The Tommyknockers by Stephen King - Book Review

The woods behind Bobbi Anderson’s house have always proved to be a great place for her and her trusty dog, Peter, to explore. Sometimes the pair would walk for hours, enjoying the peace and quiet it provided.

But when Bobbi stumbles across a shiny object protruding from the earth, she can not imagine the terror she’s about to unleash.

When a strange presence begins to consume her, Bobbi starts the arduous task of digging up whatever is sticking out from the ground. But as more of the object is revealed, an alien craft begins to take shape, its power growing as more of it is unearthed. 

As the townspeople begin to feel the effects of the craft, they begin to turn violent, overcome by psychotic episodes. But one man remains unaffected, seemingly immune to the alien effects. James Gardener knows Bobbi better than anyone and he will do everything he can to save her before it’s too late.

Published in the mid-80s at a time most consider King’s heyday, this novel was received with mixed reviews. While some loved it, others hated it, me in the first group. I loved the story, considering it had some decent science-fiction elements about it.

I mean, an alien spaceship buried for thousands of years just waiting for someone to find it. And aliens that couldn’t be considered the good guys, instead turning ordinary folks into psychotic crazies bent on killing. What’s there not to love?

Although the tension never quite lets up, there’s a tragedy about the whole thing that tends to move the story along. Not every tale needs to save all of the characters you fall in love with and The Tommyknockers tends to take this notion to the next level. I consider this as another one of his core collection, one of those titles you associate with why he’s King.