Helpful Score: 4
One of my top 3 favorite King books. I like the four main characters, and the story is intense. At parts gross, and other parts, scary, King is at his best.
Helpful Score: 4
This book starts off fast and doesn't let you go! In typical King fashion, there is great detail and insight into the various character's psyches. Just when you think you "get it" the story takes another turn into weird!
Helpful Score: 2
A very scary, long book with great characters and a disturbing storyline. Definitely recommended.
Except if you're reading it by yourself in the middle of a tent in a thunderstorm in the woods. Not a good idea :)
Except if you're reading it by yourself in the middle of a tent in a thunderstorm in the woods. Not a good idea :)
Helpful Score: 2
I tried really hard to read this book, hoping it would be better than the movie. However, my personal opinion is that Stephen King's writing has gotten progressively worse, and I couldn't finish it.
Helpful Score: 2
one of his best
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book, many haunting images. The bathroom scene was the best!
Helpful Score: 2
Fascinating! Truth be told, I can't get into Stephen King most of the time, but this is absolutly spellbinding! You can't stop reading!
Helpful Score: 2
Not as good as his earlier stuff, but fascinating in its own right. Regular folks get enmeshed is some weird stuff while camping and find out the government is trying to hide some strange aliens that have landed. Better than it sounds.
Helpful Score: 2
This book is one of Stephen King's finest!A MUST READ!
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of my least favorite of King's longer winded books. It's about four miserable middle aged friends who get together every year for a manly weekend spent drinking bear and shooting poor beasts. It goes on and on flashing back to the past when the boys were boyhood friends and met a Down Syndrome boy named Douglass who possesses a supernatural power and then whisking the reader back to the present when the men are facing snow, weird flashing lights and strange people passing noxious gas. Somewhere here I think aliens have landed and soon there will sh*t weasels. Ahhhh!
This book rambles on so much I feel a decade older having finally finished it. The beginning grabbed me and the parts about the boyhood friendship captured me but King lost me when he went on tangents about the aliens, the red fuzz, Mr. Grey and his mindrape & the crazed military guy all of which I found mind-numbing.
This book rambles on so much I feel a decade older having finally finished it. The beginning grabbed me and the parts about the boyhood friendship captured me but King lost me when he went on tangents about the aliens, the red fuzz, Mr. Grey and his mindrape & the crazed military guy all of which I found mind-numbing.
Helpful Score: 2
Yet another excellent book by Stephen King. I could not put this book down. "Dreamcatcher" is the first novel Stephen King wrote, in longhand, while recuperating from his near-fatal accident.
The four friends - Joe "Beaver" Clarendon, Pete Moore, Henry Devlin and Gary Jones - are bound together in a way that they do not even suspect. Beaver is an inventive curser who owns a cabin in the Maine woods where the group gathers for the last time, Pete can find lost car keys or anything else when he puts his mind to it, Henry is a suicidal shrink who has a tendency to lash out at patients from time to time, and Jonsey is a college professor who just "knows" when students cheat on exams. The common link in their lives is Duddits (not letting that cat out of the bag - read the book). When Richard McCarthy stumbles out of the woods, dazed and confused, not to mention the worst case of flatulence in the history of civilization, the group has no idea that they are on the edge of the end of the world as we know it.
A MUST read for any Stephen King fan.
The four friends - Joe "Beaver" Clarendon, Pete Moore, Henry Devlin and Gary Jones - are bound together in a way that they do not even suspect. Beaver is an inventive curser who owns a cabin in the Maine woods where the group gathers for the last time, Pete can find lost car keys or anything else when he puts his mind to it, Henry is a suicidal shrink who has a tendency to lash out at patients from time to time, and Jonsey is a college professor who just "knows" when students cheat on exams. The common link in their lives is Duddits (not letting that cat out of the bag - read the book). When Richard McCarthy stumbles out of the woods, dazed and confused, not to mention the worst case of flatulence in the history of civilization, the group has no idea that they are on the edge of the end of the world as we know it.
A MUST read for any Stephen King fan.
Helpful Score: 1
Utter dreck.
Started out good then the plot turned into a mess.
Started out good then the plot turned into a mess.
Helpful Score: 1
I'm a huge Stephen King fan, but this tale of an invasion interrupting a bunch of guys who went out hunting did nothing for me. To be fair, I am not a fan of alien stories to begin with, but I think Stephen King is a much better writer than what this book gives us.
Helpful Score: 1
If you love King you'll love this one. Reminds me of the Tommyknockers
Helpful Score: 1
A good story, and involving, but a little grossly graphic even for Stephen King.
Helpful Score: 1
Four friends reunite for their annual hunting trip. They encounter terrifying events!
Helpful Score: 1
This is the best book! Kept me reading when I should have gone to bed. One of King's best for sure. I very much enjoyed this one.
Helpful Score: 1
Much better than the movie! I'd rather read and use my imagination to see rather than see a movie.
This one is scary...a nightmare...filled with terror that keeps on going.
This one is scary...a nightmare...filled with terror that keeps on going.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved it!
Helpful Score: 1
Four boys did a brave thing and it changed them forever. 25 years later after they saved a Down's syndrome kid from bullies, the four boys (now men) reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But this trip is different than the others. The four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past and in the Dreamcatcher.
Very engrossing and couldn't put it down.
Very engrossing and couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 1
This is one of those books you struggle through and when you get to the end of you're ticked off because you've spent so much time on it and you walk away unsatisfied and want to smack someone in the back of the head with the book. Not the worst of King, but definitely not up there with the best either.
Helpful Score: 1
I'm a huge Stephen King fan, and despite absolutely loathing the movie, I decided to check this book out, and I was not disappointed. It's suspenseful and eerie and a good read. Funny thing is - I decided to try the movie again after finishing the book and I hated it even more. Bad movie, great book.
The book is better then he movie.
Stephen King at his finest. I loved this book. It's full of memorable characters that you come to know well, a great plot, strong imagery - all the things he does best. Plus, it's nice and thick at 879 pgs, so you get a lot of reading for your buck. I highly recommend it.
An excellent read!!
Stephen King has put out some good work, this isn't one of them. The concept is too vague, the storyline too involved and at times convoluded. If you want some good ole' Stephen King, I would elect for "Cujo," or "Nightmares & Dreamscapes." Skip this one.
King is a skillful wordsmith, and he can create memorable characters and truly scary situations. Unfortunately, he also has a tendency to fall back on buckets of gore, as in the case of this novel of four friends who are bound together by their relationship with a retarded boy. The menace is invasion from outer space (or maybe the US military's response to it), and it's King's gift that he can find something new to say about UFOs and little gray men.
Loved it, loved it, loved it. Re-read it after watching the movie and loved it even more.
Much better than the movie, as they always say, though the movie was a surprisingly faithful re-telling with a lot of the same spirit as the book.
This story is a prime example of King, and he does not disappoint. You can see his determination to create a world within world, exhibited by his dedication to creating phrases that sound natural in the character's speech, yet are unlike the typical phrases we repeat until they lose their impact. The friends in this story are all like pieces in a pizza, having their own edges and sizes, yet meeting in the middle to form part of something bigger.
This story is a prime example of King, and he does not disappoint. You can see his determination to create a world within world, exhibited by his dedication to creating phrases that sound natural in the character's speech, yet are unlike the typical phrases we repeat until they lose their impact. The friends in this story are all like pieces in a pizza, having their own edges and sizes, yet meeting in the middle to form part of something bigger.
Dreamcatcher is proof that Stephen King is one of the greatest story tellers of the 20th and 21st century. His description of the characters and then intermingling them into the story plot holds your interest in the story. Not necessarily a surprise ending but he tends to add a philosophical thought to ponder. Are other States as eerie as Maine or is that a product of Stephen King's mind?
I really enjoyed this book. How can you not with things called "shit-weasels"...
Stephen King does it again. Sheesh! I stayed up 'til 3 a.m. to finish this one; just couldn't put it down.
From back cover: ONCE UPON A TIME, IN THE HAUNTED CITY OF DERRY, FOUR BOYS STOOD TOGETHER AND DID A BRAVE THING. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT CHANGED THEM IN WAYS THEY COULD NEVER BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND.
Twenty-five years after saving a Down's-syndrome kid from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy--now men with separate lives and separate problems--reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But when a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past--and in the Dreamcatcher.
From back cover: ONCE UPON A TIME, IN THE HAUNTED CITY OF DERRY, FOUR BOYS STOOD TOGETHER AND DID A BRAVE THING. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT CHANGED THEM IN WAYS THEY COULD NEVER BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND.
Twenty-five years after saving a Down's-syndrome kid from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy--now men with separate lives and separate problems--reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But when a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past--and in the Dreamcatcher.
Three words; the bathroom scene. It is worth it just for that scene. Eew! OMG! No he didn't!
This is the first book S. King wrote after being hit by a car. He wrote this book while recovering. The movie doesn't do this book justice.
FOUR CAMPERS STUGGLE TO SURVIVE AGAINST A CREATURE FROM ANOTHER WORLD, IN THE WOODS OF MAINE.
Good, but not King's best work. I still say Needful Things is best yet.
"Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry, four boys stood together and did a brave thing. It was something that changed them in ways they could never begin the understand." As usual, King has mined TERROR from the ordinary.
Twenty-five years after saving a Down's-syndrome kid from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy-now men with separate lives and separate problems-reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But when a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past-and in the Dreamcatcher.
If you are a Stephen King fan, you know that you can't really summarize his stories in a few short sentences. In this book, four men who grew up together meet once a year for a hunting trip. This year, They are faced with a mystifying encounter with unexplained forces and events which bring them back to an event from their youth.
Good solid book, 861 pages, with a 13 page Epilogue.
Good solid book, 861 pages, with a 13 page Epilogue.
WOW--this was the first King novel I devoured.
A snippet from Publishers Weekly that actually seemed to capture the feel of the book:
"The book has flaws, then, and each of them cries "runaway author." Is anyone editing King these days? But, then, who edited, say, Mahler at his most excessive? The genius shines through in any case, in the images and conceits that blind with brilliance, in the magnificent architecture, in the wide swaths of flat-out riveting reading and, most of all, in the wellsprings of emotions King taps as he plumbs the ties that bind his characters..."
"The book has flaws, then, and each of them cries "runaway author." Is anyone editing King these days? But, then, who edited, say, Mahler at his most excessive? The genius shines through in any case, in the images and conceits that blind with brilliance, in the magnificent architecture, in the wide swaths of flat-out riveting reading and, most of all, in the wellsprings of emotions King taps as he plumbs the ties that bind his characters..."
another great story by the master
A good and scary book
I'm not a big Steven King fan, the book was an enjoyable read. The book was read once during a hospital visit and then put in my bookcase.
Good read for the Stephen King fan. Some pretty graphic and disturbing imagery that one can only attribute to the mind of Stephen King.
One of weird Steve's very best!!!!
Great all the way to the last page!
awesome..
Super scary story!!!
No lie, I tried to read this book five times and could never get past the first 100 pages, which is very, very unusual for me (I can count on one hand the number of books I've started and not finished). I'm a huge King fan normally, this one just didn't do anything for me.
Very good book!!It's Stephen King...It's about four friends who,now 25 years later,unite at a cabin in Maine.And a stranger comes and horrifying things happen.Again,a good read.
Love the Book
This is by far my most favorite King book. He was laid up after a bad accident and this is the first book that he wrote after the accident. Please do not even bother with the movie, it is a waste of time. Suspense, aliens, para-military, telepathy... and lots and LOTS of blood. Long book, but I was absolutely RIVETED.
Intense and suspensful! Couldn't put it down. Definitely one of my favorite King novels
King definitely did not disappoint me with this book. I loved the Aliens, and the link the boys shared. I had, as was referenced in the books, Flash backs of "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" Moments through out the whole thing. I'll definitely be recommending this to other friends who are king fans. ^^
Excellent book !!!! Every Stephen King fan should read this one.
Not my favorite King book but still a good read.
"...this novel, the first he's written since his near-fatal accident, King allows that he wrote the first draft of the book by hand. So much for the theory that it's word-processing alone that leads to logorrhea.
Yet despite its excessive length, the novel one of the most complex thematically and structurally in King's vast output dazzles and grips..." amamzon review
Yet despite its excessive length, the novel one of the most complex thematically and structurally in King's vast output dazzles and grips..." amamzon review
What can I say about Stepen king. Thuis is another of his excellent thrillers. An absolute must read.
Great story of aliens and defiance.
Classic Stephen King!
great better than the movie as most books are
This is another Stephen King classic. It was a great read.
A Stephen King classic
Twenty-five years after saving a Downs-syndrome kid from bullies, Beav,Henry,Pete and Jonesy-now men with separate lives and separate problems-reunite in the woods of Maine for thier annual hunting trip.
But when a stranger stumbles into thier camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creture from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past-and in the Dreamcatcher.
But when a stranger stumbles into thier camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creture from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past-and in the Dreamcatcher.
I am not a big Stephen King fan but I was surprised that this book read as easily as it did and pretty much followed the movie storyline with just a slight few differences.
Good book, I thought it was a slow read and could not get into it. It seemed to drag on for me. I enjoyed the movie a lot more, And I normally always like the Books better than the Movies! Not my favorite of Stephen King.
I began reading this book but it scared me so bad that I never finished. I know I would have had nightmares. If, your looking for a good horror book this is it.
Pure garbage. Don't bother. And this is coming from a Stephen King fan!
Very, very awesome
Once upon a time,in the haunted city of Derry, four boys stood together and did a brave thing. It was somrthing that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand.
A bizzare book, but enjoyable read. Better than the movie.
The worst Stephen King book I've ever read.
I bought this book new and I'm sure I'll never read it because it's not my taste.
Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry, 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 seperate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. 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 disturbingly 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.
Twenty-five years later, the boys are now men with seperate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. 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 disturbingly 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.
Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry, four boys stood together and did a brave thing. It was something that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand.
Twenty-five years after saving a down's-syndrome boy from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy - now men with seperate lives and seperate problems - reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But when a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past-and in the Dreamcatcher.
Twenty-five years after saving a down's-syndrome boy from bullies, Beav, Henry, Pete, and Jonesy - now men with seperate lives and seperate problems - reunite in the woods of Maine for their annual hunting trip. But when a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented and mumbling something about lights in the sky, chaos erupts. Soon, the four friends are plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world where their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past-and in the Dreamcatcher.
I simply cannot get into S King.
this book is new. received two copies.
cover could be in better shape, but the rest of the book is fine
Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry, four boys stood together and did a brave thing. Certainly a good thing. Something that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand. 25 years later, the boys are now men with separate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. Each hunting season the foursome reunite in the woods of Maine. This year, a stranger stumbles into camp, disoriented, mumbling something about lights in the sky. His incoherent ravings prove to be disturbingly 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 the Dreamcatcher.
Sorry, I haven't read this - not a Stephen King fan! My husband said it's very good.
I am not a Stephen King fan so I have not read this book.
best to review at Amazon.com
