Stephen King Fans discussion

Discuss Dreamcatcher here....

I loved this book. Duditz forever.....

Again, I know a lot of King fans don't put this one high on their list, but I really liked it.

I liked it when I read it years ago. I especially liked (view spoiler)[the whole storage room of the mind thing, that was a great way to imagine it. (hide spoiler)] I also liked the friendship between all the guys. I'll have to add it to the re-read soon list.

I've been afraid to read this book: (view spoiler)[ isn't there something in this book where they get implanted with aliens through the anus? (hide spoiler)] This already freaks me out!

Angie wrote: "I've been afraid to read this book: [spoilers removed] This already freaks me out!"

Yep :)Its kinda like a schlocky horror movie with echoing tones of the kid sections of IT.

This was his first novel after the accident, and it shows that he got beat up mentally as well as physically. Too much retread of The Body/It. Stereotypical sociopathic military commander. Clunky imagery, especially those pages and pages where that guy is only hallucinating and projecting his idea library in his mind. Disgusting. Can you tell I how much I liked it?

Agrimorfee: I could not agree with you more. I've been trying for years to explain to people just how much of a re-tread of "It" this book is. "Dreamcatcher" was written, as you point out, as soon as King was able after the accident, and he WAS beat up mentally - ANYBODY would be!

I was impressed by dreamcatcher. It took alien invasion to a level I have never seen before, although maybe that is just me. I found the "shit weasels" as humorous, but horrifying part of the story.

Kendall wrote: "I was impressed by dreamcatcher. It took alien invasion to a level I have never seen before, although maybe that is just me. I found the "shit weasels" as humorous, but horrifying part of the story."

I agree. This book takes an unfair beating.

First time I read this (@publication) I disliked it intensly...my friend convinced me to give it a second try. So glad I did...shit-monsters not withstanding...much better..

I really enjoyed this one (in my top five favorites actually). It also was the first hardback Stephen King book I waited for and bought the day it was published. I had started reading Stephen King the year before and became such a huge fan that I had read almost every novel he had published up to that point. Since then I have always counted down the days to each new release.

The story was simply amazing and so gripping. I think I read the book in 3 days. I then gave it to my Mom who was a huge fan as well, and she couldn't put it down.

William --- Did you read the same "Dreamcatcher" that I did? I found it a bad rip-off of "It", down to the gang of boys, friends since childhood, and one "honorary" member with a disability who saves the day. At least King contented himself with ripping off only himself with "Dreamcatcher"!

I put it down to the fact that it WAS written after his accident, and he simply was getting back into the stride... I truly don't dislike ANY Stephen King, and I've read (I think) virtually everything he's written. I just thought, like "From a Buick....", "Dreamcatcher" was a rare misstep.

I read it pretty close to when I had read IT and didn't think it was a rip-off at all. The stories may have had similar themes but they went in different directions as far as I was concerned. Just my opinion though. I also really liked the way King ended the Dark Tower series but know that goes against the grain of what many readers wanted. No big deal.

Wow I better reread dreamcatcher its pretty foggy! Lol and William I'm a huge darktower fan and have decided there was no otherway to end it!

William wrote: "I read it pretty close to when I had read IT and didn't think it was a rip-off at all. The stories may have had similar themes but they went in different directions as far as I was concerned. Jus..."

Agreed.

I just finished Dreamcatcher a couple of minutes ago. Pretty good book, except it did kind of get slowwwBRAIN FREEEEEEZEEEE in the middle. Did you know there's a movie adaption?

Carlos: avoid the movie at ALL costs!~ If possible, it's worse than the book

A while ago I got this book for 1.50 at a library book sale. I can't wait to read it.

Bondama wrote: "Carlos: avoid the movie at ALL costs!~ If possible, it's worse than the book"

Yeah I know I heard the movie was just terrible! lol

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I seem to be one of the few who not only REALLY liked the book, but also enjoyed the movie and have watched it multiple times. The movie is by no means great, but it has a solid cast and stays mostly true to the book.

I disagree with you, Stefan. I saw some clips of the movie on YouTube, and it doesn't really follow the book well. The ending of the movie is terrible and doesn't stay true to the book. And the book is just too complicated and diverse to be translated into movie form. King sold the rights for the movie for--one dollar. But that's your opinion and that's okay! lol.

Agrimorfee wrote: "This was his first novel after the accident, and it shows that he got beat up mentally as well as physically. Too much retread of The Body/It. Stereotypical sociopathic military commander. Clunky i..." How can you say its a re-read of It? I have not read The Body so I Can't say to that but I gotta disagree with you on the aspect of It. It had such a sense of duality of good and evil in it and pennywise being created by all the bad things that happen in the town of Derry.

Revdavid wrote:

(view spoiler)[Revdavid | 9 comments Ok I am a bit of a ranter so bear with me I like to put my thoughts of a book out on "paper"

I just finished with Dreamcatcher yesterday. Needless to say HOLY SHIT! I have seen the movie a number of times and found the book at the library just browsing through. I always prefer to read the book before I watch the movie or at the very least if I have seen the movie I wanna read the book. I have always been a very avid reader since I was a small boy. This book has left me questioning what I saw in the movie because its been a while since I have seen it.

The whole thing of Mr. Grey and Jonsey being actually one person in the sense of it was Jonsey the whole time and Mr. Grey did not actually exist? Wtf is up with that I don't get it but I do love the fact that the byrus just made people think that there where greymen with there arms up in surrender. That shit cracked me and how Duddits was the dreamcatcher wow that was really neat! I still don't quite get though how Duddits was able to have the telpathy I mean I get that he sees the line and what not but I still don't understand if he is an alien or just a guy with down syndrome who was using a full capacity of his brain. Or did he just have a different brain wave frequency there for he was able to change other folks brain wave frequencies by being around them? (I know this is possible for folks who have been together for many years there brain waves literally sync up in a sense) Gotta love the whole bacon thing though that was freaking awesome! Then he all made himself sick on Bacon that was pretty funny actually! (hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed this book. The movie was decent, could've been better, but wasn't the worst one of his I've seen remade. Bag of Bones, the movie, was not so good. I really, really loved that book and was just disappointed by the movie.

I am about a little close to halfway through this and I think that first 200 pages are good but now it is confusing and boring now. Hopefully it picks up.

Victor wrote: "I am about a little close to halfway through this and I think that first 200 pages are good but now it is confusing and boring now. Hopefully it picks up."
The book really does pick up there is some parts in the middle where it slows wwaaayyy down but then picks back up again!

Stefan wrote: "Maybe I'm in the minority, but I seem to be one of the few who not only REALLY liked the book, but also enjoyed the movie and have watched it multiple times. The movie is by no means great, but it ..."

Yeah I enjoyed the movie and loved the book too. I'm not sure what's with all of the hate, I always just figured that I was slightly biased as this was the book that got me interested in Sai King in the first place. I remember being stunned by the sheer...grossness (for lack of a better word) of it. From the shit weasels to the farting to all of it. I wasn't offeneded, I just hadn't realized that was King's style. Needless to say I fell in love pretty quickly :-)

Im reading this at the moment and coulnt put it down. Until Chapter Ten-Kurtz and Underhill. Ive spent longer on this section of the book than the entire first 200 pages.

The only thing I had a problem with is that it drags on in the middle, and the fact that it uses some of King's earlier elements incorporated and recycled into the novel. Still a great book though.

I loved this book. The best bit was the start I thought, but the whole thing kept me rivetted right till the end. The only part I didn't like was the epilogue bit at the end. I thought that ruined what would have been a great ending.

Kit★ wrote: "I liked it when I read it years ago. I especially liked [spoilers removed] I also liked the friendship between all the guys. I'll have to add it to the re-read soon list."
Yes, the characters kept me going through the slow parts of this book because they were all so much like people I know in my own life.

The thing I love the most about SK's writing, is that real human element he gives to his characters. This novel is a real insight into human behaviour. Love!

I liked the grim nastiness of the whole affair, though the ending leaves soemthing to be desired. one of my least favorites. Easier to take when looked upon as King's recuperation novel.

What I loved the most about this book, is the relationships between the characters. It reminded me on many levels, of the children from It coming back together as adults to fight Pennywise/insecty spider demon creature. SK's relationships, and their back stories are what have propelled him into a league of his own. It's not an easy move to make, but he has done it!

The humanity King brings to his work is the one element that won't allow you to completely dismiss any of his works.

I'll attempt to kick off the May group discussion!

I'm halfway through the book. Right off the bat I was curious about when King wrote the book based on his vehement description of Jonesy's car accident. In chapter seven: "His hip hurt, too. His goddamn hip, if he did try to run his hip would slow him down even more thanks to the retired professor, fucking elderly asshole shouldn't have been driving the first place, thanks a lot, prof, thanks a fucking pantload."

A quick check of Wikipedia confirms this was the first book King wrote after his own car accident in 1999. So no surprise he was still channeling that anger.

He also says he hates this book. Like Tommyknockers being written at the height of his drug abuse, this book was written while on Oxycontin while recovering from the accident. So far I'm enjoying this book. I like all the sci-fi elements, which I guess is another link to Tommyknockers.

I have many other notes to write about and half the book to finish but I wanted to get this thread going so others can jump in easily. I am taking a quick break to read In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex for another book group but I will check in often.

When I read this upon publication I didn't care for it and for years it remained the only King I hadn't read more than once. Later a friend convinced me to try it again and I liked it better, but it will never number among my favorites.

Like all of his books, the best parts are the characters and their relationships to each other. I don't think this makes it a rip off to other books of his, it's just his hallmark.

Only Oxycontin could inspire up Shit Weasels, though, so we have it to thank for that! ;)

i believe my library has this one

I haven't read this since it came out. So I am excited to do a reread.

What do people think about the usage the Bible quote "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock"? I'm no Bible expert so I had to search for it. The full quote is Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." And it's about letting Jesus enter your life. Consider what follows from McCarthy after he quotes this verse. Did King include this verse simply because it sounded ominous (at least at the point he truncated it)? Or is there some dark commentary on religion? Or am I reading too much into it?

For some reason all the farting by McCarthy and the lady in the road (can't recall her name at the moment) reminded me of the old lady pooping her bed in Dolores Claiborne. There's obviously something primordially disgusting about these bodily functions but at the same time they are often played for laughs. If I try linking it back to the "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock" from the Book of Revelation, obviously these farts were a harbinger of things to come, almost like the trumpets heralding the apocalypse. Someone should count how many farts there are before each person succumbs. It would be very interesting if there were seven each...

In chapter 5, part 4, there are references to the men's boyhood taking place in Derry in 1978. It's also noted how kids tend to disappear in Derry. Obviously Derry is the setting of several King books (It, Insomnia, Bag of Bones, Dreamcatcher, Fair Extension, and
11/22/63) and referenced in many others. But is this date and mention of missing children a specific reference? It feels like It but the date doesn't exactly line up.

According to Wikipedia the working title for this book was "Cancer". Part One is still sub-titled "Cancer". There are a few direct references to cancer later on. Chapter 9, part 3: "'Cancer,' said the man with the white eyelashes." Chapter 10, part 6: "Cancer, boys. They are cancer." Chapter 13, part 6: "they're gonna catch your ass-cancer wicked early." And I'm going to guess there are more past the point I'm at (chapter 14).

There's the obvious comparison of cancer to the red-black byrus. Is there any other significance to King's repeated usage of the word?

To me, this book truly picks up steam in chapter 12. Jonesy's conversations with (view spoiler)[Mr. Gray while trapped in his own mind/body (hide spoiler)] are fascinating and really expose a lot of the plot that had been hidden up to this point. While it feels a bit like an info-dump at times it also pulls together everything going on.

And of course there's the irony of Jonesy (view spoiler)[loving "that old horror movie about the pods from space that made themselves look like people" (chapter 6, part 2). I'm greatly interested to find out what makes Jonesy so different, or as Kurtz would call him a Typhoid Mary (chapter 13, part 6) (hide spoiler)].

Dark Tower fans be on the lookout for (view spoiler)[a 19 reference (hide spoiler)] in this chapter!

Wow that was a lot! I'm about halfway through the book right now but I'm actually enjoying it a lot. I'm not reading into it too much (must be the pain killers), but there are quite a few references to his other works. I remember thinking of the reference to It early on as well, but don't think I've gotten to the dark tower references yet.

I started it on Sunday and I am enjoying it. I can see why people are saying it is a rip off of It. But I can say I dont mind because It was one of my favorite books. I love how King makes you feel as if you are in the cabin, can smell the smells and feel the cold. He really has a gift.

I loved this book! I don't know what was up with all the gross bodily functions though. It may not be everyone's favorite, but I thought it was pretty good.

I also saw the movie awhile ago. I loved the cast, and the movie was okay. If you liked this book, you might enjoy the movie.

(view spoiler)[ I didn't really like the storage room in the mind part though. I also don't understand how Duddits had telepathy. Did I miss that part? (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

I'm about half way through and I have to say that this is one of those times that a re-read has (so far at least) changed my mind completely about a book. I originally had it listed as one of King's worst. I remember thinking that the scenes in the cabin (the gross emergence of the aliens) were terrifying and extremely well done. But that was about it. Now, I'm enjoying the whole story. I'm thinking that Kurtz is one of King's best real life villains. I also like the Duddits story though maybe it doesn't go far enough. The similarities with IT don't bother me; though I think if there had been a counterpart to Bev, I would have liked the whole book better the first time through.

Speaking of Kurtz, I picked up on the Heart of Darkness reference of his name right away, so was a little disappointed later on (chapter 13, part 3) when King outright makes the connection. I felt like less of a literary insider upon that :-)