Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry (site of the classics It and Insomnia), four boys stood together and did a brave thing. Certainly a good thing, perhaps even a great thing. Something that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand. Twenty-five years later, the boys are now men with separate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. Each hunting season the … Each hunting season the foursome reunite in the woods of Maine. This year, a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented, mumbling something about lights in the sky. His incoherent ravings prove to be dis-turbingly prescient. Before long, these men will be plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world. Their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past — and in the Dreamcatcher.
Stephen King’s first full-length novel since Bag of Bones is, more than anything, a story of how men remember, and how they find their courage. Not since The Stand has King crafted a story of such astonishing range — and never before has he contended so frankly with the heart of darkness.
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A blend of sci-fi and King ‘s drama.
Some of the damnedest things happen during a blizzard! Stephen King, what else?
I thought this book was great! It’s original and keeps you guessing what will happen next! I highly recommend it.
I’ve been a fan of King’s work since he began publishing. That being said, I don’t think this was one of his better stories.
Book content trigger warnings:
Suicidal character; suicidal thoughts, like really, vivid suicidal thoughts;
Depression;
Homophobic slurs used as insults (between straight people);
Gore; blood; parasites; a great deal of flatulence
Murder; deaths
So much swearing;
The R-word slur to refer to autistic people is used repeatedly, not in an intentionally offensive way, but regardless, it is used and therefore offensive;
I *think* I covered everything, but this book was a lot, so there’s a chance I missed something.
I’ve been sitting here staring at this review draft for two minutes straight and am still not much nearer to organizing my thoughts.
Dreamcatcher was a mindf*ck, this book was a trip, ok. And I don’t mean to say it was high, but it was wild and intense for nearly all 600 pages, and now that I’ve finished it… Phew, I feel like I need a week to digest it all. I’m not going to give you any spoilers, but here’s what you need to know about Dreamcatcher:
What I liked
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The affection the five friends, all men, in this book have for each other. Warm. If occasionally in fond insults. You know they love each other. You know their bond has and will withstood time and no matter how different they are or how far apart they’ve gone, they will always help each other, they will always come back to each other.
All the Supernatural elements of this book. While at times bizarre, all of it was believable and terribly interesting. King took earth, added some human strangeness, scooped in some extraterrestrial insanity, and then shook it all up.
The building thrill of Part 1, the first 200 pages, when I would be on the edge of my seat, palm over my mouth, unable to put the book down. I don’t think my heart has ever raced so much with any other book, and it was … Well, it was THRILLING.
King’s writing style. This was my first King book, so I was quickly struck by his unique writing style. The way he draws on things and comes back to them over and over until a new meaning is revealed through them, the way he drops little hints about things to come that don’t really make sense now but have shocking clarity later show King’s ridiculous intelligence and is so clever and attention-holding I, as a writer, was both wildly impressed and wildly jealous of his skill.
And while some people might not like the frequently shifting perspectives, for the most part (more on this later), I loved it. It was another effect that caused me to feel like I was traveling along with these characters in their trials minute for minute and hour for hour and kept me flipping pages.
What I didn’t like
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This book bars no doors, holds nothing back, takes a real look at humanity, twists it, and tells all. Most people in the world have done some messed up or gross things at some point in their lives, and this book takes that and shapes characters with it. This brutal, honest look into the past and into psyche of our characters occasionally made for squeamish and gross and dark or messed up reading in a way that’s not entertaining. Those points are few but frequently repeated. Basically, there are some things I could have done just fine without.
The character Kurz who was cruel and insane. He was boring, annoying, I didn’t like him, and the book shifted to his perspective a LOT, which was totally unnecessary. He played a part, but not a big one. We did not need to see so much of his inner workings or the journey he took.
Dreamcatcher was about 100 pages too long. While the book never stopped being interesting, it did slow down a great deal beginning in Part Two. There was extraneous information, and the buildup to the final climax was stretched out too long. There was much that could have been completely cut out or at least edited down.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, Dreamcatcher had its faults but was still a thoroughly good read! I enjoyed the heck out of it and will absolutely be picking up more King in the future.
Do I rec it? Tentatively yes, but only to those whose triggers are in check, who possess a strong gut, and who are willing to step into a dark blizzard and not come out again until nearly the other side.
Great book. Not so good movie.
Fabulous
Many people criticize the novel, it’s a kind of book that I like to classify as, “you need to read it yourself and make your own opinion.” The book, to me, is amazing but to many readers it felt like Stephen King didn’t have that much imagination when writing it. So, it’s divided. I loved it and was quite touched by one scene in particular when I wanted to cry. I loved it and it’s high on my book shelf. So, I recommend to read the novel and make your own opinion.
My least favorite Stephen King book.
Had it not been for this book, my second novel would never have got off the floor, and while I like everything King has put out, from Carrie to Finders Keepers, this was incredible: Aliens, telekinesis, four friends vs the world. Oh, my. Everything I could want in a story. Period.
Not what I expected! Great book and loved the character Dudditt’s, one of King’s most complex characters ever.
Let’s just saw that I was not expecting what comes to be involved in the book. It also touched me the way that Stephen King approached bullying and all. I just, find the book amazing. The movie, not so much.
Stephen king at his best
Not even words to describe how bad I felt this book was. Boring and very long for new good reason
ANOTHER UNIQUELY KING STORY! STRETCHES THE IMAGINATION.
Excellent read. I grew up hunting at the “hole in the wall” so elicited fond memori es. Duddits was the glue that held th story together. And hey, a guy that likes bacon can’t be all bad.
A story with twists, turns, and monsters.
Good, just a click below his best work.