agklocke's Full Review: Stephen King - Dreamcatcher
If you stripped the name Stephen King from the book, true fans would still know he wrote it. No one can play with words the way the King can, and he once again weaves an unusual tale that leaves the reader nicely satisfied. Well, mostly.
Dreamcatcher was widely anticipated by King fans everywhere - his first full-length novel since his own close call with death. I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried during his whole ordeal. It was as if someone I actually knew had been hurt. That's what happens when you follow someone so closely as I have with King. Though I haven't read every single thing he has written, I am certainly a fan who highly respects his work. More than admiring him simply as a master with words, I am constantly in awe of his prolific success. This is a writer who can whip a 600+ page book out in a bit over six months, as he did with Dreamcatcher. But with his speed at spinning worlds away for us to enjoy, does he always hit the mark?
The question isn't whether or not you can enjoy his work. With King, you either like him or not. I haven't met a single book fan that straddles the fence here - it's always either like or not, nothing in between. But we can find things he writes not to like. However, it can be hard. After all, even this tale, a story of aliens and boys saving the world, one we've heard before, entertains because King writes it. Sure, he's long-winded at times, and maybe his books could be a tad bit shorter, but some writers have more to say than just the basics. Let's face it - as the never-satisfied-humans we are, we would complain if the book was too short. So all that aside, let's look at Dreamcatcher a little closer.
As it starts, we are introduced to our main characters, a group of four men who lead separate lives but are bound by the friendship of their childhood. These four, Peter, Henry, Beaver and Jonesy, have been friends for what would seem like forever. Throughout the book, we are given glimpses in flashbacks of what their lives were like with each other - typical boy stuff, including girls, hanging out and poking good-humored fun at each other. Though the four don't see each other as often as they like, they do meet up once a year in Maine (where else?) to hunt. And it is because of this yearly meeting that they come to face with what could possibly be the end of the world.
Yes, friends and family, once again King brought us a novel about the possible ending of this planet we call home. And who would be the ones to end it for us this time? Aliens, of course. Aliens really don't like us, and they prove their dislike again in this latest attempt to take us out.
Woe is the hunter who finds himself in the woods of Maine when the aliens land. But while the rest of the world may be getting little hints and clues of what is happening, those deep in the woods, especially the four-pack who have their yearly visit at The Hole in the Wall, as they call it, have no real ideas. Each incident is brand new to them, though the military that is arriving many miles away know more than they are letting on. And before we know it, we are knee-deep in action with everything from horrible death to the supposed annihilation of the aliens and their ship. That is, except for the one who is getting away because of the special powers that Beaver, Henry, Jonesy and Peter have always had. And that leads us to something else.
Douglas Cavell, otherwise known as Duddits (as that is how he pronounces his own name) is a central character throughout the story, though we really only get to know him through childhood flashbacks. Duddits is someone who will always be a boy, no matter how old he grows. He has Down's syndrome, and because of this, possesses a certain power to see things and read minds. He follows a yellow line throughout his life, and his four friends' lives are impacted by this ability just by being so close with him. Not only do they experience first-hand what Duddits is capable of, but some of it seems to rub off on them. King really handled Duddits' speech impediment well, I believe. Having known many Down's children, I felt he sufficiently created a character in their likeness, and then included how the others were able to understand his special language after awhile.
Within the first 150 pages, we have met most of our main characters. But, much like he always does, just for good measure, King throws in even more characters. I don't know how he juggles so many characters. I am often both impressed with his ability and confused when he does it. It can be hard to connect with just a few characters in books; it makes it that much harder to do so when you have so many. I'm not sure King pulls all of these off as I didn't feel myself connecting with any one particular person. I also found characters that he could have left out completely for all the distraction they caused. But that's King's way.
Onward we go - but the brunt of the book is either childhood flashback or the chase. The chase consists of two parties pursuing two different parties, with no one really on anyone's side. The goal? Revenge and to stop the end of the world. What happens throughout all these hundreds of pages is both intriguing and at times boring. In true King fashion, he takes the long road when perhaps a shorter route would be better. But he weaves words well enough to keep you there for the ride.
So the name of the book is Dreamcatcher. And you are probably wondering how that ties in. So as not to give away too much of the story as a whole, suffice it to say, to me, I was left a bit confused. I fancy myself to have some intelligence, so I can't help but feel I either missed something or King deliberately left us baffled. Could be both, could be neither. I might have just been slow upon the ending of the book. But in all honesty, I was and am still confused. In my opinion, Dreamcatcher takes the reader on a long ride, throwing in plenty of ether-smelling farts and sh!t weasels with the inner dialogue and slow-paced scenes. There were times when the above made me want to put the book aside, and maybe I should have, because in the end, I can't say as though I was completely satisfied.
*Special Note: I did find it humorous as I always do to find little bits here and there in reference to past books, like IT and Salem's Lot (possibly THE best book by King, in my opinion). I enjoy when King includes these details because it makes the mind conjure up thoughts of those past works, and leads one to believe in those towns and happenings even more.
In the haunted city of Derry, Maine, the setting for King s previous novels It and Insomnia, four young boys stood together and did a brave thing 25 y...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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