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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I remember this being one of my favorite books in high school, but I was recently going through my boxes of books and realized I couldn't remember the plot of this at all, and in fact only remembered one little scene/concept of a man inside his own mind where his memories are filed into boxes in a warehouse.
Well, this book turned out to be kind of classic Stephen King. Creepy and suspenseful, extra-terrestrials, harsh and ironic and sarcastic and irreverent view of human behavior, showing the beauty and the best that mankind has to offer, and also the worst and most cringey and yet utterly believable behavior that we can exhibit.
Oh, and the little concept that stuck in my memory starts around page 300 and develops from there, but didn't quite match up! So I must've combined it with another story I read which has now completely escaped me.
In any case, after rereading this, I was a little confused about why I might've considered a favorite book. And I actually think what it was is that I was obsessed with swear words and little catch phrases back in high school, and this book is full of things like "SSDD" and "FUBAR." *shrug* I'm not judging my younger self. At least I can let go of this 600+ hardcover (beautiful cover illustration though, that and the title might've swayed me as well) with no regrets.
Well, this book turned out to be kind of classic Stephen King. Creepy and suspenseful, extra-terrestrials, harsh and ironic and sarcastic and irreverent view of human behavior, showing the beauty and the best that mankind has to offer, and also the worst and most cringey and yet utterly believable behavior that we can exhibit.
Oh, and the little concept that stuck in my memory starts around page 300 and develops from there, but didn't quite match up! So I must've combined it with another story I read which has now completely escaped me.
In any case, after rereading this, I was a little confused about why I might've considered a favorite book. And I actually think what it was is that I was obsessed with swear words and little catch phrases back in high school, and this book is full of things like "SSDD" and "FUBAR." *shrug* I'm not judging my younger self. At least I can let go of this 600+ hardcover (beautiful cover illustration though, that and the title might've swayed me as well) with no regrets.
Another winning novel from the King. Full of great characters and a rich story, this book has it all.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Dreamcatcher
Like many books by King, Dreamcatcher starts off incredibly strong. I found the premise (like a cross between a plague story infused with The Invasion of the Body Snatchers), utterly compelling from the moment I first opened the book.
Indeed, for 50% of the story, I was gripped by the extraordinary circumstances the protagonists had to deal with. There’s plenty of grisly details the way the Aliens absorb their hosts. The body horror, reminiscent to The Thing or a Cronenberg film, is delightful for fans of the genre.
The book is famous for introducing “shit weasels”, a plot point mocked for its absurd nature. To be honest, I wasn’t bothered by graphic horror combined with such unusual humour. If anything, I was chuckling throughout the first few hundred pages.
Unfortunately, the issue I have is one I have had many times now with 90’s King. In case, my enthusiasm dipped with the way the second half of the novel descends into a literal battle of the minds. I don’t know why, but more and more, King seems to resort to the principle characters fighting a monster, alien, demon etc within a dream reality. I can’t help but think it’s somehow cheating, whereas a more physical solution to the protagonists problems would be more satisfying.
In other words, if a protagonist can simply magic up a phone or a gun or a door to escape an early demise at any point, the stakes are drastically reduced and victory feels somewhat unearned.
It’s a cliché but a number of readers have pointed out King doesn’t know how to finish a story. I never thought it was the case until I reached the 90’s part of his career. Desperation, Rose Madder, and Needful Things all start off being incredibly alluring. The stories are set up so well, only to fall apart by the end of it.
Either way, Dreamcatcher was a mostly fun read. There’s a lot of great ideas that King utilises, and even if I was very underwhelmed by the ending, I enjoyed the journey.
P.S. I saw the film adaptation years ago but I always thought it was underrated. Ok, it’s not a masterpiece but the story is fun, and the cast is great. I look forward to re-watching it tonight.
King Ranked:
1. The Stand 5/5
2. Pet Semetary 4.6/5
3. Salem’s Lot 4.5/5
4. The Dead Zone 4.2/5
5. Misery 4.2/5
6. The Shining 4.2/5
7. The Long Walk 4.2/5
8. Dolores Claiborne 4.2/5
9. The Drawing of the Three 4.1/5
10. The Wastelands 4/5
11. Night Shift 4/5
12. Different Seasons 4/5
13. The Eyes of the Dragon 4/5
14. The Green Mile 4/5
15. The Dark Half 3.9/5
16. Cycle of the Werewolf 3.9/5
17. Thinner 3.8/5
18. Christine 3.6/5
19. Desperation 3.5/5
20. Roadwork 3.5/5
21. Skeleton Crew 3.5/5
22. Cujo 3.2/5
23. Firestarter 3.2/5
24. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 3.2/5
25. Carrie 3.2/5
26. Rage 3.1/5
27. The Tommyknockers 3/5
28. The Running Man 3/5
29. Hearts in Atlantis 3/5
30. The Gunslinger 3/5
31. Wizard and Glass 3/5
32. The Talisman 3/5
33. Dreamcatcher 3/5*
34. Bag of Bones 3/5
35. IT 2.9/5
36. Rose Madder 2.5/5
37. Needful Things 2.4/5
38. Insomnia 2.4/5
39. The Regulators 2.4/5
40. Four Past Midnight 2.3/5
41. Nightmares and Dreamscapes 2.2/5
42. Gerald’s Game 1/5
Next to read in the “Reading King in Chronological Order” challenge:
BLACK HOUSE
Like many books by King, Dreamcatcher starts off incredibly strong. I found the premise (like a cross between a plague story infused with The Invasion of the Body Snatchers), utterly compelling from the moment I first opened the book.
Indeed, for 50% of the story, I was gripped by the extraordinary circumstances the protagonists had to deal with. There’s plenty of grisly details the way the Aliens absorb their hosts. The body horror, reminiscent to The Thing or a Cronenberg film, is delightful for fans of the genre.
The book is famous for introducing “shit weasels”, a plot point mocked for its absurd nature. To be honest, I wasn’t bothered by graphic horror combined with such unusual humour. If anything, I was chuckling throughout the first few hundred pages.
Unfortunately, the issue I have is one I have had many times now with 90’s King. In case, my enthusiasm dipped with the way the second half of the novel descends into a literal battle of the minds. I don’t know why, but more and more, King seems to resort to the principle characters fighting a monster, alien, demon etc within a dream reality. I can’t help but think it’s somehow cheating, whereas a more physical solution to the protagonists problems would be more satisfying.
In other words, if a protagonist can simply magic up a phone or a gun or a door to escape an early demise at any point, the stakes are drastically reduced and victory feels somewhat unearned.
It’s a cliché but a number of readers have pointed out King doesn’t know how to finish a story. I never thought it was the case until I reached the 90’s part of his career. Desperation, Rose Madder, and Needful Things all start off being incredibly alluring. The stories are set up so well, only to fall apart by the end of it.
Either way, Dreamcatcher was a mostly fun read. There’s a lot of great ideas that King utilises, and even if I was very underwhelmed by the ending, I enjoyed the journey.
P.S. I saw the film adaptation years ago but I always thought it was underrated. Ok, it’s not a masterpiece but the story is fun, and the cast is great. I look forward to re-watching it tonight.
King Ranked:
1. The Stand 5/5
2. Pet Semetary 4.6/5
3. Salem’s Lot 4.5/5
4. The Dead Zone 4.2/5
5. Misery 4.2/5
6. The Shining 4.2/5
7. The Long Walk 4.2/5
8. Dolores Claiborne 4.2/5
9. The Drawing of the Three 4.1/5
10. The Wastelands 4/5
11. Night Shift 4/5
12. Different Seasons 4/5
13. The Eyes of the Dragon 4/5
14. The Green Mile 4/5
15. The Dark Half 3.9/5
16. Cycle of the Werewolf 3.9/5
17. Thinner 3.8/5
18. Christine 3.6/5
19. Desperation 3.5/5
20. Roadwork 3.5/5
21. Skeleton Crew 3.5/5
22. Cujo 3.2/5
23. Firestarter 3.2/5
24. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon 3.2/5
25. Carrie 3.2/5
26. Rage 3.1/5
27. The Tommyknockers 3/5
28. The Running Man 3/5
29. Hearts in Atlantis 3/5
30. The Gunslinger 3/5
31. Wizard and Glass 3/5
32. The Talisman 3/5
33. Dreamcatcher 3/5*
34. Bag of Bones 3/5
35. IT 2.9/5
36. Rose Madder 2.5/5
37. Needful Things 2.4/5
38. Insomnia 2.4/5
39. The Regulators 2.4/5
40. Four Past Midnight 2.3/5
41. Nightmares and Dreamscapes 2.2/5
42. Gerald’s Game 1/5
Next to read in the “Reading King in Chronological Order” challenge:
BLACK HOUSE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can finally say I finished the book that was the cause of my most recent reading slump ✨️✨️
I honestly don't know how to feel about this one....it starts off so painfully slow and truly just stays that way for what feels like an eternity. the back end of the book definitely picks up but I do feel like by the actual end (final chapter or so) my interest had dropped off again and I was at a point where the sunk cost fallacy was the only think keeping me going
This book has that fun King thing where it has some absolutely insane banger quotes (looking at you Kurtz's shockingly anti-racist monologue), but also some moments where you find yourself wondering in what world did you need to be reading about 8th/9th graders wanting to see a picture of someone's p*ssy
I do kind of want to re-watch the movie since I haven't seen it since I was a child(I remember really hating it) because it does feel like the book has great movie potential
the overall ending did make me want to give the book at least a 4 stars but I'm sticking with 3 for now because it was such a drag emotionally at some points
I honestly don't know how to feel about this one....it starts off so painfully slow and truly just stays that way for what feels like an eternity. the back end of the book definitely picks up but I do feel like by the actual end (final chapter or so) my interest had dropped off again and I was at a point where the sunk cost fallacy was the only think keeping me going
This book has that fun King thing where it has some absolutely insane banger quotes (looking at you Kurtz's shockingly anti-racist monologue), but also some moments where you find yourself wondering in what world did you need to be reading about 8th/9th graders wanting to see a picture of someone's p*ssy
I do kind of want to re-watch the movie since I haven't seen it since I was a child(I remember really hating it) because it does feel like the book has great movie potential
the overall ending did make me want to give the book at least a 4 stars but I'm sticking with 3 for now because it was such a drag emotionally at some points
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Genocide, Gun violence, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Antisemitism
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes