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Dreamcatcher

by Stephen King, William Olivier Desmond (Translator)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 64,152 ratings · 997 reviews

Au cœur de la forêt de Derry, quatre amis d'enfance, unis pour le meilleur et pour le pire, confrontés à un phénomène terrifiant qu'ils ne risquent pas d'oublier... Stephen King, au sommet de son talent, cerne au plus profond de l'inconscient collectif les peurs de notre temps. Dans la lignée de Ça et d'Insomnie, un très grand King.

Paperback, 688 pages

Published March 1st 2002 by Albin Michel (first published March 20th 2001)

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Nov 11, 2007 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was an amazing book. Even though it took me 3 months to read it was worth it. Anyone who wants to read this book must be prepared for sleepless nights and illusions. Stephen King is a fantastic writer who uses such descriptions it makes you feel that right behind you there is an alien waiting to take your energy. Throughout this book I tried figuring out what the title meant and how it relates to the book. By the end I love how the last few pages are devoted to explaining things and making...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Diane rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a horror fan (books and movies), it takes a lot to creep me out, but this book did it! So superbly disturbing to me, that i both want to read it again and refuse to at the same time.

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Dec 14, 2008 Wendell rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-horror-guilty-pleasures

Let me say at the outset: I am a HUGE Stephen King fan, and I've read all the novels and short stories, as well as his rather wonderful books on writing.

Unfortunately, Dreamcatcher is a bloated, vacuous, dreadful piece of self-indulgence that mostly goes to show that King has apparently gotten so famous that no one dares edit him or tell him that he's written a bad book.

The pointless repetition in this door-stop of a novel is staggering beyond belief (and, ultimately, stultifying as well). King...more Let me say at the outset: I am a HUGE Stephen King fan, and I've read all the novels and short stories, as well as his rather wonderful books on writing.

Unfortunately, Dreamcatcher is a bloated, vacuous, dreadful piece of self-indulgence that mostly goes to show that King has apparently gotten so famous that no one dares edit him or tell him that he's written a bad book.

The pointless repetition in this door-stop of a novel is staggering beyond belief (and, ultimately, stultifying as well). King beats you over the head with his 7th-grade brand of peepee/caca humor (I presume it's supposed to be funny, if you think scores of pages with people reacting to fetid flatulence is funny) until you're ready to join forces with Tipper Gore. He gives his main characters an annoying set of catch-phrases (meant to be all down-homey Maine) that they say over and over and over and over and over like verbal tics until they sound like mental defectives. He needlessly involutes the plot, requiring the reader to go back and forth in time-which must have seemed like a nifty device at some point in the writing, but which is ultimately just a nightmare (and not the good kind) of padding and disorganization.

Since I also love (or have loved) the 'potboilers' of Grisham, Crichton, et al., I note an increasing trend among these writers (case in point: Tom Clancy's tumid *Sum of All Fears*): to write obese and flabby novels (high-cholesterol plot, no unneeded fiber such as character development) that all but completely ignore the reader and keep winking ingratiatingly at the screenwriter over your shoulder. Personally, I'm a little sick of it.

Thankfully, you don't have to give up good writing in order to enjoy action-oriented, heavily plotted suspense fiction-consider the truly wonderful series of carefully constructed books by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston or Dan Brown's DaVinci Code.

Meanwhile, I'm giving this book one star because that's the lowest rating you can give; in reality, it shouldn't even show up on the scale. (less)

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Feb 11, 2010 Kandice rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 w...more 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.

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Jun 20, 2008 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Science fiction fans, thiller fans, Stephen King fans, alien invasion fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have been a fan of Stephen King since my brother Scott recommended the Dark Tower series to me. My wife knows to check the thrift stores that she frequents for King novels, and “Dreamcatcher” was one that she found. I didn’t know anything about the story, but sat down to begin reading a week and a half ago or so.
The story is about an alien invasion, and that was enough to get my interest. Although there are many aspects involved, including four friends caught in the middle of it, the militar...more I have been a fan of Stephen King since my brother Scott recommended the Dark Tower series to me. My wife knows to check the thrift stores that she frequents for King novels, and “Dreamcatcher” was one that she found. I didn’t know anything about the story, but sat down to begin reading a week and a half ago or so.
The story is about an alien invasion, and that was enough to get my interest. Although there are many aspects involved, including four friends caught in the middle of it, the military cleanup, conflicts between the soldiers and their questionable orders, and many memories and flashbacks, the real story is about a Down syndrome man named Duddits who changes everything. This is the first King novel that came close to bringing me to tears, and his ability to make his reader really like and care about poor Duddits is excellent. I don’t think I will ever look at a person who has Down syndrome the same way again.

3.75 Characters
Presenting realistic, interesting characters is one of King’s strong suits, and he does not fail here. The four friends, Owen Underhill, and the cast they encounter in their adventures are all complex and involving. Extra points go for Kurtz, the insane military leader in charge of the government cleanup. He always kept me on my toes. Duddits was also a great character that I cared about, and is central to everything.

3.5 Pace
King is a master of suspense, but sometimes it is aggravating. He spends a lot of time establishing background and building things up before he lets loose. It’s a good pace, but there were parts that almost bored me. The last few hundred pages had me on the edge of my seat though.

3 Story
The alien invasion in the novel is original, but the concept of four childhood friends with a strange gift being caught in the middle of it an old friend to the author. I thought the most engaging parts of the story were about the military cleanup. I also thought that Duddits was a brilliant part of the story, and King does a good job of getting his reader to care for him.
I have to dock the story points because of the lack of research by the author and his editors. Among other mistakes that I consider elementary, he refers to a “cook’s third” in an Army unit (that sounds like a Navy designation), and also says that an H&K Mp5 fires 5.56mm ammunition when it fires 9mm. They’re small details, but the mistakes took my attention away from the story and ruined the suspension of disbelief for moments at a time.

2.5 Dialogue
King is very good at dialogue, but there were a few parts that felt weak or too wordy/preachy. There were a few times when Henry, and even crazy Kurtz who had a reason to talk crazy, stopped being realistic.

5 Style/Technical
There is no doubt in my mind that this book is an excellent example of a seasoned, veteran author using the tools of his trade to produce a superior novel. Most of my Stephen King material has been his earlier works, and he has grown and learned a lot in the years. His shifting viewpoints, flashbacks, changes of scenery, presentation of dreams, and integrating everything into the narrative is nothing short of amazing.

3.6 Overall
“Dreamcatcher” is a good alien invasion story, but a better examination of the human condition than most escapist fiction. Jonesy’s battle against the alien entity possessing his body, Kurtz’s mad logic, and everything about Duddits are amazing examples of fiction writing. My only real complaint would be a degree of predictability after the midway point.
At the same time, I think the novel also gives some insight into Stephen King’s mindset. He clearly is not familiar with things of a military nature in any way, and apparently neither are his editors. This tells me that he doesn’t really understand the people who volunteer to serve and put on those uniforms. As a result, most of his soldier characters come across as raving lunatics. It serves his story, but it’s an example of how he does not know that part of society and assigns unfair stereotypes to them.
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Aug 14, 2007 Peggy rated it 1 of 5 stars

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, Dreamcatcher is not just a rehash of It. The bad news is it's a rehash of The Tommyknockers, too, which is perhaps my least favorite of all of King's works.

All right, maybe that's not quite fair. Dreamcatcher does involve aliens, a secret in the woods, and telepathy, but it's not exactly a carbon copy of The Tommyknockers. It re-uses pieces of many of King's works. There's the "adults who bonded as children and did a great thing" theme from It....more I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, Dreamcatcher is not just a rehash of It. The bad news is it's a rehash of The Tommyknockers, too, which is perhaps my least favorite of all of King's works.

All right, maybe that's not quite fair. Dreamcatcher does involve aliens, a secret in the woods, and telepathy, but it's not exactly a carbon copy of The Tommyknockers. It re-uses pieces of many of King's works. There's the "adults who bonded as children and did a great thing" theme from It. There's also the "child with a great secret power" trope from The Shining and/or Firestarter. Granted, Duddits is technically an adult, but he is retarded and therefore retains, quite literally, the mind of a child, as evidenced by everyone calling him by his childhood name. Duddits is also reminiscent of Tom Cullen from The Stand, as another example of the sweet and noble retarded person who, after enduring great hardship, saves the day, or at least a piece of it. Speaking of The Stand, let's talk about a nasty, virulent disease that wipes out around 99% of the population. Granted, in this case the "disease" is actually a creature, and the affected area is relatively small, but within that area, the terminal rates are about the same.

So what's the big deal, you ask? King has always re-used certain themes in his work: kids in danger, life in Maine, narrators who are writers; why am I harping on this one book in particular? I'm harping on it because he doesn't bring anything new to plate this time. In the past, these themes were simply a framework of familiarity to hang a new story on. It was fun for long-time readers to get the references to previous characters and stories, and to feel like they knew the territory. We've been to Derry and Castle Rock so many times it feels like we belong there. But in Dreamcatcher, it doesn't feel like King's using similar elements. It feels like he's telling the same stories, albeit in bits and pieces and mixed around some. You know how you feel when you watch a movie adaptation of a Stephen King book? With a few notable exceptions, they just don't get it right. The casting is a little bit off or the script keeps the wrong parts of the story (or loses the wrong parts). The bones of the book you loved are there, but the mad doctor put them together all wrong, attaching a femur to a vertebra, or the skull to a kneecap. That's how Dreamcatcher felt to me: right pieces, wrong place.

King is an amazing storyteller; he always has been. Even the books I didn't particularly like, I finished. I find that I get caught up in his stories despite myself, and I have to follow through to the end. Maybe that's the crux of my displeasure with Dreamcatcher; I know King is capable of so much more. Authors aren't perfect. Some books are going to be better than others. You just hope that over the course of a career, the good books outweigh the weak ones.
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Apr 23, 2012 Greg rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was liking this until I met the character "Gary Jones". Now I can only hear his voice as a whiny falsetto.

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Jan 25, 2013 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dreamcatcher is set near the fictional town of Derry, Maine. It is the story of four lifelong friends: Gary Ambrose "Jonesy" Jones; Pete Moore; Joe "Beaver" Clarendon; and Henry Devlin, who save Douglas "Duddits" Cavell, a young teen with Down syndrome, from a group of sadistic bullies. The four friends grow up and away from Duddits, but maintain close bonds with each other, sharing memories of Duddits and their good times together. Each has his own troubles: Beaver is terrible in relationships,...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hmmm...it's not my favorite Stephen King novel but it was good. When the book was first published and the film came out, I was excited for both. Then, I watched the movie and thought, "Meh" and, as such, never read the book. Now, ten years later, I remembered, from the film, only a bathroom death scene, an alien in the woods, and a crazy man stuck in a room with files. It seemed appropriate, given the month, to read more suspense and of course King, being the master of suspense, came to mind and...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2003, bookcrossed-or-otherwise-set-free, borrowed-and-returned

King mines his previous work to come up with elements of this story: imagine a cross between The Tommyknockers and IT, throw in the requisite bad language and gross-out scenes and the result is Dreamcatcher.

To be fair, the novel isn't as derivative as all that, but King covers some familiar territory here. Four men, friends since they were in grade school, share a past and an unusual friend which tie them together in an unexpected manner. While on their annual hunting expedition in northern Main...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Harry Kane rated it 3 of 5 stars

This started as a 4-5 star book, with intense Lovecraftian situations of mysterious, or rather 'uncanny' and 'abhorrent' stuff going down in isolated woods in the middle of a snowstorm. Then, it quickly sorta became a Koontz book - think Strangers meets the Bad Place meets a weaker author like Scott Sigler. And without any Koontz-style descriptions too, which are the saving grace of so many of his books.
There are some typical King moments of telekinetic and delirium varieties, and the obligatory...more

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May 27, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not a big fan of Stephen King's novels... I love his personal essays and articles, he's got a great voice and what I perceive as a fun, gentle, but intense personality that comes through. I'm pretty much basing my opinion of his novels on Cujo, which I never finished, and something he wrote under a pen name that I can't even remember now.

But a lot of my friends are fans, and people whose intelligence I actually quite admire. So I dug through the boxes and boxes of books my cousins gave me, a...more I'm not a big fan of Stephen King's novels... I love his personal essays and articles, he's got a great voice and what I perceive as a fun, gentle, but intense personality that comes through. I'm pretty much basing my opinion of his novels on Cujo, which I never finished, and something he wrote under a pen name that I can't even remember now.

But a lot of my friends are fans, and people whose intelligence I actually quite admire. So I dug through the boxes and boxes of books my cousins gave me, and came out with Dreamcatcher. I started it sometime yesterday early afternoon and finished it by 2 p.m. today. I was engrossed.

For one thing, his portrayal of Kurtz is splendid. Psychotic, hard, but funny at the same time. Kurtz' dialog is brilliant, and portrays his entire self without having to go into any backstory, really. King's handling of the characters in general is deft and smooth, showing their flaws and their shining moments with equal grace.

I do wonder, though... I mean, here's the thing. I don't know much about this genre, but we've got King and we've got Koontz, right? And here we've got a character named Kurtz, whose original name is Coonts, and there's Koontz's signature Dog Character that instead of being a hero-dog is an incubator for the apocalypse. Again, I really don't know enough about the sort of supernatural/mystery genre that these two authors dwell in, so I have no idea if they're friends, rivals, neutral, etc. I don't know if I'm jumping to a conclusion and reading too much into it, but is it possible King wrote essentially wrote Koontz into this book, and if so, why? I'm a bit fascinated by that idea. I've read very few of Koontz's books, as well, and have only truly enjoyed one or two, the rest being the same old "isolated man with heroic dog" schtick that I'm pretty sure is making up for Koontz's abused childhood somehow (and, good for him, really! make that money!!). So I don't know if I'm projecting or catching on to something, and maybe when I'm done with work I'll try to look up the state of affairs, as it were, or maybe I'll forget because I'm mostly pleasantly surprised I enjoyed this book. Which I did. You should read it.(less)

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May 21, 2012 Jonathan Briggs rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ree-damn-diculous. Aliens bursting from butts. Frothing military maniacs. A Magic Retard (Stephen King's go-to character when the Magic Negro is busy). Ludicrous, labored faux-blue-collar dialogue. And farts. Constant, neverending, rancid, moist farts. This may be the stupidest book King has ever written, and that's saying something. And yet ... I kept thinking he was doing it on purpose, that he wrote this as a horror comedy, a la "Slither." King has written some godawful garbage in his career,...more

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Apr 21, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Stephen King Fans

Recommended to David by: My Housemate

Shelves: horror

This was probably the last Stephen King book that I read and that is probably because I found this book to be very disappointing. While my year 12 English Teacher would rant and rave against people who read and wrote essays on Stephen King books I don't actually think that Stephen King, as an author, is all that bad. In fact King is quite a good and though provoking writer, particularly with a lot of his earlier works. He has earned the moniker of a great horror writer, and I must say, deservin...more This was probably the last Stephen King book that I read and that is probably because I found this book to be very disappointing. While my year 12 English Teacher would rant and rave against people who read and wrote essays on Stephen King books I don't actually think that Stephen King, as an author, is all that bad. In fact King is quite a good and though provoking writer, particularly with a lot of his earlier works. He has earned the moniker of a great horror writer, and I must say, deservingly so. It is a shame, though, that English I, or as a matter of fact, a lot of English teachers, tend to dismiss him as little more than a modern hack that writes airport novels.
However, this book is not actually one of his better books. This book comes as one of his later writings, and, as with most writers, the more books that they write, the less good they become, and I believe that is the case for most authors. Not all authors mind you, because one of my favourite Shakespearian plays was actually one of the last plays that he wrote. However, we are not living in Elizabethan England, we are living in a post-modern world in where we are surrounded my millions of hacks that want to attempt to flog off whatever rubbish they write to us.
My theory with a lot of modern authors, and it certainly holds true for authors like Stephen King and Terry Pratchet, is that their early writings tend to be of a very high quality, and as such a huge fan base is created, however the more books they publish the less books are actually sold as many of their initial fans drift off to read other authors and begin to search for more original and interesting styles. An author will generally have one style, and while they may experiment and change through their writing life, the style that they use will tend to be the style that continues to come out of their writings. However, a group of fans will tend to stick with this one particular author, and as such they will always have a ready made market for whatever they write.
This is a story about an alien invasion of earth, or at least the initial scouting party that arrives. Remember, Stephen King is a horror writer, so while the story involves aliens, there is a still a large horror aspect to it. However, I have noticed that while Kings earlier books dealt with a more abstract type of horror, while using spiritual entities and monsters, this abstract horror seems to diminish in his later books to the typical monster running around killing people. In this book the monster is called a 'Sh*t Demon'. What I mean by the term abstract horror though is the use of horror coming from an abstract concept. Take Firestarter for instance: while the story is about a woman with pyrokinetic powers, it is not her powers that create the horror, but the fact that she and her father are forever being pursued by the government so that they can get their hands on her power. It is not the unknown that is horrific in that story, but rather the horror of never being able to settle down and be free from persecution.
The title 'Dreamcatcher' come from a Native American object that is hung above a sleeping person that is designed to catch their dreams. However that is all that I remember of this book with regards to the dreamcatcher. I do remember that it appeared in the book, and played a role in this book, but that is all I can remember. In fact, all I can remember was a nasty alien slug running around the New England countryside killing people and the American Army rocking up to attempt to seal off the area and to attempt to capture this alien creature. Personally, that says a lot about the book to me because I cannot really remember any deep themes or more details of the plot than that. Personally, the only reason that I bought it was because I wanted to play one-upmanship with my friend, and in the end, if it was not because of that, I wouldn't have bought the book. I ended up giving away.(less)

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Sep 12, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks-read, horror, sci-fi

So I finally broke down and read something Stephen King. I never thought I'd be a fan; thought his work would be too 'out there' and strange for me to get into. My husband (who has forever been encouraging me to visit our own basement Stephen King library)...LOVES IT - but he is a big sci fi geek & usually we VERY disagree on our movie and book choices.
It so happens that - I really liked the weird and the gross of this book. I had FUN being just totally freaked out! Huh! The shock value...om...more

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Jul 12, 2011 S.J. Drum rated it 3 of 5 stars

Why can some people get away with creating superbly disturbing stories/art/merchandise and others get treated like mental patients for doing or thinking exactly the same things?

I once made a photography instructor cry with my artwork. Sure, it was creepy but it was close to Halloween, okay? My project consisted of an *artfully* back-lit doll, swinging from a noose, suspended in a doorway, holding a knife.

Alright. So the doll had a creepy lazy eye but at least I decided against putting fake blood...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Heather V rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: someone I loathed

Shelves: worth-wishing-upon-enemies

I'm a King fan, though I'll be the second to admit that he's had his fair share of misses amidst the hits. (I've met the man; he's definitely the first.) This one is, in my opinion, his biggest miss of all. The concept has promise, and it's territory he's visited before: A group of childhood friends stumble upon something strange and scary/amazing, and it follows them through to adulthood, at which point things go haywire. We've seen great stories from him using this basic theme in the past ("It...more I'm a King fan, though I'll be the second to admit that he's had his fair share of misses amidst the hits. (I've met the man; he's definitely the first.) This one is, in my opinion, his biggest miss of all. The concept has promise, and it's territory he's visited before: A group of childhood friends stumble upon something strange and scary/amazing, and it follows them through to adulthood, at which point things go haywire. We've seen great stories from him using this basic theme in the past ("It" and "The Body," a.k.a. "Stand By Me," come immediately to mind). "Dreamcatcher" could've been good, too...but it isn't.

Without rehashing the plot or giving too much away (...not that you should read this on your own or be concerned about spoilers), I can say that the new twist to the old premise involves a disabled boy whom the group of friends save from some nasty bullies. As it turns out, this boy isn't simply disabled; he has a gift, a kind of second sight, and as thanks for their bravery he bestows some of his powers unto his new friends. This gift strengthens the bond between all of the boys and changes their lives forever. As grownups, however, the men learn that there may have been a grander purpose to their new abilities...and then, somehow, the book devolves into a plot about aliens that makes "The Tommyknockers" seem totally plausible, as well as a massive military conspiracy, and a whole host of other bizarre and nonsensical things that aren't even fun if taken as fantasy. Stephen King has successfully done fantasy (see: "The Eyes Of The Dragon") in the past, too, as well as sci-fi and even speculative fiction, if you'd prefer to call it that (see: "The Stand"; "Under The Dome"). He can do it well. If "Dreamcatchers" were all someone had read in King's library, though, you'd never believe that.

It took three attempts for me to get through the book, and I wish I hadn't been so tenacious. I even gave the film adaptation a shot, because the cast features some of my favourite actors at the time (Morgan Freeman, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis and many others), but it too was laughably, impossibly bad. Still, if you're dying to see how it all turns out, or if you're a King devotee who feels compelled to never skip a single story, I'd recommend the terrible film over the terrible book. At least the movie will only take 2 hours of your life that you'll never get back, versus however long it will take you to slog through 600+ pages of the wrong kind of horror.(less)

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Jul 10, 2010 Jazmine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ah, I love Stephen King as much as the next person. And I'm just glad that I read It and the TommyKnockers before I read this book. I loved those two books, they both had amazing endings and plot elements and it was all very new to me. However, reading this book dissapointed me in many ways. I'm used to SK taking elements from other stories, but only on minor levels - this book blew this out of proportion, reminding me of way to many devices I've seen before. More than once, I found myself, skip...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Sergei Franson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, creepy

Dreamcatcher was my first full-length novel by Stephen King, and boy was it good!

The story follows a group of four friends who are battling with demons. A suicidal man named Henry, a car accident survivor Jonesy, alcoholic Pete, and Beaver who is terrible in relationships. Every November, the four get together for a hunting trip in the dark forests of Maine. Their first night, they come upon a stranger mumbling about lights, the four are thrown into a world filled with chaos and dreams, battlin...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

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.

**Dreamcatcher**

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 so...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Karensi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not the best King book I have ever read and I have just about read them all. It had lots of aspects that I love about his writing though. His ability to write about friendship for one. It's classic King to have a group of friends brought close by some event and remaining so. I usually love those stories but for me there wasn't enough of that connection this time. Some of the main characters, I felt, died too soon in the story.

I also felt that it was too long. I've read all of the King chunksters...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Janelle Dazzlepants rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, aliens, psychic-abilities

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...more 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 It, 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. (less)

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Mar 03, 2013 Bob Wake rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

[Reviewed in 2001]

In Danse Macabre, an engaging nonfiction exploration of cinematic and literary horror, Stephen King wrote nostalgically about the science fiction films of his 1950s boyhood. Movies like Earth vs. the Flying Saucers and Invasion of the Body Snatchers were frightening on more than one level. According to King, the films touched “phobic pressure points” in the culture at large, which during the 50s had an undeniable component of Cold War paranoia. The author’s latest novel, Dreamc...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

While Im an avid fan of King's novels, I found this one hard to keep up with. Probably because I don't find any kind of alien invasion interesting, although this one was gorier than I expected (definitely not a problem).

I truly enjoyed the meaning King put into the dreamcatcher and the metaphor for the boys and for Duddits. I loved that Duddits was more than what we originally thought. The pure love the four buys had for Duddits was really touching, I love that King finds a way to break that ma...more

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Aug 15, 2009 Barbra rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have always been a huge fan of Stephen King's from the very beginning but this book just couldn't hold it together for me. I got about halfway through and, although I tried, I just found it very wanting. It hit the wall!

Back Cover Blurb:
In Derry, Maine, four young boys once stood together and did a brave thing. Something that changed them in ways they hardly understand.
A quarter of a century later, the boys are men who have gone their separate ways. Though they still get together once a year,...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Contains Spoilers?...readers beware I suppose...

Stephen King is always hit or miss with me. Some of his best-selling/"beloved by fans" novels are on my Most Hated List (eg: Carrie, The Dark Tower series...), which I guess makes me a little strange. Dreamcatcher seems to not be a fan favorite what-so-ever, but for some reason I love it. First read it in high school years ago, and just re-read it for the third or fourth time.

The plot centers around a group of 4 friends who grew up together in Kin...more Contains Spoilers?...readers beware I suppose...

Stephen King is always hit or miss with me. Some of his best-selling/"beloved by fans" novels are on my Most Hated List (eg: Carrie, The Dark Tower series...), which I guess makes me a little strange. Dreamcatcher seems to not be a fan favorite what-so-ever, but for some reason I love it. First read it in high school years ago, and just re-read it for the third or fourth time.

The plot centers around a group of 4 friends who grew up together in King's infamous scarytown: Derry, Maine. These 4 dudes are bound by a chain of events caused by one very gifted human being, giving the quartet abilities that are slightly out of the norm. Every year they reunite and go hunting in the Maine wilderness and try to pick up the depressing pieces of their lives. It just so happens that during their latest hunting trip aliens decide to invade upstate Maine, infect everyone with a fungus growth that causes telepathy, and implant a special percentage of people with what King affectionately calls "shit-weasels".

Mmmm, sounds like fun.

What results is a kind of silly game of cat and mouse. The book could have done without the shit-weasels (but then again, this is King, and every one of his book's seems to have *at least* one element of super disgusting gore) because the whole "telepathic aliens infect the human race" thing was scary enough (and much more interesting) on its own. The plot has plenty of holes and the premise is pretty out there (especially once the reader meets the long lost 5th friend to the lead quartet), but what really saves this book is a.)the characters, b.)the landscape/setting created, and c.)the humor. The main four characters are relate-able, entertaining, and entirely believable. You feel bad for them. You laugh with them. Their friendship is powerful, and it makes one believe that such relationships might actually exist. (Thanks for the ounce of love King!). The inner monologues the characters have are both hilarious and heart-breaking. I'm not sure if some of it was meant to be funny, but I definitely caught myself laughing out loud quite a few times (ie. Henry's "I am the egg-man" journey and Mr. Gray's discovery of bacon). One poor character ends up being taken over by one of the aliens and the result is a truly entertaining mental battle between our extraterrestrial buddy and the human mind still stuck in the body. It is so entertaining and well-done that it becomes super creepy and terrifying: another classic Kingism. Things end up so bizarre and twisted that you can't help but laugh at the weirdness of it. The setting King created is also pitch-perfect. The landscape of Maine, the flashbacks, the mental warehouse that mr. alien tries to invade...it is all perfectly described and creates an incredibly believable event.

Mmmm, maybe believable is the wrong word...I mean, this book isn't without its issues. But I really do think it is one of his best (*cue angry mob*). King created an interesting race of ET's and he did it in such a way that no one has tried before. Was it successful? I think so. It is definitely one of my favorite King novels, fungal growth and all. Try it out...if nothing else you might get a good laugh. (less)

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Sep 09, 2011 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars

My ratings system is as follows. One star is GOOD. The book is entertaining, easy to read and you don't want to stop reading because something about the book is compelling you not to. Two stars is GREAT! This time the story is not only entertaining, but highly creative, unique, easy to read and hard to put down. Three stars is EXCELLENT. Here the book has all aspects of one and two stars, but now the book is thought and emotionally provoking. Four is AWESOME. This is the read that is not only cr...more

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Oct 06, 2010 Normalyn Espejo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended

This is the first Stephen King book I've ever read and all I can say is that it has lived up to my expectation of what King books should be. This is the best thriller book I've ever read! So, it's all thumbs up and I recommend it for everyone to read.

Personally, my eldest child is also in the retarded category, I accept it and I dare to say that because it's who he is and how he had become. And even if that's the case, I love him with all my heart. Duddits is afflicted with Down;s syndrome, my...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Art Griswold rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A solid tale about aliens and friendship, the kind of friensdship that doesn't end just because people move away. When 4 young boys stand against the bads of the world and protect one who is unable to do so for himself they get powers. Wanna know what kind? Read the book.

Anyway, there are some seriously gross parts, but mostly this is a well thought out journey from boyhood to manhood and holding on to the ties that will bind us.
We've got a terrifying villian, I can still see him racing up the...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Christense Jiang rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

I feel a bit schizophrenic about this book. Part of the story is about the relationships between men who have been friends since childhood. This branch of the story also has a mystical element about the characters' psychic abilities. This is the stuff that King writes that I like the best. His mysticism is never sugar-coated, and is written so well it's believable.

The other part of this story is a gory invasion parasite story, combined with an oh-the-evil-government element. I really dislike tha...more

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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“SSDD Same Shit Different Day” — 42 people liked it

“Wanting more is just a recipe for heartache.” — 25 people liked it

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