I did this review a year ago and decided to republished it on this blog....
I finished reading Stephen King's latest novel Under the Dome last night. It took me awhile but I have a good reason - its 1,072 pages long - the third longest science fiction novel he had written behind The Stand (1,153 pages) and It (1,138 pages). This, of course, does not include the Dark Tower Series.
Anyway, the novel is set in the town of Chester Mill with population of 2,000 during the winter and 13,000 during the summer. Dale "Barbie" Barbara, an ex-Army lieutenant and now a cook at the Sweetbriar Rose, was going to skip town after a confrontation with Junior Rennie and his friends. Junior Rennie is the son of the second selectman, James "Big Jim" Rennie. As he was about to cross the boundary, the town is suddenly surrounded by an invisible dome cutting them off from the entire world. What follows was chaos with James Rennie, the power hungry selectman instilling anarchy by hiring Junior's friends and transforming the PD into his own private army. He didn't stop there as he started a propaganda against Barbara, who by then was promoted to colonel and given the authority by the president to run the town. Big Jim pinned the murders, violence, the illegal drugs and the dome to Barbara, making him the scapegoat for what was happening to the town. During the dome days, the children were getting epileptic shocks shouting messages. Little did they know that this messages were about an impending doom. During the Visitors Day, Big Jim sends some of his army to take back the propane tanks from the his illegal drug making facility. But Phil Bushey, also known as the Chef, and Andy Sanders, the town first selectman, made a stand and at the end, press the garage door button creating a huge explosion and incinerating the whole town. Those who survive the initial blast were killed by the poison air. In the end, only 25 survive the ordeal.
Under the Dome was excellent and enjoyable with Stephen King's style all over the entire novel. You will be intrigue at first which would make you want to read the book from cover to cover. The novel has a little bit of all from drama to action to comedy. The book is thick yet it felt lighter as you dive into it deeper. This book was initiated in the 70s and scrapped. But I am glad Mr. King decided to rekindled this idea in 2007 and came up with this book. The story telling was superb, the setting was almost real even though its science fiction. Overall, I would highly recommend the novel. And when you get it, be sure you have a lot of free time because you will have to do a lot of reading.
Title: Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 1,072 pages + 2 pages of Author's note
Publish Date: November, 2009
Media Type: Hardcover, Collectors Edition Hardcover and Audiobook
Publisher: Scribner
ISBN: 978-1439148501
Stephen King's website
Anyway, the novel is set in the town of Chester Mill with population of 2,000 during the winter and 13,000 during the summer. Dale "Barbie" Barbara, an ex-Army lieutenant and now a cook at the Sweetbriar Rose, was going to skip town after a confrontation with Junior Rennie and his friends. Junior Rennie is the son of the second selectman, James "Big Jim" Rennie. As he was about to cross the boundary, the town is suddenly surrounded by an invisible dome cutting them off from the entire world. What follows was chaos with James Rennie, the power hungry selectman instilling anarchy by hiring Junior's friends and transforming the PD into his own private army. He didn't stop there as he started a propaganda against Barbara, who by then was promoted to colonel and given the authority by the president to run the town. Big Jim pinned the murders, violence, the illegal drugs and the dome to Barbara, making him the scapegoat for what was happening to the town. During the dome days, the children were getting epileptic shocks shouting messages. Little did they know that this messages were about an impending doom. During the Visitors Day, Big Jim sends some of his army to take back the propane tanks from the his illegal drug making facility. But Phil Bushey, also known as the Chef, and Andy Sanders, the town first selectman, made a stand and at the end, press the garage door button creating a huge explosion and incinerating the whole town. Those who survive the initial blast were killed by the poison air. In the end, only 25 survive the ordeal.
Under the Dome was excellent and enjoyable with Stephen King's style all over the entire novel. You will be intrigue at first which would make you want to read the book from cover to cover. The novel has a little bit of all from drama to action to comedy. The book is thick yet it felt lighter as you dive into it deeper. This book was initiated in the 70s and scrapped. But I am glad Mr. King decided to rekindled this idea in 2007 and came up with this book. The story telling was superb, the setting was almost real even though its science fiction. Overall, I would highly recommend the novel. And when you get it, be sure you have a lot of free time because you will have to do a lot of reading.
Title: Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 1,072 pages + 2 pages of Author's note
Publish Date: November, 2009
Media Type: Hardcover, Collectors Edition Hardcover and Audiobook
Publisher: Scribner
ISBN: 978-1439148501
Stephen King's website
