A Question about The Tommyknockers

[Sarka]

One of my favourite novels by Stephen King is the bizarre and slightly humorous tale of The Tommyknockers. At the very end of the book on the last page (with story text) there are two dates:

August 19th, 1982

May 19th, 1987

It has been bugging for quite some time, I can't seem to figure out what these two dates refer to. I might be missing something extremely obvious, but since this book was random and ridiculous to begin with, I've come to accept that these two dates might not have any real relevance. However, I have come here to beg for an explanation from a fellow King fan.

So, does anyone have any idea what these two dates refer to?

[emberlake]

I wonder if it's start and finish dates of the book.

The book was published November 1987

maybe?

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edited in the word maybe?

Edited July 22, 2010 by emberlake

[Sarka]

I wonder if it's start and finish dates of the book.

The book was published November 1987

maybe?

Hmmm, maybe that has something to do with it.

I looked it up and the exact date published was November 18th, 1987. So you could be correct. The time frame for him to write the whole novel makes sense as well.

It's odd that the numbers are randomly placed at the end of the book.

Perhaps you've solved the mystery!

[emberlake]

You're welcome. I hope I'm right. That would be cool.

However, You can never tell about Stephen King, he really is a most curious author.

I'll keep an eye on this thread and see if anyone else knows for sure what the dates are for.

You got me curious too. lol

[The Silver Thong]

I wonder if it's start and finish dates of the book.

The book was published November 1987

maybe?

----

edited in the word maybe?

I think you are correct. I'm just trying to finish the Gunslinger series aka Dark Tower and it has taken him ohhh 20 years to get this far lol. In his forward he notes in many of his book some stay on the shelf for a very long time befor he pick's it up again.

Tommyknockers tommyknockers knocking at your door, crazy aliens LOL

Edited July 22, 2010 by The Silver Thong

[aquatus1]

I had to stop reading Stephen King after he wrote a story about a haunted steam press.

[The Silver Thong]

I had to stop reading Stephen King after he wrote a story about a haunted steam press.

That one did suck (never read it but watched the movie and that was enough for me) and there are others of his that left me rather disappointed. However i have to give him credit for his classic's as I just finished Wolves of the Calla and didn't really care for it. I think he's trying to make to much of a western sci-fi book into a war and peace type thing lol.

Edited July 22, 2010 by The Silver Thong

[Archangel Oger]

One of my favourite novels by Stephen King is the bizarre and slightly humorous tale of The Tommyknockers. At the very end of the book on the last page (with story text) there are two dates:

August 19th, 1982

May 19th, 1987

It has been bugging for quite some time, I can't seem to figure out what these two dates refer to. I might be missing something extremely obvious, but since this book was random and ridiculous to begin with, I've come to accept that these two dates might not have any real relevance. However, I have come here to beg for an explanation from a fellow King fan.

So, does anyone have any idea what these two dates refer to?

August 19th, 1982 That's when he started writing the book and May 19th, 1987 is when he finished it.....

http://www.desperation.dk/thetommyknockers.htm

[emberlake]

I think you are correct. I'm just trying to finish the Gunslinger series aka Dark Tower and it has taken him ohhh 20 years to get this far lol. In his forward he notes in many of his book some stay on the shelf for a very long time befor he pick's it up again.

Tommyknockers tommyknockers knocking at your door, crazy aliens LOL

Geeze, can you imagine keeping a book series going for 20 years... and still continue, I'm a great admirer of any author who can do that.

--------------------------------------

I had to stop reading Stephen King after he wrote a story about a haunted steam press.

What book is that one?

I used to read everything he wrote, but then I stopped reading his stuff when I read his book 'On Writing' I loved the first half of it about his history and journey into the book world... then I got to the second half and I was more than a little disappointed... I'll leave it at that. I mostly just watch his movies now...

.

[The Silver Thong]

Geeze, can you imagine keeping a book series going for 20 years... and still continue, I'm a great admirer of any author who can do that.

--------------------------------------

What book is that one?

.

I was thinking of Kings movie the Graveyard Shift with a haunted cotton gin and an evil boss. The book might have been about an old steam press though, never read that one.

[Halfwolf]

I got hooked on King when I traveled throughout Maine. I was in lot's of the towns he talked about in his books, it made it even more interesting. I quit reading his stuff after the 2nd Gunslinger Book, started the 3rd and just could'nt get into it.

[emberlake]

I was thinking of Kings movie the Graveyard Shift with a haunted cotton gin and an evil boss. The book might have been about an old steam press though, never read that one.

Okay. Yep, I saw the GraveYard Shift. I haven't read the book though.

That was really a gnarly movie and I enjoy it alot.

[The Silver Thong]

Okay. Yep, I saw the GraveYard Shift. I haven't read the book though.

That was really a gnarly movie and I enjoy it alot.

It was an ok movie, enjoyed the pizza and beer more though It's like a bad train wreck, you have to look right. One King movie a couldn't stand for the life of me was the ones about the cat people or what ever they were. Oh ya Sleepwalkers that was worse then a fat baby fart lol.

[emberlake]

It was an ok movie, enjoyed the pizza and beer more though It's like a bad train wreck, you have to look right. One King movie a couldn't stand for the life of me was the ones about the cat people or what ever they were. Oh ya Sleepwalkers that was worse then a fat baby fart lol.

Pizza & Beer would've definitely of improved the entertainment value. But I liked GYS just the same.

IMO That Sleepwalker Movie had potential to be better than it was. But for whatever reason they made it so frickin' hokey & contrived and disgusting that it lost it's appeal real quick with me.

.

[The Silver Thong]

Pizza & Beer would've definitely of improved the entertainment value. But I liked GYS just the same.

IMO That Sleepwalker Movie had potential to be better than it was. But for whatever reason they made it so frickin' hokey & contrived and disgusting that it lost it's appeal real quick with me.

.

Damn you, now I want to watch it again, it's been years. Care for some pizza and beer

Not sleepwalkers though, to much beer required lol

Edited July 22, 2010 by The Silver Thong

[emberlake]

Damn you, now I want to watch it again, it's been years. Care for some pizza and beer

Not sleepwalkers though, to much beer required lol

Sounds like fun...

I agree absolutely no Sleepwalkers...

----------------------------

You know I think one of the reasons I liked GraveYard Shift was because I worked in factories for many years and I know how crappy workers can be treated if they don't go along with the flow... regardless of whatever flows their way... I think parts of it felt like wishful payback on some of the negativity me and a lot of folks had to put up with.

Does that sound goofy or what?

Edited July 22, 2010 by emberlake

[The Silver Thong]

Sounds like fun...

I agree absolutely no Sleepwalkers...

It's a date then Well I better be off, work in the morning. On a side note I think king said in his first dark tower book that he imagined it would take him 120 years to finish to his satisfaction. I will have to dig that book out and look.

Catchya later.

Edited July 22, 2010 by The Silver Thong

[emberlake]

It's a date then Well I better be off, work in the morning. On a side note I think king said in his first dark tower book that he imagined it would take him 120 years to finish to his satisfaction. I will have to dig that book out and look.

Catchya later.

120 years, woe, he's probably going to have to create one of them robot bodies to stay alive then.

Okee dokee. Sleep well. I hope you don't have nightmares tonight. lol

[aquatus1]

What book is that one?

"The Mangler" is a short story that got collected into "Night Shift". It's about an industrial shirt press that gets possessed by a demon. A couple of cops try to exorcise it, but screw up, and the machine ends up ripping itself loose from the laundromat and rampaging through town in a steam-powered, demon-possessed, shirt-pressing fury.

Reminds me of this:

Family Guy

Edited July 22, 2010 by aquatus1

[Sarka]

August 19th, 1982 That's when he started writing the book and May 19th, 1987 is when he finished it.....

http://www.desperation.dk/thetommyknockers.htm

Ah, excellent. Thank you very much for the link.

Glad to see I started a Stephen King discussion here.

I went to a used book sale at a library yesterday and grabbed about 12 of his books that I hadn't read yet for $5.00. I started Needful Things last night, so far it's quite delicious.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Sarka

[The Silver Thong]

"The Mangler" is a short story that got collected into "Night Shift". It's about an industrial shirt press that gets possessed by a demon. A couple of cops try to exorcise it, but screw up, and the machine ends up ripping itself loose from the laundromat and rampaging through town in a steam-powered, demon-possessed, shirt-pressing fury.

Reminds me of this:

Family Guy

Oh crap I forgot about that one. Yup pretty bad to say the least.

[MissMelsWell]

Steven King really kills me. He wrote one of the BEST novels of the 20th Century AND some of the worst. Honestly, I stopped reading him after reading TommyKnockers.... I thought that was about the most boring book ever. LOL. Sorry, I hated it. However, The Tallisman he wrote with Peter Straub was fantistic, as was... well.. The Stand. I think the stand might be one of the best novels of the 20th Century to be honsest. That's a book I can read over and over.

[Sarka]

Steven King really kills me. He wrote one of the BEST novels of the 20th Century AND some of the worst. Honestly, I stopped reading him after reading TommyKnockers.... I thought that was about the most boring book ever. LOL. Sorry, I hated it. However, The Tallisman he wrote with Peter Straub was fantistic, as was... well.. The Stand. I think the stand might be one of the best novels of the 20th Century to be honsest. That's a book I can read over and over.

I take no offense, haha. I know a few people who have read The Tommyknockers, but can't recall much about it at all, so you aren't alone.

I have both The Talisman and The Stand and will be reading those soon. I haven't read any of his novels that I didn't like, but I have read a few short stories that I didn't get much out of. The Milkman 1&2 I think was one of them.

[emberlake]

I've always liked the movie Misery. Originally when it came out, I hadn't read the book. I wanted too because the King books and movies are so close in the telling of the tales.

Fortunately, A lady I worked with let me borrow her book, Misery.

Let me tell ya, that book was true horror as compared to the movie. I am so thankful that whoever wrote the script for the movie didn't go exactly by the book.

I can honestly say that I liked the movie version the best...

[Sarka]

Misery is on my must read list. My mum is a huge Stephen King fan and she's told me all about Misery in both it's book and movie forms. It sounds really horrifying... I must get my hands on it!