Under the Dome by Stephen King

Copyright: 2009

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Randomly one day an entire town in Maine gets enclosed by an invisible barrier. Initial impact is deadly, and every day afterwards gets harder and harder to withstand. Townspeople attempt to band together to survive because it's a mystery that has no signs of ending anytime soon. The politicians of the town have their own agenda that is more for themselves than the town as a whole - but they carry all the power. There are good guys and bad guys - everything in between - and they are all a pleasure to read. Under the Dome gives you a glimpse of what could happen if disaster strikes with nowhere to run. How does human nature react? Is it hopeful or hopeless?

Review:
I finally chose this 1,072 page monster to read - after at least a year of debate - as It had almost scarred me for life on ever grabbing a book over 500 pages again. Don't get me wrong! Even though I thought it would never end, It is an amazing novel and totally worth the read. That is another review all together. Either way, it's an undertaking and a commitment. However, I had heard good things and Stephen King knows how to tell a good story! So it was time. And I knew it would take ME some TIME to finish. Being a naturally sllloooow reader, all I can see is MONTHS dancing around in my head as I look at the practical hand-weight of a book.

The book literally starts with a map and a list of people that were in town the day the Dome came down. A MAP. A LIST OF PEOPLE. I knew I was in for the long haul at that point. It is a very neat reference though and I did use it.

 

 

There are so many characters, I am not sure I can say there is a main one. They all get a pretty good share of screen time. But what I really liked about this book was how much you could like the bad guys as much as the good guys. They are written so well, their stories are so interesting, and they play such a huge part in showing us the undeniable dark side of human beings. Of course you can root for the good guys because they are genuine and heroic. You get to see how taking away people's freedom and resources effect them. In the end that's what Under the Dome is about. Not so much the sci-fi aspects of the non-earthly Dome, but of what people do when scared, under pressure, anxious and trapped. It's testing the boundaries of the mind and how far it can go before breaking.

 

Stephen King does not disappoint. Much like his other novels I have read, he has a superb way of sharing characters and worlds with extreme entertainment and quality. I can say that with Under the Dome I didn't really fall in love with one particular character. They all seemed to have a somewhat even playing field with me. I was just as interested in the fucked up shit that the "Town Selectman" were doing as the local fry cook turned back to US Military bigwig trying to save the town from itself. I do know that I said more than once, "These people are fucked up. I mean, holeee shit." But they are people, plain and simple. So really in the end, it's not that surprising. (Jaded much?)

 

Murder mysteries; possible out-of-this-world technology; love; hate; politics; religion; medicine - you name it, it's there. Even down to the ecological effects. Those who want the Dome to go - those who want the Dome to stay. It gets you...right until the very end! While it's a very long book - I almost didn't want it to end. But alas...

 

Quoteage time!

 

"But did family come first? Of course he said that - he was a Christian, after all, and half-owner of WCIK - but Junior had an idea that for his dad, Jim Rennie's Used Cars might come before family, and that being the town's First Selectman might come before the Holy Tabernacle of No Money Down. Junior could be--it was possible--third in line. He realized (maybe for the first time in his life; it was a genuine flash of insight) that he was only guessing. That he might not really know his father at all."

 

"It was the main reason he had never even considered leaving The Mill. In the wider world he might have made more money, but wealth was the short beer of existence. Power was the champagne."

 

"Joe didn't believe in praying for things he could do for himself, but he had sent up a brief one on a different subject: that if they found the generator, Norrie Calvert would give him another kiss. A nice long one."

 

I can't really give you more - as I am concerned about spoiling the great twists and turns and shocks. I can, however, totally recommend this book! And I will: Hey. Hey you. Read Under the Dome. It rocks.