Welcome back, Stephen King. Wow.
In Under the Dome, readers are treated to a return to the old-school mega horror novel that King does so well. It's a long-overdue refrain for King fans -- like me -- who have missed those epic, layered, character-rich orgies of imagination.
In books like IT and The Stand (incidentally, my favorite King tomes), the characters anchor a story that is equal parts believable horror (focusing on a disaster and the darkness of mankind) interwoven with a supernatural/sci fi thriller.
It would be impossible to summarize the full plot of Under the Dome, and I would hate to ruin any of the fantastic twists and turns that fill the book's 1,000-plus pages. In short, Under the Dome follows the lives of the residents of a small town that is mysteriously cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible and impermeable Dome. From the small-town power grabs of Second Selectman Big Jim Rennie -- one of the best baddies written in ages -- to the environmental ramifications of a Dome that doesn't let anything in or out, the book is layered with horror after horror.
The cast of characters is rich and diverse, full of flawed heroes and complex villans. Among my favorites were Col. Dale Barbara, a former war hero and current drifter short-order cook on his way out of The Mill when the Dome drops; Julia Shumway, the tenacious small-town newspaper editor bent on uncovering the truth of The Dome; and Junior Rennie, recent police deputy, severe migrane sufferer and possible serial killer. But honestly, there are scores of engaging characters wrapped up in the saga that is The Dome.
I can't recommend this book enough if you're a Stephen King fan, a horror junkie or a sci fi nut. My biggest con of the book was that its size made reading it a little uncomfortable. It was heavy, so I had to prop it up on a pillow and it was too big to fit in my purse. Time for a Kindle, I guess.
One final note: I'd love to ask King about the symbol repeated in this book, first seen in IT (marking the tunnel that lead to IT's place -- it's home) and illustrated again in Under the Dome on the side of the mysterious device our heroes discover in the orchard. Sneaky, Mr. King. Very sneaky. That should be food for the message boards.
In Under the Dome, readers are treated to a return to the old-school mega horror novel that King does so well. It's a long-overdue refrain for King fans -- like me -- who have missed those epic, layered, character-rich orgies of imagination.
In books like IT and The Stand (incidentally, my favorite King tomes), the characters anchor a story that is equal parts believable horror (focusing on a disaster and the darkness of mankind) interwoven with a supernatural/sci fi thriller.
It would be impossible to summarize the full plot of Under the Dome, and I would hate to ruin any of the fantastic twists and turns that fill the book's 1,000-plus pages. In short, Under the Dome follows the lives of the residents of a small town that is mysteriously cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible and impermeable Dome. From the small-town power grabs of Second Selectman Big Jim Rennie -- one of the best baddies written in ages -- to the environmental ramifications of a Dome that doesn't let anything in or out, the book is layered with horror after horror.
The cast of characters is rich and diverse, full of flawed heroes and complex villans. Among my favorites were Col. Dale Barbara, a former war hero and current drifter short-order cook on his way out of The Mill when the Dome drops; Julia Shumway, the tenacious small-town newspaper editor bent on uncovering the truth of The Dome; and Junior Rennie, recent police deputy, severe migrane sufferer and possible serial killer. But honestly, there are scores of engaging characters wrapped up in the saga that is The Dome.
I can't recommend this book enough if you're a Stephen King fan, a horror junkie or a sci fi nut. My biggest con of the book was that its size made reading it a little uncomfortable. It was heavy, so I had to prop it up on a pillow and it was too big to fit in my purse. Time for a Kindle, I guess.
One final note: I'd love to ask King about the symbol repeated in this book, first seen in IT (marking the tunnel that lead to IT's place -- it's home) and illustrated again in Under the Dome on the side of the mysterious device our heroes discover in the orchard. Sneaky, Mr. King. Very sneaky. That should be food for the message boards.
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