Has anyone read "dreamcatcher"

[Robert DeSoto]

okay, i just started it today and i wanted to know what you all thought about it

[blunthead]

I found Dreamcatcher interesting, satisfying, and strange. If you've seen the movie, and perhaps didn't think all that much of it, the book is much better.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I think the book's excellent (originally written in longhand with a fountain pen and transcribed by our very own Ms Mod), but the movie is crummy.

Long days and pleasant nights

[davidbo32]

I think it is one of his finest novels from the 90's, only surpassed by The Green Mile and Needful things and the two DT books from that decade.

[Spideyman]

The book is excellent, the movie not so much:oo:

[Ubasti]

I loved Dreamcatcher. It is definitely one of my favorites.

[Carri]

I'd rate it in about the middle of the scale. Not in my top ten, but definitely a good time. It really conveys that friendship emotion that SK is good at articulating.

c.

[DelvianBlue]

If you've seen the movie, it more or less follows the book, but the book is better and the book ending is a whole lot better. It's worth reading.

[crazycrashink]

Actually, the first time I tried to read this I put it down after a few chapters. I came back to it within a few months, and the second time really got into it! Some of my favorite characters in SK's work appear here....althought I'm pretty sure I say this about every novel :biggrin2:

[smooth operator]

The movie sucks. It was nowhere near as good as the book. I really enjoyed the book, and I was excited when I saw that it had been adapted for the movie, even though I had my doubts. It was okay in the beginning, but went down hill fast. Read the book - it was great.

[bopropadop]

I enjoyed it very much. I love any story that revisits Derry.

Great story about kids coming of age and remembering the old days. Very reminiscent of 'It' in that respect. I hope you enjoy it!

[wally wonder]

thought it was great! one of my favorite lines, don't read it if you haven't read the book, don't think its a spoiler, i don't say who said it, but 'the computer-savvy, evian-drinking, salad-eating goths had taken their objective.' not really funny unless you read it in context. and i thought section 12 of chapter 18 in fascinating, what with the connections to other works, insomnia in particular.

[Jojo87]

I liked it... But one mistake I did. I start with the book. When I was halfway by reading Dreamcatcher, I saw the movie Dreamcatcher and then it wasn't so nice to finish the book anymore.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

And of course it brought us the great saying, used about once a day chez moi 'SSDD'.

'Same Sh*t, Different Day'

Long days and pleasant nights

[Perse Jr.]

Hi,

I think the book's excellent (originally written in longhand with a fountain pen and transcribed by our very own Ms Mod), but the movie is crummy.

Long days and pleasant nights

I didn't care for the movie much either, but I think I might have if I hadn't first read the book (always the case for me, with the exception of The Shining of course).

The book was excellent; some of the "bathroom" scenes haunted me for a while, and I definitely thought twice about tap water for a LONG time.

[randallFlaggfan1]

The novel is AWESOME! One of my favorites.

[JRLauer]

Dreamcatcher was pretty good. A little bit of a departure from the usual Sai King stories, but I'm willing to bet you'll enjoy it.

[marew1]

I found Dreamcatcher interesting, satisfying, and strange. If you've seen the movie, and perhaps didn't think all that much of it, the book is much better.

Agreed!

[marew1]

:smile2: Go to my profile page and see the world's smallest copy of Deamcatcher! It is in my Bookcase picture album.

[Goodlovin]

I think I am in the minority but I really enjoy the movie up until a certain point and I love the choice of actors who played the friends who went on the hunting trip.

At some point the movie just veers way off track and it loses me.

Awesome book by the way :grinning:

[Jonesy47]

This book is special to me because it is how I got into reading Stephen King. A friend gave it to me to read and I went in with low expectations but ended up loving it and reading it in about 3 days. As everyone else said, the movie is garbage - the book is a million times better! I also took my fourm name from the book =D. Also SSDD has become somewhat of a saying between me and my King-reading friends, owe it all to this book.

[Dani~]

I loved the book. You really have to pay attention to this one, I got more out of it on a second read. Was not a big fan of the movie but again the second time I saw it I liked it more. The movie is confusing because a lot of stuff goes on inside one of the character's head. Literally!

[thepunisher82]

There have been a few times where I've seen a movie based on King's work before I read the book, but to me this was most damaging. The movie had me so confused about the ending in the book, I had to double back a hundred pages and re-read it. Great novel, absolutely garbage movie.

[titansfan]

Loved the book, didn't care much for the movie...

[Jasonbobdude]

I thought the book was pretty good. It wasn't my favorite, but it had some good moments. (BACON!)

If you're going to watch the movie, go ahead, but turn it off before they go into the bathroom when the weasel is first shown. The acting and everything is great until that point, but then it sucks and has too much CGI.

[Antony butterworth]

hello fans of the king

the book was awsome in my opinion

[mae_west]

Good book...not so good movie. I was disappointed, to say the least. Time for a re-read of the book. Always time for a re-read!

[hipmamajen]

I didn't really like this book the first time I read it.

And the movie was just sort of hilarious, but that's a long story that probably had more to do with who I was with than the movie itself.

A couple of months ago, I don't remember how, I ended up picking this book up and re-reading it. I liked it much better this time around! (I just looked it up and Dreamcatcher originally came out in 2001. I was pregnant most of that year, and my pelvis had separated so I was pretty miserable and hormonal. I'm guessing that colored my original assessment of this novel.)

It really got under my skin the second time. I loved returning to Derry, I thought it was neat how the kids and Duddits interacted, and that Kurtz guy was off the hook!

Robert, let us know what you think when you've finished it. Welcome to the boards!

[tillyn]

Movie left to much out, i would know a person watching that movie would think they missed something, which of course they did , if you read the book you get what is going on.

[kevinrodgers90]

I read "Dreamcatcher" right after I finished "Duma Key". "Dreamcatcher" ranks as one of my favorite King novels...right up there with "Desperation". I've read "Dreamcatcher" twice already and I am almost ready for a 3rd round...that's how much I enjoyed it!

[The Outsider]

I'd say its a great novel, not one of my favorites, but its pretty high up there. If you like aliens and such, you'll enjoy this one. Its long, but worth the read!

[Giuly]

I red Dreamcatcher two times and I also think that it is worth reading it again, as all the other SK masterpieces

[fredo]

The movie blew great big 'ol drippy chunks. I kept standing up to leave and my wife would pull me down into my seat. But at the end, I groaned, real loud, uttered BS, and headed for the door.
Novel was great.
I started to leave at the start of "Green Mile", I have two daughters, and the scene was a little too real. Stayed around and loved the film.

[JRM]

This is actually my second King book so far! (Bag of Bones being my first) I think it's absolutely magical and interesting. I've read about 3 other King books after Bag of Bones, and none have captivated me as much as Dreamcatcher. I still haven't finished it, but I'm absolutely enjoying it. I'm curious to read how it's all gonna end! :wow:

[JRM]

OK, finished Dreamcatcher. And the further I got into the book, the less I started to like it. I started off loving it, then ended up just "liking" it. It started off magical and fascinating, but ended up really wacky and hard to belive. Good read, but I had a handful of problems with it: the direction the plot took, the Jonsey/Mr. Gray situation, the "mind" thing, and my biggest issue with it; I was so confused during the second half. It was so hard to picture what is going on, regardless of how well King tried to describe it.

That being said, I did finish it, and when I finish a book that means I enjoyed it enough to complete it.

[JRM]

Oh, and would just like to add that I LOVE Duddits. He's one of the most likeable characters I've ever come across. Everytime he was in a scene a smile would light up my face, lol. Just an awesome character.

[Bob Ross]

I think the problem with the movie is that they simply ran out of time. This is a regular problem filmmakers run into when they're adapting King's work but I think DREAMCATCHER suffers more than any other adaptation because of it. It wasn't from lack of talent; you've got Lawrence Kasden directing and William Goldman writing. Those are two of the greats in Hollywood. The first quarter of the movie is almost right out of the book and the casting is perfect, but once the military gets involved the whole movie falls apart, and the ending is the definition of lame.

The book itself is a great read. Maybe I was just happy to be reading a new King novel after his accident but I really enjoyed it and as others have said in this thread it was great returning to Derry. All in all, I'd say read the book and avoid the movie.

[LadyHitchhiker]

One of my favorite books..

[constantreader1313]

I am determined to finish this book this second time around. I have to say I think I stopped the first time because I was bored and kinda confused with everything, but I will finish it this time. I am enjoying it more this time and I don't think I'll have a problem reading it all...and then after I finish it I may have to sit through the movie just so I can say I've seen it and be able to compare.

[wally wonder]

I am determined to finish this book this second time around. I have to say I think I stopped the first time because I was bored and kinda confused with everything, but I will finish it this time. I am enjoying it more this time and I don't think I'll have a problem reading it all...and then after I finish it I may have to sit through the movie just so I can say I've seen it and be able to compare.

this was one of the first sk stories i read, cr1313. why some of sk's stories derail some readers sure is a curious thing. i don't think there's one i haven't enjoyed start to finish, not a one. and why not dreamcatcher for all? i mean, it has some of the same elements of It, friendship, teamwork, a seemingly unbeatable foe. and who doesn't like It?

was frequenting another board at the time this came out and a friend there was posting pics of the cover, said stuff to make us believe it was the first sk in a time, which is a hoot, when you look at the list of stuff he put out. when hasn't he been writing?

maybe it has to do w/where you live? never have seen the movie. i've seen only a half dozen or so of sk stories as movies.

[constantreader1313]

I don't know why I've had a problem with this one either. It's never been that way with any other of Mr. King's books, in fact, any other of his I have had to stop myself from reading the whole thing in one day! It's weird.
But I'm over half-way through 'Dreamcatcher' this time and I am certain I will be finishing it, I am more into it this time.

[constantreader1313]

Okay, I finished it over the weekend and I have to say it was the hardest thing to finish ever and I have no idea why. It just didn't seem like it was fully Stephen King, it was missing something that I just can't put my finger on.

[Sony02]

I bought a Dreamcatcher! :)

[Matthew.Degnan]

I enjoyed this book, thought it was very entertaining if a bit too similar to Tommyknockers. The movie was awful.

[scarywriter]

I enjoyed this book, thought it was very entertaining if a bit too similar to Tommyknockers. The movie was awful.

I thought the movie was good for the first 3/4. Once they went to get Duds it all went downhill. I did like the book.

[lillamis]

to me, Dreamcatcher is vintage SK with its classic battle between Good and Evil, love, friendship, growing up, small-town personas etc. I loved it!

[ChickenStu]

I've read this one. Pure showmanship on King's part. Very nice.

[BlunkLaura]

The movie, is,I have to say,pretty crappy.The music in the beginning was good,though !
But it didn't do the book any justice. I liked the book alot and I've since re-read it (last time,and the first time,I read it was about 3 weeks ago).

[GLewman]

All I can say is, the term s**t weasels and the graphic descriptions of bodily functions, ruined it for me....otherwise the story was VERY good and the relationship with Duddits was excellent...makes you wish all teenagers were as kind and thoughtful as that group of boys :)

[SharonC]

One of my favourite books, I have to say. The movie was fairly good to a certain extent. When I first saw it in theatres, I was really disappointed with the ending. But I liked it enough to buy the DVD and guess what? There was an alternate ending which I watched, and was a better ending, in my opinion. I felt they should have stayed with that ending, but a sensational, rockum-sockum ending seems to be what Hollywood goes with these days.

[Truman]

I liked it but most people who are constant reader say that this is not a very good book.

[DebA913]

I know a lot of people seem to not care for this book, but I really enjoyed it. There were some parts I found hilarious!! I was so excited when the movie came out, too. I was somewhat disappointed (of course). It wasn't terrible until the end. I much prefer the ending to the book.

[bryantburnette]

I put Dreamcatcher in the same boat with Lisey's Story: there is too much about each those that I dislike for me to say that I like the book. I don't; they just don't work for me.

That said, in both cases, there are terrific sections. In the case of Dreamcatcher, I think everything through the first appearance of Mr. Grey is pretty awesome.

I've also only read the book once, and sometimes my first impressions change when I give a book a second go. That happened recently with both The Tommyknockers and The Dark Half, which I'd disliked when I first read them but enjoyed a lot when I read them again many years later.

Who knows ... maybe the same will happen when I get around to rereading Dreamcatcher and Lisey's Story, too.

[since75]

Dreamcatcher is a good book the first time one reads it, it is a good story, quick and enjoyable, funny in places, very sad in others, you meet interesting people doing strange things. It is in the second and third, fourth, fifth etc times one reads it if they want, that the story becomes more than a surface read, the story flow, the words, the thoughts are so much more than just a story about an alien and sh*tweasels. Dreamcatcher is one my my top favorite SKing novels.

[Demetra]

The book was excellent!Finished it yesterday and then i saw the movie.The movie spoiled though....anyways!
Fantastic story,plot and the characters very well made. I loved everything about Duds,ive been touched by the way King was writing about Duddits.I love the fact he was their connection their dreamcatcher.Everything in the book was neat.

[prufrock21]

It's a great read and a real page turner once you get involved with the characters. Also, its a novel Mr. King wrote longhand
after having recuperated form his ... accident. Certainly worth your time.
http://www.stephenking.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13301&thumb=1&d=1313676786 (http://www.stephenking.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1438)

[Doc Wilson]

I put it on the second tier of SK novels, just beneath The Stand, It, and The Talisman.

[Silhouette86]

I enjoyed Dreamcatcher(the novel) thoroughly. The movie was good, but the end was rushed and confusing. It seems when one thinks about Dreamcatcher the movie comes right to mind.