Rating: Summary: Stephen King Fans Review: I am an avid King fan. I am sorry to say that after Carrie, Night Shift, The Stand, and seven others of his first releases I have been very disappointed. I have stuck with him because I think he tries to reach to new heights and I respect that in an author. Dreamcatcher finally goes back to the ease of writing that he once had. You get an in depth experience of what he went through after his accident. He also does not copy any storyline currently on the market. A book you will be fully immersed it.
Rating: Summary: Another One for King Review: I am a very large fan of Stephen King. I enjoy all of his novels. I read this book and I got out of it what I wanted. However, there were a few parts that he could have elaborated on. Somehow, I just thought that he could have made the flashbacks a little more elaborate so that the reader could fully understand the details that are very important in this novel.
Rating: Summary: Great Book! Review: This book is a real page-turner and hard to put down. Thank-you Stephen King for many hours of enjoyable reading! HJK
Rating: Summary: A Very Compelling Read Review: This was a very enjoyable book. I'd been waiting for it so long and am thrilled that it was worth the money (hardback). The story is very interesting and the characters so human. There was plenty to laugh about and plenty to cry about and plenty of plain amazement. I couldn't put it down.
Rating: Summary: Back To The Old Formula Review: Like quite a few other Stephen King books, (e.g. "Christine", "Needful Things", "The Tommyknockers", "Desperation" and even "Misery"), the story starts off with life going on as normal. We go from there to an uneasy feeling that not everything's as it should be. Then things start to get slightly skewed with the protagonists feeling just a little nervous. They don't know exactly what's wrong, but something's not right. Finally, all hell breaks loose and you are left with no doubt that you have just passed into Stephen King's realm, and through all the unreality, you still get the faint glimmer that this impossible situation just could be possible. We're faced with aliens in the woods, a possible threat to humanity and average guys who, on the surface, aren't really equipped for the fight. You will probably want to read this book if: - You're a Stephen King fan who really enjoyed The Tommyknockers. - You want to read a new explanation for all of those supposed UFO sightings over the years. -You enjoy epic, save-the-world stories that, let's face it, could never happen - could they? You probably won't want to read this book if: - You didn't enjoy The Tommyknockers. - You like the action at a sustained fast-pace. The book does tend to lose momentum mid-way through. - You have a thing about profanity. Although the story is rather formulaic, this formula is the reason I read Stephen King books.
Rating: Summary: If this is "The Old King" I like the new one. Review: Dreamcatcher was a good story, but I expect my fiction to do more. I read fiction for the applications it can make in my own life and I felt like Dreamcatcher left me hanging. I wanted a revelation on life...just one. Nothing really connected however. People keep telling me that I should read King's older stuff because his recent material just doesn't measure up. I am told this is a throwback to the old stuff. Well, I have enjoyed everything since 1990...but if this is the "good stuff", I'll stick to the "bad".
Rating: Summary: BACK TO HIS ROOTS Review: Stephen King fell into the trap that many "genre" writers can't escape---he wanted to prove that he could write other novels besides "horror." Well, with "Dreamcatcher," Mr. King returns to his horror roots and weaves a very suspenseful and creepy novel. Granted, it's not as good as "It," "Salem's Lot," or "The Dead Zone," but "Dreamcatcher" delivers. King is very good with developing characters that you care about, and in this novel, he creates some of his best: Duddies, the Down Syndrome child, and the human dreamcatcher; Jonesy, Henry, Beav, and Pete,four friends who really did stick together through thick and then; Roberta Cavell, Duddies' touching and sincere mother; and Owen, the Army "traitor" who aids Henry in his quest to rid the earth of this dreadful new alien species. King borrows liberally from many horror books/movies: "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," "Aliens," "The Cobra Event," and others, but in using them he pays homage to and expands their influence. The chief villain, Kurtz, is loathsome and despicable, and gets his just desserts. There are several scenes of out and out horror; touching human confrontations, and a satisfying, if somewhat ambiguous, denouement. At times, King tends to pad a little, but overall, King demonstrates why he is the "King" of horror.
Rating: Summary: Sometimes They Come Back... Review: Yes. You've been here before. Read the Tommyknockers? If so, you've pretty much read Dreamcatcher. The story is essentially the same--aliens come and inhabit the bodies of humans, and find the humans tougher than they thought. In the end the aliens lose--but at just the last minute--the last second. The best part of this book is the characters' development and clarity. The plot is overused, and the suspense doesn't build to a sufficient crescendo. The characters, however, are deep and clear and true. Far from his best work, this book is also far from King's worst. If you're a sci-fi buff or a King enthusiast, give this book a try.
Rating: Summary: strange coincedences Review: I enjoyed reading this book 30 days ago. Last night however I watched the movie Fallen starring Denzel Washington and noticed many peculiar similarities between the book, recently published, and the movie, released in 1998. Just some of these are an entity or spirit 'jumping' and possesing one human to another. Also both feature main characters named Jonesy. Both feature a Rolling Stones song as the main theme song. Both have key plot elements involving a remote woods cabin. Lesser likenesses include characters in both which have degress of mental retardation and both main characters use or consider suicide. Pure coincedence or something more? Read the book, then see the movie, in that order and decide for yourself. Peace Out
Rating: Summary: Psychological horror from the master Review: Stephen King has certainly seemed to regain some of his form since his dreary efforts of the mid-nineties (see "Insomnia", "Rose Madder"). "Dreamcatcher" continues the trend. Although I agree with much of the printed criticsm, to the effect that this is not a scary novel, it is certainly a compelling page turner. "Dreamcatcher" has some interesting insights into male friendship, and the psychological horror he subjects his heros to is chilling. Jonesy's internal struggle with Mr. Gray is riveting, and Henry's battle with his own internal demons is handled with great skill. I could not believe how quick King was to kill off main characters in this book. I think that it is important in both the horror and the fantasy genres for an author to have no qualms about killing protagonists. It strips security from the reader, and usually evokes a strong emotional response. Isn't that what good genre writing is supposed to do? The final 2/3 of the novel make up one of the better extended chase scenes I have read in a long time. King often has trouble ending his books, but the climax to "Dreamcacher" was quite engaging. King does seem to recycle some of his earlier material in this effort (I am pretty sure I have met both Duddits and Mr. Kurtz under different names in earlier fiction), and he gets a little muddy in his explanations of what the dreamcatcher actually is, but on the whole, this is an exciting and tense read.
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