Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dude, what can I say other than this book is amazing. I read this years after having seen the movie, and its safe to say that theyre two completely different entities - the book is so much more multifaceted, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole way, trying to figure out what was going to happen.
This book is just so complex and fascinating, it seems as if it's all about aliens, but then there are elements of telepathy intertwined, which I havent seen done in this way before. I love that it overlaps slightly with [b:It|18342|It|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166906256s/18342.jpg|150259], in that part of it is set in Derry and there's mention of Pennywise's horrible adventures.
Stephen King is the master at creating utterly despicable characters, and I loved/hated his characterization of Kurtz. I also loved how this book was TRULY horrifying, in that it was filled with gore, and my face was literally like this D: for most of the book. I also really loved that it wasn't set in New York! So many sci-fi/alien/apocalyptic texts are set in NYC and it's a breath of fresh air to go back to Stephen King's books which are always set in small towns.
I loved this book, yet I've given it 4 stars. Why? Because Im still a little confused.
Im confused about the difference between the byrum, the byrus and the grey boys - who was really in charge, what was their purpose, what was their natural form like? Im confused about the dreamcatcher references (other than something purely symbolic), and Im confused about how and why Duddits was so special - was it because he was retarded, or are other people like that, and he just happened to have Downs syndrome?
Im confused about how Duddits telepathy caught on to Pete, Beaver, Henry and Jonesy - I was pretty much expecting Duddits to be an alien gone native, like in the movie (well I recall Duddits being an alien, it's been a while though). I guess it's one of those things that is meant to leave you wondering, but all these unanswered questions have a tendency to drive me nuts! I like closure :P
Overall, I had the most amazing time reading this book, even if it did take quite a while and I was left with a number of unanswered questions. If you have any sort of interest in sci-fi/aliens or horror, I suggest you read this at one point in your life. There's so many elements in there, you're bound to find something that you like. And if you're a King fan, you'll adore the references made to his other books.
This book is just so complex and fascinating, it seems as if it's all about aliens, but then there are elements of telepathy intertwined, which I havent seen done in this way before. I love that it overlaps slightly with [b:It|18342|It|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166906256s/18342.jpg|150259], in that part of it is set in Derry and there's mention of Pennywise's horrible adventures.
Stephen King is the master at creating utterly despicable characters, and I loved/hated his characterization of Kurtz. I also loved how this book was TRULY horrifying, in that it was filled with gore, and my face was literally like this D: for most of the book. I also really loved that it wasn't set in New York! So many sci-fi/alien/apocalyptic texts are set in NYC and it's a breath of fresh air to go back to Stephen King's books which are always set in small towns.
I loved this book, yet I've given it 4 stars. Why? Because Im still a little confused.
Im confused about the difference between the byrum, the byrus and the grey boys - who was really in charge, what was their purpose, what was their natural form like? Im confused about the dreamcatcher references (other than something purely symbolic), and Im confused about how and why Duddits was so special - was it because he was retarded, or are other people like that, and he just happened to have Downs syndrome?
Im confused about how Duddits telepathy caught on to Pete, Beaver, Henry and Jonesy - I was pretty much expecting Duddits to be an alien gone native, like in the movie (well I recall Duddits being an alien, it's been a while though). I guess it's one of those things that is meant to leave you wondering, but all these unanswered questions have a tendency to drive me nuts! I like closure :P
Overall, I had the most amazing time reading this book, even if it did take quite a while and I was left with a number of unanswered questions. If you have any sort of interest in sci-fi/aliens or horror, I suggest you read this at one point in your life. There's so many elements in there, you're bound to find something that you like. And if you're a King fan, you'll adore the references made to his other books.
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
A lot of people dislike this King novel, they say it's very similar to others, and you can tell that he had just recovered from an accident before writing the book in long hand.
As a man who has written 57 books in total, it's hardly surprising that similar ideas arise. I don't mind when King sticks to what he does best. Writing stories focused on groups of four boys, growing up into men and the surrounding events. Dreamcatcher features a very special character, Duddits. Duddits makes this book, especially his relationship with the four other men. All of their relationships make this book special.
The pace of this book was brilliant, it only dimmed when the military arrived. I loved the characters of Henry, Jonesy, Beav and Pete and actually wish we got to read more about Beav and Pete.
Overall, a great King book. I can always rely on him for a good story and great characters.
dark
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I will start this by saying I do not usually review King; in fact, this is my first review. And there's a good reason I'm writing it. Because, holy crap (literally), what the hell was that? I absolutely love Stephen King´s novels, and when I found out this one was about aliens, I simply had to read it asap.
Dreamcatcher being my 27th (or perhaps 28th?) book by King, you would think I am used to his weirdness and there would be nothing more to surprise me. Well, you would be very wrong. This is by far the weirdest one.
If you thought the child orgy from It was weird and gross and surprising. I wonder what you would say about all the farting and belching and the extremely vivid descriptions of fart smells and sounds this book contains. Not to mention the alien beings being born via ripping people´s assholes. No, I am not joking. I have seen people call this book too weird even for King himself, and I cannot agree more.
As far as the story goes, it was not the best I´ve read. It was slow, dragging, and pretty boring, apart from a few moments. The animal migrations were probably my favourite, there is just something otherworldly about seeing deer and foxes and bears and raccoons and wild cats, etc., all together.
The characters were interesting, but not very likeable. Apart from Duddits, he seemed very sweet, kind, and loving. The rest of the friend group, Jonesy, Beaver, Pete, and Henry, were kind of annoying, even though they had their moments.
For me, the least enjoyable and most confusing was the military part of the story. What I liked the most, animals excluded, was the bond between the five friends. And also all of the retrospective parts that brought us back to their childhood.
I still think Desperation and The Regulators are much more chaotic and maybe even more weird. And they are also the King books I liked the least. Unfortunately, Dreamcatcher is very close behind them.
Even the worst King book is still a good book! Enjoyable, but all the reviews I’ve seen rang true—a bit bloated and in need of an edit, a bit weird, a bit self-indulgent. I still liked it a lot!
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced