Someone hold Stephen King down while I KICK HIM IN THE ASS!!!

Cafe Society
61

That would account for a lot. It’s a very – uneven novel. However, it’s actually one of my favorites, not that anybody should agree with me. I don’t even mind the heavyhandedness of the nuclear allegory - since I don’t necessarily expect great insights out of life from S.K. - he’s entertainment to me - I don’t look for the greater “meaning” of the stories, I just enjoy the story itself. Some parts of Tommyknockers I loved:

[spoiler space]

[a little more, since I’m going to spoil the very shit out of the novel]

[ahem]

The initial benign-seeming effects of the saucer’s mysterious gasses and electricity. Roberta’s burst of insane energy, transforming the basement and dictating the novel in a sitting (on the magic automatic green-glowing typewriter)…

the weirdness of how the town’s intellectual burst is applied - stupid stuff like the flying, killing Coke machine, the nuclear-powered household hot water heater, weapons made out of converted child’s toys, etc. - you get the message that the saucer’s energy is somehow unholy and useless, makes superintelligent humans putter around aimlessly (though quite killingly)…

the suspense of Gard’s relationship w/ Bobbie, since Gard is immune to the saucer’s influence while Bobbie is transformed - you never know if/when she’s going to haul off and kill him for not “becoming” (and yet they’re still having sex now and then) …

very touching scene: when Hill’s brother is rescued from Altair-4 and reunited w/ him

Bobbie’s highly unpleasant dildo-weilding sister - she’s one-dimensional, sure, but it’s an entertaining dimension, for the one chapter it lasts.

Gard’s drunken sprees. The word Arglebargle.

The ending, Gard gets to fly off in the saucer to points unknown - FINALLY, a decent payoff in a Stephen King novel! The aliens are vanquished and the hero rides off into the sunset.

One stupid thing though: At least three times, Gard is said to see “The Real Roberta” “for the last time”. All right already!

62

The best thing about Tommyknockers (IMHO), is that SK kills off my old roommate and her boyfriend in some nasty ways. See this post for more detail.

:smiley:

63

I also like the “Stephen King Universe” but IMHO it has a lot of errors in it. My copy is filled with little notations about incorrect assumptions and facts. Example:

(this is a spoiler and I don’t know how to make that nifty black box)

The authors claim things that didn’t happen, or they happened in a different way. I think I forgot stuff but then I look back and see I was right. SPOILER

For example in the Stand the book says that Harold Lauder dies in Vegas. He doesn’t. There are about five pages talking about what happened and it is relevant to the plot.

Dark Tower Junkie,
Jor-el

64

I just wanted to add that anytime someone asks for a SK recommendation, I tell them to start with the shorter stories. My favorites are “The Long Walk” and “Strawberry Spring”. The ending to SS sent chills up my spine and I immediately re-read the story.

For those who are ready for the longer ones, The Stand and The Shining are my first ones to recommend, with Salem’s Lot and Misery close behind. However, IMHO, you cannot go wrong with any SK book. His worst is better than plenty of other people’s best.

65

I just finished Bag of Bones (I re-read it this weekend) and it was really, really good. I can’t believe there was a time when I didn’t like this novel. maybe I just didn’t "get it’ the first time around—I don’t know. But I would certainly recommend it.

66

My favs - The Stand, Salem’s Lot (scared the bejeebers out of me when I was in high school), Carrie. I like Dean Koontz even better, especially Strangers, Watchers and Lighting.

StG