King keeps shining with new book

By Jeff Cantwell
Staff Writer

There are six billion people in the world. If a world-ending threat were to come, how many people would it take to stop it?

"Dreamcatcher," by Steven King, is the story of four men who, as boys, did something brave and honorable. This one act gives them a bond that is unbreakable and keeps their friendship strong despite the forces of the world pulling them in separate directions.

Now, on their annual hunting trip, a man will stumble into their lives and change it forever. He brings with him an extraterrestrial being such as the Earth has never known, a being with the capability to shroud the world in darkness.

In response, the men's friendships will be tested, and their bonds must be strengthened or the world will be lost.

"Dreamcatcher" is the first full-length novel written by King since being hit by a stray van a few years ago. This accident was obviously on King's mind as he wrote because one of the main characters goes through a similar ordeal, and the excruciating pain that the character feels and describes could only come from a real experience.

King also picks up on a nifty literary trick and uses it throughout the novel. Many times in the novel, one sentence gives a vague description of a future event that doesn’t happen for a long time in the story.

For example, this line involves Jonesy, one of the main characters: "Around his bones (many of which will soon be broken), Jonesy feels a slight coldness."

This kind of preemptive shock keeps the reader flying through the pages just to find out that one little detail, while the story continues to rage on.

King is also keen to the way that the characters remember past events, which is also a major theme of the story. "Dreamcatcher" takes place over a period of 30 hours, yet the book is around 650 pages long. Much of the book takes place in flashbacks and remembrances of the events that shaped the lives of these men because reliving their memories is the key to saving them.

The book is also alive with present-day culture. King realizes that people tend to base their comparisons on what they see in the theater or on television. He references songs and movies ranging from The Rolling Stones’ song "Sympathy for the Devil" to last year’s movie "Gone in Sixty Seconds."

"Dreamcatcher" isn't quite "hide the book in the freezer" scary. It is frightening in its possibilities, but "Desperation" and "The Shinning" were much scarier. The scope of "Dreamcatcher" is large, yet it doesn't compare to that of "The Stand," which was much farther reaching and involved more characters.

But King has crafted a tale different from anything else he has written by presenting a new kind of threat that he hasn't used before.

He is doing what he does best with "Dreamcatcher." Despite having more than 30 books in print, his detail and originality seem to flow from a never-ending well. King has put together one of the most original and imaginative books that has been available in years.

 

Karaoke pub allows patrons to show off singing talents

King keeps shining with new book

'Joe Dirt' offers nothing special

Album offers fusion of despair, humor

Creativity, brilliance grace folk singer’s recent album