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Dreamcatcher
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Plot Summary of Dreamcatcher
"The book is a well written account of what could happen if the U.S.A was infected by an alien virus. What the U.S. Government and Military could and probably would do to prevent the spread of said virus. Through blood,insanity and the will to live this book is a not to be put down gem. Look into the past government coverups to realize the future could follow this exact path. That's if you believe we are not ALONE in the universe"
Gregory Burton, Resident Scholar

"How a retarded child and then man brings together for people suddenly confronted to an alien invasion. They have to recapture their magic power to defeat the aliens. But the retarded dreamcatching person is ambiguous, using his friends as tools or weapons both for good and bad purposes."
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Resident Scholar

"In the forests of Maine something very horrible is happening. The Army is keeping it a secret but four friends who're up there on a hunting week-end are right in the middle of it. Their salvation is mystically tied to a man with Down's Syndrome they befriended long ago.
This is a very cerebral departure for King but riveting nonetheless, he's demonstrated himself yet again as a MASTER storyteller."

Gregory Lions, Resident Scholar

"In Dreamcatcher, Stephen King returns to the not so subtle government bashing which abounded in his earlier works including Firestarter and The Stand. Dreamcatcher is based on the premise that our government has misled us from the start when it comes to UFO's and the invasion of Earth by a group of aliens has been inevitable all along. Now the aliens' time has come and they have landed in the backwoods of Maine and have begun their conquest of Earth and only the efforts of a group of basically dysfunctional hunting buddies can save our planet. Along with the assistance of a childhood friend who is severely mentally challenged but has an awesome power that maybe, just maybe, can turn the tide for the human race. Another rip-roaring tale from a very accomplished writer whose imagination knows no boundaries."
Bill Brumlow, Resident Scholar

"Jonesy, Henry, Pete, and Beaver are four normal boys growing up together in Derry, Maine. While walking home from school one day they save another boy, named "Duddits" from a gang of bullies. Duddits is mentally handicaped but has mental powers, like mindreading and he "sees the line", a compass of sorts to keep him from getting lost. A girl from Duddit's school goes missing and the boys try to find her. Duddit's helps by sharing his special gift with the other boys.

As they grow up, Henry Pete, Jonesy and Beaver stay in touch and meet up once a year to go hunting at Beaver's cabin. While hunting one year in the snowy forest surrounding the cabin, alien spacecraft crash land and the U.S. military respond to the invasion with helicopters, groundtroops and set up roadblocks. While hunting in the woods, Jonesy rescues a lost man, named McCarthy, who is infected with a virus from the aliens. Jonesy's body is taken over by the virus and tries to use him to escape from the military and infect the planet. "

Megan F., Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Dreamcatcher
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Coming of age Yes
Youngster becomes - great mental powers person
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror story? Yes
Horror plotlets - the bodysnatchers are coming!

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - scholar
Age: - 20's-30's - 40's-50's
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading - mind control
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Physique - missing body parts/abilities

Main Adversary
Identity: - An "It".
Age: - long-lived adults
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - mind reading - mind control
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a lot
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Forests
Earth setting: - near future (later in 21st century) - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
scientific jargon? (SF only) - an average amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Dreamcatcher
Crawlers by John Shirley
Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney
Stasis by Kelly Steed & Colleen Elliott
Stinger by Robert R. McCammon
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham


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Stephen King Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Sue Jeffrey  

SCHOLARS:
Joseph DeMarco  Dylan Blender  Elana Starr  Steve Sitter  Alyssa Jayne  Linda Hahn  Colby Sullivan  Deborah Stoops  C. L. Rossman  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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