: Dreamcatcher
Author: Stephen King (book)
I’d never even heard of this until I saw the promos for the upcoming movie but the trailers got me intrigued and I grabbed a copy of the book at a used book store. It’s an incredible tale. King is an amazing writer. I haven’t read that much of his stuff (I will, I will), though I love some of the films based on his work. He’s got a real gift for creating complex characters that intertwine with his otherworldly plots. In this case, this 900-page novel deals with memories. We meet the four main characters, friends since childhood, and see glimpses of their ordinary adult lives. But we realize they aren’t quite normal. When they go for their annual hunting trip in Northern Maine in November, we know something’s going to happen, something connected with their past, but we can’t figure out how it all relates. Then the bad stuff starts to happen. There’s a mysterious crash — an alien spaceship — and a deadly alien virus takes over people. People who are infected by the virus obtain telepathy, and that’s where the novel gets brilliantly weird. The four friends are already telepathic, and have been since an experience in childhood. It is they who discover the secret of the alien invasion and work to stop it despite impossible odds. Much of the novel takes place in the minds of the characters, minds filled with memories and secrets, and King does an incredible job of not just making that understandable, but believable as well. When all is said and done, this is a “mere” aliens invade Earth story, but King imbues it with complex characters, a roller-coaster suspense ride, and fantastic imagery. It’s the way he tells a tale that makes it so intriguing. With the film being directed by Lawrence Kasdan and written by William Goldman, I’m optimistic it will be awesome and I can’t wait to see it. Here’s hoping it’s as good as the book!
Topic: [/book] |
