Under the Dome: A Novel

The author would have us believe that this is, perhaps, a cautionary tale about ecological disaster. I think not. Nor do I think that it is an allegorical novel dealing with our misuse of our natural resources or how the world might end if we continue our polluting our rapidly shrinking planet. These are elements of "Under the Dome," but surely not what the book "is about." When I received "Under the Dome" I thought uh oh, SK has really done it this time. Over a thousand pages of prose and King, in recent times, has shown a strong tendency to self-indulgent writing. Several of his books have wanted some serious editing, exhibiting repetition of both ideas and phraseology. As a friend remarked, it seemed like King was under pressure from his publisher to produce, and maybe being paid by the word. I thought that his work needed editing (even though he stated the books were edited) and that he needed to write with more discipline. "Carrie" was exemplary for being written in a spare and concise style and was a joy to read because each word seemed to have been chosen so carefully and expressed so much. There have been great changes in King's writing style in the intervening years. But I was wrong... well, not completely. "Under the Dome" does have some self-indulgences and might have profited from some additional editing but this would be quibbling and totally beside the point. "Under the Dome" is a brilliant novel of how human society unravels when people are placed in crises that do not respond to our accepted and time honored remedies. And how we all can fall under the influence of a demagogue. The Hitler effect. It is something we all need to be reminded of so that history does not repeat. Thinking for ones self when faced with a developing disaster is difficult. We tend to want to be led to safety by someone who is better informed and more capable. We want our chosen leaders to get us out of a scrape. That is, after all, why we chose them, right? Then we must choose very carefully because the next disaster may be right around the corner. "Under the Dome" is what I would call a pressure cooker novel. Put a group of people in a high-pressure situation and trace their responses and actions until the problem is resolved. King does this with the residents of Chester's Mill, Maine. The characters in "Under the Dome" are wonderfully developed and are people that we know. Some are bizarre and some are corrupt, but all are believable and personalities we are familiar with, if sometimes overblown for effect. There is some blood and gore in the narrative, but we have learned to expect that from King. The prose of "Under the Dome" is superb. It is King at his writing best. So, if it is not a cautionary tale or an allegory, what is "Under the Dome." It is a novel of the stripping away of our social niceties, our collective conscience and eventually our humanity when thrust into a situation we don't understand and are not equipped to cope with. It is "Lord of the Flies" set in rural Maine. The characters are just as isolated as the chidren of Golding's book and King's story is just as horrendous. You will be surprised at who the heros are and how the villains are defeated. Who are the villains? You will have a great time finding out as the events of "Under the Dome" unfold. Excellent book. Highly recommended. The Stephen King shelf of my bookcase is sagging. I hope King's next book is not such a tome.

Of the few reviews that I have read of this book, I have to say, I don't think they are altogether fair.

First, this is a gargantuan book which was previously started several times. The last time Stephen King got 400+ pages in and lost the manuscript.

I have to say that for his third outing, I think he nailed it.

Second, this book was a bit of a risk for me. I like reading Stephen King's stuff as much as the next guy. But, alas, I have been disappointed in the past.

The last long book of his that I gave a try had been Duma Key, a story of a man coming to grips with the loss of his arm by retiring to Florida He learns to paint with his remaining arm but supernatural elements have a tendency to stick to his artwork. If there's one thing I learned from that book its that it had to be 1,000 pages because the details really drive the story. Because that book thrilled me, I'm more open now to read some his longer works. But for now, let's focus on Under The Dome.

It all takes place in a small town called Chester's Mill. A former Iraq vet turned fry cook, Dale "Barbie" Barbara, is making his way out of town because he doesn't want no trouble. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a dome quietly but forcefully encapsulates the town.

Before the dome, it was a very corrupt town. After the dome, it escalates. A selectman named Big Jim Rennie, previously a used car salesman ran some shady deals and since the dome cut off the town he feels more empowered than before. A well-crafted villain who believes he's doing right by the town every step of the way. Those are the villains that scare me the most.

By trapping these characters in this dome, not only do you feel their struggle, but you can also see how bureaucracy suddenly transforms into neglect and a hidden dictatorship. The dome also wreaks havoc on the environment on the inside, trapping all manner of gas and heat, making it very difficult on the inhabitants.

This novel perfectly blends Sci-fi with survival and touches of horror. Although the dome itself is otherworldly, there are still some basic rules that come with it.

1. Nothing can break the thick glass-like structure.
2. The dome disrupts some electrical devices.
3. You get a static shock when you touch the dome.
4. Even though the structure is rock solid, air can still permeate through.

There are also political overtones in what happens when the wrong people take over, masking their intentions as being for the good of the people.

But the whole driving force for me reading is the need to find out what would happen next. It kept me guessing until the very end.

One of the many things people say is that this was too long and the characters were thin. I completely disagree. Each character was well-crafted, had a history. This is a common thing with king. It can either help him or harm him. Sometimes the details of just one character can go on ad nauseum. But the back story on each character was well-written to the point as if I had met them before.

Maybe its because I got a bit of a bias when sitting down with this book because I hail from a small town. But the way the town operates is a little too close to home. I wanted to escape just as much as the characters in the book.

The book was also very unpredictable. Every time I thought I got a handle on things, King would surprise me with something else.

Although I'm not ready to tackle big books like It or The Stand, I may in the future now that I know that they are rich in details and very unique.

The book is part Science Fiction/ Dystopian novel.

This book was so intriguing, it made me launch right into his next book...11/22/63.

Under the Dome may be one of the most entertaining novels Stephen King as written in years, and maybe one of the longest, weighing in at a hefty 1,072 pages. But don't let that deter you, this novel keeps rolling from start to finish and keeps the reader deeply engaged in the story.

A small New England town, Chester's Mill, is a rather normal little burg. It has a small town police force, punky teens on skateboards, trailer trash, a megalomaniac politician on a small instead of grand scale, an ex-Army drifter, an erudite newspaper editor, and group of 20 something townie toughs going nowhere fast. It even has a crazy fire and brimstone preacher with a nasty secret and female pastor with a not so surprising secret. Even the dogs get their 15 minutes of fame in this book.

Then suddenly, in the opening scenes, this idyllic from the outside, not so on the inside town finds itself mysteriously encased in a dome that they can neither escape from, nor anyone from the outside get into. Suddenly, the true nature of the town's denizens rapidly comes to light as they are utterly trapped by mysterious forces.

And it's not a pretty nature. Stephen King paints most of the town's residents and decent but stupid sheep while he sets up a battle between the forces of good and evil and the grey shades of the in-between within the town. There is an out of control police force basically run by Big Jim Rennie, who wants to control the town, and pulls all the political and psychological levers to do so. The town becomes a cauldron of murder, gang rape by the new nasty thuggish police force Rennie has put into place, necrophilia, suicide, drug abuse, and seemingly normal people becoming crazy.

The pivotal plot of this story centers on the extreme use of violence and subterfuge by the nefarious Big Jim Rennie to use the dome to establish absolute power in the town by any means necessary, believing somehow it's his God given destiny to do so. Slowly a group of resisters form around the ex-Army drifter and short order cook, Dana "Barbie" Barbara setting up a battle for control of the town, that in the end has a somewhat anti-climatic, but nevertheless satisfying ending. In some ways this novel reminds me somewhat of The Stand, as it sets up a battle between good and evil, although the evil is really, really evil, and the good sometimes comes out in those not so good, and everybody has shades of gray.

This is a very character driven novel and the reader gets to know a great deal about the key characters in intimate detail. We learn to loathe some, and genuinely like others, while shaking our heads at some of the odder characters that populate every town, regardless of size.

But at the end of the day, this is not an uplifting story of the human spirit. This novel, if anything, shows the dark and ugly side of human nature. The town is full of dull sheep bending to the will of a demagogue, the evil people are really, really evil, and they make up 99 percent of the cast. The good side of humanity is but a small drop in a large cesspool of ugliness, trapped in a dome, and fighting it.

And of course King peppers in many modern day references that if you don't get them it doesn't matter, but if you do it's great. Being a huge fan of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, I loved the nod and reference to that character in this novel. I don't want to give too much away there, but if you are familiar with this series, you'll get the reference.

This is a very grim but very interesting novel that is hard to put down. It ranks as one of King's best efforts.

UNDER THE DOME is an incredibly long journey (1,000 + pages!) hinged together by some very simple concepts, but it works like a charm. I'm happy to report that Stephen King is back, and better than ever- the man's writing is on fire again, especially after a few novels that, while good, just didn't seem to measure up to his well-known and loved capabalities (including LISEY'S STORY, CELL, and DUMA KEY). Don't get me wrong- those are good books, just not MASTERPIECES- like UNDER THE DOME.

DOME feels like it could've come from King's late '70's or '80's heyday and really reminded me, in many ways, of classics like IT, THE MIST, THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, and THE STAND. Not that it 'copies' any of these per se, but the sheer abandoned enthusiasm that you feel resonating off the pages is just so evident with DOME- you feel it from the opening chapter and it makes the book extremely addicting once you start it. You just won't want to stop reading- so be sure to have plenty of time available when you start this classic, epic tome.

The story is simple- a small Maine town is encompassed by an invisible force field, cutting it compeltely off from the rest of the world. No way in, no way out. The Army, the Government...the world...must just watch helplessly, like the town residents are goldfish in a bowl. All rescue attempts fail, including a full-fledged missle attack on the mysterious force field that has encompassed its five mile radius.

Even though there are wicked, supernatural forces at work when the 'why this has happened' is revealed, this is truly a back story when compared to the evil that some of King's characters do. In particular, there's town selectman, used car salesman, religous zealot, and meth drug dealer Big Jim- who pretty much tries to become the dictator of the isolated city, no matter who gets in his way. His actions---and the townsfolks' misinformed reactions--are pretty much what propels the novel into NEEDFUL THINGS territory, not to mention a soaking bloodbath. Things then curve kinda sorta into STAND territory where you have good guys and bad guys separating and declaring war on each other, with an offshoot group in the middle that seem to have their own psychotic agenda, also rooted in the kind of misinformed Christianity that seems to permeate politics and people so much these days.

The twist on the implied 'stand-off' is that although the war does come, it doesn't necessarily come in the way you think it will, which is actually part of the genius of this novel. Everything seems to be set up for a Randall Flagg-ish battle but...someTHING happens and changes the course of events and there's a point where you absolutely don't know what direction things are going to go in or if ANY of the characters will survive this catastrophe, which makes this thing all the more a riveting page turner. Things may not go exactly the way you wanted- or hoped for- but that's life- real and imagined- right?

King's classic descriptions, vivid characterizations, and candid (21st Century)observations are intact here- and seemingly more relevant and urgent than ever. With Big Jim, what we get is a sobering allegory of what politics in America has become today, and because it rings so true, it makes it that much more scary, shocking...and sad, of course. Even the well-rounded good guys in this novel have skeletons in the closet, many of them caused by the corruption of our nation. King nails it all between the lines, essaying the boilerplate madness into an amazing paradox of where we really are now.

It's these deeper things that the novel is steeped in that make it shine so brilliantly and really, make it so very scary. What it boils down to is that the evil and corruption inside man himself sometimes knows no boundaries and when push comes to shove, killing becomes as easy as breathin' (to crib a line from RAMBO there).

Sharp, intelligent, gory, poignant, brilliant, thrilling, sad, and breathtaking---UNDER THE DOME is all of these and more. Check it out and see for yourself- King is back and he's taking no prisoners this time around!

Remember when Stephen King said he was "semi-retired" and "writing at a much slower pace"? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Yeah, didn't think so. King is clearly back to his near-Herculean, perepiteic writing and publishing pace, producing 1,000+-page tomes so quickly readers can barely keep up. But, far better than that, King's latest efforts--this and the fabulous

There were times I loved this story. There were times I hated it. But I was helplessly addicted to it. I read this book almost every moment of free time I had until I finished it. Sometimes I had to force myself to take a break from it. When I couldn't sit down and read it, I was constantly thinking about the characters and events. I even had a few poor nights of sleep because my mind couldn't stop processing it. Under the Dome is an in-depth, compelling story that latches onto the reader and pulls him/her along for a long ride of mystery, conspiracy, and tragedy.

Chester's Mill, Maine is a typical, small-town community where everyone knows each other. One day in October, an inexplicable barrier comes down and surrounds the entire town, cutting it off from the outside world. As the citizens try to understand the phenomenon and cope with the inconveniences caused by the Dome, a string of tragedies unfold and are exacerbated by the actions of some of the town's less-than-stellar residents. Meanwhile, there is a small minority who try to make right of the situations at hand, but theirs is an uphill battle for not only justice, but also for survival.

At the top of the list of the power hungry citizens is James "Big Jim" Rennie, owner of the local used car lot, the town's elected Second Selectman, and mastermind of a meth lab hidden within the town. He uses people's fears and insecurities against them in order to keep himself in power, to keep his criminal activities secret, and to obtain the glory he is so desperate to achieve when the Dome situation comes to the end - by his hand, he hopes. But his methods are dirty and underhanded. And he has nearly the entire town under his influence.

On the other end of the spectrum is Colonel (formerly Lieutenant) Dale "Barbie" Barbara, retired from the army, currently the cook in the town's local diner, and the liaison between those beneath the Dome and the outside world. Barbie is the biggest threat to Big Jim's power and influence because Barbie was not only tapped by the government to take over leadership in Chester's Mill but also because he is aware of Big Jim's shady activities. Barbie knows early on that he is in Big Jim's cross hairs.

There are dozens more characters in this story, all magnificently fleshed out. Their personalities, backgrounds, histories, worries, hopes, and struggles are described in great detail, crafting and adding a tangible element of realism to them and the story as a whole. The reader is drawn in to their many stories and perspectives, feeling emotionally attached to each and every one. The reader cheers for the protagonists' triumphs. Curses the successes of the antagonists. Feels sympathy for the tragedies that befall the heroes. Feels vindicated when the bad guys stumble with their own failures. Wants to rip his/her hair out because of all the stupid decisions made by the good guys, but takes great delight by the mistakes made by their enemies.

The town of Chester's Mill is described very well. (Having a map is a nice addition.) A lot of thought was put into the community and its environment. From all the small town shops to the small scale public service facilities (and sometimes, lack thereof) available. From the comfortable homes of the upper class to the rough and rugged conditions of the poorer residents. From the well funded and upkept church to the dilapidated and condemned landmark bridge. The diversity of the townsfolk; farmers, businessmen, religious figures, the community's youth population, out-of-towners, lifelong residents, the rich, the poor, addicts, service providers, and so on. All of this serves amazingly well to craft a living breathing town, to make the reader believe that this town exists, to make the reader able to relate to such a community.

I felt that Under the Dome was a very easy read. Despite all the descriptions, the reader is not hung up on just the environment or details. These specifics are spun and crafted with great care, making these details part of the story rather than an interruption from the events. Although there are a few places in the story where King takes a side step to describe a seemingly unrelated anecdote, those instances eventually come back around and tie into the story with great relevance and make the current situation in the story all the more poignant and tangible. Although the book is over 1000 pages, it is very fast paced from start to finish. It is difficult to put down; the reader compelled to find out what happens next.

Under the Dome is told from the multiple (third person) view points from both sides of the conflict. This gives the reader greater understanding of the events, helps to foretell tragedy as it unfolds, guides through unexpected twists and turns, and elicits greater fear for or anger towards the characters (depending on the character in question). When King switches from one POV to the next, it is not marked nor is there an exact pattern for when he switches (for instance, some authors will indicate a switch by titling their chapters with the name of the character whose POV is being followed). Despite this lack of pattern or demarcation, the reader is easily able to figure out when a POV switch is made and whose POV is being followed. The only downside is that the reader gets comfortable following one character after a while, gets really excited or drawn into that character's experiences, and then is suddenly cut off from that character to catch up with someone else. However, I wouldn't want to have had the story written in a different way, because there is so much going on at any given point that this was the only way this story could have been told.

The biggest, number one complaint I could issue with this story is how stupid and gullible so many of the characters were. This stupidity more often than not ended very poorly. These characters had a 'could never happen to me' attitude that just frustrated me more and more with each avoidable mistake. By the end of the book, I almost had no hope for some of the characters (for both their intelligence and their survival) especially when the outlook appeared bleaker and bleaker. I don't know if this pattern of foolishness was intentional or not in order to draw out the suspense, but that was the result.

I also felt that the ending of the story was rather abrupt. The actual issue of the Dome - how it got there, how to get rid of it - wasn't given much attention or thought. The story was more about the conflict between the town's two factions than it was about survival under the Dome or escape from it. The story spent a lot of time building up to a climax between Big Jim and Barbie, but then it drifted elsewhere. I kept expecting that karma would eventually catch up to Big Jim, and it eventually does, but when it finally does, it's far too little and far too late to be of any consequence. It was quite a let down.

Despite the few issues I had with the story, I still feel that this book is definitely one worth reading. It is well worth the money spent and will keep you occupied for many many hours. I highly recommend it.

I wanted to buy this book when it first came out. The premise of human interreaction within a test tube situation was interesting to me. I couldn't afford it, it took too much time to read to borrow from the library & the audio version from the library had too many CD's to finish it. I made it about 1/3 of the way through before having to return the book or CD's. I kept thinking I would find it at a yard sale or thrift store but no such luck. When I heard the TV series was going to come out, I broke down and bought the Kindle version and started where I had left off. I could hardly put it down and it only took a week to finish it. It's much like what happens to a colony of people who step into a new world for the first time (like America's first European settlers or a group who land on a distant planet for the first time). How do human beings adapt themselves to their new world. And, because we are fallen creatures with a sin nature, sometimes our worst comes out and sometimes our best comes out. In this story we see the worst of human nature and the best of human nature come out in the microcosm of Chester's Mill. A large cast of characters from the town and surrounds gives us a good view of varying human emotions and reactions to what has happened. An invisible dome has settled over the town. It goes too deep to tunnel out of and it happens in seconds. People who call Chester's Mill home are doing their daily business, running their every day lives when it happens. So some find themselves separated from loved ones. For instance, 2 children are left at home by a mother as she dashes to a store to get snacks. She is outside the dome while they are stuck inside the dome. A husband was working outside of town when the dome fell so he is outside, his wife and son are inside. As people realize what has happened and grapple to understand how it could happen, their real natures start coming to the surface. I found it very interesting and King is able to keep his readers enthralled as we watch what happens under the dome. Each person deals with the stress, the questions, the fears and the changes in very different ways. Some desperately hold out until life can return to normal. Some embrace the opportunities that arise from their predicament. Some despair, others are steel magnolias. Some rise above their raising and some descend below anything any sane human being would find acceptable. This is what kept me interested in the novel.

The language is atrocious. I just don't understand why authors think a constant stream of filth is acceptable, expected or needed. A few here and there can help a reader understand a character but it doesn't have to be so bad or so much. There are sexual scenes, some very disturbing, such as rape and necrophilia. There is a lot of detailed and explicit violence. King shows his politics and his views on religion. I am a Christian (and not of a Jim Renny religion) and King does not change my views on my faith. Not being afraid of losing my faith by an author's rather pointed attempts, freed me to read the book. I was able to enjoy his story telling without his creating any doubts in my own beliefs. Like reading Dan Brown's fiction, I enjoyed the story but he didn't persuade me to throw away my beliefs and faith based on his (or DaVinci's?) blasphemous theories. I know people can be Christians and still sin. We can't save ourselves so that's why we need the Savior, Jesus Christ, who forgives us our sins when we believe in Him. I also know that there are those who think they are Christians but who really aren't because their lives don't show ANY fruit of salvation. They talk the talk, hide behind the mask, put on a front, even convince themselves. King shows this in Jim Renny, the used car salesman. Then there are those who know full well they aren't true believers in Jesus Christ but knowingly con people with a charismatic act. This would be an Elmer Gantry religion. Then there are those who try to live in both worlds. They call themselves believers but they love their sins more than their Savior. They ride the fence and live in constant tension between guilt because they love their sins too much to "give them up" to be free in Christ. A portion of these people become mentally unbalanced. This is shown in the Lester Coggins character. He loves money and illicit sex but is a fire and brimstone preacher. In his end his mind becomes unhinged. He becomes ecstatically crazy. But, the sad thing was, he had decided he really wanted to repent and do the right thing but it was too late. And finally there are those who assume they are Christians because their parents took them to Christian churches as they grew up and it's their family tradition to celebrate Christmas and Easter. I see this in Piper Libby who was a pastor in Chester's Mill but who doesn't believe. When she silently "prays", she actually prays to Not-There (her name for God). So sad. I.e., it has nothing to do with their daily lives. I call that a cultural "Christian". It has no real meaning to them. My Christianity is based on a personal decision I made to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. I have a relationship with God. I'm not perfect, I still sin, but I know my Savior forgives and loves me and I love Him for it. I really do believe in the Bible and I really do pray. I study the Word of God and try my best to be a do-er and not just a hear-er only. The difference between me, and Jim Renny, is in my heart which comes out in my daily living. Not an act put on to hide my evil even from myself like he does. Nothing any scientist, archaeologist, actor or author does will alter my belief in Jesus Christ. So I'm not threatened by their attempts to do so. But if you are weak in faith, new in faith, you should spend your time strengthening your faith in Bible study and prayer rather than on reading a 1,074 page book by Stephen King. In fact, for those of you who have never read the Bible if you can read 1,074 pages of S.K. then there is no excuse why you can't spend some time reading the Bible. Get a good, modern translation, and read it through at least once in your life. But I also recommend doing some Bible study because there is a huge amount of very good study materials and classes that can help you not only understand some of the difficult passages but why people over the centuries have become believers. It's not just history, not just poetry, not just good human interest stories, not just genealogical lists... There is so much more and the more you delve into it, and learn, the more you are fascinated by it. It's so interesting, thrilling, and life changing.

This is a good book, but certainly not for everyone. Stephen King's UNDER THE DOME is a King title through and through -- sprawling story, suspense, good vs evil, literary and musical allusions, characters you'll love and hate, etc... The most obvious comparison to UNDER THE DOME is King's THE STAND, and while this reference is certainly apt, the novels are two entirely different beings aiming for different targets. I have wanted to read this book for a while, but its sheer thickness warded me off for a few years. Now that commercials have been airing for a CBS adaptation for television, I figured it was about time that I finally sat down and made time to read the novel. As a King fan, I'm kicking myself for not having read it sooner.

The core story of UNDER THE DOME is simple: a small town in Maine finds itself isolated from the rest of the world. A mysterious dome surrounds the town, and the only thing that can get through the barrier is small amounts of air (so some communication back and forth is possible). This strange event serves as a jumping off point, and the rest of UNDER THE DOME's 1000+ pages are contained almost exclusively under the dome, so to speak. Over the span of roughly a week, the town struggles to cope with its new forced separation from the rest of the world. So how will the town of Chester's Mill get out of the Dome? Who put it there? Why was it put there? How will the townsfolk handle the crisis? These are all questions that are eventually answered through the book.

I thought that, King, in his later years would become a more forgiving story teller. Authors seem to be more optimistic as they get older: main characters won't die as much, tragic or ambiguous endings are avoided, etc... This is NOT the case with King. UNDER THE DOME can be outright brutal at moments. The last 100 pages or so, in particular, is horrifying. I could not put the book down in UNDER THE DOME's final moments -- I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the ending makes me withhold a recommendation for a wider audience. There are some downright horrible things that happen in the book (rape, murder, drug use), but I think some readers will be put off by how bleak things really get in Chester's Mill.

It terms of suspense, UNDER THE DOME isn't exactly riddled with it. The book is a page turner due to its very quick chapters and transitions -- much like THE STAND or books from the SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, this book keeps its momentum moving forward by switching perspectives of the characters. The reader almost always knows more than the characters in UNDER THE DOME, and this makes for some great character interactions. And while there are a lot of politics involved with the characters in Chester's Mill, not all of the residents are fully fleshed out. At times, it felt like characters were being introduced just to make the scale of the book seem larger -- there are a ton of characters, and this helps highlight the breadth of the setting but not necessarily the depth.

Overall, UNDER THE DOME does have a few problems, but the strengths really outweigh any shortcomings. Some of the characters fall flat, and some of the characters' actions stress credulity, but the book is well written, propulsive, suspenseful, and interesting. If you enjoyed THE STAND, you must read UNDER THE DOME. I've seen plenty of comparisons between UNDER THE DOME and THE STAND. In the end, I'd say that THE STAND is a better book, but UNDER THE DOME is more consistent. I know that this is going to become a CBS television show, and while I am excited, I have no idea how they are going to pull something as dark as this off on network television.

A word about the Audiobook: Raul Esparza narrates the audiobook version of UNDER THE DOME, and he does a mostly good job. His pacing is good, and he does add some vocal nuances for different characters to give listeners an idea of who is who. Additionally, this book is more about action than detail, so the narration will keep your attention, and it's easy to keep up with what's going on. If you have opt for this book on Kindle, the Audible audiobook makes a great companion -- where you leave off on the audiobook, Kindle will sync to, and vice versa (the future is here!) For a book that's over 1000 pages, it can be nice to have options on your consumption.

There is no author alive who can write a page-turner like Stephen King. None. I have read almost every single book he has ever written. And the vast majority of them have kept me up late at night - not because I can't sleep (although, considering his usual subject matter, that is often the case), but because I just cannot stop reading. His books are that involving.

Under the Dome is no exception to this rule. This is another in King's occasional Massive Book oeuvre; previous occupants include The Stand, IT, and Insomnia. That means the book is over a thousand pages long, has a very large cast of characters, and is going to be a grand take on the basic concept of good vs. evil.

(As an aside, I'd like to point out that if you're a Constant Reader and you don't have a Kindle yet, this would be a great opportunity to get one. The hardcover version of this book weights 3.6 pounds. A Kindle weighs 10 ounces. The hardcover version of this book sells on Amazon for $21.00. The Kindle version sells for $9.99. I rest my case. Now back to my review currently in progress...)

Unlike any of King's previous Massive Books, however, this one has (almost) no actual supernatural elements. Technically, I guess it would be classified as science fiction, although it's really a dramatic thriller. The science fiction element exist as the MacGuffin that drives the story. The story is basically: What would happen if a small town were completely and totally separated from the rest of the world? If nothing could get in, and nothing could get out?

The story begins on a nice day in mid-October, a few years from now. The town in question is Chester Mills, Maine, population about 2,000. At about 11am one morning, an impenetrable dome suddenly snaps into existence over the entire town, sealing it in. The dome is perfectly transparent. It reaches miles up in the air and miles down into the earth. It precisely follows the borders of the township, so it cannot be natural. Sound and all types of radio waves penetrate the dome easily, so radio and tv work fine. In fact, people can talk on opposite sides of the dome without any trouble. The dome is slightly permeable to air and water, but that's about it.

When the dome appears, deaths occur immediately. Cars smash into the dome from either side; a small plane collides into the dome in seconds. The first helicopter to investigate crashes into the dome, killing everyone aboard immediately. And, within just a few hours, the dome over Chester Mills is the biggest news story in the world, and the focus of intense military scrutiny as the entire town is cordoned off and surrounded.

But that's all mostly background. The real story is: What happens to the town inside the dome? Because, as it turns out, Chester Mills is a hotbed of tension. The town is run by the Second Alderman "Big Jim" Rennie, who is as cynical and evil as they come. Big Jim's son, Junior Rennie, is every bit as mean as his father - and thanks to a very active brain tumor, is a raving psychotic as well.

As the hours and days go by, Big Jim turns from a simple Alderman into an all-out dictator, amassing his own police force within 24 hours of the dome's existence. Will anyone oppose him? Of course! For starters, there's former Army Lieutenant Dale Barbara ("Barbie" to his friends) who's been working as a cook at the local diner. The local newspaper editor, Julia Shumway, has never been a fan of either Big Jim or his creepy son. And the former police chief's wife isn't too fond of have her husband's old job being turned over to a complete retard. Oh, and let's not forget another common King element, the teenage heros: "Scarecrow" Joe McClatchey and his gang of fellow skateboarding computer geeks.

Big Jim is big physically (there must be a dozen places in the book where the size of his gut and his eating habits are the focus of a scene), and his personality is bigger than life as well. Even though he's an evangelical Christian, his favorite bible saying seems to be "The Lord helps those which help themselves". Which, the last time I checked, is not in the bible (I think it originated in one of Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanacs, actually). But that hasn't stopped Big Jim from running the country's largest meth lab, under cover of a Christian radio station. As evidenced by Big Jim, I'd have to say that Stephen King is not exactly a fan of evangelical Christians.

As the days progress under the dome, the townspeople take sides: Who's in favor of the law-and-order regime set up by Big Jim, and who prefers to live free? Add into the mix the military forces amassed outside the dome, doing everything they can to break inside. Because the air is running out, and every time a fire burns or a car runs inside the dome, the oxygen count goes down a little further. Oh, and that giant meth lab isn't helping the environment either...

Under the Dome, like all good King novels, is a capsule morality play that does it best to make observations on our modern world via an engaging story. Big Jim is obviously supposed to represent the approach to government taken by certain right-wing Christian fundamentalists. The ticking time bomb of life under the dome stands for our current debate over global climate change. And the anguished tensions of the townspeople stand in for our challenges in fighting the "war on terror".

All of that is well and good, and you either like it or you don't (I happen to like it, personally). King is well-known for didactic commentary in his fiction; see The Tommyknockers for his takedown on nuclear power, The Stand for his condemnation of government biological weapons, and even Firestarter for his low opinion of the CIA. It works particularly well in this case, since you can read the novel perfectly well without any outside allegory at all if you like. The story holds up perfectly fine on its own.

There's definitely a Lord of the Flies vibe to the book, so much so that several characters even make explicit reference to that fact. The body count is high and rises quickly; I don't think I'm spoiling much by warning that only a few of the people you meet in the beginning are still going to be alive at the end. Pretty much everything that could go wrong does go wrong, in other words.

My only real complaints are:

1. Some of the characters are not as fully realized as I would like, especially for a novel of this length. For example, we know almost nothing about Dale Barbara other than that he used to be in the Army, he served in Iraq, and he's basically a good guy. King usually gives lots of depth and back story to his heroes, but not in this case.

2. The villain, Big Jim Rennie, is cartoonishly evil. He literally has not one single redeeming feature. It's hard to believe that someone this glaringly odious would ever be admired by anyone, much less elected to public office. It's fun to have a villain to hate, but Big Jim is a bit over the top.

3. The solution used by the heroes at the end of the book could have been used at anytime after the middle of the novel, by any one of a number of characters. The fact that they don't think of it until the very last moment rings false; without giving away an important detail, I'll just say that the minute a certain mysterious object is discovered, I thought of the solution that is ultimately used. Why did it take the characters in the book so long to think of it?

4. The Kindle version (which is the one I read) doesn't have a table of contents, which makes it difficult to move back and forth between chapters and the map and character list at the front. Very annoying. In fact, I'd suggest printing out the town map from Amazon's web site and keeping it beside you if you read the e-Book version, since there is no way to navigate back and forth to the map at the beginning of the book. I haven't seen a major e-Book with such an obvious formatting flaw in a long time, and it's especially unforgivable seeing as how the electronic version was delayed by almost two months.

But those are quibbles. This really is some good Stephen King here. Personally, I'd say this is his best novel since he changed publishers to Scribners (beginning with Bag of Bones back in 1998). If you liked The Stand or IT, you'll like this one. This is King in full-on Save the World mode, and it's a blast.

Like I said at the beginning, this is a real page-turner. So be prepared to put aside some long nights if you crack open Under the Dome. It'll grab ahold of you tightly and won't let go until the end.

Stephen King - why hast thou forsaken me??? Hall of Suck inductee!

An unrealistic scenario made unbelievable by the characters reactions to it. Look! A dome! Should we try to figure out why? Heck no! Let's bumble around like fools...

I read the kindle version. By about 75% of they way through, I didn't care about any of the characters any more. None of them. In fact, I would have stopped reading but I had to persevere on for the sake of you - my humble fans - so that the word of MoonDonkey could be bestowed upon you.

Regardless if you think my 1 star review is crazy, I must note that any 5 star reviewer of this book has zero credibility. None. This isn't even close to one of King's better works. You can debate the works of King all day, but the word "best" would never come up in a discussion of Under the Dome. Therefore, how can anyone - especially any King fan, give this 5 stars? Based on that logic, Star Wars the Phantom Menace deserves 5 stars as much as The Empire Strikes Back. We all know that is ridiculous (a pox on you if you think otherwise). Giving Under the Dome 5 stars is equally insane.

This review is long and it contains SPOILERS. I love Stephen King, but this novel is a joke. For the longest time I resisted the thought that a Stephen King novel could be placed in the infamous Hall of Suck. However, the explosion 90% of the way through the book sealed the deal for me. I thought the book couldn't get worse, but it did. I could hear the crowd chanting "Hall-of-Suck! Hall-of-Suck! Hall-of-Suck!" Yeah baby - when my groupies demand Hall of Suck, they get Hall of Suck!

In Under the Dome, a small town in Maine is sealed underneath a giant Dome. It is sort of a societal experiment in writing - seal a bunch of people off from the rest of the world and see what happens. Unfortunately, the results are laughable - the actions of characters are so stupid that they defy explanation. Even worse, the stupidity becomes predictable to the point of agony - you can see it coming 20 pages in advance.

For example, the actions of Jim Rennie, who is basically the Mayor, are particularly senseless (imagine Boss Hog). As soon as the Dome falls, Jim Rennie takes it upon himself to begin appointing new police officers. Now you would think that these new officers would be people of character, right? Wrong - he appoints a bunch of local hooligans including his son Junior, a psychopath. I can't believe that other townspeople would support the decision - especially since not even 2 days had passed since the Dome. To make matters even more ridiculous, when Rennie decides to appoint even more cops (after 3 days), he makes a list of high school students - one only 15 years old. Again - this is so laughable that it is hard to take the book seriously. Who would put up with that? After only a few days we are supposed to believe that the whole town just bends over while Jim Rennie does whatever he wants and creates a police force made up of kids? The notion is silly.

More to the point, what is Jim Rennie's purpose anyway? At about 74% in (Kindle version) it states that his purpose is to "establish complete control of the town." Uhhh...ok. Why? Really... Why? For what? Dude - you are stuck under a dome. What the heck are you going to do with complete control of the town? What's the point? Also, way engage in all of this criminal activity no knowing if the dome will be there tomorrow or not? The dome comes down and then what?

I also don't understand many of Barbie's actions (the main character - Colonel Dale Barbara). I call him the "main" character, but he is so worthless that's a stretch. First of all, the President basically drafts him and promotes him to Colonel. Then he asks Barbie to assume command of the town. Barbie advises military leaders that doing so would be a bad idea - presumably because he got into a bar fight the night before and he doesn't trust Jim Rennie to give up power. Huh? The President just made you the man on the spot and that's the reason why you can't actually do anything? Gee... I don't know... since the town still has television, why doesn't the President simply make an announcement? You know, something like "Hello fellow Americans under the dome, my man Dale Barbara is now in charge... thank you very much and good night..." Nope. Oh - and the town still has internet... which apparently no one ever uses... BTW, does Barbie have any redeeming qualities? They guy is a dolt.

So this, of course, leads to a series of gaffs and Barbie being framed for 4 murders (because once the Dome comes down murders and rapes become daily occurrences). The idea is to plant Barbie's dog tags on the corpses. But wait a minute, Barbie discovers that someone stole his dog tags, so he knows in advance he is going to be framed for something so Rennie can get him out of the way. What does he do? He tells one person to put some files on Jim Rennie in a safe place and then proceeds to tell no one. He treats this information like a big secret. Huh?

Personally, I would tell everyone I could think of that I was about to be framed and dragged off to jail. Not Barbie - he just keeps it to himself. The guy knows he is going to be framed but doesn't have the sense to say something about it ahead of time. The extent of his planning is to lift up his shirt when the cops show up so as to show another guy that he isn't cut or bruised (in case the cops decide to beat him up, etc). Oh - and can anyone explain why Barbie didn't bother to call his military buddy Cox (who is directing the operation on the outside of the dome)?

So Barbie goes to jail and some friends of his decide to print a story supporting him in the paper. Can you guess what happens to the newspaper office? Yes... of course... it gets burned down. And... of course... a Molotov cocktail makes a direct hit on the stack of newspapers meant to defend Barbie. Dude - am I watching a cartoon or reading a Stephen King book? It's like watching Roadrunner and Coyote - every time coyote does something it blows up in his face

Presumably, Barbie's plan to save himself has to do with making a copy of a file containing incriminating evidence against Rennie. Except he has the owner of the file only make one copy (put your eggs all in one basket) and then tells her to dump it off with someone she trusts with a set of "brake in case of emergency" instructions. Can she tell anyone what is in the folder? No - then they would be in danger too. Hey - I've got an idea. Rather than playing this silly game of cat and mouse, how about you make some copies and pass them around? How about you tell some people around town? Gee, the mayor is a drug manufacturer, dealer, and a bunch of other stuff. Should we tell someone? No, of course not. Let's stash the stuff away for a rainy day. Should we use the information to take out Rennie ahead of time? Heck no. Huh?

Oh, and of course the plot doesn't go as planned and the owner of the documents doesn't drop them off in the right place. Then (of course) she goes to confront Rennie directly about it... by herself... of course... and gets herself killed. Meanwhile, the file is lost... of course. I'm reading this thinking ... really? Really?

The file is eventually found by Andrea Grinnell, another town official. She reads it and decides to tell who? Yep, you guessed it... no one! She keeps the information to herself and goes to a big town meeting to confront Rennie. Which - yes, you guessed it - falls apart just a predictably as everything else in this book because, like very other time, the character just couldn't... couldn't... tell anyone else. She bumbles around, loses the file, gets herself shot, etc, etc. Oops!

Now given the hoodlum police, murders, rapes, etc going on, you would think that someone (anyone?) would be looking to acquire some guns, right? Uhhhh... no. Even Barbie himself - a Colonel appointed by the President, doesn't seem to think that carrying a gun - or finding one - is necessary. This is particularly silly considering Barbie is obsessed with the fact that things could get worse... "much worse". Ok dude - then find some heat and carry it!

Another thing that makes no sense - some kids from town find what they believe to be the "generator" that is creating the dome. They advise the town doctor, Rusty, about it and ask him what to do. His advice? "Keep quiet about this". Huh? The entire town is under a dome, people are being murdered, and there was just a riot at the local grocery. Now some kids find the dome generator and your best advice is "keep quiet"? Dude - this is senseless. Then, when a group of people hold a secret meeting to resist Jim Rennie, they discuss the device and again decide that its "existence and location is our first secret". Did anyone consider the fact that if they told everyone Jim Rennie would likely lose his hold over the town?

To continue the stupidity - when they break Barbie out of prison, the plan is to take him to the farm on the hill next to the Dome generating device. Seems like a decent plan as it is isolated, but then they decide that they will tell Rennie there is radiation up there in order to keep him away from it. But how will he be able to detect it? Oh - they have to put back the Geiger counter so that Rennie and his crew can detect the radiation so that they won't want to go up there - which is where Barbie will be hiding. Of course, Rennie doesn't want to go there in the first place, he will only go if told about it... right? Wait a minute! I've got an idea! Since no one is going up there in the first place, how about you just hide Barbie and then NOT tell anyone? Is this an episode of iCarly or something?

Here is another one - When Jim Rennie gives his "big" speech to the town, he tells everyone that Colonel Cox (on the outside) isn't really in the army - he is "high in the councils" of scientists and government officials responsible for the Dome "experiment". Uhhhh... so what happens when/if the Dome comes down? The lie is so obvious that everyone would know immediately. Why would Rennie make up a story so easy to disprove? Oh... and as I mentioned previously... the town still has internet and tv. It's not like people can't check this stuff. Again - it makes no sense.

One of the book's climactic moments of stupidity occurs when the WCIK station slash drug manufacturing facility blows up. Somehow, an explosion of 80 lbs of plastic explosives and a bunch of propane mimics a nuclear bomb. I'm reading the aftermath of the explosion shaking my head at how ridiculous it is. Not only is the explosion over-the-top, but apparently people have time to think about their actions while imminent death hangs over their heads. Wait a minute - either this is a massive blast that wipes everything out or it is not. If it was such a big explosion, people wouldn't have time to do the things that they do. For example, Rennie figures he better go down to the fallout shelter - wow... what a coincidence that he is right next to it when the bomb goes off. Another guy decides to get in a bus and attempt to drive it through the oncoming wall of fire - no really - it is that dumb.

Anyone ever figure out why the dome causes people to have seizures or go into trances? No? I didn't think so.

Finally, I don't even want to address the whole "aliens" story line (but I have to). What can you even say about that? Gee - we are the playthings for an alien kid. How do they know that? Who knows. They just do when they touch the box. Oh - and the ending is so staggering in its nonsensical stupidity that I can't believe King wrote it.