Bracket #6: The Tommyknockers (1987)

[mae]

The Tommyknockers, 1987
http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/510/medium/The_Tommyknockers_red_face.jpg

Please vote for The Tommyknockers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tommyknockers) using the following scale:

5: I loved it
4: It was good
3: Average
2: Only so-so
1: I didn't like it

If you haven't read this book yet, please vote Never Read. Feel free to discuss your votes in this thread.

[Jean]

I expect my 5 to be the only one, but there it is.

[Tito_Villa]

One i need to read!

[mae]

I gave it a 4, was deliberating between 4 and 5, but it did drag a little in places. But a great book which for some reason got a bad reputation amongst King fans. Not a Top 10 book, but near there, for me (and, I suspect, Jean, too).

[Kronz]

Three from me, I just didn't feel as involved in the story as I usually do in a long King book. Gard was a good character at least, I can say that much.

[Jean]

I gave it a 4, was deliberating between 4 and 5, but it did drag a little in places. But a great book which for some reason got a bad reputation amongst King fans. Not a Top 10 book, but near there, for me (and, I suspect, Jean, too).
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/0134-bear.gif
I did drag, but since the 5 goes "I loved it", I couldn't do otherwise - I loved it! I never tried to do top 10, but I suspect it might very well get there.

[turtlex]

Wow. Looks like I'm going to be in the minority here, but this is probably my absolutely least favorite King book. I just did not like it. At all.

[candy]

I expect my 5 to be the only one, but there it is.

and me:huglove:


One i need to read!

yes, yes you do!!!:D

[Jean]

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearheart.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearheart.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bearheart.gif

[Hannah]

I gave this a 4. It was a good read.

[Sam]

Wow. Looks like I'm going to be in the minority here, but this is probably my absolutely least favorite King book. I just did not like it. At all.

You aren't alone girl. I hate this book. This one and Dreamcatcher are the only two that I have never finished. I gave it a 1.

[Daghain]

Two. Not a fan.

[High_Desert_Gunslinger]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

[Woofer]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

Pretty much.

Late last night and the night before...

[divemaster]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

I'm one of these people also. I love good sci-fi. Thus, I give The Tommyknockers a 1. This book is just terrible.

[Woofer]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

I'm one of these people also. I love good sci-fi. Thus, I give The Tommyknockers a 1. This book is just terrible.

Ah, but good is relative - that's the fun part of these polls.

[Jean]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)



This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

I'm one of these people also. I love good sci-fi. Thus, I give The Tommyknockers a 1. This book is just terrible.
Sci-fi bores me to tears. This book is one of my very favorites: because of the characters, of course, and their stories - I do wish the sci-fi element was reduced to absolute minimum.

[divemaster]

I agree with the character aspect. I've actually read The Tommyknockers twice--the characters of Bobbie and Gard are done well and I feel like I know them. But this is one case where the characters alone can't save this sinking ship of a book. I could never "lose myself" in the story, and, well, I could say a lot more negative things, but I don't want to just hate-on pile on. King is a great writer with a gift for character. Even the greatest of sluggers strike out sometimes rather than hit the home run.

[Woofer]

I agree with the character aspect. I've actually read The Tommyknockers twice--the characters of Bobbie and Gard are done well and I feel like I know them. But this is one case where the characters alone can't save this sinking ship of a book. I could never "lose myself" in the story, and, well, I could say a lot more negative things, but I don't want to just hate-on pile on. King is a great writer with a gift for character. Even the greatest of sluggers strike out sometimes rather than hit the home run.

And it's funny to see how the same book can score such different ratings from people.

I liked both the character development and the scifi lite aspect. Arglebargle is a permanent part of my vocabulary.

I didn't like the adaptation.

[LadyHitchhiker]

Solid four

[flaggwalkstheline]

one of my absolute favorites:5

[Kronz]

This is one of those books that you need to be interested in sci fi movies/books to love. Luckily I am one of those people :)

I'm one of these people also. I love good sci-fi. Thus, I give The Tommyknockers a 1. This book is just terrible.

I was going to say something along those lines, though I don't hate it quite as much as you. Still maybe my least favorite major King book. I find Tommyknockers fails as Science Fiction because King is not a scientist. Any great SF writer is actually disgustingly brilliant and usually very far in style from the rich humanistic approach of someone like King. In this case the human element and the science fiction element rung hollow for me. Maybe having been an alcoholic in denial while reading it didn't endear it much either.

[pathoftheturtle]

It's not even meant to be real science fiction, anyway. It's a form of homage, IMO, to campy sci-fi of the pulp variety.

The whole thing is actually very characteristic of the author. Particularly interesting how SK's style meshes with the extensive use of telepathy by these characters.

Still, it does kinda stink. (Though not nearly as bad as the t.v. version.)

[Kronz]

I'd agree that it was more camp SF inspired for sure, I just wish it had the fast pacing of one of those classic 40s and 50s UFO scary pictures. The worlds of Foundation and Robot Monster surely were never meant to overlap and that's as it should be. I wouldn't want a Foundation from King, but if he's going the other way, he should have made the story move faster. I seem to recall the chapters feeling like homework assignments due to their length sometimes.

[pathoftheturtle]

... The worlds of Foundation and Robot Monster surely were never meant to overlap...:clap: Oh, man, you just said a mouthful! I give this one a 3.

[Woofer]

Not a lot of MST3K fans here, huh? Lipstick lasers? Flying drink machine sentinels? Arglebargle? :thumbsup:

[Jon]

So much imagination was required by the reader. This is what I loved about this book.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

4 from me. I don't understand why people hate this one so much.

[Jon]

4 from me. I don't understand why people hate this one so much.


I am with you. Perhaps the damned movie plays a role in the dislike.

[mae]

The poll has closed. The Tommyknockers has earned a FAS (final average score) of 3.318181818 or 66.36%, placing 5th (last) in this bracket. It will not be moving on to Round 2. In 2009, The Tommyknockers placed 4th with a FAS of 3.228571429, so it gained 0.089610389 (+2.78%) this time.