Though written as many books as Stephen King has, they're bound to generate some controversy among readers as to which books merit praise and which ones were lacking. That debate also extends to how the author feels about his own books.

Stephen King has also been open about his favorite book characters he's written, and he's not shy about which ones he favors. But even though he may not be on King's own list, Ralph Roberts, the protagonist of Insomnia, has quietly become in the top lists of many of the author's readers, and with good reason.

Why Stephen King Wasn't Happy With Insomnia

It Was Written In His Brief Outlining Era

Stephen King has never been afraid to speak his mind regarding the quality of a piece of work, but, to be fair, he's just as critical of his own work as he is of others. While Insomnia isn't one of Stephen King's books he outright hates – that distinction goes to The Tommyknockers, which he has described as "an awful book," and Dreamcatcher – he's been open over the years about now being happy with the writing style of the book.

"As I told you, I have written plotted novels, but the results, in books like Insomnia and Rose Madder, have not been particularly inspiring. They are (much as I hate to it it) stiff, trying-too-hard novels."

The reason for that dissatisfaction with the writing is that King feels it's too stilted. King is famously a writer who does not outline or do hard plotting of his books, instead choosing to let the story go where it takes him. There was a time in the 1990s where he tried to be a more "serious" writer and outline his plots, but the result, as he feels, was less than exciting. "As I told you, I have written plotted novels, but the results, in books like Insomnia and Rose Madder, have not been particularly inspiring," he said in his 2000 memoir On Writing. "They are (much as I hate to it it) stiff, trying-too-hard novels."

Despite Stephen King's Criticisms, Insomnia Remains One Of His Best Books

It Has A Little Bit Of Everything Throughout The Slow-Burn Story

Even if he feels Insomnia was stiff and trying too hard, plenty of his readers, including myself, disagree. It's a small thing, but returning to the town of Derry feels like settling under a warm, worn blanket, a comfortable setting. Like so many of his stories set in Derry, the tale that unfolds in Insomnia has far greater implications than the small-town setting. What starts out as the simple story of an elderly widow whose worsening insomnia enables him to see the auras around people, as well as small beings he calls "the little doctors," who control those auras and the threads of life, eventually turns into a full-blown Dark Tower story.

Insomnia is a slow build, but if there's any writer who does slow burn well, it's Stephen King. The brilliance of Insomnia is that it has a little bit of everything. There's cosmic horror, yes, but there's also the more mundane horror of a next-door neighbor who has gone insane. There are fantasy and paranormal elements, but there's also a very grounded political subplot that's still relevant today. There's a lot of poignant emotion and even a bit of romance, and, best of all, it focuses on senior citizen-aged characters who aren't often the focus of such books. It may not be King's best, but Insomnia, for my money, is still one of his most satisfying reads and even, dare I say, a masterpiece.