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Under the Dome
Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
When the small town 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...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781439148501
ISBN-10: 1439148503
Publication Date: 11/10/2009
Pages: 1,074
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 331

4.1 stars, based on 331 ratings
Publisher: Scribner
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Chocoholic avatar reviewed Under the Dome on + 291 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 14
This is the newest novel by the horror great, Stephen King. It is 1074 pages long and quite heavy! It is an apocalyptic novel about the small town of Chester's Mill, Maine and what happens to it when a large, glass-like dome descends over the town and all that is in it. There are a number of larger than life characters that fairly leap off the page. In typical King fashion, there are the good guys and bad, unexpected heroes and villains. The plot twists and turns many times and will keep you up at night guessing. By the end of the novel I had grown quite attached to a few of the characters and didn't want the story to end. I would heartily recommend this novel to anyone! Just don't stand to close to the dome....
reviewed Under the Dome on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
Darn you Mr. King, I couldn't get anything done once I sat down with the new, 15 pound book, but I love it.
He's done it again!!! I always thought that the early Stephen King books were slow to start and then took off like wildfire, but this one grabbed me from page one!!! A large cast of characters in a small town get locked in by an invisible, unexplainable dome. The main character, who spends much of the book in jail, almost gets out but gets stuck inside a town where the powers that be are not fond of him. At 1074 pages my biggest complaint is that it was hard to hold! I am always sad when one of his books end so I don't mind when he writes a very long one. The last few chapters were sad; he kills more of his characters than he usually does.
I'm sorry he had a terrible accident but I think it has improved his writing skills! I'm so happy his retirement was, apparently, a rumor. I highly recommend this great big book.
reviewed Under the Dome on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 12
I can honestly say that I have never been a big king fan. I saw this book at the book store and thought it looked interesting. I must say it is one of the best books I have read in a LONG time. When I finished I felt like I lost a friend. I was so involved in the lives of the characters that with every death I felt like I lost someone close. It makes you wonder "could that happen?" The twist at the end was unexpected. I would tell everyone " Read this book" . It was worth every minute
reviewed Under the Dome on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Definitely not one of his best. 1000 pages is a lot, he could have left out A LOT! By the end I was skimming the pages because I just wanted it to end and find out why what happened did. I would read another book before I picked up this one.
pinkcypress avatar reviewed Under the Dome on + 86 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Classic Stephen King!! I had forgotten how much I love his writing - but sitting down with this one brought it all back and now I want more more more!

It's a rare writer that can fill up 1000+ pages to cover a time period of less than a week in the lives of the people of Chester Mills without boring their readers to death!

The book on its surface is about a small town that is suddenly encased in an indestructible dome. Obviously, the questions of where the dome came from, why it happened, how to get rid of it, are considered. But there's also the reality of the fact that they are on their own completely - there's no one getting out and no one getting in either. Who is in charge? And why? Are they still part of the U.S.? Or have they seceded? Who can be trusted?

Stephen King is sometimes at his best when he deals with the monsters that really do exist - the evil that lives inside all of us - and that's what this book is ultimately about.
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reviewed Under the Dome on + 52 more book reviews
Absolute pedal-to-the-metal non-stop action throughout this huge tome. (120 MPH down a dead-end street!) As I suspected, book and TV mini-series are quite divergent. The book has a huge cast of characters with different motivations, different fates, different ages, and different characteristics. And, of course, the book is much more graphic, violent and horrific.

I am not really a Stephen King fan, but then I am not a "Horror" fan either. He scares me too much. Probably a sign of an excellent writer. His books with a SciFi bent, I can manage to read. So if you want to be scared out of your boots this may not be the book for you, but it is a thriller from start to finish.
louiealf avatar reviewed Under the Dome on + 27 more book reviews
Excellent! Plot within a plot, hard to put down.
reviewed Under the Dome on + 11 more book reviews
Another great epic by the King! This is not so much a horror tale as a tale of human nature. Unfortunately, to do a true review would give too much away. Let's just say, over 1000 pages goes by really, really fast! Thanks Stephen for a really great read and I can't wait for more!
P.S. I'm a Jack Reacher fan myself!
susieqmillsacoustics avatar reviewed Under the Dome on + 1062 more book reviews
I rarely read Stephen King because I have been very disappointed in some of his endings and I don't particularly like his style, at times. I decided to give this one a chance and found I was pleasantly surprised. It is fast-paced and there are many subplots so even though it is a very long book, it feels like a quick read. It never bogs down and it is very well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, start to finish!
reviewed Under the Dome on + 6 more book reviews
Pretty good! He could have left most of the political mud slinging out but its King...
reviewed Under the Dome on
Stephen King is my favorite writer. He can spin a tale and have you believing every word! The sky has no limit with King...
reviewed Under the Dome on
Steven King at his best, spinning an engaging if lengthy tale of ever-increasing suspense; believable if quirky characters; and ideas worth pondering about both humans and the universe.

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