Under The Dome by Stephen King

Under The Dome
by Stephen King
Scribner, Nov 2009
ISBN: 9781439148501
Hardcover
1088 pages
Horror

Buy Now at Amazon.com
Buy Now at Amazon.ca


Dale “Barbie”  Barbara has had enough of Chester’s Mill. With little more than the clothes on his back he’s trying to hitch a ride to anywhere else. But his wish is not to be. An invisible barrier, which turns out to be a dome of immense proportions, drops into place before him; and directly in front of a twin engine Seneca aircraft, which crashes into the dome, strewing shredded metal and body parts on the outer side of the barrier; and directly on top of a woodchuck, slicing the animal in half.

It’s October 21 and the mayhem has just begun. Cars, a pulp-truck and countless birds also find high speed deaths as they run themselves up against the dome. Amidst the horrors caused by the dome, a young man with a brain tumour becomes a murderer. His father, Big Jim Rennie, one of the town’s select-men, “praise God,” decides he’s the fellow to take control of the strange situation Chester’s Mill has found itself in: after all, with his town basically seceded from the rest of the world, a god fearing man who knows how to get things done is exactly what’s needed.

Within days this small town in Maine becomes a pressure cooker with no relief valve… As Rennie, ever the opportunist, purposely winds people up and devises situations intended to make the town turn to him for guidance. He doesn’t mind sacrificing a few for the sake of the town… As Barbie is catapulted into a position that places him in direct opposition to Rennie, and requires him to play a part in polarizing townspeople into factions, a them or us kind of mentality… As every single inhabitant is forcibly confronted with his or her true self—good, bad or indifferent…

Join Stephen King as he allows you to view the virtual destruction of an entire town, one person and situation at a time, just as if you were an all knowing and invisible observer. Some of these people, realizing there will be no rain or fresh air or replenishment of food and other supplies, search for answers as to the origin and nature of the dome. The average inhabitants of The Mill just watch and wait for the government to break them out. But as they deal with their ever more frightening reality, each of them begins to unravel in their own way—even select-man Rennie.

Under the Dome is disturbing if not heartbreaking. Stephen King has taken off his gloves for this story. Anyone, whether we empathize with them or not, will behave according to their nature and meet their destiny irregardless of what we feel for them. Bad guys have good moments; good girls have bad ideas. Those we come to care about may die in an instant, while others turn to choices as disturbing as anything King has ever written. People who should, perhaps, be put down like one would put down a dying animal live on to do nightmarish things.

I groaned at the prospect of having to read a 1088 page horror novel in just a few days. But believe me when I say the whining ended very quickly. Under The Dome is further proof, if not the culmination, of a change in King’s writing that probably began with Lisey’s Story (2006). Many people have blamed King’s evolvement into a different kind of author on his tragic, near-death accident in 1999, and I’m sure it played a part. Personally, I have the sense that King is simply bringing maturity (and perhaps reflection) to his new works. Why on earth would anyone expect him to be writing the same way or about the same topics he dealt with 20 or 30 years ago? It makes sense that he now spends time commenting on such things as religion and small-town politics. Readers should also feel no surprise that his monsters are becoming more and more human with each book and story. This is a man who almost retired several years ago. How can you not expect him to be reflective? And, given his brilliance as a story teller (I still maintain he’s the best we have), it’s a wonderful thing to see his changes displayed so completely by his characters.

Under The Dome is a fantastic accomplishment. To not only hold a story of this magnitude together for over a 1,000 pages, but to have it positively race? Unbelievable. To pull me into a doomed town and keep me watching the horrors unfold (knowing no character is safe)? Genius. Many reviewers are saying this may be his best work since The Stand (1978).

This is a novel that reminds me strongly of an old story called The Nets of Space by Emil Petaja (1969) and, to a certain extent, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1953). There are also similarities to King’s own The Mist (1980). Unfortunately, if you haven’t read these books, explaining why they have certain likenesses to Under The Dome would be to introduce fundamental spoilers. Let’s just say that Under The Dome shows us exactly how and why the “masks” come off regular, every day people, and it also suggests that if people feel completely isolated, cut off, or beyond reprimand, then it doesn’t matter to them whether aberrant behaviour is observed or not.

A friend of mine wanted me to let her know if I thought reading Under The Dome was worth the time investment. If you like horror and/or a fascinating story no one else could possibly tell, then my answer is a resounding “Yes.”


Copyright © Clayton Clifford Bye 2010