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Dreamcatcher
Blurb
Dreamcatcher is a science fiction novel written by Stephen King. It was adapted into a 2003 film of the same name. The book, written in cursive, helped the author recuperate from a 1999 car accident, and was completed in half a year. According to the author in his afterword, the working title was Cancer. His wife, Tabitha King, persuaded him to change the title.In 2014, King told Rolling Stone that "I don't like Dreamcatcher very much," and stated that the book was written under the influence of Oxycontin.
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Skyril
Book content trigger warnings: Suicidal character; suicidal thoughts, like really, vivid suicidal thoughts; Depression; Homophobic slurs used as insults (between straight people); Gore; blood; parasites; a great deal of flatulence Murder; deaths So much swearing; The R-word slur to refer to autistic people is used repeatedly, not in an intentionally offensive way, but regardless, it is used and therefore offensive; I *think* I covered everything, but this book was a lot, so there's a chance I missed something. I've been sitting here staring at this review draft for two minutes straight and am still not much nearer to organizing my thoughts. Dreamcatcher was a mindf*ck, this book was a trip, ok. And I don't mean to say it was high, but it was wild and intense for nearly all 600 pages, and now that I've finished it... Phew, I feel like I need a week to digest it all. I'm not going to give you any spoilers, but here's what you need to know about Dreamcatcher: What I liked ----------------- The affection the five friends, all men, in this book have for each other. Warm. If occasionally in fond insults. You know they love each other. You know their bond has and will withstood time and no matter how different they are or how far apart they've gone, they will always help each other, they will always come back to each other. All the Supernatural elements of this book. While at times bizarre, all of it was believable and terribly interesting. King took earth, added some human strangeness, scooped in some extraterrestrial insanity, and then shook it all up. The building thrill of Part 1, the first 200 pages, when I would be on the edge of my seat, palm over my mouth, unable to put the book down. I don't think my heart has ever raced so much with any other book, and it was ... Well, it was THRILLING. King's writing style. This was my first King book, so I was quickly struck by his unique writing style. The way he draws on things and comes back to them over and over until a new meaning is revealed through them, the way he drops little hints about things to come that don't really make sense now but have shocking clarity later show King's ridiculous intelligence and is so clever and attention-holding I, as a writer, was both wildly impressed and wildly jealous of his skill. And while some people might not like the frequently shifting perspectives, for the most part (more on this later), I loved it. It was another effect that caused me to feel like I was traveling along with these characters in their trials minute for minute and hour for hour and kept me flipping pages. What I didn't like ------------------------ This book bars no doors, holds nothing back, takes a real look at humanity, twists it, and tells all. Most people in the world have done some messed up or gross things at some point in their lives, and this book takes that and shapes characters with it. This brutal, honest look into the past and into psyche of our characters occasionally made for squeamish and gross and dark or messed up reading in a way that's not entertaining. Those points are few but frequently repeated. Basically, there are some things I could have done just fine without. The character Kurz who was cruel and insane. He was boring, annoying, I didn't like him, and the book shifted to his perspective a LOT, which was totally unnecessary. He played a part, but not a big one. We did not need to see so much of his inner workings or the journey he took. Dreamcatcher was about 100 pages too long. While the book never stopped being interesting, it did slow down a great deal beginning in Part Two. There was extraneous information, and the buildup to the final climax was stretched out too long. There was much that could have been completely cut out or at least edited down. Conclusion ---------------- In conclusion, Dreamcatcher had its faults but was still a thoroughly good read! I enjoyed the heck out of it and will absolutely be picking up more King in the future. Do I rec it? Tentatively yes, but only to those whose triggers are in check, who possess a strong gut, and who are willing to step into a dark blizzard and not come out again until nearly the other side.
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Andrewjhorsford
Weird things happen, a story is told... and ... nothing much is left with you in the way of happy accomplishment from having finished.
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