Bobbi Anderson and the other good folks of Haven, Maine, have sold their souls to reap the rewards of the most deadly evil this side of Hell.
©1988 Stephen King (P)2010 Penguin
"Yet another mammoth horror novel from King, this dark tale depicts a small town's fatal encounter with creatures from outer space. Events start with Roberta Anderson, a writer of Old West novels, unearthing a flying saucer on her remote wooded property....While this is not one of King's more original novels, it does have plenty of blood and guts, macabre humor, and a well-wrought realization of the New England countryside." (Library Journal)
"The old Stephen King"
The Story: Good. I read the book when I was in High School, and it holds up well after so many years. Its nice that Audible is finally getting around to releasing King's early writings. Hint: What about The Stand?
Reader: Excellent. Nothing ruins a good audible book more then a lousy reader. Edward Herman does a great job with the different accents that are common to the Northeast. Frank Mueller was the best, and he will be missed, but check out Jeffrey Demunn in "The Colorado Kid". Stephen King is also a very good reader, and I wish he would read more of his own stuff.
Overall a great read, and more importantly a good story.
Strong Hint: THE STAND!!!!! (King's best work)
"The Best of Stephen King."
Ever since I read this book almost 20 years ago it has been my favorite book by Stephen King. For the past 6 years I have wanted to re-read it but haven't made the time to. I was so thrilled to find the audiobook. Even after 20 years this is still his best work in my opinion. Edward Hermann did a fantastic job narrating this book. It was a joy to listen to and I know I will enjoy listening to it over and over. I highly recommend this audiobook.
"Great book, amazing reader"
I enjoy Stephen King, and this book I enjoyed more than most. But what I found most striking was the reader, Edward Hermann. Not only is his narration flawless, but it's not rushed like so many narrators are. He puts as much thought into the pacing and pauses as the words themselves. As a result the story is all the more enjoyable. I'm certainly going to look for other books he's narrated.
"Engaging"
This is one of Stephen Kings older books and it's terrific. I love reading just about everything King has written, and this book is no exception. If you like some old Stephen King - you'll like The Tommyknockers
"Absolute Audible Gold!"
I have never written a review of any book here on audible. No matter how much I might've enjoyed the author.... But this book is the exception. Obviously, I enjoy Stephen King's works, and look forward to an audible version of "THE STAND" unabridged... But in the meantime, having tried many other King titles here on audible... I gave this narrator a chance. And I'm very glad that I did! I absolutely could NOT stop listening to this story. In fact, thanks to the narrator, I downloaded Audible on my Iphone, and listened to the story while walking! Who knows how many car's I've almost been hit by while lost in another world? I would love to hear this narrator do "THE STAND"... and will join audible again just as soon as they have such titles available. Thanks you narrator (Mr. Edward Hermann)! For making this a most enjoyable 27 hours!
"Pretty Good King Story, Phenominal Reader"
Being an avid King reader, I've always shied away from this title having seen the horrible TV mini-series version that aired in the early 90s. That movie made me stay away from this book, thinking it would be equally terrible and when I finally got around to listening, I was pleasantly surprised. The book was so much better than the mini-series in so many ways: interesting, flawed characters; a nearly concise history of the town of Haven; and a whole lot of really weird (and sometimes downright spooky) inventions and behaviors on behalf the residents of Haven. Overall, a pretty decent King work that deserves a chance for those of us that had been skittish after having seen the mini-series. While parts of this book may be a tad too long or contain a bit too much character development, the narrator makes the time fly by. Edward Hermann's narration is wonderful and he did an excellent job of pulling me into the story and taking me along for the ride. Would definitely check out more of Hermann's audiobook titles due to his reading ability alone.
I like my horror, techno-thrillers, and science fiction. Which is why Jurassic Park and The Lost World are 2 of my favorite books ever!
"Late last night, and the night before..."
This is the 2nd audiobook by King that I've downloaded (after Nightmares and Dreamscapes Vol. II), and I found it impossible to stop listening to! It kept me going during the wee hours of the night, AND on the road to and from work during the day.If you love Stephen King, and Sci-fi/ Horror, this one is for you.
A note about the narrator: IMHO, Edward Hermann is a perfect narrator, great distinction between characters, no distracting accents at all.
"More like old King than recent King."
It's a pretty good book, but it contains a lot of the old stuff that made King seem like an immature writer in the past. He's too enamored with gross-out scenes, especially involving bodily functions, and he randomly tosses out improbable and unbelievable details and numbers. Whole busloads of people die casually in wrecks, and no one seems to have any sense when it comes to seeing the obvious developments around them. Characters aren't very sophisticated or overly original, but they are still interesting and reflect regional idiosyncrasies well--that may be King's greatest strength. His earlier works were better at creating characters from the outside, whereas his later works paid more attention to their inner workings, too.
Still, this is a good, imaginative tale of something that seems like a cross between aliens and supernatural beings, and there are lots of creepy moments and sustained suspense to keep you listening well after bedtime. The narrator is good, too. Overall, a good, long listen. If you like the early King, you'll love this one. If you don't like that King, you may still like this one a lot.
"Nice read"
I enjoyed this book. It has a great mix of characters, horror and mysterious plot. Mr. Kings writing is excellent. For example, one of the main characters seems to get himself into bad situations, and it's Mr. King's expert writing that makes you feel very uncomfortable for the character as he seems so real. Edward Hermann's narration was enjoyable.
"Suspenseful, and fun"
While it's pretty dark and the sense that nearly all the townsfolk are damned, it's a fun ride with some laughs along the way. King kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see who would win in the end, and how the centerpiece of the story would up where it was, and who put it there!