Thank you for an actual review and not a bitchfest about how awful they think the book is. Honestly I like it. Everything people grumbled about is.. like you said… in all his other books. King is known for heavy detail of every character and well if it isn’t weird it isn’t king right? That’s why we love him!!
I really like The Tommyknockers. King makes you care about the characters. People think he's overly descriptive but I appreciate his ability to bring me into the story. If you're someone who dislikes character development I guess you can just go read Dean Koontz.
Agreed. I've always felt that King's overly descriptive style is the reason every single one of his novels actually stay with me my whole life, where I've also read just about every Koontz novel (someone who writes straight to the point) and besides his amazing twists there's only a handful of them that I can actually remember like that.
I'll tell you one good thing about it...I just finished it and I'll say it's an awesome ride put all error aside and know the history of the book itself and it's actually a very fun book I loved it ye it's got problems but if you know king and his style then this is another Tuesday with a bad hair day trust me just try it
My favorite part of The Tommyknockers was how the towns people all became geniuses and created inventions with batteries and whatever else was lying around.
Lol you might be onto something there…. 🤣 that is definitely the coolest TH-cam premiere countdown, and I’ve never understood why more people don’t use it!
I heard from Edward Lorn that there's a fan theory that many of the mind powers we see in Maine in King's novels (Carrie, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, The Green Mile) are from the side-effects of whatever leaked out of this ship into the water table.
I have a big soft spot for The Tommyknockers, and I've read it several times over. Character study is one of the best aspects of any King novel, and Tommyknockers has this in spades. I can't think of a more underrated King book off the top of my head.
I'm glad someone else loves The Tommyknockers. It was the second King novel I read (after The Stand, which bowled me over) and it engaged me even more. Although I was still in my early teens at the time I saw the core themes of addiction and self-destruction and I loved meandering detail of the narrative style. In fact I found it less bloated and meandering than The Stand. On my English teacher's recommendation, the next one I read was Needful Things, which I believe is the first one he wrote after his substance recovery; that, of course, is also an allegory of dependence and addiction and I loved it too. Thanks for your insightful commentary and review of what is, to this day, one of my favourite King novels.
I just stumbled upon this channel and I'm delighted! YES! I agree with everything you said here and The Tommyknockers is still one of my favorite King book. I also love the structure of the book, part 1 being about two characters, part 2 reading like a short story collection and part 3 being a mix of both. And you're right! He did nailed the ending here! OK, now I have all of your content to watch! 😅
Hi there Mr Doyle. First off, awesome shirt! I have an autographed picture of him I got for Christmas a few years back. It’s above my son’s crib. 😏 A great analysis of Gard and King. I too love this book and enjoy the stories of Haven sections immensely. As for the miniseries…well, buckle up. A solid cast but…In any event, excited for your thoughts on it. Take care!
Hahaha! That’s awesome! I figured that was the one shirt I could wear and everyone would universally know what it meant. I’m glad you enjoy the book, too. I know we are in the minority, but I’ll never quite understand the dislike of this story. I’m about 15 minutes into the miniseries soooo…. Yeah I think I get what you’re trying to tell me. Take care, Paul! I hope you’re well!
Technically, King's first published novel, _Carrie,_ could be considered sci-fi (or at least SF-adjacent), as it concerns the pseudoscientific phenomenon of telekinesis. Similarly, _The Shining_ deals with psychic abilities, and could thus be classed as light sci-fi, although that one admittedly feels like a bit more of a stretch, for some reason. _The Stand_ definitely contains its share of sci-fi elements, as do _The Dead Zone_ and _Firestarter_ (the latter of which you've already mentioned). Certainly, the Bachman books _The Long Walk_ (incidentally, King's first-written novel, penned before even _Carrie,_ though not published until 1979) and _The Running Man_ both qualify as dystopian sci-fi. The novella _The Mist_ features heavy incorporation of classic sci-fi elements and tropes, and the short stories 'I Am the Doorway', 'Beachworld', and 'The Jaunt' are all sci-fi through-and-through. In some ways, I suppose _Christine,_ 'The Mangler', 'Trucks', and 'Word Processor of the Gods' could be loosely classified as sci-fi, but even that's pushing it a bit, in my opinion. And while I most certainly wouldn't describe the novel _It_ as sci-fi by any means, it _is_ ultimately about two ageless cosmic entities engaged in an æons-spanning battle of wills, so there's that. At any rate, the point is that all of the works I've mentioned predate _The Tommyknockers,_ in some cases by a decade or more. In the end, I guess it just comes down to what meets one's criteria for inclusion in the somewhat nebulous and ever-evolving genre of 'science fiction'. I probably don't need to say this, but this was not meant to criticise your statements or point out your 'mistakes'; rather, I simply wanted to provide some additional food for thought, and to perhaps foster further conversation. Love the channel; keep up the good work!
Hey Bryan. Yeah, while I was editing I started to ponder all the various stories/novels that could potentially be considered sci-fi or that had sci-fi elements, and I agree that it really depends on what you consider to BE sci-fi that would determine that criteria. I do wish I had worded it differently. I did mention the short stories that would likely qualify as sci-fi, as to not neglect the stories you mentioned, but I should’ve gone with “King’s first novel about aliens” rather than his first sci-fi novel. I appreciate the discourse and good faith conversation, Bryan! I always enjoy hearing from you.
Most of Kings books are deeply autographical. King's first book Carrie describes the abuse he suffered being a weird four eyed tall kid. King's second book's protaganist is tall man with black hair that Looks greasey no matter how much he washes it. The writer has written a successful first book, and is worring if he can repeat his luck. All King's books are autobiographical to some extent. I'm trying to find the point were King starts speaking to his Constant Readers. In his latter books it's obvious he's talking to his audience. King is driven in later books to either confess, or instuct his fans. In Mr. Harrigan's Phone a rich old man ovely punishes a thieing employee. In Fairy Tails the main protaganist crushes the hands if greasy little thief. The character directly tells of some of the bad things he did. I've always wonder what King has done.
Awesome review. Just subscribed to you as well. I read early King. I am older now and rediscovering him - rereading all books I read and exploring all new ones I have not read yet. I am now a true CONSTANT READER with a library of King now at 35 books. I tend to disagree often when many so strongly dislike a book. I just ordered this today and can't wait to read it. Even the worst King is better than all others. I also think if you are a King fan it is important to read his various outputs and study them with where he was with his personal life. Sorry for the length but again great in-depth review. I also agree with you that I love his lengthy works due to the characterization and atmosphere.
Thank you! I’m glad you came back around to King and have been revisiting some of his books. I found that I have a fuller appreciation for his work now that I’m older and taking more time to really absorb them.
It's a surprising story about messed up people without the obligated happy ending later King novels introduced . No 'boy and his dog fight bad guy ' . Very original and still one of my favorites.
Hell, I thought the ending was great! Gard who was about to kill himself, actually was able to redeem himself and save that boy, possibly the world as well 🤷🏻♂️ He went out smiling!
@@PurpleSlime474 Yep. I rather like not knowing if the heroes survive or not. When you know in advance that the heroes will survive AND save the universe, it's more ' cozy adventure ' instead of horror.
Man, I love your reviews. You nailed the visual aesthetic as always. Thanks for the time and effort you put into creating these videos. You rock, brother.
Great video buddy, I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid and really enjoying it. I've never read the book but I think its going to be my next read. Awesome work as always. Yall have a great one and Ill catch the next one. Oh the foil and shirt was a nice touch lol
I got The Tommyknockers as a birthday present when I was about 13. It took me about 6 months to finish and part of that was due to sheer burnout. Didn't got back to it for a long time. A couple years ago, I finally buckled up and listened to the audiobook version and I have to agree with King here. There's a lot to like in the book - some of the characters, the themes when they're explored well - but its so weighed down with so many superfluous fluff, so many pointless side characters that I never have a shit about and so much meandering that it took the teeth out of a lot bite the story had. There's a good 400 page novel buried in here amidst an extra 300 pages of fluff IMO. Generally speaking I don't mind learning about in-depth stuff from King. IT works for me because the backstory is tied to the characters and the history of the town is tied to Pennywise. But two chapters describing the death of Bent and Jingles from different perspectives? The history of the town having little relevance to the alien ship? No thanks. To be fair, I do find myself enjoying King's short stories a lot more than his novels a lot of the time so take that as you will. Also, while I am in the crowd who thinks the book could be pared down - without getting rid of the themes and concepts - it would be too difficult. King wove too many threads across the whole book. Pull at one and the whole thing would unravel. Also I'm surprised you didn't mention King's other inspiration for this; the British TV movie, Quatermass and the Pit.
Hey Steven! I appreciate the discourse, and you admittedly made some good points. I have certainly had my share of struggles with some of King’s novels, but for whatever reason this wasn’t one of them. I honestly had a harder time with The Dark Half than I did The Tommyknockers! I do agree that the paring down of Tknockers would prove difficult. I suppose that’s what I had intended to convey in my argument that cutting it down wouldn’t work. You put it more eloquently than I managed to though. I somehow didn’t see anything about Quartermass and The Pit! Guess I should’ve dug a little deeper, but I appreciate you bringing that to my attention. Thanks, Steven!
@@agreatundertaking Thx for the response Doyle. To clarify, author Kim Newman remarked that King and more or less wrote Quatermass and the Pit, so maybe the parallels were unintentional but given that King was alive at the time, its possible that he was inspired by it.
Excellent review, enough to convince me to ultimately read this. Imagine if Mr King's addiction had gotten the best of him and we were left without his huge body of excellent works.
Yes! I’m so glad you’re going to give it a shot. I watched an interview with King today where he confessed to being on acid and/or mescaline for the better part of a month. The man is lucky to be alive for sure.
Wonderful hat, Mr. Doyle! I only know The Tommynockers via the TV show, and it was an awful experience. But your video makes me really want to pick the book up! I have for years read King primary for the social observations in his prose, and from the description, this book sounds to hit the spot not too badly! Also yeah, a lot of times King does read like a half-coherent ramble with the backstories and al, but as an avid fan of 19th century novels, I honestly enjoy that too.
Why thank you! I used the rest of the aluminum foil and I keep forgetting to pick up more when I’m at the store! 😂 The book is, I assume, much better than the show. I’m only 15 minutes into the show though, so I can’t say that for sure… but I’m 99% certain already lol Definitely give the book a chance! Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Katarzyna!
Great video. I'll be honest I have avoided reading this one because of the negative reviews. Will have to pick it up because few writers portray addiction as well as King does. And on a side note that shirt is awesome!
I didn’t search high and low or anything, but 90% of the reviews I watched were predominantly negative, so I’m not surprised that you were apprehensive about starting the book. I hope you will give it a shot! As for the shirt, it’s easily my favorite of the “costumes” I’ve acquired for these videos. Have a good weekend, Ryan!
While it's not one of my favorite books, I definitely think it's a good book. I'm pretty sure Kimg sobered up before finishing the book and the book parallels that. When Gard goes for a walk is when King became sober. The pace of the book ramps up fast and he speeds to the ending after that point
This book has one of my favorite villains of all time; the coke machine, lol. The scene where the boy was doing a magic trick on his brother really had me on edge.
Never read the book. Always wanted to (or at least hear it in a audiobook format) but just never got around to it. I saw the miniseries when it came out and honestly, much like his other early 90s miniseries, I really enjoyed it. You have to keep in mind what basic TV was like at that time. It was the age of Full House, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show ruling television with an iron fist. If you wanted to see something a bit more hardcore there was Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman or Superboy not long before that. So if you didn't have cable, or you did but you parents wouldn't let you watch channels like Fox to watch The Simpsons and Married With Children (or if you were REAL lucky HBO to watch Tales From The Crypt), you were stuck with the tv equivalent of the society in the movie Demolition Man. So have that Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood aesthetic broken for a few hours with a Stephen King story was beyond welcomed. This, IT, The Stand, and even The Langoliers were such a breath of fresh air. Stuff that actually got you to use your imagination and what "What if?" scenarios long after it was over. As an adult many years removed here's my take on the mini series. I LOVE the first half. The second half, much like the IT mini series (and the two movies) isn't terrible but not even close to as good as part 1.
Hey! Good point, for sure. Even if Tommyknockers isn’t the best of King adaptations, it sure beats the insufferable cavalcade of family friendly sitcoms that were dominating tv during the era. Hard to disagree with that. Thanks, chaospoet!
Thank you so much. That was lovely. Liked and subscribed! I read a lot of many different types of books, but Stephen King is absolutely my fav, in his genre. Overall, I’m more interested in Sci-fi, but the actual context behind this novel always added to my appreciation of it. I feel bad that he can’t fully enjoy it, but if I had some serious drug addictions to immediately address, I wouldn’t mind finishing all of that off on a book like this one. 🏆 I’m old. I’ve been reading him for a long time. I feel like I can guess what he was up to ‘back in the day’. Luckily, he woke up with a stuffy nose one morning and then wrote my favorite, THE STAND. 😉😘
While I can't agree with everything that you said, I enjoyed your video and I definitely enjoyed the book! Without trying to go into King like detail my first reading of this book was a bit rough. I first read this around the age of thirteen and came to a point around midway through the book that I became agitated and threw the book into a corner and left it for more than six months. When I came back to the book I reread the first half and had no issues following through and reading it in its' entirety. My opinions of events have evolved over the years but it still seems slightly like a star crossed romance story like Romeo and Juliet. I mean... kind of... Okay maybe not... but maybe... And the end... was it a hit or a miss? I'm not sure. It depends on how I feel each time I read it. What I can say is that it captivated me and had me turning pages late into the night until it was finished. Even then my brain would continue to process the story and maybe even dream of it. So many of the characters was likeable and relatable even with their faults. I highly recommend this book for those even thinking about reading it. Don't overthink other peoples' opinions. Read it and find your own. There are slow periods and long build ups but it is worth the wait for the full King story and experience. Even if it can be a rough, dark, rainy ride, with sparse rays of beautiful sunshine.... I just watched the mini series for the first time right before finding this vid. You have probably already found out for yourself by now but the show is very different and could have been made much better! Not horrible but not that good either.
Hey Brendan! If there is one book that deserves a proper remake, it’s this one. HBO limited series would be great, but honestly after how well EPIX did with Chaplewaite (Jerusalem’s Lot), I’d be happy to see it there too.
Great video bro! Just subscribed! I actually really enjoy this book as well. I know it's not perfect but I enjoyed the ride and loved the ending. I struggled with addiction myself and really felt for Guard. I have a few Stephen King adaptations of my own which you would enjoy as a King Fan!
Hahahaha! That’s awesome. I deliberated on what shirt to go with for a while, but I decided to go with the one that said “ALIENS” without actually saying it.
I don’t think that’s it honestly. These are the same folks who typically praise King’s other, lengthier novels. I wonder if King “poisoned the well” so to speak, and so these reviewers may go into the novel with King’s self criticism in their heads already, which colors their experience.
Contrary to popular opinion, I like the Tommyknockers as well. It’s not one of his best books, but it’s still pretty fun to read imo. Also, I like to joke around and call it “Tommy-Has-Knockers”, so you’re not alone with the knocker jokes
I can't decide whether this novel or Needful Things is my favorite. I have always loved The Tommyknockers, it is captivating. Also, check out those KNOCKERS 😂
Didn't, at the end of the novel, most of the affected survivors of Haven (after the Shop took over) deteriorate into pools of goo? Also, is "Under the Dome" in your to-do list?
Hmmm… I don’t recall them turning to goo piles. I could be wrong though. My short term memory ain’t what it used to be. Yes, Under the Dome will eventually make its way onto the channel. It’s honestly one of my favorites.
I've always been a bit confused over the hate this book received. It's nice to know I'm not the only one in the minority. King has always had issues with sci-fi. Beachworld was a fun little story that reminded me of PK Dick, I don't know that it's attempt at mixing horror and science fiction worked, but it was a valiant effort. The Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher weren't exactly well received. There's an interesting parallel to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Indiana Jones is a series that, though paranormal in nature, was grounded in earthly concerns, but the alien chapter is pretty well reviled. King is the same. Paranormal, grounded on planet earth, you see where I'm going... I'd wager that if the spaceship was replaced with an ancient temple, the aliens were replaced with literal demon spirits, and the townspeople were slowly turning into pan-like creatures, it would've been better received. I've never read King because I'm a fan of haunted hotels, I just love a well told story. Dreamcatcher reads like what it was, a story written by an angry man in a whole lot of pain, not my favorite King book, but not his worst. Again, good video. Nicely researched.
Hey brother. I haven’t actually seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ve seen all the original Jones films, but not the most recent two. And from what I can tell, most people who don’t like Dreamcatcher can’t get past the whole “anal expulsion of aliens” thing. I’m looking forward to revisiting that story. Of King’s novels I only remember having a hard time getting into and maintaining an interest in Lisey’s Story and Duma Key. I’m hoping that isn’t the case this time around, but we shall see.
@@agreatundertaking KotCS wasn't a terrible movie, but I wish they'd just stopped at Last Crusade. I'll have to read Lisey's Story again, I've read it a few times but that was years ago. It's funny, I put it right next to Wizard and Glass as some of King's best work, and I don't usually enjoy Romance. Guess King just brings out the sap in me.
Didn’t know so many people enjoyed reading about digging. This is basically what the first 50 pages of the book was about. Never made it past the digging part. I am sure it went into at least 100 pages.
Yeah there are many videos from bigger book-tube/King related channels that are predominantly negative. And I AM a fourteen year old girl, so there’s that.
Finally! A safe space where I can talk about how much I truly love this book. Gard is one of my all time favorite characters. I also love seeing characters that truly struggle in life outside their supernatural experiences. I love everything King writes, but his early stuff had a more informed position about poverty and class structures. I also love that the book has not one, but two writers as the main characters. Outside of Misery and of course On Writing, I can't think of any other King book so inextricably tied to the process and art of writing as Gard and Bobbi have each other to talk to, whereas the other author stand ins have an otherness about them that keeps you at arms length. There is a real intimacy and self reflective awareness here that I think he rarely achieves in his other books, great as I generally think they are.
Yeah, not all of his books have resonated with me either. Tommyknockers did, but I’m about an hour into the miniseries and I can completely understand why that didn’t land with you lol it’s dreadful.
I wore it because, unlike Gard, I don’t have a metal plate in my head to protect against invasive alien mind control tactics. I’m not sure I understand how my tinfoil hat would discredit what I’m saying in the video though, so can you explain what you mean by that?
@@agreatundertaking oh okay. Like wearing a tinfoil hat to symbolize that you're crazy and what you're saying is crazy. That's the popular stereotype in the USA, no?
I got ya. I was definitely playing into the stereotype for the “costume” end of things. I did mean everything I said in the video, though whether or not I’m crazy is still up for debate. 😂
Thank you for an actual review and not a bitchfest about how awful they think the book is. Honestly I like it. Everything people grumbled about is.. like you said… in all his other books. King is known for heavy detail of every character and well if it isn’t weird it isn’t king right? That’s why we love him!!
I really like The Tommyknockers. King makes you care about the characters. People think he's overly descriptive but I appreciate his ability to bring me into the story. If you're someone who dislikes character development I guess you can just go read Dean Koontz.
Hahahaha!!! Agreed on all points, Darth.
Agreed. I've always felt that King's overly descriptive style is the reason every single one of his novels actually stay with me my whole life, where I've also read just about every Koontz novel (someone who writes straight to the point) and besides his amazing twists there's only a handful of them that I can actually remember like that.
I don't think I will ever read this book due to the fact I have heard how bad it is I rarely hear anyone talk good things about this book 😬😖
Lol well I hope I can manage to encourage you to read it.
I'll tell you one good thing about it...I just finished it and I'll say it's an awesome ride put all error aside and know the history of the book itself and it's actually a very fun book I loved it ye it's got problems but if you know king and his style then this is another Tuesday with a bad hair day trust me just try it
My favorite part of The Tommyknockers was how the towns people all became geniuses and created inventions with batteries and whatever else was lying around.
Been waiting for this one. Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks for checking out the video and for taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate ya!
Your T-Shirt looks suspiciously like Giorgio A. Tsoukalos (Tongue in Cheek). BTW, Great Countdown Animation Thanks 😀
Lol you might be onto something there…. 🤣 that is definitely the coolest TH-cam premiere countdown, and I’ve never understood why more people don’t use it!
I heard from Edward Lorn that there's a fan theory that many of the mind powers we see in Maine in King's novels (Carrie, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, The Green Mile) are from the side-effects of whatever leaked out of this ship into the water table.
That’s not half bad!!!
I liked the tommyknockers a lot
Me too, Theo!!! Heck yeah! 👽
I have a big soft spot for The Tommyknockers, and I've read it several times over. Character study is one of the best aspects of any King novel, and Tommyknockers has this in spades. I can't think of a more underrated King book off the top of my head.
Hi Lisa! Well said! I agree with you completely. Thank you!
I'm glad someone else loves The Tommyknockers. It was the second King novel I read (after The Stand, which bowled me over) and it engaged me even more. Although I was still in my early teens at the time I saw the core themes of addiction and self-destruction and I loved meandering detail of the narrative style. In fact I found it less bloated and meandering than The Stand. On my English teacher's recommendation, the next one I read was Needful Things, which I believe is the first one he wrote after his substance recovery; that, of course, is also an allegory of dependence and addiction and I loved it too.
Thanks for your insightful commentary and review of what is, to this day, one of my favourite King novels.
I just stumbled upon this channel and I'm delighted! YES! I agree with everything you said here and The Tommyknockers is still one of my favorite King book.
I also love the structure of the book, part 1 being about two characters, part 2 reading like a short story collection and part 3 being a mix of both. And you're right! He did nailed the ending here!
OK, now I have all of your content to watch! 😅
YES!!! Thank you, Sylvian! I’m always excited to know there are more Tommyknockers fans out there!
Hi there Mr Doyle. First off, awesome shirt! I have an autographed picture of him I got for Christmas a few years back. It’s above my son’s crib. 😏 A great analysis of Gard and King. I too love this book and enjoy the stories of Haven sections immensely. As for the miniseries…well, buckle up. A solid cast but…In any event, excited for your thoughts on it. Take care!
Hahaha! That’s awesome! I figured that was the one shirt I could wear and everyone would universally know what it meant. I’m glad you enjoy the book, too. I know we are in the minority, but I’ll never quite understand the dislike of this story.
I’m about 15 minutes into the miniseries soooo…. Yeah I think I get what you’re trying to tell me. Take care, Paul! I hope you’re well!
Technically, King's first published novel, _Carrie,_ could be considered sci-fi (or at least SF-adjacent), as it concerns the pseudoscientific phenomenon of telekinesis. Similarly, _The Shining_ deals with psychic abilities, and could thus be classed as light sci-fi, although that one admittedly feels like a bit more of a stretch, for some reason. _The Stand_ definitely contains its share of sci-fi elements, as do _The Dead Zone_ and _Firestarter_ (the latter of which you've already mentioned). Certainly, the Bachman books _The Long Walk_ (incidentally, King's first-written novel, penned before even _Carrie,_ though not published until 1979) and _The Running Man_ both qualify as dystopian sci-fi. The novella _The Mist_ features heavy incorporation of classic sci-fi elements and tropes, and the short stories 'I Am the Doorway', 'Beachworld', and 'The Jaunt' are all sci-fi through-and-through. In some ways, I suppose _Christine,_ 'The Mangler', 'Trucks', and 'Word Processor of the Gods' could be loosely classified as sci-fi, but even that's pushing it a bit, in my opinion. And while I most certainly wouldn't describe the novel _It_ as sci-fi by any means, it _is_ ultimately about two ageless cosmic entities engaged in an æons-spanning battle of wills, so there's that. At any rate, the point is that all of the works I've mentioned predate _The Tommyknockers,_ in some cases by a decade or more. In the end, I guess it just comes down to what meets one's criteria for inclusion in the somewhat nebulous and ever-evolving genre of 'science fiction'. I probably don't need to say this, but this was not meant to criticise your statements or point out your 'mistakes'; rather, I simply wanted to provide some additional food for thought, and to perhaps foster further conversation. Love the channel; keep up the good work!
Hey Bryan. Yeah, while I was editing I started to ponder all the various stories/novels that could potentially be considered sci-fi or that had sci-fi elements, and I agree that it really depends on what you consider to BE sci-fi that would determine that criteria.
I do wish I had worded it differently. I did mention the short stories that would likely qualify as sci-fi, as to not neglect the stories you mentioned, but I should’ve gone with “King’s first novel about aliens” rather than his first sci-fi novel.
I appreciate the discourse and good faith conversation, Bryan! I always enjoy hearing from you.
Most of Kings books are deeply autographical. King's first book Carrie describes the abuse he suffered being a weird four eyed tall kid. King's second book's protaganist is tall man with black hair that Looks greasey no matter how much he washes it. The writer has written a successful first book, and is worring if he can repeat his luck. All King's books are autobiographical to some extent. I'm trying to find the point were King starts speaking to his Constant Readers. In his latter books it's obvious he's talking to his audience. King is driven in later books to either confess, or instuct his fans. In Mr. Harrigan's Phone a rich old man ovely punishes a thieing employee. In Fairy Tails the main protaganist crushes the hands if greasy little thief. The character directly tells of some of the bad things he did. I've always wonder what King has done.
Great points and insight, Kiki. So true that King has often written himself and his personal experiences into many of his books and stories.
Awesome review. Just subscribed to you as well. I read early King. I am older now and rediscovering him - rereading all books I read and exploring all new ones I have not read yet. I am now a true CONSTANT READER with a library of King now at 35 books. I tend to disagree often when many so strongly dislike a book. I just ordered this today and can't wait to read it. Even the worst King is better than all others. I also think if you are a King fan it is important to read his various outputs and study them with where he was with his personal life. Sorry for the length but again great in-depth review. I also agree with you that I love his lengthy works due to the characterization and atmosphere.
Thank you! I’m glad you came back around to King and have been revisiting some of his books. I found that I have a fuller appreciation for his work now that I’m older and taking more time to really absorb them.
It's a surprising story about messed up people without the obligated happy ending later King novels introduced . No 'boy and his dog fight bad guy ' . Very original and still one of my favorites.
( great T shirt ! 😅)
Def one of my favs too. Glad you like the shirt! 🤣
Hell, I thought the ending was great! Gard who was about to kill himself, actually was able to redeem himself and save that boy, possibly the world as well 🤷🏻♂️ He went out smiling!
Hey Purple Slime! I agree. And with the addition of the reunion of Hilly and his brother… *chef’s kiss*
@@PurpleSlime474 Yep. I rather like not knowing if the heroes survive or not. When you know in advance that the heroes will survive AND save the universe, it's more ' cozy adventure ' instead of horror.
Man, I love your reviews. You nailed the visual aesthetic as always. Thanks for the time and effort you put into creating these videos. You rock, brother.
Thank you, M. I appreciate it a great deal!
Great video buddy, I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid and really enjoying it. I've never read the book but I think its going to be my next read. Awesome work as always. Yall have a great one and Ill catch the next one. Oh the foil and shirt was a nice touch lol
Hey Jamie! I hope you have a chance to read it. I really do think it’s worth it. Thanks and have a good day, amigo!
I got The Tommyknockers as a birthday present when I was about 13. It took me about 6 months to finish and part of that was due to sheer burnout. Didn't got back to it for a long time. A couple years ago, I finally buckled up and listened to the audiobook version and I have to agree with King here. There's a lot to like in the book - some of the characters, the themes when they're explored well - but its so weighed down with so many superfluous fluff, so many pointless side characters that I never have a shit about and so much meandering that it took the teeth out of a lot bite the story had.
There's a good 400 page novel buried in here amidst an extra 300 pages of fluff IMO. Generally speaking I don't mind learning about in-depth stuff from King. IT works for me because the backstory is tied to the characters and the history of the town is tied to Pennywise. But two chapters describing the death of Bent and Jingles from different perspectives? The history of the town having little relevance to the alien ship? No thanks.
To be fair, I do find myself enjoying King's short stories a lot more than his novels a lot of the time so take that as you will. Also, while I am in the crowd who thinks the book could be pared down - without getting rid of the themes and concepts - it would be too difficult. King wove too many threads across the whole book. Pull at one and the whole thing would unravel.
Also I'm surprised you didn't mention King's other inspiration for this; the British TV movie, Quatermass and the Pit.
Hey Steven! I appreciate the discourse, and you admittedly made some good points.
I have certainly had my share of struggles with some of King’s novels, but for whatever reason this wasn’t one of them. I honestly had a harder time with The Dark Half than I did The Tommyknockers!
I do agree that the paring down of Tknockers would prove difficult. I suppose that’s what I had intended to convey in my argument that cutting it down wouldn’t work. You put it more eloquently than I managed to though.
I somehow didn’t see anything about Quartermass and The Pit! Guess I should’ve dug a little deeper, but I appreciate you bringing that to my attention.
Thanks, Steven!
@@agreatundertaking Thx for the response Doyle. To clarify, author Kim Newman remarked that King and more or less wrote Quatermass and the Pit, so maybe the parallels were unintentional but given that King was alive at the time, its possible that he was inspired by it.
I’m unfamiliar with Newman and Quartermass. I’ll have to check it out.
Excellent review, enough to convince me to ultimately read this. Imagine if Mr King's addiction had gotten the best of him and we were left without his huge body of excellent works.
Yes! I’m so glad you’re going to give it a shot. I watched an interview with King today where he confessed to being on acid and/or mescaline for the better part of a month. The man is lucky to be alive for sure.
Wonderful hat, Mr. Doyle! I only know The Tommynockers via the TV show, and it was an awful experience. But your video makes me really want to pick the book up! I have for years read King primary for the social observations in his prose, and from the description, this book sounds to hit the spot not too badly! Also yeah, a lot of times King does read like a half-coherent ramble with the backstories and al, but as an avid fan of 19th century novels, I honestly enjoy that too.
Why thank you! I used the rest of the aluminum foil and I keep forgetting to pick up more when I’m at the store! 😂
The book is, I assume, much better than the show. I’m only 15 minutes into the show though, so I can’t say that for sure… but I’m 99% certain already lol
Definitely give the book a chance! Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Katarzyna!
Great video. I'll be honest I have avoided reading this one because of the negative reviews. Will have to pick it up because few writers portray addiction as well as King does. And on a side note that shirt is awesome!
I didn’t search high and low or anything, but 90% of the reviews I watched were predominantly negative, so I’m not surprised that you were apprehensive about starting the book. I hope you will give it a shot! As for the shirt, it’s easily my favorite of the “costumes” I’ve acquired for these videos. Have a good weekend, Ryan!
While it's not one of my favorite books, I definitely think it's a good book. I'm pretty sure Kimg sobered up before finishing the book and the book parallels that. When Gard goes for a walk is when King became sober. The pace of the book ramps up fast and he speeds to the ending after that point
This book has one of my favorite villains of all time; the coke machine, lol.
The scene where the boy was doing a magic trick on his brother really had me on edge.
Hahahaha! Hell yeah. The coke machine is hilarious.
As for the brothers and the magic trick gone wrong, that part really tugs at the heart strings.
Intentional metaphor? The “Coke” machine pummeling someone to death? Quite telling considering SK’s state at the time
@@PalmTreesInMoscow Ha-ha-ha. I never thought of that before, but it makes sense.
Never read the book. Always wanted to (or at least hear it in a audiobook format) but just never got around to it. I saw the miniseries when it came out and honestly, much like his other early 90s miniseries, I really enjoyed it. You have to keep in mind what basic TV was like at that time. It was the age of Full House, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show ruling television with an iron fist. If you wanted to see something a bit more hardcore there was Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman or Superboy not long before that. So if you didn't have cable, or you did but you parents wouldn't let you watch channels like Fox to watch The Simpsons and Married With Children (or if you were REAL lucky HBO to watch Tales From The Crypt), you were stuck with the tv equivalent of the society in the movie Demolition Man. So have that Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood aesthetic broken for a few hours with a Stephen King story was beyond welcomed. This, IT, The Stand, and even The Langoliers were such a breath of fresh air. Stuff that actually got you to use your imagination and what "What if?" scenarios long after it was over. As an adult many years removed here's my take on the mini series. I LOVE the first half. The second half, much like the IT mini series (and the two movies) isn't terrible but not even close to as good as part 1.
Hey! Good point, for sure. Even if Tommyknockers isn’t the best of King adaptations, it sure beats the insufferable cavalcade of family friendly sitcoms that were dominating tv during the era. Hard to disagree with that. Thanks, chaospoet!
Thank you so much. That was lovely. Liked and subscribed!
I read a lot of many different types of books, but Stephen King is absolutely my fav, in his genre.
Overall, I’m more interested in Sci-fi, but the actual context behind this novel always added to my appreciation of it.
I feel bad that he can’t fully enjoy it, but if I had some serious drug addictions to immediately address, I wouldn’t mind finishing all of that off on a book like this one. 🏆
I’m old. I’ve been reading him for a long time. I feel like I can guess what he was up to ‘back in the day’.
Luckily, he woke up with a stuffy nose one morning and then wrote my favorite, THE STAND.
😉😘
While I can't agree with everything that you said, I enjoyed your video and I definitely enjoyed the book!
Without trying to go into King like detail my first reading of this book was a bit rough. I first read this around the age of thirteen and came to a point around midway through the book that I became agitated and threw the book into a corner and left it for more than six months. When I came back to the book I reread the first half and had no issues following through and reading it in its' entirety. My opinions of events have evolved over the years but it still seems slightly like a star crossed romance story like Romeo and Juliet. I mean... kind of... Okay maybe not... but maybe...
And the end... was it a hit or a miss? I'm not sure. It depends on how I feel each time I read it. What I can say is that it captivated me and had me turning pages late into the night until it was finished. Even then my brain would continue to process the story and maybe even dream of it. So many of the characters was likeable and relatable even with their faults. I highly recommend this book for those even thinking about reading it. Don't overthink other peoples' opinions. Read it and find your own. There are slow periods and long build ups but it is worth the wait for the full King story and experience. Even if it can be a rough, dark, rainy ride, with sparse rays of beautiful sunshine....
I just watched the mini series for the first time right before finding this vid. You have probably already found out for yourself by now but the show is very different and could have been made much better! Not horrible but not that good either.
Excellent Video as Per Usally, do you think it's time the that the novel got a big buget remake may a hbo limited series?
Hey Brendan! If there is one book that deserves a proper remake, it’s this one. HBO limited series would be great, but honestly after how well EPIX did with Chaplewaite (Jerusalem’s Lot), I’d be happy to see it there too.
Great video bro! Just subscribed! I actually really enjoy this book as well. I know it's not perfect but I enjoyed the ride and loved the ending. I struggled with addiction myself and really felt for Guard. I have a few Stephen King adaptations of my own which you would enjoy as a King Fan!
Thanks so much, man! It’s a great book, and I’m glad you agree.
I’d love to check out your adaptations man! Email me at agr8tundertaking@gmail.com
Yer beard alone got me to subscribe!
Hahahaha! The old chin sweater for the win. Thanks, Lars!
i have the opposite of your shirt. i have a Grey w/Giorgio's hair, hands up, going, "Humans"...LOL.
Hahahaha! That’s awesome. I deliberated on what shirt to go with for a while, but I decided to go with the one that said “ALIENS” without actually saying it.
@@agreatundertaking question. do you think the ppl crying about the length/super details in the book just have short attention spans?
I don’t think that’s it honestly. These are the same folks who typically praise King’s other, lengthier novels. I wonder if King “poisoned the well” so to speak, and so these reviewers may go into the novel with King’s self criticism in their heads already, which colors their experience.
I wonder if the small town in the story was based on Cornish Maine. I live in Maine and love Kings books but never knew the history of tommyknockers.
I couldn’t say, but it’s entirely possible!
I am surprised that people didn't like the Tommyknockers. I liked it a lot when I read it.
I know! I don’t get it either.
Great outfit 😂 perfect for this video
Lol thank you my Frozun Yogert friend
I'll subscribe just for the stylish hats.
Lol fantastic. I guess I’m going to have to up my hat game…
Contrary to popular opinion, I like the Tommyknockers as well. It’s not one of his best books, but it’s still pretty fun to read imo. Also, I like to joke around and call it “Tommy-Has-Knockers”, so you’re not alone with the knocker jokes
🤣🤣🤣 Tommy’s lookin stacked!
People are just jealous of all the cocaine he got to do while writing "Tommyknockers"!
I thought it was a good miniseries. I had no idea it was gonna be soul sucking aliens until the end.
I can't decide whether this novel or Needful Things is my favorite. I have always loved The Tommyknockers, it is captivating.
Also, check out those KNOCKERS 😂
Hahahahaha!!! WHAT KNOCKERS! 😂
It’s nice to see that there are people out there who disagree with the “popular” consensus! Tommyknockers fans UNITE!
Didn't, at the end of the novel, most of the affected survivors of Haven (after the Shop took over) deteriorate into pools of goo? Also, is "Under the Dome" in your to-do list?
Hmmm… I don’t recall them turning to goo piles. I could be wrong though. My short term memory ain’t what it used to be.
Yes, Under the Dome will eventually make its way onto the channel. It’s honestly one of my favorites.
I never finished the book. I had a hard time with what they did to the dog and the Old Man.
Yeah… that was pretty rough.
I've always been a bit confused over the hate this book received. It's nice to know I'm not the only one in the minority. King has always had issues with sci-fi. Beachworld was a fun little story that reminded me of PK Dick, I don't know that it's attempt at mixing horror and science fiction worked, but it was a valiant effort. The Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher weren't exactly well received. There's an interesting parallel to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Indiana Jones is a series that, though paranormal in nature, was grounded in earthly concerns, but the alien chapter is pretty well reviled. King is the same. Paranormal, grounded on planet earth, you see where I'm going...
I'd wager that if the spaceship was replaced with an ancient temple, the aliens were replaced with literal demon spirits, and the townspeople were slowly turning into pan-like creatures, it would've been better received.
I've never read King because I'm a fan of haunted hotels, I just love a well told story. Dreamcatcher reads like what it was, a story written by an angry man in a whole lot of pain, not my favorite King book, but not his worst.
Again, good video. Nicely researched.
Hey brother. I haven’t actually seen Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ve seen all the original Jones films, but not the most recent two.
And from what I can tell, most people who don’t like Dreamcatcher can’t get past the whole “anal expulsion of aliens” thing. I’m looking forward to revisiting that story.
Of King’s novels I only remember having a hard time getting into and maintaining an interest in Lisey’s Story and Duma Key. I’m hoping that isn’t the case this time around, but we shall see.
@@agreatundertaking KotCS wasn't a terrible movie, but I wish they'd just stopped at Last Crusade.
I'll have to read Lisey's Story again, I've read it a few times but that was years ago. It's funny, I put it right next to Wizard and Glass as some of King's best work, and I don't usually enjoy Romance. Guess King just brings out the sap in me.
I really liked the book, and the movie was fun. Maybe I am weird? LOL
I am almost done with the movie, and it does have its enjoyable moments!
Didn’t know so many people enjoyed reading about digging. This is basically what the first 50 pages of the book was about. Never made it past the digging part. I am sure it went into at least 100 pages.
Are there videos out there saying that it's not a good book? If not, why use the word actually? That's how fourteen year old girls talk.
Yeah there are many videos from bigger book-tube/King related channels that are predominantly negative. And I AM a fourteen year old girl, so there’s that.
Finally! A safe space where I can talk about how much I truly love this book. Gard is one of my all time favorite characters. I also love seeing characters that truly struggle in life outside their supernatural experiences. I love everything King writes, but his early stuff had a more informed position about poverty and class structures. I also love that the book has not one, but two writers as the main characters. Outside of Misery and of course On Writing, I can't think of any other King book so inextricably tied to the process and art of writing as Gard and Bobbi have each other to talk to, whereas the other author stand ins have an otherness about them that keeps you at arms length. There is a real intimacy and self reflective awareness here that I think he rarely achieves in his other books, great as I generally think they are.
hahaha oh this one is so dang weird!
SO weird lol
Not all of his novels will knock it out of the park. This was largely a forgettable novel and film adaptation for me.
Yeah, not all of his books have resonated with me either. Tommyknockers did, but I’m about an hour into the miniseries and I can completely understand why that didn’t land with you lol it’s dreadful.
Why are you wearing a tinfoil hat? Do you not actually believe what you're saying in this video?
I wore it because, unlike Gard, I don’t have a metal plate in my head to protect against invasive alien mind control tactics. I’m not sure I understand how my tinfoil hat would discredit what I’m saying in the video though, so can you explain what you mean by that?
@@agreatundertaking oh okay.
Like wearing a tinfoil hat to symbolize that you're crazy and what you're saying is crazy.
That's the popular stereotype in the USA, no?
I got ya. I was definitely playing into the stereotype for the “costume” end of things. I did mean everything I said in the video, though whether or not I’m crazy is still up for debate. 😂