Review : Under the Dome by Stephen King

Title : Under the Dome Author : Stephen King Reading Dates : 4 Jun - 10 Jun 2011
From goodreads :
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.

Book Review of Under the Dome.
While Under the Dome was an enjoyable read and there’s very little that I actually dislike about the book, at more than a 1000 pages, the enjoyment value doesn’t seem quite commensurate with the effort to finish reading the book.

As far as the story goes, the idea of the Dome is definitely intriguing. The effects of the Dome, how it came to be and how Chester’s Mill is going to escape it had me trying my best to rush towards the ending. Unfortunately, the explanation when it comes is disappointing. Not only is there no rhyme nor reason for it, it also feels as if the survivors did nothing to earn their lives. The only question I had left after the end was would things have been that bad if Big Jim and his crew hadn’t been there. Or even whether if without the impetus of Big Jim, the main characters might have had less reason to try and escape.

Aside from that, my other complain is regarding the characters. Likable enough but very few of them actually stand apart from each other. Unlike the characters in The Stand, I had difficulty trying to picture them in my mind. The best I can say was that I didn’t dislike any of them and certainly hoped they would survive the ordeal but I wouldn’t be particularly heartbroken if some of them didn’t make it.

All in all, Under the Dome is an okay first time read but hardly a book I’m eager to revisit.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ?Not really interested to do so.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series if there were one? No.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? No.
• Who would I recommend this too? Stephen King fans.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Borrow it.

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