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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
It meanders too much at times, especially toward the end; I swear, King needs an extra editor to just help with his endings sometimes. That said, I'm probably more positive on it than most other King fans I know, possibly because of the performance of the narrator in the audiobook. A couple different parts made me genuinely laugh out loud, assisted no doubt by the thick, hilarious New England accent.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Bullying
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've put off writing a review because Becky wrote the review to end all reviews and said it all! It's my resolution to review all the books I read this year so I have to make the attempt. Here goes...
I read this the week it first came out in 2001 because I always read his books as soon as they come out. At breakneck speed more often than not. I tend to re-read and savor the books later, but the first reading is like a "fix" I have been Jonesing for, so taking my time is not really an option. I was especially happy to get this particular fix because I had been so devastated when King had his accident. This book was proof he had not left us.
This is one of the few I never went back to re-read. Until now. I couldn't even think of this book without flenching my glutes, so my aversion was understandable. This time around I wonder what took me so long! Yes, I giggled through the horrendous gas and "birthing" of the poop weasels, but once I got over that I really enjoyed this densely layered book.
I always love when King writes about aliens. In Dreamcatcher, aliens have been present on our world for a long time. The military is very aware of their probes and visits. The book starts with 4 childhood friends, all grown up now, meeting for their annual hunting trip in a cabin dead center of ground zero. Needless to say, with them being King characters, they all carry a lot of emotional baggage. The guys share a LOT of history that King peels like an onion in flashbacks thoughout the story.
At the onset of a huge storm, the aliens arrive, en masse, in thier ship. They are broadcasting, in highly recognizable human voices, English and French, "There is no infection here.". Has an ominous ring to it, huh? Fortunately they land in the woods in the middle of just about nowhere. Not quite so fortunate is the fact that it's hunting season. The military swoops in to contain the "virus" the aliens have introduced, (guess they were lying about the "no infection" part) and begin these efforts by rounding up all the hunters and corralling them. These particular aliens seem intent only on survival. They aren't out to wipe out mankind...unless humans interfere with said survival, that is.
In addition to the "grey boys" we've come to expect of aliens, there is a red, mosslike growth of a virus humans can become infected with AND a small creature, the aforementioned poop weasels that incubate in the human digestive track, eventually eating thier way out. Our four hunting friends end with the fate of the world, literally, in their hands with the help of thier very, very special fifth friend from childhood.
One of the effects of close proximity to the aliens is ESP. Our friends have shared a bit of a mental bond and heightened perception since childhood, and this just ups their mental abilities to the nth. It may sound cool to be able to read your neighbors, family and friends minds, but if you carry that thought to the final conclusion...it's not! It causes havoc, distrust, hate, fear and above all panic. I felt panic was the tone of this book. It takes place over the course of just 2 days, and beginning to end is constant action at breakneck speed. It is NOT a slow boil.
I read this the week it first came out in 2001 because I always read his books as soon as they come out. At breakneck speed more often than not. I tend to re-read and savor the books later, but the first reading is like a "fix" I have been Jonesing for, so taking my time is not really an option. I was especially happy to get this particular fix because I had been so devastated when King had his accident. This book was proof he had not left us.
This is one of the few I never went back to re-read. Until now. I couldn't even think of this book without flenching my glutes, so my aversion was understandable. This time around I wonder what took me so long! Yes, I giggled through the horrendous gas and "birthing" of the poop weasels, but once I got over that I really enjoyed this densely layered book.
I always love when King writes about aliens. In Dreamcatcher, aliens have been present on our world for a long time. The military is very aware of their probes and visits. The book starts with 4 childhood friends, all grown up now, meeting for their annual hunting trip in a cabin dead center of ground zero. Needless to say, with them being King characters, they all carry a lot of emotional baggage. The guys share a LOT of history that King peels like an onion in flashbacks thoughout the story.
At the onset of a huge storm, the aliens arrive, en masse, in thier ship. They are broadcasting, in highly recognizable human voices, English and French, "There is no infection here.". Has an ominous ring to it, huh? Fortunately they land in the woods in the middle of just about nowhere. Not quite so fortunate is the fact that it's hunting season. The military swoops in to contain the "virus" the aliens have introduced, (guess they were lying about the "no infection" part) and begin these efforts by rounding up all the hunters and corralling them. These particular aliens seem intent only on survival. They aren't out to wipe out mankind...unless humans interfere with said survival, that is.
In addition to the "grey boys" we've come to expect of aliens, there is a red, mosslike growth of a virus humans can become infected with AND a small creature, the aforementioned poop weasels that incubate in the human digestive track, eventually eating thier way out. Our four hunting friends end with the fate of the world, literally, in their hands with the help of thier very, very special fifth friend from childhood.
One of the effects of close proximity to the aliens is ESP. Our friends have shared a bit of a mental bond and heightened perception since childhood, and this just ups their mental abilities to the nth. It may sound cool to be able to read your neighbors, family and friends minds, but if you carry that thought to the final conclusion...it's not! It causes havoc, distrust, hate, fear and above all panic. I felt panic was the tone of this book. It takes place over the course of just 2 days, and beginning to end is constant action at breakneck speed. It is NOT a slow boil.
3.5
Book content trigger warnings:
Suicidal character; suicidal thoughts; depression; gore; blood; murder; deaths; parasites; so much swearing;
Take into account this book came out nearly twenty years ago. However the R-word slur to refer to autistic people is used several times.
I think I covered everything, but this book was a lot, so there's a chance I missed something.
If the above warnings didn't make it clear: This book is intended for adult audiences only.
Dreamcatcher was a lot. It was so much, it's hard to know where to start. I'm not going to review it entirely because that would take so long. What I'm going to say is simple.
This book is a trip. There are some gross/squeamish parts I'm not going to go into detail about that I 1000% could have done without. And the story wouldn't have been lacking without them either. And while it's written ridiculously well, it could have been shorter. There was a lot of unnecessary information, especially after Part One and especially with this one character Kurz who, in the end, only played a small part, and a good chunk could have been edited down. However, it never stopped being interesting, and I was invested through to the very last page.
Dreamcatcher has its faults, but it's unique really unlike any other book I've read. The closest I could compare it to in writing style is Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave, and honestly, he probably got his style from King.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed it, especially the thrilling first 200 pages and the conclusion. Would I rec it? I dunno. It honestly depends on you. You've got to have a strong gut and a healthy mental state to step into this dark blizzard and be prepared for a journey. I will say that I was impressed enough with this that I will be picking up another King sometime in the future.
At least, once I've had a chance to recover from this one.
Book content trigger warnings:
Suicidal character; suicidal thoughts; depression; gore; blood; murder; deaths; parasites; so much swearing;
Take into account this book came out nearly twenty years ago. However the R-word slur to refer to autistic people is used several times.
I think I covered everything, but this book was a lot, so there's a chance I missed something.
If the above warnings didn't make it clear: This book is intended for adult audiences only.
Dreamcatcher was a lot. It was so much, it's hard to know where to start. I'm not going to review it entirely because that would take so long. What I'm going to say is simple.
This book is a trip. There are some gross/squeamish parts I'm not going to go into detail about that I 1000% could have done without. And the story wouldn't have been lacking without them either. And while it's written ridiculously well, it could have been shorter. There was a lot of unnecessary information, especially after Part One and especially with this one character Kurz who, in the end, only played a small part, and a good chunk could have been edited down. However, it never stopped being interesting, and I was invested through to the very last page.
Dreamcatcher has its faults, but it's unique really unlike any other book I've read. The closest I could compare it to in writing style is Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave, and honestly, he probably got his style from King.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed it, especially the thrilling first 200 pages and the conclusion. Would I rec it? I dunno. It honestly depends on you. You've got to have a strong gut and a healthy mental state to step into this dark blizzard and be prepared for a journey. I will say that I was impressed enough with this that I will be picking up another King sometime in the future.
At least, once I've had a chance to recover from this one.
I ended up not finishing this book after getting about half way through. I realised I’m not a huge fan of alien invasion style novels and thus this book just wasn’t doing it for me. I think anyone who likes that style should definitely give it a read.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes