Under the Dome by Stephen KingKing's return to supernatural horror is uncomfortably bulky, formidably complex and irresistibly compelling. When the smalltown of Chester's Mill, Maine, is surrounded by an invisible force field, the people inside must exert themselves to survive. The situation deteriorates rapidly due to the dome's ecological effects and the machinations of Big Jim Rennie, an obscenely sanctimonious local politician and drug lord who likes the idea of having an isolated populace to dominate. Opposing him are footloose Iraq veteran Dale “Barbie” Barbara, newspaper editor Julia Shumway, a gaggle of teen skateboarders and others who want to solve the riddle of the dome. King handles the huge cast of characters masterfully but ruthlessly, forcing them to live (or not) with the consequences of hasty decisions. Readers will recognize themes and images from King's earlier fiction, and while this novel doesn't have the moral weight of, say, The Stand, nevertheless, it's a nonstop thrill ride as well as a disturbing, moving meditation on our capacity for good and evil.
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My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Have had the HUGE hardcover edition of this book on my TBR shelf for quite some time. Luckily I managed to pick up the Kindle Edition for a good price a while back since I saw an advertisement for the TV movie of this book coming out in June and had to read it before I watched it.
It has been a while since I have read a King novel. He used to be my favorite author and back in the day I would read his books as fast as they came out, but I lost interest when he hit a stage in his writing career that veered away from his wonderful 'horror' beginnings.
I am very happy to see that he seems to have gone back to his roots with his writing style and I was right there under the dome with the inhabitants of Chester's Mill.
Very much looking forward to seeing what they do with this on TV.
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**Kindle Edition
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