There is a significant amount of negativity associated with this book. Stephen King himself labeled it as a bad book, yet also mentioned that there was potentially a good three-hundred-page novel hidden within. He wrote this during the peak of his cocaine and alcohol addiction, which might explain his tendency to overwrite and meander in certain aspects. In fact, this was the first King novel I attempted to read, at the tender age of thirteen, and it deterred me from him for years.

Fast forward twenty-seven years, and I have reached a stage of true enlightenment, now being a fully trained reading Jedi master. So, I return to this book of dread without fear and with complete faith in my ability to overcome. I don't know why I was worried. It was an absolute blast. I have a profound love for Sci-Fi horror, and this is full-on Sci-Fi horror. The premise, the setup, and the characters are all of top-notch quality.

Putting on my critique hat, this book does slow down considerably in the middle. It introduces and explores a wide range of characters, which is the main reason it receives the criticism it does. However, I didn't mind it at all. I absolutely adore King's writing and the way he delves deep into a character and brings them to life. Nevertheless, I would love for King to go back and edit this one to see how it functions as a fast-paced thriller. Perhaps it could then become one of his greatest books ever and gain more recognition within the reading community.

The premise of this story is that an alien device discovered in the woods of the town of Haven starts taking over people. Some it turns into geniuses, while most it drives crazy. It's not an original concept, as we've seen something similar in "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers." But in the hands of a supremely talented writer like King, it's definitely an interesting concept to explore.

As I've mentioned, the characters in this book are great. The two central characters, Bobbi and Gard, are fantastic, with some very interesting happenings in their individual psyches. They are very underrated in King's pantheon of awesome characters. The plot does get a bit choppy as King riffs on exploring the effects of this alien presence throughout the town. But you know what, I enjoyed that.

Overall, I'm giving this book a 4.5, rounded up to 5. Goodreads, if you're listening, it's time to update your rating system and provide a bit more flexibility. I was extremely tempted to give this a full five, but again, it does bog down a little in the middle. But in the end, it was a fantastic reading experience.

"Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man."

"The trouble with living alone, she had discovered - and the reason why most people she knew didn't like to be alone even for a little while - was that the longer you lived alone, the louder the voices on the right side of your brain got."

"Overhead was a sky blacker than jewlers' velvet, and a billion stars screamed down..."

I have a deep love for Stephen King. His works have always held a special place in my heart. However, when it comes to this particular book, I can't help but wonder if it's a bit of a dud. Well, let's let Stephen King himself weigh in on the matter. In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/...), he said:

“I mean, The Tommyknockers is an awful book. That was the last one I wrote before I cleaned up my act. And I’ve thought about it a lot lately and said to myself, “There’s really a good book in here, underneath all the sort of spurious energy that cocaine provides, and I ought to go back.” The book is about 700 pages long, and I’m thinking, “There’s probably a good 350-page novel in there.”

And who am I to argue with Uncle Stevie? After all, he is the master of horror and has a wealth of experience in the literary world. Maybe there is indeed a hidden gem within The Tommyknockers that just needs to be unearthed. I'm curious to see if he will actually go back and rewrite it as he mentioned. Only time will tell.

Here we go.

This book is an absolute mess. Let's get the good things out of the way first, because there aren't many of them. The concept behind this book is actually quite good - a flying saucer is discovered in the ground, and strange things start happening around town, the typical alien stuff. There's a kind of cool mystery about what's in this person's shed in the backyard that pays off somewhat decently (unfortunately, it takes five hundred pages to get there). And that's where the good stuff ends, unfortunately. This might be the worst execution of a good (albeit highly unoriginal) idea I've ever seen.

The beginning of the book, say the first 200 or so pages, isn't too bad. However, within those first 200 pages, there's a fifty-page chapter where one of the characters goes on a drunken rant about Chernobyl and nuclear power plants that really has nothing to do with the story at all. This section could have been just five pages and served the same purpose. So right away, you could cut 25% of the "not bad" part out of this book and have the same - if not a better - book. And it just gets even worse from there!

Part two of this book focuses on the town of Haven, Maine, and my goodness, it is a slog. Don't get me wrong, King's townbuilding is usually my favorite part of his books, but here it's not just subpar, it's downright bad. There are over a hundred pages in this section about a character who literally serves no purpose in the book. You could cut the whole thing out and it wouldn't negatively affect the story at all. There's also a fifteen-page chapter about the different names the town has had in its history that, while somewhat interesting on its own, has no reason to be in the book.

Roughly the last third of the book is some of the dumbest, goofiest, most absurd stuff I've ever read. There's a freaking flying coke vending machine that goes around killing people for Pete's sake. Some of the imagery is cool (bonus points for vagina tentacles) but it isn't used nearly to its full potential. And the real final ending felt like it was supposed to be some emotional thing, but all the characters here are so lackluster that it doesn't have any impact at all.

Unless you want to be a King completionist, you can safely skip this book. Onward and (hopefully) upward, to Dreamcatcher I go.

Rereading Basil's books, you can better understand the depth of his thought and writing. His well-known penetrating writing style in the book gives us another excellent book for the lovers of the genre.

The books written by Basil are like precious treasures waiting to be discovered. Each time you pick them up and read, you will find new insights and perspectives. The depth of his thought is truly remarkable, as he delves into complex themes and ideas with great precision and clarity.

His writing style is also a unique charm. With his penetrating笔触, he can vividly describe the characters and scenes in the story, making the readers feel as if they are身临其境. This kind of writing ability is not only a talent but also the result of his hard work and dedication.

For those who love this genre, Basil's books are definitely a must-read. They not only provide entertainment but also inspire thinking and reflection. So, if you haven't read Basil's books yet, it's time to pick one up and start enjoying the wonderful world of literature he has created.