Lol, each to their own 😂 there are some fun parts but, wow, plenty of dull ones too. I definitely enjoyed it more first time around, maybe it's just not one to reread!
I loved this book when I was 13/14 and re-read it again recently. The younger me, like King, must have been on drugs. This was bad. The fact that several of your reasons to read this were cameos and nods to other books says it all really.
I read this book at about 200 pages at a time and loved it way more then I should of. I know its shit but the characters and the story just really worked for me
The reason I absolutely love this book is because it gave me major X Files vibes! 😂 Everybody seemed to hate it but it felt like the perfect Friday night read for me. 🙂 It is insane but it’s genuinely not too bad.
Nice! I’m always happy this one has its fans. I think I’d need it trimming by a few hundred pages before I started to fully like it, but it does have some excellent parts for sure
My first Stephen King book. I had no idea that it was one of the most criticized of his novels at the time. All I know is that I became hooked on King after that.
Oh yeah, she dug a UFO out of the ground. Never mind that the first 50 pages of the novel was of her digging and digging. Then she took a break and made lunch and then ate it… a process that ate up more pages and then she dug some more, I bailed after that. Went straight to the last couple of chapters to see how it all ended. So glad that many others also thought this book was trash.
This is the first King book I’ve ever read. While it is certainly clunky in spots (which, as you mention, can last for very long stretches), I found it to be a refreshing, original take on the alien invasion storyline. And in 2022, when alien invasion is being considered as a real possibility while everybody is simultaneously losing their goddamn minds… it felt prescient
So I went in with really low expectations and actually really enjoyed it! Was put off a bit by the Nuclear Power Rant chapter though. Getting through the first 500 pages with an audiobook really helped I think! But I loved the last few chapters and the ending.
This is actually one of my favorite King books, this and Needful Things. It is a fun story, and if you just want to go along for the ride it is definitely worth it.
I put this one off until the latter half of my King book journey, but I found myself enjoying it much more than I thought I would. Kind of a wild ride. My main complaint, like you touched on, is that there wasn't a protagonist that I could get behind and root for. Gard.... meh. Also, your video was 9:19 minutes long..... coincidence? ..... :)
Despite what I hear about how Shitty this book is. I myself read it with quite pleasure. and Bobbi is one of of my favorite Stephen King Characters on the First Shelf of books, It was better than the Regulators (In my opinion)
I loved this book. I read it twice. I was battling some serious demons at the time and could tell exactly where the author was coming from. Sad to hear he hates it so much. No shame in working it out. The movie was pretty embarrassing tho.
I loved how this book started out gards story with his addiction and everything before he went to haven. I liked his Character Arc so much and was really looking forward on how he was gonna devolpe and how his character would turn out, but it feels like King entirely dropped his Development, with him being just hammerd 60% of the book
Yes!! Drop the history section and perhaps revise Gard’s alcohol fueled section before his arrival in Haven! As messed up as the rest of it is, that would make the book a more enjoyable read :)
during the ev hillman chapters, there's also a reference to a "fellow who lived up in Bangor" who wrote stories "full of make-believe monsters and a bunch of dirty words".
Yep, he had a habit of doing that - especially in the 80s. In Thinner, one character even says this is ‘like something from a Stephen King story’ - naturally, that was written as Bachman, but still pretty funny
I reread The Tommyknockers and revisited the 1993 miniseries and they’re both entertaining. James Wan is producing an adaptation of it and I’m hoping they make one hell of a worthwhile movie out of it. Split it into 3 movies. First I just want to see Life of Chuck, Breathing Method, Rat, Long Walk, and From a Buick 8
Good review of The Tommu Knockers, I did try to attempt reading this book when it came out, but gave up because at the time I thought he was on some drug substamces. I might give it another go. The tv series was bad but watchable but goes to show Stephen King was such hot sort after writer , Hollywood would make a film or tv series from books - even it was one of his worse work.
OMG I'm reading it now! I'm literally watching your video to encourage me to get through it! It feels like it has so much filler but I love Pete the dog, and I like Bobbi Anderson! I don't know if it's me but Jim might be my least favorite Stephen King character so far unless he redeems himself lol
Also Ka is mentioned early on as internal monologue from gard. I thought that might be worth mentioning even though its just a 2 letter word its eternally kingy.
I’m reading King in order and was nervous to start this one due to its horrible reputation but I (maybe because of the reputation) ended up loving it! I mostly enjoyed the first part with Bobbi’s “becoming” and when Gard first sees her for the first time. Also when we go thru each townperson’s own experience with becoming, I thought it was a lot of fun. The last part was the weakest but I think thought it was alright. Yes, the book is bloated but I found it endlessly more entertaining than the slog that is The Talisman.
I ploughed through this one and quite enjoyed it. But agreed, very long winded in parts, and got a bit silly when he introduced the killing coke vending machine! 😂
I remember watching the mini-series at 13 when it came out and not enjoying it. For that reason I didn't read the book until I was around 20 and I remember really not enjoying that. That's about 24 years ago though and I feel like I've probably read MUCH worse Stephen King books in the years since (the man has written some of the most entertaining and least entertaining books I've ever read) so I might give it another try sometime. All I remember about it really is Alcoholic vs Aliens.
Just finished this one...phewww!!!! It was a crazy roller-coaster for me because it would have me hooked for 40 pages or so, and then it would just crash and burn (literally). There were a lot of really good scenes, but even more pages filled with nonsense. I think one of my favorite King villains of all time is the killer Coke machine, lol.
This was my first and only King work to date and I have to agree that it just drags on way too long. It would've worked better as a Lovecraft-style short story imo. I thought the point about King's animal characters meeting unfortunate fates was funny knowing the basic plots of Cujo and Pet Cemetery, kind of reminds me of Hirohiko Araki's treatment of dogs since the start of Jojo 35 years ago.
The Tommyknockers needs an adaptation. When they do adapt it I’m hoping they keep it in the timeline of the book, I really don’t like it when they change the timelines to modern day.
It ultimately doesn't matter too much, but my suggestion would be Desperation first - it adds an extra level of wild to The Regulators when you do that one second I think
It's the book that caused his intervention. .I mean if it's so insane to where his family says OK Stephen you need help..you know it's gonna be absolutely crazy
"Late last night and the night before, Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers knocking at your door." Why do I remember this from this awful novel but little else?
I have never been able to quite bring myself to read this book but I might now because I am kind of curious. I saw the movie that they made of it though once when I was taking a trip up to main. We happened to find it in a video store and because it was based on the book by Stephen King, naturally, I had to rent it. Now I wish I could unwatch it. lol! I had know clue what was going on. It was terrible. I' have read many of Stephen King and it's almost hard to imagine he can write this shit but I did read on writing so I know how he felt about this book too. I might give it a read though because I do have a friend that actually liked this one. I'll comment more on it once I've read it.. Just stumbled across this video so I'll be sure to check out your others!
I DNF’d this one last year cause the copy i have has huge pages and i wasnt flipping pages as much as i maybe liked to have, it was also just really slow, especially at the beginning
@@DaveReadsKing i never got to the middle lol, but i got like 100 pages in and nothing interesting happened yet and i was just really bored and kinda just put it down and never picked it back up, but im with all you guys on this, im sure the book would be better if it was half as long and moved quicker
The concept of this one really captured my imagination so I probably give it more latitude than it absolutely deserves. The town history stuff was undeniably dog shit, tho.
King says he was a complete and utter mess due to his substance abuse issues during the writing of this book. So how is this book a major letdown and Cujo was a really great book and was written around the same time. Maybe Cujo is just shorter and more of a bottle story compared to the Tommyknockers. Any ideas? Was his substance abuse at its peak during the writing of Tommyknockers?
What I want to know is how did Stephen King literally submit this to his publisher especially since he does not remember writing it (he also does not remember writing Cujo). Did he literally stagger through the doorway like a drunkard carrying a block of paper or a floppy disk? I'm genuinely curious.
The Onion article which is satirical, said it was tommyknockers but King said it was Cujo. Before his rehab he had hazy memories of basically all the books before that.
The thing that bothers me most about this book, is that there is a really good story here, but the incessant cocaine babble is just too overwhelming. 2.5/5
This book is a hot mess. Just slogged through it, the last half I did on a long distance drive (audiobook) and even with someone else reading it to me I still fucking hated it 🤮
Honestly, this is probably in my top 5 King books - and I read this only last year after reading most of King's other works. I left it on the "to-read" list until I was mostly through his bibliography because of the general consensus that this is 700 pages of waste-of-time . But the mess and unrestrained narrative is what makes it memorable, and there are some scenes that will be forever etched into my mind (Peter's fate, for example). Then, knowing King's situation around the time of writing gives it even more depth. Yep, Top 5 stuff.
Wow, top 5! Awesome! As you'll know from my video, it's not my favourite, but one of the things I love most about King is that he has something for everyone. I really *want* to love this one, but I just wasn't able to
I respect that you love the book enough for it to be in your top three, that’s great. But the whole ‘if you disagree then…’ argument is bullshit and really, really dull. People like different things, that’s a big part of life and what makes it interesting!
Nope, last time I checked it was just a hair cut - the kind available to anyone who chooses to have one. Is your attempt at either being funny/provacative (sorry, genuinely can't tell what you're aiming for) a right wing thing or ?
@@mashmash7877 ok, that's fine - I'm very happy to be a Liberal. I see you decided to ignore answering my question to you, even though I answered yours. Oh well, can't say I'm surprised. Thanks for commenting anyway - hope you have a lovely day filled with bright hairstyles, grown-up conversations and people being good to each other
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
I enjoy the shit out of this book even though I know it’s objectively not great, I think it’s just a lot of fun 😂
Lol, each to their own 😂 there are some fun parts but, wow, plenty of dull ones too. I definitely enjoyed it more first time around, maybe it's just not one to reread!
It was a lot of fun, just like a roller coaster.
I loved this book when I was 13/14 and re-read it again recently. The younger me, like King, must have been on drugs. This was bad. The fact that several of your reasons to read this were cameos and nods to other books says it all really.
💯 although I’m convinced there is still a good book buried here somewhere!
I read this book at about 200 pages at a time and loved it way more then I should of. I know its shit but the characters and the story just really worked for me
Nice! There's definitely some good stuff in this one...it's just a hot mess!
The reason I absolutely love this book is because it gave me major X Files vibes! 😂 Everybody seemed to hate it but it felt like the perfect Friday night read for me. 🙂 It is insane but it’s genuinely not too bad.
Nice! I’m always happy this one has its fans. I think I’d need it trimming by a few hundred pages before I started to fully like it, but it does have some excellent parts for sure
tommyknockers was so crazy that i couln´t help but like it! not a great read of literature, but a wild and fun ride:)
couldn’t put it better myself :)
You and I have different ideas of fun! 😂 jk, I know there are plenty of Tommyheads out there!
@@otherworldsthanthese 😂
My first Stephen King book. I had no idea that it was one of the most criticized of his novels at the time. All I know is that I became hooked on King after that.
💯💯💯
Oh yeah, she dug a UFO out of the ground. Never mind that the first 50 pages of the novel was of her digging and digging. Then she took a break and made lunch and then ate it… a process that ate up more pages and then she dug some more, I bailed after that. Went straight to the last couple of chapters to see how it all ended. So glad that many others also thought this book was trash.
The frustrating thing is that I think there really is a very good, short novel hidden in this one...but it needs a *lot* of editing!
@@DaveReadsKing i am sure if they made a Reader Digest abridged version it would be a better novel.
@PungiFungi *totally*!
This is the first King book I’ve ever read. While it is certainly clunky in spots (which, as you mention, can last for very long stretches), I found it to be a refreshing, original take on the alien invasion storyline. And in 2022, when alien invasion is being considered as a real possibility while everybody is simultaneously losing their goddamn minds… it felt prescient
I've never really looked at it that way before, but that's a fun take!
So I went in with really low expectations and actually really enjoyed it! Was put off a bit by the Nuclear Power Rant chapter though. Getting through the first 500 pages with an audiobook really helped I think! But I loved the last few chapters and the ending.
Nice!
This is actually one of my favorite King books, this and Needful Things. It is a fun story, and if you just want to go along for the ride it is definitely worth it.
I feel like Tommyknockers was a first try and Needful Things actually nailed it.
I put this one off until the latter half of my King book journey, but I found myself enjoying it much more than I thought I would. Kind of a wild ride. My main complaint, like you touched on, is that there wasn't a protagonist that I could get behind and root for. Gard.... meh. Also, your video was 9:19 minutes long..... coincidence? ..... :)
Definitely a wild ride! As for the video length...let's call it ka
Despite what I hear about how Shitty this book is. I myself read it with quite pleasure. and Bobbi is one of of my favorite Stephen King Characters on the First Shelf of books, It was better than the Regulators (In my opinion)
I think there's a *really* good book hidden in this one, just needed a bit of editing! You're right on Bobbi - she is a great character!
I loved this book. I read it twice. I was battling some serious demons at the time and could tell exactly where the author was coming from. Sad to hear he hates it so much. No shame in working it out. The movie was pretty embarrassing tho.
Glad it worked for you and glad you’ve come through the other side and are doing ok 🙌🙌
I loved how this book started out gards story with his addiction and everything before he went to haven. I liked his Character Arc so much and was really looking forward on how he was gonna devolpe and how his character would turn out, but it feels like King entirely dropped his Development, with him being just hammerd 60% of the book
Yeah, it loses its way in the middle a bit!
Yes!! Drop the history section and perhaps revise Gard’s alcohol fueled section before his arrival in Haven! As messed up as the rest of it is, that would make the book a more enjoyable read :)
Yeah, that history section is *not* needed!
during the ev hillman chapters, there's also a reference to a "fellow who lived up in Bangor" who wrote stories "full of make-believe monsters and a bunch of dirty words".
Yep, he had a habit of doing that - especially in the 80s. In Thinner, one character even says this is ‘like something from a Stephen King story’ - naturally, that was written as Bachman, but still pretty funny
I reread The Tommyknockers and revisited the 1993 miniseries and they’re both entertaining. James Wan is producing an adaptation of it and I’m hoping they make one hell of a worthwhile movie out of it. Split it into 3 movies. First I just want to see Life of Chuck, Breathing Method, Rat, Long Walk, and From a Buick 8
THREE Tommyknockers films?? You are a glutton for punishment 😂😂
You found reading about endless digging entertaining?
@@PungiFungi yes
A Netflix retelling might be an opportunity to gett his one edited? It's long, but I like the ideas in it and the other story tie ins.
Yeah, I think a series would be the best way - 6 episodes maybe?
Good review of The Tommu Knockers, I did try to attempt reading this book when it came out, but gave up because at the time I thought he was on some drug substamces.
I might give it another go.
The tv series was bad but watchable
but goes to show Stephen King was such hot sort after writer , Hollywood would make a film or tv series from books - even it was one of his worse work.
Yep, the drugs lie heavy on this one - although when it's good, it's still really good!
OMG I'm reading it now! I'm literally watching your video to encourage me to get through it! It feels like it has so much filler but I love Pete the dog, and I like Bobbi Anderson! I don't know if it's me but Jim might be my least favorite Stephen King character so far unless he redeems himself lol
Nice! It’s a slog, for sure, but there is something good buried in there
Also Ka is mentioned early on as internal monologue from gard. I thought that might be worth mentioning even though its just a 2 letter word its eternally kingy.
Great spot!
I’m reading King in order and was nervous to start this one due to its horrible reputation but I (maybe because of the reputation) ended up loving it! I mostly enjoyed the first part with Bobbi’s “becoming” and when Gard first sees her for the first time. Also when we go thru each townperson’s own experience with becoming, I thought it was a lot of fun. The last part was the weakest but I think thought it was alright. Yes, the book is bloated but I found it endlessly more entertaining than the slog that is The Talisman.
Oh it’s *way* better than The Talisman!
I ploughed through this one and quite enjoyed it. But agreed, very long winded in parts, and got a bit silly when he introduced the killing coke vending machine! 😂
Ha! I actually thought that part was one of the highlights 😂😂
I remember watching the mini-series at 13 when it came out and not enjoying it. For that reason I didn't read the book until I was around 20 and I remember really not enjoying that. That's about 24 years ago though and I feel like I've probably read MUCH worse Stephen King books in the years since (the man has written some of the most entertaining and least entertaining books I've ever read) so I might give it another try sometime. All I remember about it really is Alcoholic vs Aliens.
That’s about right! It does benefit from a reread for sure
Just finished this one...phewww!!!! It was a crazy roller-coaster for me because it would have me hooked for 40 pages or so, and then it would just crash and burn (literally). There were a lot of really good scenes, but even more pages filled with nonsense. I think one of my favorite King villains of all time is the killer Coke machine, lol.
Oh yes, the coke machine 😂😂
This was my first and only King work to date and I have to agree that it just drags on way too long. It would've worked better as a Lovecraft-style short story imo. I thought the point about King's animal characters meeting unfortunate fates was funny knowing the basic plots of Cujo and Pet Cemetery, kind of reminds me of Hirohiko Araki's treatment of dogs since the start of Jojo 35 years ago.
Not *another* author who is mean to dogs?? 🥺
READ THE BOOK instead of watching the movie...
Well, yeah...or...in this case...do neither!
The Tommyknockers needs an adaptation. When they do adapt it I’m hoping they keep it in the timeline of the book, I really don’t like it when they change the timelines to modern day.
Yeah...the 93 miniseries is *not* good!
It’s a bad book but it’s still fun in a lot of places and it’s definitely to ponder Kings journey while making this
Yeah, King’s personal life while this was being written can’t be underestimated
I loved it! Want to re-read it soon
Nice! 💯
Question, should I read Desperation or The Regulators first?
It ultimately doesn't matter too much, but my suggestion would be Desperation first - it adds an extra level of wild to The Regulators when you do that one second I think
It's the book that caused his intervention. .I mean if it's so insane to where his family says OK Stephen you need help..you know it's gonna be absolutely crazy
Yep! If that piece of work is a reflection of the rest of him at that time…sheesh!
I like Gard. And love this book ♡
Nice!
I love this book. Guess i love cocaine too
😂😂😂
Can I skip large sections of it and still say I read it?
Ha! Sure - no judgment from me!
"Late last night and the night before, Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers knocking at your door."
Why do I remember this from this awful novel but little else?
You have to admit, it *is* a catchy jingle !
@@DaveReadsKing Best part of the book.
@@titusmccarthy you mean you didn't enjoy the endless pages of town history??
@@DaveReadsKing No, King hasn't had a real editor since the early 1980s.
I have never been able to quite bring myself to read this book but I might now because I am kind of curious. I saw the movie that they made of it though once when I was taking a trip up to main. We happened to find it in a video store and because it was based on the book by Stephen King, naturally, I had to rent it. Now I wish I could unwatch it. lol! I had know clue what was going on. It was terrible. I' have read many of Stephen King and it's almost hard to imagine he can write this shit but I did read on writing so I know how he felt about this book too. I might give it a read though because I do have a friend that actually liked this one. I'll comment more on it once I've read it.. Just stumbled across this video so I'll be sure to check out your others!
Yeah, the miniseries is all kinds of awful! Thanks for the comment :-)
I DNF’d this one last year cause the copy i have has huge pages and i wasnt flipping pages as much as i maybe liked to have, it was also just really slow, especially at the beginning
Fair enough - the middle in particular I found to be a slog
@@DaveReadsKing i never got to the middle lol, but i got like 100 pages in and nothing interesting happened yet and i was just really bored and kinda just put it down and never picked it back up, but im with all you guys on this, im sure the book would be better if it was half as long and moved quicker
The concept of this one really captured my imagination so I probably give it more latitude than it absolutely deserves. The town history stuff was undeniably dog shit, tho.
Oh absolutely, the premise of this is terrific - just needs a ruthless editor!
King says he was a complete and utter mess due to his substance abuse issues during the writing of this book. So how is this book a major letdown and Cujo was a really great book and was written around the same time. Maybe Cujo is just shorter and more of a bottle story compared to the Tommyknockers. Any ideas? Was his substance abuse at its peak during the writing of Tommyknockers?
Different vices I think - Cujo was more alcohol whereas the T’knocks is maximum cokerdrive. The booze was clearly the better of two bad situations
What I want to know is how did Stephen King literally submit this to his publisher especially since he does not remember writing it (he also does not remember writing Cujo). Did he literally stagger through the doorway like a drunkard carrying a block of paper or a floppy disk? I'm genuinely curious.
That is a great question! Presumably he had an assistant who sent it off for him!
The Onion article which is satirical, said it was tommyknockers but King said it was Cujo. Before his rehab he had hazy memories of basically all the books before that.
The thing that bothers me most about this book, is that there is a really good story here, but the incessant cocaine babble is just too overwhelming. 2.5/5
Yep - get an editor to remove about half of it and you’ve got a winner here!
This book is a hot mess.
Just slogged through it, the last half I did on a long distance drive (audiobook) and even with someone else reading it to me I still fucking hated it 🤮
Yeah, that second half is rough!
Honestly, this is probably in my top 5 King books - and I read this only last year after reading most of King's other works. I left it on the "to-read" list until I was mostly through his bibliography because of the general consensus that this is 700 pages of waste-of-time . But the mess and unrestrained narrative is what makes it memorable, and there are some scenes that will be forever etched into my mind (Peter's fate, for example). Then, knowing King's situation around the time of writing gives it even more depth. Yep, Top 5 stuff.
Wow, top 5! Awesome! As you'll know from my video, it's not my favourite, but one of the things I love most about King is that he has something for everyone. I really *want* to love this one, but I just wasn't able to
Yeah I have the hardcover. It's a great book. Bad movie.
I think calling it a great book is a stretch - but I’m very glad you love it! And yeah, the miniseries is rough
😂GOOD TOMMYKNOCKERS REVIEW LOL!!!!
Thanks! 😂
Stephen king fairy tales has dog
I know - I am excited! (And hoping they survive)
It's in the top three books he's written, if you disagree you know fuck all.
I respect that you love the book enough for it to be in your top three, that’s great. But the whole ‘if you disagree then…’ argument is bullshit and really, really dull. People like different things, that’s a big part of life and what makes it interesting!
my book
Except it's not though
Is that hair style of yours a Liberal thing or ?
Nope, last time I checked it was just a hair cut - the kind available to anyone who chooses to have one. Is your attempt at either being funny/provacative (sorry, genuinely can't tell what you're aiming for) a right wing thing or ?
@@DaveReadsKing As I said Liberal
@@mashmash7877 ok, that's fine - I'm very happy to be a Liberal. I see you decided to ignore answering my question to you, even though I answered yours. Oh well, can't say I'm surprised.
Thanks for commenting anyway - hope you have a lovely day filled with bright hairstyles, grown-up conversations and people being good to each other
@@mashmash7877Based.