Over winter break my mother bought me several books for Christmas with the sole intention that I have something to read over Winterim. As break went on, I found myself reading only one and that was Stephen King’s novel “Under the Dome.” Stephen King has penned some of the greatest horror and thriller novels of all time including the post-apocalyptic epic “The Stand” and psychological thriller “The Dead Zone.” In his latest novel “Under the Dome,” King does not disappoint his avid readers.
To follow his hit novel “Duma Key,” King digs into his archives and resurrects a partially started story from 1976 that he gave up on. Thankfully for his readers he took another crack at it and produced yet another classic in “Under the Dome.” He tells the story of the fictitious Maine town of Chester’s Mill that all of a sudden has a dome come down upon it, trapping residents inside. What follows is a 1000 plus page juggernaut of tension and thrills where King shows off great range in his writing.
King uses a large ensemble of characters throughout the story, but for the most part the reader follow the story lines of “Big” Jim Rennie, a used car salesman and town politician who uses his influence in the town and church to get his way as the main antagonist. Like every villain, he has a group of followers doing what they are told. This group includes his son Junior whose evil nature at times overshadows Big Jim’s.
The protagonist is a former Army veteran, who served in Iraq during the latest conflict. Dale Barbara is on the wrong side of the town’s political connections and finds himself in a situation almost as bad as the dome itself. He is not alone in his fight, as he has support in the form of Julia Shumway, a local newspaper reporter who sees Big Jim for what he really is and uses the power of the press to spread the truth during the crisis.
King’s ability to use small town politics as a platform for things more sinister makes an impression on the reader. The situations he used had to come from first hand experience living in a small town and with these he puts a human spin on a non-human situation.
Overall, King does not disappoint his readers with this book. However, one complaint is how long it takes for the story to pick up. Readers will have to stick with the book through the first 150 or so pages, which can be a daunting task to most casual readers. One of my personal complaints is that King uses too many minor characters which gives it a Russian literature feel, where the reader could spend a good piece of their reading time figuring out which characters will play a central role and which ones won’t. That can dampen the experience of reading the book for casual readers. Despite these complaints, I would call “Under the Dome” a must-read for any King fan or for anyone looking to dedicate sometime to reading a book.