Under the Dome

Oh Stephen King, how I have missed you. I mean, like really really missed you. I'll give you Duma Key, it was a fabulous book, it was almost up to your amazing standards. But not quiet there. And then I start hearing about this new book you have, this time even longer. And then a friend or two read it, and my first question is "Tommyknockers or It?" "No, it's the Stand." I bought it and it sat on a shelf, mocking me throughout the entire Christmas season, during my 70 hour weeks, torturing me. I needed to know if this incredibly long book was as unputdownable as It, or even the Stand. I am not lying to you, dear reader, when I tell you after a very long time away from my new recommendation list, Mr. King has done it again. Under the Dome is fabulous. Creepy, scary, with extremely vivid characters you either completely love or loath. Oh, has he managed a villain as evil as Big Jim since Flagg? And in Flagg's defense, since he did appear in two of my favorite King novels, he gets the upper hand, but like Pennywise in It or insanity (?), or for my money, those moving topiaries (they freaked the hell out of me) in the Shining, he was supernatural. And Barbie is his best hero since Stu in the Stand.

So anyway! In a small Maine town, the residents go about their business until an invisible and completely inpenetrable dome appears surrounding their village. With one doctor, one nurse and a nurse practitioner as their only medical personnel, and 3 village selectmen to run the town, a new Sheriff to replace the one who died the day the Dome came down, and various other concerned citizens King manages to describe a place that is both familiar and terrifying. Big Jim, the town selectman who really runs the show, promotes a yes man to Sheriff, and does all he can to promote chaos in the town. Dale Barbara is the man the Us military would like to take over running the town, but Big Jim stands in his way, and the rest of the people who try to help Barbie restore some sort of reason to the town are slowly dealt with, their standing in town completely destroyed.

Look, it's King, so as a friend pointed out, you read it just to see who will die next, to see what evil will befall these people. But I loved the characters, Barbie, Julia, the teenagers, and everyone who was working against Big Jim, and the pace of the plot was constantly fast (not a small feat considering the page number). It was unputdownable, even when your wrists start to hurt from holding it.

Just... The ending... I won't give it away, but... He explains the Dome, and then it has an ending. Whatever, I'm willing to forgive almost anything because Horace the dog lives happily ever after.

His best book in twenty years. Seriously. I should check out that statistic I keep throwing out. I made it up one day at the bookstore, and now I have several people saying it, and I'm not entire sure that It wasn't late 80's... To Wikipedia!