Discover new selections
Buy used:
$3.59
$3.99 delivery May 8 - 9. Details
Or fastest delivery April 29 - May 2. Details
Used: Good | Details
Sold by Seattlegoodwill
Condition: Used: Good
Comment: May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Stephen King
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Tommyknockers Mass Market Paperback – August 30, 2016

by Stephen King (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 4,260 ratings
Master storyteller Stephen King presents the classic, terrifying #1 New York Times bestseller about a terrifying otherworldly discovery and the effects it has a on a small town.

“Late last night and the night before, Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at the door…”

On a beautiful June day, while walking deep in the woods on her property in Haven, Maine, Bobbi Anderson quite literally stumbles over her own destiny and that of the entire town. For the dull gray metal protrusion she discovers in the ground is part of a mysterious and massive metal object, one that may have been buried there for millennia. Bobbi can’t help but become obsessed and try to dig it out…the consequences of which will affect and transmute every citizen of Haven, young and old. It means unleashing extraordinary powers beyond those of mere mortals—and certain death for any and all outsiders. An alien hell has now invaded this small New England town…an aggressive and violent malignancy devoid of any mercy or sanity…
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    992 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pocket Books
  4. Publication date
    August 30, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    4.13 x 1.8 x 7.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1501143840
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1501143847
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and an AT&T Audience Network original television series). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; Reissue edition (August 30, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 992 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501143840
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501143847
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.13 x 1.8 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 4,260 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stephen King

Stephen King

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes NEVER FLINCH, YOU LIKE IT DARKER (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), HOLLY (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), FAIRY TALE, BILLY SUMMERS, IF IT BLEEDS, THE INSTITUTE, ELEVATION, THE OUTSIDER, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: END OF WATCH, FINDERS KEEPERS, and MR. MERCEDES (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by the New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works THE DARK TOWER, IT, PET SEMATARY, DOCTOR SLEEP, and FIRESTARTER are the basis for major motion pictures, with IT now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4,260 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a great page turner with mind-bending plots and strong horror elements. They appreciate the wonderful characters and the detailed premise, with one customer noting its innovative take on the UFO genre. The book receives mixed feedback about its pacing, with some praising its great pacing while others find it very slow. Customers disagree on the book's length, with several noting it's almost 800 pages long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

125 customers mention "Readability"111 positive14 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a great page turner and well written, with one customer noting it as the best literature of the 20th century.

"...It's well-written and definitely not as bad as I've heard. Good job, Stephen King!" Read more

"...So, no, it's not a terrible book. And I did find it interesting to see the seeds for his later novel Under the Dome planted all around this book...." Read more

"The ending was good and happy, but a lot of people died. I got this bookin September and it took me a month and a half to read it...." Read more

"A good read." Read more

83 customers mention "Story quality"68 positive15 negative

Customers praise the book's engaging narrative, describing it as exciting and suspenseful with mind-bending plots. One customer notes how the author weaves multiple short stories into one mammoth tale.

"...Other than that though, like I said, a fun, spooky, scary, witty tale right in the mold of The Master." Read more

"...There are some parts that drag on, like all books, but the overall story kept me hooked and coming back for more...." Read more

"...It was fun and somewhat fast paced to read, bit I had to slow down or Mr. King slowed me down to read the details and the batteries and some of the..." Read more

"...The story is solid, you just have to be dedicated." Read more

39 customers mention "Scariness level"32 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the book's horror elements, describing it as mysterious and disturbing, with one customer noting King's ability to create a feeling of impending doom.

"...Other than that though, like I said, a fun, spooky, scary, witty tale right in the mold of The Master." Read more

"...It was super weird though and did a lot of unexpected things. Lots of moments made me genuinely laugh out loud." Read more

"...Besides the extensive 'intro,' it is classic King through-and-through...." Read more

"I love the premise. Very graphically described. Seemed like he used a lot of foul language would have liked less of that. Felt a little too long...." Read more

19 customers mention "Character development"19 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"My third book of King's that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Character backstories and how they intertwine is done well and you stay trying to..." Read more

"...The first is pure character development, the second all action. I engage with both because they are King trademarks...." Read more

"...I love how the author included relatable characters and it reminds me that not all heros are straight arrows. I would recommend this book to anyone." Read more

"I enjoyed the book. I loved his characters. This is a book that most people either love or hate. I fall more into the “love it” camp...." Read more

15 customers mention "Premise"15 positive0 negative

Customers love the premise of the book, appreciating how it goes into great detail, with one customer highlighting its rich character development and another noting its clever Easter eggs.

"...Brutal and highly detailed events constantly keep you flipping pages while the characters emotions make you feel a certain way." Read more

"...The build up was great as I was wondering why people were losing their teeth,but I soon caught on in the middle...." Read more

"I love the premise. Very graphically described. Seemed like he used a lot of foul language would have liked less of that. Felt a little too long...." Read more

"...The premise was intriguing to begin, but then King took it into his typical depiction of various people going crazy, with violent and gross results...." Read more

9 customers mention "Book value"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book valuable, with one mentioning it's one of King's best works and another noting it's a welcome addition to their Stephen King collection.

"One of my favorite King novels. Finishing the last page is like saying goodbye to a friend. Fantastic science fiction and deep character development...." Read more

"What can I say? Another King classic...." Read more

"I am a huge fan of Stephen King and love all his books especially the ones with connections to The Dark Tower Series. I have read..." Read more

"Love all of his books, although this wasn't my fave, still very good." Read more

16 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it great while others describe it as very slow.

"...The middle of this book really drags...." Read more

"...King has all 3 in spades, and this book is a phenomenal representation of pacing in particular. Once you pick it up, you don't want to put it down...." Read more

"I have to agree with others who have mentioned the book has a very slow (and, I might add, utterly uninteresting) beginning...." Read more

"...'s ability to draw the reader into a story is second to none , the pace is good and the resolution of the tale is satisfactory...." Read more

19 customers mention "Length"5 positive14 negative

Customers find the book's length negative, with several noting it is almost 800 pages long, though one customer mentions struggling through the first 700 pages.

"...Felt a little too long. Maybe cut 150 pages." Read more

"...This book is a horrible exercise in an author churning out long, pointless prose for no reason I can figure other then self indulgence...." Read more

"...It was fun and somewhat fast paced to read, bit I had to slow down or Mr. King slowed me down to read the details and the batteries and some of the..." Read more

"Long, but a good read. Strange to revisit the 80s in 2020. Glad we live when we do. Stephen King is always worth the time." Read more

Nice book and characters
4 out of 5 stars
Nice book and characters
This book is fun to read, some humor, craziness, mystery…..it’s not the best book I’ve read, but it’s the craziest. Recommend this book to people who like fun, mystery and craziness:)
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    If you haven’t read this you should.
    Helpful
     Report
  • David Whittinghill
    4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I read this in 2020. The story was set in 1987. As this book has technology at the heart of the tale, it was interesting to consider what high-tech was considered to be 32 years ago. There were no grand gaffes or anything it was just genuinely interesting.

    As a story, it was standard King fare - a page turning story with likable characters having weird adventures in Maine. I don't mean that to diminish the story (or King) as I think people expect this and it's part of the appeal. I certainly enjoy it.

    The only thing that was off-note was a scene when one of the central characters goes on a harangue about nuclear energy at a dinner party. It was so clearly King using the character as a conduit to voice his own concerns - understandable given how proximal the Chernobyl disaster was to the time of this writing. Nonetheless the naked advocacy is transparent and discordant. And long! Man, he went on for what felt like a whole chapter with his diatribe. It felt amateurish, frankly, and reminded me of the closing chapter of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in which Rudkus meets the communist party leader and the reader is pummeled with a lengthy, zealot's accounting of the miracle of communism/socialism. King (and Sinclair) and myself share similar ideological leanings so it's not the perspective I took issue with, it's the brazen unsubtle attempt to use the character to beat the reader about the head it. I was so annoyed I literally almost put the book down but instead paged forward to when it seemed like the speech was over. After that everything was back on track, and stayed there.

    Other than that though, like I said, a fun, spooky, scary, witty tale right in the mold of The Master.
    17 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • M4gn0m
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and perplexing read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    My third book of King's that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Character backstories and how they intertwine is done well and you stay trying to guess what happens next and you're typically wrong. Brutal and highly detailed events constantly keep you flipping pages while the characters emotions make you feel a certain way.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ed
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good story by the master of storytellers!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I've read bad reviews about this one, some saying that this was the worst book King has ever written, but I was surprised when I read it. There are some parts that drag on, like all books, but the overall story kept me hooked and coming back for more. It's well-written and definitely not as bad as I've heard.

    Good job, Stephen King!
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • AJP
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre book from King.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    The Tommyknockers by Stephen King was a bit of a disappointment for me. I hadn't heard excellent things about it, but I wanted to read it for myself. Over the past couple of years, I've been plugging the holes in my Stephen King library and have been pleasantly surprised by such great books as `Salem's Lot and Christine, but The Tommyknockers . . .

    Here's what it had going for it: 1. It was written in the same era as what I consider some of King's best stories: It, The Eyes of the Dragon, and Misery. 2. I've heard tommyknockers mentioned in a few different places, and I looked up the legends about them. They seemed like pretty scary creatures, and I thought King would come up with something great here.

    Well, the book didn't live up to any of my expectations. Does the blame lie with me, though? I don't think so.

    It's hard to put my finger on "what" made the book lackluster. Part of the reason was the book's structure. King starts the book focusing on two different characters, then he abandons them for much of the middle of the book. By the time we rejoin Gard and Bobbi, I no longer feel for them. And most of the characters in the middle weren't very memorable for me. King's strength is usually in his characters, but that was lacking this time.

    Another thing that was "off" was the theme of the book. I felt like King was just scratching the surface as to what this book was about. He touches on ideas of group-think and addiction and obsession, but he doesn't quite hit the ball out of the park--just a few singles here and there.

    So, no, it's not a terrible book. And I did find it interesting to see the seeds for his later novel Under the Dome planted all around this book. For the King completist, you can read it, and it'll be OK. If you're looking for a much better read, I mentioned five other better titles in this review.

    3 out of 5 stars for King fans like me
    the same mediocre 3 out of 5 stars for everyone else

    AJP
    13 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Shogun
    5.0 out of 5 stars Long but worth it
    Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    The ending was good and happy, but a lot of people died. I got this bookin September and it took me a month and a half to read it. It was fun and somewhat fast paced to read, bit I had to slow down or Mr. King slowed me down to read the details and the batteries and some of the towns folk.
    The build up was great as I was wondering why people were losing their teeth,but I soon caught on in the middle. The town and what happened to it caught me off guard a bit; it's ending was similar to Salem's Lot if I'm correct.
    If you like a good alien story then this is for you despite the final fight scene and chapter being odd and strange.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • zts
    4.0 out of 5 stars Replacement book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Replaced my paperback that fell apart. Ordered a hardcover to replace it, apparently used and with a missing dust jacket. Otherwise, the content of the book is maybe not the best by King but still great. One star less for the missing dust jacket.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Judith Skuya
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic by Stephen King
    Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Wanted to read this book again; read it when it was originally published. Couldn't find a copy, not even at our library, so I ordered a copy.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Daniel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Bueno
    Reviewed in Mexico on June 18, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    La calidad del producto es buena, sin embargo no era el diseño que yo esperaba, pues es diferente al de la fotografía, le da un aspecto al libro un poco más alegre, siendo honesto me convence más la otra versión, que luce más sombría.
    Report
  • Leser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Spaß
    Reviewed in Germany on April 19, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Das Buch machte mir Spaß. Es behandelt vielseitige Themen, die Charakterentwicklung ist gut und glaubwürdig und die Handlung ist spannend. Außerdem hat Stephen King eine Menge interessanter Ideen eingebaut. Was eventuell negativ auffallen kann: Das Buch ist recht lang, manchmal langsam und umschweifend, was manchen Lesern vielleicht nicht so gefallen würde. Für mich hat das aber gepasst. Das Buch hat schon einige Jahre auf dem Buckel und die Geräte, die die Aliens bauen lassen, sind aus heutiger Sicht nicht immer so eindrucksvoll wie vielleicht vor 40 Jahren.
    Report
  • P.nick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Best fiction book ever read
    Reviewed in India on April 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I love stephen king books from the age of 9 my first book was the shinning i love fictions compare to supernatural books stephen king is the master of writting hortpr and chillimg books but this book i love it because i love reading science fiction books above all its obviously chilling too
    Customer image
    P.nick
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Maybe Best fiction book ever read

    Reviewed in India on April 23, 2021
    I love stephen king books from the age of 9 my first book was the shinning i love fictions compare to supernatural books stephen king is the master of writting hortpr and chillimg books but this book i love it because i love reading science fiction books above all its obviously chilling too
    Images in this review
    Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
    Report
  • Archer King Murakami Manic
    4.0 out of 5 stars 村上春樹もStephen Kingが好きです
    Reviewed in Japan on January 30, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    　地球のあちこちをほじくり返していると、歯が抜けてしまいますよ、と言う事がこの小説の与えてくれる教訓です。と言うのは冗談で、Kingの豊かな創造力に何時ものように敬服させられたというのが、本音です。
    　Kingはこの小説においてはホラーでなくて、SFに取り組んでいます。けれども、相も変わらず人間を描く事を止めていません。中心人物であるRoberta　AndersonやJim　Gardenerは勿論の事、その他の人物まで詳しく書く事を追求しているのです。例えば、機械に殺されてしまうLester　Moranと言う火事好きの男についても非常に詳しく書いているのです。彼の登場するページ数やこの小説における彼の重要性を考慮すると、ここまで詳らかにする必要があるのか、と訝しがる程に書きまくるのです。けれども、自ら創造した人間を愛さなくてどうするのだ、と主張するKing氏はこれでも気が済まないのかもしれません。
    　村上春樹氏もKingの愛読者だと言う事を、少し前に偶然知りました。村上氏の言うように、Kingは単なるホラー作家ではないかもしれません。
    　さて、どんな事件が起こるのか？この小説では、最初の方から事件の一端が見えてくるので、Kingが苦手な人にも苦痛ではないかもしれませんね。
    Report
  • kindle kate
    5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite author
    Reviewed in Spain on October 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Steven King never fails to write the most amazing novels. I don't think he's ever let me down.
    '
    Report