could I give it five stars?

The truth is, I'm not a critical reader; a book doesn't need to be technically perfect in order for me to love it.

I rate books based upon my reading experience and I absolutely loved my time rereading The Tommyknockers.

This SciFi-Horror novel, first published in 1987, is set in the small town of Haven, Maine. One day while walking in the woods of her rather large property, local woman, Bobbi Anderson, quite literally stumbles upon a mysterious metal object protruding from the ground. Unable to understand what she is seeing, Bobbi quickly becomes obsessed with freeing it.

The longer she's around the object however, the more she notices disturbing side effects suffered by both herself, and her old dog, Peter. Regardless, Bobbi continues to feel the pull of the object in the woods.

Around the same time Bobbi has developed this new obsession, her old friend, Jim Gardener, known as Gard, finds himself in the depths of a true alcoholic bender. On a morning where he is moments from ending it all, Gard experiences an overwhelming feeling that Bobbi, his one true friend, is in real danger; he needs to call her. Unable to get through on the phone, he does what anyone would do. He hitchhikes to her house.

Once there, Gard finds Bobbi in a state of, shall we say, disrepair. Bobbi gives Gard a run-down of all she has been up to; including showing him the mysterious object. She enlists his help in her mission to free it. Although he has his reservations, Gard loves Bobbi and ultimately decides to stick around and help her out.

From there, we meet the town of Haven. Though they don't know why, the other locals have begun to feel the effects of the object's greater exposure. The fallout seems to be effecting the health and wellness of the entire town. Incidentally, it also has a significant effect on anyone passing through.

Written towards the end of the Cold War, at a time when discussions of nuclear weapons, power and nonproliferation evoked a lot of passion amongst people, that influence can be felt here. The fact that I am using the word, fallout, as an apt way to describe what was happening to the citizens of Haven, exemplifies that.

In addition to the social commentary, which I feel King is genuinely good at weaving into his stories, he also incorporates various other elements he seems to enjoy exploring. There's author protagonists, both Bobbi and Gard are writers, alcoholism, mental telepathy, revivalist preachers, dolls, rats, bats, creepy kids and a fantastic array of body horror. It really has it all.

Also, as usual, this story is full of witty humor and characters that are so well-developed you feel like you've known them your whole life. As a Maine native, I can tell you this story is full of Mainerism, as well!

Overall, I had such a fun time sinking my teeth into this one again. I had forgotten so much. Additionally, I picked up many more connections to the greater Kingverse than the first time around; having an additional 20-years to read his stories.

I think this one is underrated. Not just underrated, it gets a solidly bad rap. However, I humbly disagree. I think if you love King, and love SciFi, you can love this book as well.

This is a truly fascinating book on multiple levels.

Written during the height of King's various addictions (with cotton wool stuffed up his nose to prevent bleeding onto the typewriter, allegedly), and with him not publishing again for another two years, it offers a unique look at what occurs when a writer loses control. It's almost a master-class in writing, demonstrating what not to do, yet it's also loveable and captivating. It's like a drunk staggering around a bar, telling great stories in a scary, about-to-fall-over manner. Or the eyes of a coke fiend as they emerge from yet another line at four in the morning, finger-wagging, eager to add some detail to a random aside they were telling you a moment ago, which also incorporates a rule for understanding humanity.

King was clearly a prolific, money-making machine at this point, which is why no editor or well-read English graduate in the office dared to step in and trim his ranting, rambling, repetitive, and crazed manuscript. The fact that the publishers were happy to release it in its published state and still make money tells you everything you need to know about the industry: it's all about the money, baby!

King has since referred to this as "an awful book," and, like Cujo, he probably doesn't remember much about writing it. Perhaps it is bad in places, but King is not a bad writer, which means there are hidden gems within the book, sections that shine like jewels floating in a green-smoking cesspit.

I adored Gard, the boozy writer (portrayed full-on, without any restrictions, as if King were placing himself and his problems at the center of the book and challenging them to prevail), especially his intoxicated campus confrontation with a nuclear-power salesman. There are parts of the book, aspects of it, that sparkle like the slopes of a submerged ship: sleek, otherworldly, delightful, shocking, and entertaining.

However, notoriously, there are pages and pages of meandering, unnecessary dialogue and description. What tends to grate the most over the length of the book is King's seeming insistence on building up to a climax, confrontation, or revelation that never materializes. I liked the ending, though many didn't, but constantly being led to a point where something interesting was about to happen but didn't was the kind of literary teasing that makes one think, "You know what? There are plenty of other books that'll give me thrills, so go screw yourself!"

The book didn't scare or revolt me, so I couldn't recommend it as either horror or (definitely not) a thriller. The Tommyknockers rhyme itself is always cringey and mawkish when it pops up. What I would say, though, is that the novel is a fascinating document on many other levels - it's as close to a view into the world of King's true, unedited imagination at that time as we'll ever get, for example.

I was left dumbfounded by some of the pages - not for descriptions of vomit or aliens, but simply because they existed at all. That an agent hadn't said anything. That an editor hadn't said anything. That the publishers hadn't said anything. That the reviewers gave it "King's Best!" nonsense. That the readers lapped it up. Truly a world gone mad. Kudos to King's wife for getting through to him after this, at least, and bringing her husband back.

Having said all that, for me, The Tommyknockers will always hold a special place in my heart because it fits into a strange (not precious, I promise) habit I have of liking what many people consider the worst works of art in people's canons, especially in music. I think Let's Dance is Bowie's best album, for example. I think Human Touch is Springsteen's best album, the Bee Gees are better than the Beach Boys, and, in movies, that GI Jane is Ridley Scott's best film. I think it's because I like the humanity in all of those "works"; that element of imperfection. I distrust perfection. I like to see failure and wrongness in works of art because that's what I see in life.

Whatever it is, I recommend you read this book. It's perfectly imperfect.

No es de las mejores novelas que he leído del maestro. La trama, en efecto, tiene muchos altibajos que hacen que te demores leyendo. Es curioso que no sea hasta la página 350 cuando comienzan a suceder cosas interesantes. Hasta entonces, se siente que se está perdiendo tiempo.

Las descripciones son eternas y, aunque el final es inesperado, no me ha disgustado. Pero aún así, en general, me ha parecido aburrido. Quizás sea porque tenía mayores expectativas.

En fin, si eres un lector constante seguramente lo leas y así te darás cuenta de que aparecen algunos personajes de sus más famosas novelas. Eso puede ser atractivo para algunos. Pero en caso contrario, King tiene muchos mejores que este. Hay otras obras suyas que son mucho más emocionantes y cautivadoras.

If I'm being completely honest, this was probably a 1-star read for me when compared to King's other novels. However, if I consider all the books I've read, it's more of a 2-star read, and that's where I'll rate it here.

I truly believe there is a potentially good book hidden within these pages. But unfortunately, it is burdened by random ramblings, an excessive amount of description, insufferable main characters, and a plot that could have been easily condensed into about 300 pages.

Bobbi Anderson seemed okay at first, but she lacked the necessary backbone to make her a character worth rooting for. Gard, on the other hand, was absolutely horrendous. I couldn't stand him for even a single moment. There was nothing in this novel that made me care about what happened to him. The only characters I actually had any interest in were the Brown/Hillman boys.

I will admit that I loved Sissy/Anne. Perhaps it was because she despised the main characters so much and was voicing all the thoughts and feelings that I wanted to express to them.

Simply put, unless you're a die-hard completionist for Stephen King like I am, it's best to skip this book. It's just not worth the time and effort.

(I also noticed that it took me exactly 2 months to finish this book - I'd have to double-check, but it's probably the longest it has ever taken me to complete a King novel. Even his longer works took me less time.)

It is accomplished....

Stephen King has never been overly concerned with word count or page count. His novels are often complex and filled with a large cast of characters, which justifies their substantial weight. In most cases (such as in "The Stand" and "Duma Key", among others), the length seems justified given the nature of the story and the complexities of the people who compose it. However, some seem too long, and the story cannot bear the weight of the narration. "The Tommyknockers" uncomfortably fits into the latter category.

One day, while working in the forest near her property in Haven, Maine, Roberta Anderson stumbles upon a thin piece of metal protruding from the ground. Initially driven by natural curiosity, she begins to dig. Elsewhere, her friend and former lover, Jim Gardener (known as Gard, one of King's more obvious symbolic names), drunkenly rants about the dangers of nuclear energy, spitting out statistics after reading his poems. He praises a society of people who play with powers they cannot understand, clearly highlighting King's intention with this novel. That Gard is expelled from the premises anticipates his struggle throughout the story: when faced with what seems to be a miraculous source of unlimited power, people refuse to consider the consequences until it is too late.

The metal that Anderson finds in the forest turns out to be an ancient spaceship buried in the ground. As more of the spaceship is discovered, Bobbi Anderson and the inhabitants of Haven begin to be able to create devices that help them in their daily lives. But, as Gard realizes, the power that gives the people of Haven their ability to build has refused to give them the capacity to understand what they are building. They think, but they do not understand. Gard's understanding is that the invisible power of the spaceship is actually more harmful than it initially seems: the people of Haven are not only changing mentally, but also physically. More frequent menstrual flows, tooth and hair loss, sallow skin: the people of Haven call this "The Conversion", but it is also the symptoms of radiation poisoning, a dark metaphor that Gard does not overlook.

"The Tommyknockers" is certainly not King's first attempt to convey a social message through his fiction. "The Dead Zone" and "Firestarter" accused governments with absolute power; the subtitle of "The Long Walk" is "A novel about the first energy crisis". "The Talisman" even explored the concept of nuclear testing and its consequences. In those books, the message served the story. Here, King's allegory is so strong that the subtext of "The Tommyknockers" threatens to overwhelm the story.

Nevertheless, "The Tommyknockers" attempts to be a coherent and exciting story while working on the constructions of social commentary. Much of this is convincing. Bobbi Anderson and Jim Gardner are real people with a complex and fascinating relationship. Both are writers, and some of the most interesting moments of the novel have to do with how writing affects them, one of the themes first addressed in "Misery". Gardner's desire to be taken seriously as a poet is parallel to Paul Sheldon's initial struggle, while Anderson creates a device that allows her to write telepathically, so that she can literally work on her novels while she sleeps. While Gard's alcoholism recalls Sheldon's addiction to Novril capsules, and Bobbi's telepathic writing is actually rather disconcerting, following a bit Sheldon's addiction to writing. While "It" and "Misery" examined the positive and negative effects of writing, "The Tommyknockers" focuses mainly on its harmful aspects to health.

The title of King's unusually powerful first chapter, called "Anderson Stumbles", highlights the incidental nature of Bobbi's discovery and presages her fall, establishing the main themes of the book in two words. The fact that the entire narration revolves around an accident not only highlights King's theme of incomprehensible power, but also recalls the structure of "Cujo", without any of the frustrating coincidences of that book. There are also genuine moments of emotion and fear, especially when Gard first realizes the improvements Bobbi has made to her house (itself a metaphor for the American obsession with comfort), especially a simple but chilling change she has made to her lawnmower. All of this is in line with King's ongoing interest in the horrors of machinery, first explored in "Trucks" and continuing through "Christine".

Unfortunately, much of this effective thematic and character work is lost in the tangle of pages, as is the novel's irregular momentum. King allows himself to succumb to excesses, following subplots much longer than their stories require, and at one point stopping the book to explain why the town is called Haven. By way of comparison, "The Mystery of 'Salem's Lot" explains its name in a single sentence, and we know the background of the name of Derry with only one paragraph. Part of the problem is that the story of Derry is fundamental to the nature of "It", while the story of Haven simply is not as important.

King also indulges in a great deal of self-referential moments. While many of his books are connected to others (and even in a more intricate and frequent way when the Dark Tower series incorporated many of King's works into its overall framework), "The Tommyknockers" does so seemingly randomly and without purpose.

While "The Tommyknockers" is interesting and readable, ultimately, it works against itself. One wonders what the result would be if King revised the book as he did with "The Stand" and "The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger", cutting instead of expanding, removing the unnecessary parts and leaving behind the novel that lies buried in its pages: a dark allegory that functions as an entertaining story, driven by exciting characters and inexplicable events.

Full review without spoilers on my YouTube channel ➡ Maponto Lee

One of these days, I'm going to embark on a journey through all my old King books and pen detailed reviews. You see, a significant portion of them I had devoured long before the existence of Goodreads.

However, TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY!!

For the time being, I'll sprinkle in a mini review here and there as I pen my thoughts about them over on Bookstagram.

The Tommyknockers stands as one of the most polarizing King novels, neatly dividing the Constant Readers into two distinct camps - those who adored it and those who loathed it. In fact, Uncle Stevie himself had the audacity to label it as an awful book.

But I beg to differ.

The Tommyknockers was birthed during the darkest days of his addictions, written in a foggy miasma of cocaine and booze. It's essentially a bloated, Lovecraftian take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as only the King could envision it. But there's just something indescribable about it. It's messy, raw, bleak, and weird as all get out. It's also a harrowing, vivid exploration of addiction. The Tommyknockers may seem all over the place, but I can't shake the feeling that it's an important book in countless ways.