Anybody else think it was a readable novel? I liked it enough to want to read it, although I thought the ending was a bit predictable (we've seen it all before in other King novels).

Let's put it this way: I liked it. I finished it under a 2-week period. There were King novels that I just couldn't finish - case in point would be Insomnia and Bag of Bones.

Anyone else read it? Was the movie adaptation really that bad (I didn't see it)?

I thought Dreamcatcher was a readable story that was, like you said, predictable.

The movie adaptation stays very true to the book and is a good popcorn flick. Just seeing Donnie Wahlberg as Dudditts was worth viewing to me.

I thought that Dreamcatcher was very readable, yet also utterly horrible (and yes, predictable). It seemed to be many stories that are just mashed together into a sloppy narrative.

The end was slightly pretentious, which I didn't care for at all. It was cheap writing, like he just wanted to get the book finished already.

The didn't make much sense either. It was a waste of narrative

Never finished it. I have read all but two of his books and I just couldn't get through this one or Buick 8. I need to go back to Buick though. I read it is supposed to tie into The Dark Tower somehow.

Readable - yes. However, that is not to say that I go out recommending it to my friends. That said, the book was much better than the movie.

My opinion is that it is a good story that's badly written. The setup was way too long and boring. Get to the frickin woods already!
If memory serves, he wrote a lot of this with pencil and paper while lying in a hospital bed, so that might explain the narrative problems.
I would comment on the ending, but I'm still not sure I understand what happened.

I found it amazing that King never revealed why one of the characters was called Beaver. He left it for us to figure out, and I don't like that.

But it was pretty obvious, I guess - the kid continuously chewed toothpicks.

It was a readable book, IMHO. At least until near the end when you can start to see immediately what's going to happen, realize that you've already been there, done that if you've read some of his other novels, and finally wait for the horror of being right as the entire story starts to get drenched in a sweet syrupy feel good goo.

I usually have great empathy for King's characters, but I really didn't care one way or the other for the four guys. Between Jonesy and Henry, I didn't know who would succumb, so that was a bit unpredictable (thank God for small favors), but it was just interesting to follow. I didn't feel my emotional tug-strings being pulled, and that was a bit of a let-down.

It is not much of a tie in. You will not miss a thing, in regards to the Dark Tower story line, if you do not read it. That being said, I really enjoyed the book. How far did you get into it?

As far as Dreamcatcher goes, it is really the only King book that I do not like. I was bored to death reading it and really struggled to finish it. I have not seen the movie yet, but it is on my Netflix list.

It really is strange how some people's preferences are so different in regards to the same author. I thought Bag of Bones was one of his best books ever. I flew right through it in about a week and a half, which is lightning fast for me, but then Buttmunker couldn't finish it.

Isn't that the truth. I loved Bag of Bones as well. It was different from the usual fare. Now Insomnia is also supposed to have a big tie in(DT), but I thought that was a big snoozefest(ironically, wasn't keeping me up reading it) when it came out.

Readable, though just average (and way too long) Stephen King, IMO

And I would personally put BoB in my top 5 list, with Insomnia easily in the top 10. Of course, I'm in that minority that likes modern King over old school King. I actually had a hard time getting through Salem's Lot.

I liked Dreamcatcher, it put me in a King mode and now I have real ALMOST every single book he has put out there. I'm a big fan. As to Insomnia and Bag of Bones, how could you not like those books? I'll admit Bag of Bones was a little slow to begin with but quickly sped up. Insomnia has to be one of my favorites for two reasons. ONE: It's a MUST READ for ANY Dark Tower fan. Two words: Crimson King. And TWO: it's one of the most well-written King books ever. You feel so attached by the end of the story, you're sad to part with it (much like The Stand & It.) Just my 2 cents.

MG26

I loved Insomnia and Bag of Bones as well. Both are much better than Dreamcatcher.

I'll agree that Insomnia took about 400 pages for me to get into it ... but man, those last 200 pages just flew by.

I feel that Insomnia, Bag of Bones, Dreamcatcher, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Hearts In Atlantis fall into the same category: Mixed Emotions.

For my part, I was able to read Dreamcatcher and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, but I felt cheated by both. The rest I just couldn't finish.

...oh, and let us not forget Desperation and The Regulators. I don't know what King was thinking about. I like to think that his wife Tabby wrote them but asked her husband to put his name on them so they'd sell.