Under the Dome: A Novel
Dec 2009 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
4.6star
1.8K reviews
Ebook
1120
Pages
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About this ebook
Don’t miss the “harrowing” (The Washington Post) #1 New York Times bestselling thriller from master storyteller Stephen King that inspired the hit television series, following the apocalyptic scenario of a town cut off from the rest of the world.
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.
Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.
Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
1.8K reviews
A Google user
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December 7, 2010
Just finished reading this huge novel last night and while I basically enjoyed it, I am disappointed. The scope of this story only includes one small town but the characters are legion. Almost to the point that it was hard to keep up with who was who and doing what. I liked the premise and as usual King's ability to create characters and dialog that ring true was pretty spot on. But, overall this fell flat. The entire story takes place within the span of a week or so and yet the mayhem that ensues is pretty extreme. The "evil" selectman who tries to take advantage of the situation and the townsfolk (sheep), really act much faster and more violently than would be realistic. This tiny slice of society falls apart in a matter of days which just never seemed believable to me. especially when you consider that they still had the use of cell phones and the internet. Given months for this story to unfold I would have been able to go along with it but days was too short a time for all of the drama that ensues. That and the ending was very unsatisfying. The story behind the dome, why it happened, and how was just kind of thrown in there and then at the finale was summed up in a few pages. The dome is always present and there but there is very little interaction with it and the mystery behind it. This is mostly a story about people dealing with each other in a weird situation, but it was so over the top and illogical that I couldn't get completely into it. This was typical Stephen King as far as the style and characterizations and dialog which is always good but too many other things brought this down for me. This is far from being his best work.
A Google user
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August 5, 2015
Very long, epic tale, about an invisible shield that surrounds a town and the trials and tribulations of the townspeople as they try, or lack thereof, to cope. Includes various inept and corrupt individuals mixed in the good natured folks. I get the ending but I didn't like it; all up to the explosion was awesome then the tale peaked and drifted down and turned into morals and stuff.
3 people found this review helpful
Lucian Wondolowski
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February 5, 2014
I read this mainly because I wanted to know the full story after I got hooked by the tv series. Glad to see that; as always, the book was better. I have no idea how they plan to finish the show as they have strayed far from the story that the novel tells.
27 people found this review helpful
About the author
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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