Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's more to King than meets the eye, 19 Nov 2009
As a long term Stephen King fan, I've been of the view for some time that his best work was behind him. However, with Cell and Duma Key, he seemed to be heading back to the King that I knew and loved when he was churning out books like The Stand, The Tommyknockers and It.
It was thus with some trepidation that I started to read Under the Dome. I'd desperately wanted to like the last 'old' novel that King had published, Blaze, but found that a terrible disappointment. And the early signs weren't good with Under the Dome. There's a very daunting list of 'dramatis personae' at the start of the book, and confusion reigned as seemingly hundreds of characters were introduced in the first fifty or so pages. Whereas King has handled large number of characters very successfully before, most notably in The Stand, that relied on reasonably long chapters to introduce each new group of people. In Under the Dome, there are seemingly dozens of new characters on every page at the start, and I can see readers being put off from carrying on unless they concentrate VERY hard on keeping track of who is who.
However, get through this, and the rewards are rich. When the dome comes down on Chester's Mill, Jim Rennie, the evil second selectman of the town, quickly seizes the reins of power, and the battle for power begins. On the one side is Rennie and his henchmen; on the other, a small group of townsfolk lead by Dale Barbara, a veteran of the Iraq war who, when the dome came down, was on the verge of leaving town. What follows demonstrates superbly the fact that the crimes of the few can bring suffering to the poor, as Rennie's tyranny takes root. I got so absorbed in what was effectively the battle for the town, that it was easy to forget the main cause of the problems, and the main point of the book - that the town is under a mysterious dome, and almost completely cut off from the outside world.
King fans will love this - it's sort of a cross between Needful Things and The Tommyknockers, in my opinion. If one ignores the supernatural elements that King almost always brings to his work, the book acts as a great way of highlighting the everyday evil that can befall anybody or anywhere in time of crisis, and explores man's propensity to do wrong. In this regard, it reminded me of a latterday Lord of the Flies, and if there is any justice then it will gain King an army of new fans. Rumours of King's retirement have been written large since his near-fatal accident some years ago but, on this basis, his best work may be ahead of him. Five stars.
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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best one yet, and that`s saying something, 14 Nov 2009
A small New England town is suddenly, inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world, trapping a large cast of characters inside (or outside) a huge, clear dome. As the emergency escalates, various heroes (and villains) emerge to play a part in the drama. What is the dome? Why is it there? Will the town survive? This is the premise of Stephen King's big, long, thoroughly fascinating new novel.
I`m a huge King fan, and would find it hard to pick my favourite novel, but this is a classic. I think the Stand was a huge novel, and his bestish, but this is genius. As I was reading, I was constantly wondering about the how the plot would unfold and the motives behind the deceptively simple story. The best of horror and science fiction, this is the tale of ordinary people of Chester's Mill, Maine, who are placed in this extraordinary situation. As usual there are more twists and turns than your mind can cope with or predict.
This novel will inevitably be compared to The Stand because it deals with the horrors of the world around us. Forget ghosts and vampires and space aliens--there's nothing as horrifying as what humans are capable of doing to one another. Stephen King knows that: it's the reason his stories are so effective. In his long, distinguished career, he's rarely been as effective--or as entertaining--as he is here. UNDER THE DOME is a fast-paced modern horror story, and it's also an amazingly perceptive modern novel. Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
under the dome, 19 Nov 2009
A concise review for an epic novel. An absolute master class from Stephen King. To kick off this admittedly will not be to everyone's taste as it is very long, full of detail and characterisation, which will certainly be jumped upon by critics. This, however, is classic King style and anyone who enjoys living and breathing a fictitious (or maybe not so far from fictitious!) world then step right in. Yes the novel is long, but is richer for all the detail nevertheless.It is a matter of opinion but there are just too many 'anorexic' novels out there.
There will obviously be many comparisons to the 'Stand' but I personally think it is part combination of this and 'Needful Things'. It has remarkable pace given its length and this certainly does not have the feel of a 900 page tome..apart from the physical weight!!
This would appeal to any fan of King and would be enjoyed by any new reader to his work. Step in and lose yourself for a few days or weeks and you will be rewarded for it.
Any Lee Child fans look out for a reference to a certain Mr Reacher !
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