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A review by phidgt
The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"The Tommyknockers" was published in 1987 and I know that I read it around this time because I was a budding "Constant Reader" after reading "It" which came out the year before. The reason I mention this is because the book came up in a discussion group and, other than something to do with aliens, I couldn't remember anything about the plot. It was as if I had never read it.
So, I reread it.
I'm fairly certain that 1987 me enjoyed the story, but I can't help but wonder if this is true. Something more than just a vague notion of aliens should have stuck I think. Anyway, I reread the book and, I gotta say, it was a struggle to get through. Now normally, I feel that Stephen King is a master when it comes to character development. However, "The Tommyknockers" had an overabundance of character development if this can even be a thing. There was so much backstory supplied for so many characters it actually became tedious to read after a while. I don't even know where to begin with the repetition. The premise of the story is definitely solid. There's just too much other stuff smothering it.
King still remains my favorite author. This doesn't mean that I think every book he's written is pure gold. In fact, neither does King himself. Here's what he had to say about "The Tommyknockers" in a Rolling Stone interview from 2014:
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.”
Actually, given how much backstory there was, there's probably three good 350-page novels in there. I also don't think the book was awful. Meandering, yes, but still worth reading.
This is one of those books that I would recommend picking up if you see it laying around a thrift store just to have on hand to crack open when the weather is crappy for days and all you want to do is lay around with a big book.
So, I reread it.
I'm fairly certain that 1987 me enjoyed the story, but I can't help but wonder if this is true. Something more than just a vague notion of aliens should have stuck I think. Anyway, I reread the book and, I gotta say, it was a struggle to get through. Now normally, I feel that Stephen King is a master when it comes to character development. However, "The Tommyknockers" had an overabundance of character development if this can even be a thing. There was so much backstory supplied for so many characters it actually became tedious to read after a while. I don't even know where to begin with the repetition. The premise of the story is definitely solid. There's just too much other stuff smothering it.
King still remains my favorite author. This doesn't mean that I think every book he's written is pure gold. In fact, neither does King himself. Here's what he had to say about "The Tommyknockers" in a Rolling Stone interview from 2014:
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.”
Actually, given how much backstory there was, there's probably three good 350-page novels in there. I also don't think the book was awful. Meandering, yes, but still worth reading.
This is one of those books that I would recommend picking up if you see it laying around a thrift store just to have on hand to crack open when the weather is crappy for days and all you want to do is lay around with a big book.