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Up next: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King.
Another quaint Maine town, Haven, is rocked by a mysterious gaseous fog that transforms its residents into a united hive mind. It falls to a hapless loner to save the town... and himself.
Interestingly, I've accidentally found myself reading the bookends of the 1987 bestseller list. While It was the #1 bestseller at the beginning of 1987, The Tommyknockers finished the year as the #1 bestselling hardcover fiction novel.
I wish I could tell you that was intentional, but it wasn't. It was just one of those strange coincidences that happened because I thought both books felt perfect for October. Plus, I figured I might as well tackle Stephen King's biggest monsters first. Not the actual monsters, mind you. The books.
And this is another big one.
Compared to the 1,153 pages of It, this feels almost manageable at 864 pages. Compared to literally every other book on my shelf, however, it's still enormous.
So what do I know going into this one?
1. I think there are aliens.
I'm not actually certain about that yet. I haven't reached that part of the story, but I've heard enough people mention aliens when discussing this book that I'm expecting something extraterrestrial eventually. Hopefully. We'll find out together.
2. It was adapted into a TV miniseries.
I've never watched it, but I probably will at some point during this project. For now, though, I'm trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible.
3. Stephen King doesn't like it very much.
This was the last novel King wrote before entering rehab. Written during the height of his alcohol and cocaine addiction, he has spoken about the town's struggle against the fog's influence as reflecting his own battle with addiction. Shortly after completing the novel, he sought treatment.
Despite its personal significance, King has often been critical of the book.
4. Readers clearly disagreed.
The Tommyknockers spent five weeks at #1 at the end of 1987 and ultimately finished as the year's bestselling hardcover fiction novel.
King may not have loved it, but plenty of readers did.
Overall, I'm looking forward to this one. It's a little shorter than It, it's one of King's most divisive novels, and I still have absolutely no idea what I'm getting into.
Except for one thing:
Please let there be aliens.
Come along on this journey with me, and as always...
Stay curious.
Get your copy and follow along!