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What are readers saying about Under the Dome: A Novel?
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Jesse posted a review at 2010-01-05 11:39:46.
(Language: English)
  
King Tilts Way LeftI've always relished the voluminous Steven King novels over the past 20 years or so, starting with the Gunslinger, and working my way through (in no particular order) It, the Shining, Cujo, Salem's Lot, Cell, and perhaps the work that draws the greatest similarity to the Dome, The Stand. And while there are many similarities, the differences are what detract from UTD the most. There is no impending sense of dread or even mystery, just despair really. I won't spoil the ending, but it leaves a lot to be desired, and perpetuates what is IMHO the failed theme. And that is, apparently, that neo-con bible thumpers are the root cause of all humanity's problems, that if there is a God, he doesn't particularly care for or concern himself with us, and that Republicans suck big time. Basically, SK has jumped on the mainstream media bandwagon, and as a conservative/libertarian I was continually bemused at SK's fixation on ridiculing "Republican" Christians. Its almost like Olbermann co-authored the book. I do understand that there are nutcases out there on the right, but this is equally true of the left, yet you find almost no counterbalance to the constant torrent of derision toward conservative values in this book. I have read much better SK novels, and this simply does not compare, esp. if you have such tender sensibilities as myself. Maybe if Steve had focused more on plot development and less on politics he could have come up with a better conclusion, who knows... Regardless, its a passable read, and features the classic SK tapestry of characters, so that at least was enjoyable. Check it out, and if you're of the Olbermann camp you may rate it a 5 since the politics certainly won't bother you. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-31 04:12:37.
(Language: English)
The book jacket & SK are going to tell you that this is full-on petal to the metal writing right here; real hard SK for the real fans. OK- I will admit that I carried around this 1000+ page behemoth for days, until i finished. It is a page turner, if nothing else. If you've seen the Simpsons Movie, you have the basic plot- a big dome comes down over a town- now what do they do? King is heavy-handed with his lefty bias here, more so than in other books, so much that I even noticed (& I'm about as left as you can get). My biggest problem with the novel as a whole is that you are expecting another Stand with this kind of huge novel with such a large cast of characters. But I ended the novel not really caring that they would (SPOILER ALERT) all die. The bad guys just got worse & the good guys stayed good. There was no growth or change of any kind. Good pace & fascinating in the science of the whole dome thing, but ends up failing in drawing the reader in.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-03-14 05:53:58.
(Language: English)
I used to read a lot of Stephen King books, but I fell out of interest because I was tired of the same horror-schtick formula. I decided to return to the fold even if just for one book with his latest release. With King you have to ignore what's plausible and just enjoy the flow of the novel. It's like watching a pleasant but unspectacular movie or taking a gentle boat ride down a calm river. The characters in his novels are always very interesting and this one doesn't disappoint. In the end, as expected, the evil characters meet their demise and many of the good ones survive. The concept of such an unworldly dome is an intriguing premise, and King does a good job capturing the panic and power struggles that result in a town cut off from the rest of the world. Overall, it's a good read that I'd recommend particularly for King fans.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-09 01:50:14.
(Language: English)
This book started interestingly, but got progressively less so as it went on. The story was contrived in a number of ways, and the problems raised fizzled out without being resolved in the interesting ways they could have been. Characters were often annoying, and there was no real solution at the end, just a kind of petering out of the whole story, and much use of the "idiot plot" to work out loose ends in a wholly unsatisfying way. Ultra annoying and contrived situations to get characters in and out of trouble made me want to chuck the book across the room. Interesting premise, but it just didn't come off. King's books are all usually page-turners, and I loved them as a kid, but reading his stuff now it just seems that one turns pages, but those pages lead nowhere but to the back flap of the book. Entertaining, but shallow.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-21 05:34:51.
(Language: English)
When the small town of Chester's Mill is suddenly and inexplicably enclosed by an invisible and indestructable dome, the citizens are left with only each other. Some pull together for the good of the town and some think only of themselves. The key players in the huge cast of characters are Dale Barbara, aka Barbie, a short-order cook haunted by his wartime experiences, Julia Shumway, a newspaper editor who believes in the power of the press, Big Jim Rennie, a crooked politician with survival instincts that rival the cockroach, and Joseph McClatchey, a brilliant skater-boy who may be the one who unravels the mystery of the dome. From the very first page, death comes to Chester's Mill in many and varied (and often gross and disturbing ways). As the terror spreads and conditions worsen, we see disaster bring out the worst in these lifelong friends and neighbors. While there are some people who are brave enough to stand up for what's right, the overwhelming majority of the town's residents either jump wholeheartedly into evil or go along with little resistance. This is definitely not a warm and fuzzy tale about the inherent goodness of humanity. What it is, however, is a captivating, thought-provoking, and often uncomfortable page-turner that will keep readers turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning. (And since the hardcover is pretty heavy, you might even be able to count your reading time as part of your weight training workout!)
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Helen posted a review at 2010-05-31 12:52:39.
(Language: English)
Great King! As well as being an unputdownable read, I found it to be a fascinating look at the human race and our behaviour in certain circumstances (in this case, both under the dome and on the outside of the dome!!). Yes this is fiction but in any society there are always the power freaks, the bullied, the followers, the principled and the hopeful. I found the writing thought provoking and liked how it touched on the feelings and memories of the inner child as well as the inner adult! The cast is large, yet as always comes down to an important few. The characters we get to know are believable and humanistic and the baddies are as enjoyable as the goodies because they are so well written. I did guess more or less from the start what the dome was...but knowing or suspecting doesn't lesson the action, relationships and storyline in any way...in fact it just made it more interesting in my opinion.
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Lee posted a review at 2010-03-11 04:00:37.
(Language: English)
I am tempted to call this novel one of Stephen King's sprawling, epic stories, except that it takes place in such a short time period and is so limited geographically. The premise of a huge, impenetrable, invisible dome suddenly appearing over a little town in Maine is very intriguing. King has gone with his usual tendency to cover mundane details that other writers might ignore, such as, "Isn't the air going to run out after awhile?" and "What happened to the creatures that were only half-way under the dome when it appeared?" There's a huge cast of characters, which King handily charts in the front of the book, but I felt that it was hard to figure out what was going on without a better understanding of the players in the beginning. They are all revealed in good time, of course, but until then I had a hard time remembering why we were following certain characters. After I got into it, I found this book compelling enough that I had a hard time putting it down or being good-natured about being interrupted from it. If you already like Stephen King, it's a great read. If you don't care for him, this book will not be the one that converts you.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-18 05:18:10.
(Language: English)
"Under The Dome" is the book Stephen King has needed to write since he ended the Dark Tower series. It's a throwback back to his earlier work, most noticeably his other thousand page epic, "The Stand", with a giant supporting cast and his penchant for setting up a powerful story of 'good vs. evil'. This book doesn't suffer from any of the dragging and dredging that plagues some of his more recent books because it keeps the musings to a minimum and the action to a maximum (which isn't to say there is less substance either). As a fan of King's earlier novels (It, The Stand, Salem's Lot, etc) I couldn't get enough of this book...and I think it rivals 'The Stand' for one of the most engrossing and moving climaxes of his entire career. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed, and a bit cheap, but I can forgive King for that because everything leading up to it was *so damn good*
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-25 11:24:23.
(Language: Italian)
La grandeur kinghiana sembra apparentemente tornata quella di una volta, il libro scorre bene e – a parte qualche forzatura qua e là, tipo un cane che sente le voci – non è sconclusionato come in certi tratti appare La storia di Lisey; i personaggi si fanno amare (ma mai quanto quelli di IT e L’ombra dello scorpione, libri ed emozioni a mio avviso insuperabili) e The Dome avvinghia il Fedele Lettore per benino (magari non subito: con mille pagine, il carburamento è lento). Contrariamente ad altri libri (Duma Key), inoltre, la mole di pagine non è un’aggravante: peccato che – come in molti altri romanzi – il finale mandi un po’ a p*ttane l’opera complessiva. E però, per la prima volta da anni, la sottoscritta sente la voglia di riprendere in mano il mattone del Re che ha appena finito di leggere, ma soprattutto si è veramente affezionata ai personaggi, ma sopratutto, ha letto un libro di King in una settimana, notti comprese. Welcome back, Mr King!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-27 08:35:27.
(Language: English)
It certainly does not stand up to "The Stand" but it certainly carries around its 1000+ weight. I think King may be one of the most underappreciated writers when it comes to what literary scholars claim as "literary fiction." What seems more evident throughout this novel is a political sense of isolation and a moral sense of the human possibility of sinister action behind every nobel person, and a modernization of "Lord of the Flies" told from an adult perspective. There is obvious political connections to the Bush administration and it comes to no surprise that King is himself a staunch Democrat and critic of the Iraq war. What is most important is that the Dome represents an extended metaphor about our planet as a unique Dome of inexplicable and intangible proportions and that we are subject to the same political and sinister motivations as those under Chester's Mill. We are "ants" and we are "leatherheads" strung together together as some murky, sometimes faceless, entity. King has been criticised for his inability to leave the supernatural and his inability to create a proper ending that does not always rely on the eerie, horror element. But what would King bring to us if not the gift of an extraordinary imagination, carefully wrapped together in what only a seasoned writer can so incredibly display?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-21 06:30:14.
(Language: English)
I've read a lot of Stephen King. I was a big fan when I was in my teenage years. The Stand and The Long Walk are among his best. Under The Dome is sadly one of his worst. It was a book which started as an idea for a project called "The Cannibals" in 1976. He never finished it. I was kind of disappointed, there are no cannibals in Under The Dome. The book is colossal at more than 1000 pages. This isn't anything new for King fans as many of his books are more than 700 pages. It was over 1000 pages and was one of King's better books (although the ending was disappointing). Under The Dome should not have been 1000 pages. It should have been maybe 300 pages tops. The story meanders and meanders and nothing really happens of interest. The characters are completely dull, lifeless, one dimensional. They're created with a stroke of the pen and quickly start dying off. I never cared for them so it really wasn't a big deal when they died. The plot is another King rehash. A combination of much of his weaker work with a dash of The Stand here and there. It's part Tommyknockers (his worst book IMO), partly Dreamcatcher (also awful) and partly Needful Things (mediocre at best). The book is also an anti-bush polemic. I'm not a Bush fan but this is a little late as far as anti-Bush messages go and very thinly veiled. The main bad guys in the book are two town politicians based on George W Bush (dumb, incompetent) and Dick Cheney (power hungry, ruthless, corrupt). It's so obvious and cloying that I didn't hate these characters or feel sympathy for them. Instead of creating real characters King has just taken Bush and Cheney and inserted them in his story. Perhaps if King had any tact for writing political allegories this would have been a better novel. Under the Dome is partly based on Lord of the Flies which King frequently mentions in his work. 'Flies' was a much better novel than this, suspenseful and gripping and no more than 200 pages. Under The Dome is 5 times as long and 5 times as bad. I felt like I've seen this situations and characters before. King has just changed a few minor details. The dome itself is just a setup for another town which drives itself crazy. It's Needful Things, Cell, The Stand, Dreamcatcher and The Tommyknockers all over again. A few elements have been changed but the plot is basically the same. King can be a good writer at times but he can also be a god awful writer. In this case he's god awful. This wasn't particularly original. The idea is largely ripped off from an old Twilight Zone clone. The resolution is also utterly cheesy and practically an afterthought. It's Deus Ex Machina at its worst. Of course this is a tactic frequently employed by King when he doesn't know how to write a conclusion.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-02-10 10:16:58.
(Language: English)
I've been a fan of Stephen King's for years. I consider "The Stand" a masterpiece. What I like most about King is that he takes the time to set things up and he gives us abundant information and insight into his characters in a delightfully disgusting way. That being said, "Under the Dome" was a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong. It's still way better than most other books out there. Perhaps I am comparing it too much to "The Stand." But, when you grab a heavy book of over 1,000 pages you expect an epic. UTD doesn't quite reach that level. First, unlike "The Stand," UTD is limited in scope and space. It takes place in one town. Could still be epic, but the lack of space limits it somewhat. Second, we've got some good characters. (Although, King still has issues with fleshing out the women. They never ring as true to me as the men.) But, without the whole Dark Man/Satan v. Mother Abagail/God we had in "The Stand," it's hard to have the characters live up to expectations. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet, so I'll have to be careful here... but, the outside "evil" in UTD has a very brief, anticlimactic appearance that leaves you scratching your head. While I enjoyed the politics of the book and could completely believe how the various townspeople reacted to the manipulations, and the build toward the final end was great fun... the final confrontation you expect never happens. At least, it never happened for me. In "The Stand," we had that marvelous scene in Las Vegas and then King gave a lengthy denouement. One that made us wonder about the future of the characters. We don't have any of that in UTD, which surprised me. I think UTD is worthy of a read, just don't set your expectations too high.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-17 02:48:17.
(Language: English)
Stephen King's most political novel to date rips the facade off of small town life and strips it down to the underlying power struggles and petty hatreds. On an ordinary day in the town of Chester's Mills, Maine, and invisible wall cuts off the town from the outside world. Within a week, the citizens of Chester's Mills are in a life-and-death struggle, not only with whatever forces have put the "Dome" in place, but against the forces of tyranny imposed by their own fellow citizens. At its heart, Under the Dome is a story about bullying, and, in the tradition of Lord of the Flies, about how good-intentioned people under stress can turn against each other. It's also King's political statement about the years of the Bush Administration. And in places, it can be an extremely violent book. Aside from the placing of the Dome itself, most of the harm done to the people of Chester's Mills is done by the citizens themselves. In terms of characters, pacing, and action, this is classic King. It's an intense read, definitely hard to put down. There are some truly memorable characters among the very large cast, and King has clearly done a lot of thinking about how people might react in the scenario he has dreamed up here. King has done a pretty good job with the science of the Dome as well. The implications of the forcefield are fairly well thought out. One scene involving an attempt to burn through it with acid was a bit nonsensical from a chemistry standpoint, but for the most part King shows he has definitely done his homework (he acknowledges researcher Russ Dorr, who helped with some of the technical details, in his author's note). The plot progressed nicely, with plenty of action crammed into a tight timeframe. The ending was interesting, although I was a bit disappointed in a lack of a true final confrontation between the story's heroes and its main villain.Still, there is a lot here that works really well. The characters work, and the details are terrific. Under the Dome is King's longest book to date at 1072 pages, but it never slows down, and there are numerous scenes that are genuinely disturbing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-09 05:35:47.
(Language: English)
LOVE this book, highly recommended. Don't make it your first King, but put it on the list. Stephen King is the master of mob mentality, self control analysis, and how focused people are on their own selves. The underlying message here is that our planet is just a huge dome and if we keep messing with the atmo, we're going to end up just like those under the dome. You'll never think of propane the same way, or generators, or a town hall meeting. At over 1000 pages, I expected to drag myself through some dullish sections before I got to the meat, but the action was constant. I always wanted to continue reading and finished this in a week (I have a full time college schedule). There were over 50 characters but I never once felt like I didn't know who I was reading about. He provides a map and a list at the beginning of the book which was a huge help. But the flesh of the characters was so dense, I barely used it. The only thing that threw me off was the ubiquity of product placement. Cell phones, Rx drugs, TV shows (including Lost, which is similar in scenario to this book), his own manuscripts, anything you could imagine. One vital prop in the book is said to resemble an Apple TV. While I have nothing against Mac (in fact, I own a few), c'mon, SK. Did you do it for the advertising power? Did Blackberry pay you to put their name in there? Can I not even read a book without commercials on every page?
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-14 08:20:16.
(Language: English)
With Under the Dome, King returns to familiar territory - the post-apocalyptic scenario. Sure, this one is localized to a small town in Maine (where else?), but the subject matter is one that King explores often, and well - the plight of regular people faced with monstrously irregular conditions. King's archetypes are in full effect as well, as evil battles good within the confines of the dome, but King's strength is drawing us toward the conflict within his protagonists, and the struggles, both internal and external, they must endure. He's at his best when he invests his characters with real histories and real emotions, and the cast of characters in Chester's Mill provide plenty of opportunity to observe humanity. And yes, the end may be deus ex machina, but King has always been all about the journey anyway - and this one is indeed an engrossing ride.
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amy posted a review at 2010-04-19 08:40:22.
(Language: English)
I couldn't put this book down. But the ending killed it for me. The story begins with 'Barbie', one of the heroes of the story, heading out of town on foot after being set up by the town slut and having to teach the town hicks a lesson in military style kung fu. Suddenly, he witnesses a woodchuck being sliced in half by an apparent invisible dome and it all goes downhill from there. the story is extremely fast paced with many many different story lines and characters to keep you entertained. What I love is that King writes as if he's known these people all his life. From there we see the town, trapped under a mysterious invisible forcefield, unwittingly become the victims of a deranged, power-hungry, small town politician slash used car salesman and his psychotic son, Junior. It actually took me quite a few pages of reading to realize that 'Junior' was really his name. I mean who really names a child 'Junior' in life and/or in fiction anymore?? I have to say, I didn't like Julia Shumway's character at all. Can't say why.
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Michael posted a review at 2010-05-09 11:09:31.
(Language: English)
This massive work from Stephen King was at once engaging and frustrating. Clocking in at over 1,000 pages, and featuring a vast array of characters, "ambitious" is easily the best word to describe this work from King. At this later stage of his career, it would be easy for him to crank out shorter books and stories, but he's still attempting to tackle epics. In this case, he succeeds, and through success, also fails a bit. The book takes place in the small town of Chester's Mill, and by the time you're halfway through the book, you'll feel as if you lived in the town yourself. This is where the book scores its greatest victory. However, keeping up with every individual character becomes tiresome and occasionally confusing as events begin to ramp up towards the big ending. The town finds itself surrounded by an invisible dome. Nobody knows where it came from or how to get rid of it. Everyone is trapped in the town, and as resources dwindle, tensions run high. Small town politics, back door deals, and skeletons in the closet quickly come into play, and what was once a cozy town becomes a war zone, with one corrupt politician seeking to make a play for power, fame, and money while conveniently eliminating his enemies. The explanation of the dome, and by extension, the end of the book, are a bit disappointing, as King uses an external device to solve the immense problems he'd kept long simmering between these townfolk. He pulls no punches in who lives and who dies, and his style is still engaging, but I think he missed the chance to create something amazing by venturing into the fantastic. It's a bit hard to discuss without getting into spoilers, but I do recommend the book to anyone with a lot of free time (and strong arms).
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-14 02:51:52.
(Language: English)
I say this after most King books, but need to repeat myself. "THE best Stephen King book so far". I love most of them. This one did not disappoint. It's long, which is great for me...I'm a quick reader and usually stop short of a satisfying ending. Great job once again Mr. King. Looking for a summary? This town in the NE US suddenly, VERY suddenly is closed off by this invisible dome; miles high and over the exact city limits over this very small town. Chester Mills has a religious nut/dictator-like town selectman who you dislike immediately and his son who is much worse for different reasons that I won't give up. The hero is an ex military short order cook who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You will be surprised to realize all the things that can happen in a town that has been totally cut off physically from the rest of the world. Weather patterns, pollution, power needs and the more unpredictable 'beast' created in small towns with big problems. Highly recommended.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-12-05 11:13:42.
(Language: English)
The sleepy backwater of Chester's Mill, Maine, is suddenly encapsulated by an invisible barrier rising some 30,000 feet into the air, cutting off not only living things from the outside but curtailing the free movement of water and air. No rain falls in Chester's Mill, no breeze blows... As Dale "Barbie" Barbara, former lieutenant and now suddenly made a colonel by Presidential Order, tries to come up with a solution to the town's predicament, Selectman James Rennie begins to build his own smalltown dictatorship... Epic... I was a little bit dubious about the alien aspect of the book (really, Steve? Aliens?), but I went with it, because honestly, how can you fight the current here? As usual, King's pacy plotting carries the reader along, sometimes against her will (OK, I'll just read this one little section more... err, maybe two...). It's a little like *Lord of the Flies* for adults, and while the characters don't descend into the savagery that the boys on the island do, there is a lot of brutality--the sort of brutality that goes on in many a dictatorship. Yet, as in most of King's tales, good wins out, though at the last moment and not because of itself, but because of pity.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-24 08:43:11.
(Language: English)
I loved The Stand. When Stephen King does Sci-Fi, there's usually no one more able to keep me turning the pages. That's why I couldn't wait to dive in to Under the Dome. Finished the nearly 1100 page book in just a few days. I really wish I could recommend you do the same but... The Stand has a wide range of deep characters, with varying political, cultural and religious views. He never played favorites,and one never knew rather the Christian was going to be the good guy or the bad guy. The same cannot be said for Under the Dome. In Under the Dome, anyone who is a conservative is evil. Anyone who is a practicing Christian is evil. The exception is the pastor of the liberal "Congo" church, who no longer believes in God at all, and prays to He Who is Not There. Hmmm. Guess the pattern still holds. His characters in this book are not deep, but shallow stereotypes of Liberal and Conservative. The only stereotype he sort of leaves alone is the military, probably because he needs them for plot consistency. But even there, his political beliefs are plain. The hero is haunted by the torture he participated in while in Fallujah. Yawn. The Stand was an epic. Under the Dome is not. Sad, as Mr. King could have done so much with the plot if he had left his politics behind.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-02-24 08:29:42.
(Language: English)
I have been a fan of Stephen King's since the 70's. Having said that, this book would not make my top 5 list. I was seriously hooked until about 2/3 of the way through when it suddenly became silly, and ultimately, depressing. I can't explain why, without giving the explanation for "the dome" away. King's cast of characters rival those in "The Stand", one of my favorites, so be prepared to follow them along. His good guys are "good" and his bad guys are "great" (which always makes me question how King knows "evil" so well - lol). If you have never read a King book, I don't think I would recommend this one; perhaps "The Shining" instead. For those of you who are fans, it's probably worth a read. The pace of the book is fairly brisk, and at over 1,000 pages it needs to be! I'll be interested to see what all of you think!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-31 08:56:07.
(Language: English)
I have to start by saying that I'm relatively sure this turned out to be the most depressing book I ever read; however, I don't mean that in a bad way. Everything in this book just worked for me in a very thought-provoking, page-turning, and visceral way. I anguished and triumphed with the characters as they stepped through the intricately woven plot full of coincidence and calculation, blind luck and blind ambition. I can say in advance that you will hate certain characters with an unabated passion. You will marvel at the collective stupidity of a group of seemingly every-day people. You'll be disgusted by what your neighbors are proven to be capable of in times of distress. For these reasons... this ability to touch you and strike such dischord... this is a phenomenal ready. Stephen King has certain not lot his touch by any measure. If you like any of his work, you owe it to yourself to read this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-06 07:14:21.
(Language: English)
I haven't read much later Stephen King. The Dark Tower series was the last of his works I really invested much time into. "Under the Dome" was worth buying and worth reading, however. Perhaps because it is a later book based on a very early idea (he began the book in the late '70's), I think it's one of his best. Generally I don't think King is at his best when writing alien visitation-type science fiction. "Tommyknockers" was just...awful. Truly awful. This book is more subtle. The aliens are god-like creatures whom we never really see, playing a sort of childish prank on this town in Maine by sealing it underneath an impenetrable, clear dome. King makes the comparison to children lighting anthills on fire with a magnifying glass, and the comparison is pretty apt. One could extrapolate a deeper meaning by pointing to the number of times we humans have acted the part of "gods" by destroying life with impunity. Of all King's recent work, this one is well worth reading. My only hope is no one tries to make it into another horrible movie. I just don't think it will work.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-02 02:14:40.
(Language: English)
As I complete reading the 1077-page self-flagellation session, I wonder why I ever thought Stephen King was a relevant author. It's sad, because (like many Americans) I too cut my teeth on stalwart King classics like "Carrie", "The Shining", "Cujo", "It", "The Green Mile", etc. I enjoyed these books when I read them, although I've no clue if I read them today whether I'd enjoy them now like I did then. Or, more relevant to a criticism of his latest book ("Under the Dome"), has my taste in literature totally changed, or has Stephen King's talent completely "flown south" (or, even, "down east")? All I know is, King's tale about Chester's Mill (pop. +/- 1500) being covered by an impervious dome (and the chaos that ensues) totally fails as thriller material. Perhaps to shrug off charges that King cribbed his idea from "The Simpson's Movie", he dutifully lets us know (via the end notes) he's had this idea since 1976 but couldn't quite put it together until now. This would explain, perhaps, how the novel DOES work (a little) as thinly-veiled agitprop against the conservative right (it took eight years of Bush-hatred, evidently, to finally turn his dim concept into a reality). If you hate Bush and US conservative ideology, you might get some enjoyment from this novel (as, perhaps, an allegory for absolute (right-wing) power corrupting absolutely). If you're looking for a suspenseful, eerie thriller, however, you might want to think twice about this one.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-05-29 04:05:28.
(Language: Italian)
Il libro merita. Merità per la monumentalità dell'opera, la quantità di personaggi tutti caratterizzati ottimamente, per i temi trattati, merita King per il coraggio dimostrato nel proporre una storia, a mio avviso, quanto più lontana da ciò che è l'immagine stereotipata di "King re del brivido". Volete un horror? Siete fuori strada. Con "The Dome", King non punta a terrorizzarci (almeno non alla maniera tradizionale, attraverso mostri e misteri paranormali), ma a farci pensare, a farci riflettere sulle nefandezze umane, e se alla fine riesce lo stesso a terrorizzarci è solo perchè ci ha mostrato quanto l'uomo può essere crudele e autodistruttivo. Siamo di fronte ad un'opera diversa da tutta la produzione kinghiana, un romanzo politico, "impegnato", in cui la cupola altro non è se non una miccia, un detonatore che fa esplodere tutte le dinamiche umane e sociali di una piccola comunità, con le sue paure, i suoi rancori latenti, i suoi scheletri nell'armadio. Il tema cardine è sicuramente la politica, con Big Jim Rennie a incarnare l'essenza del politico corrotto, pio e devoto all'apparenza, ma in realtà deus ex machina che muove i fili della piccola cittadina a suo piacimento, manipolando la realtà per il proprio tornaconto. Un personaggio davvero riuscitissimo, che si odia sin da subito (e ognuno colga il riferimento al politico reale che meglio crede). Non solo politica, ma religione, ambiente, terrorismo, libertà di stampa ed espressione, repressione, resistenza, l'eterma storia del "popolo contro il potere". Tutto rose e fiori dunque? Beh no, altrimenti si sarebbe beccato cinque stellette. Non so come meglio spiegarlo, ma questo libro rispetto ad altri, manca di quella "atmosfera", quel pathos avvolgente che si ritrova in ogni pagina di capolavori come "L'ombra dello scorpione", "Salem's lot" e molti altri; sarà lo stile, secondo me meno evocativo di prove recenti come "la storia di Lisey" e soprattutto "Duma key", una scrittura più scorrevole ma anche più semplice. Forse questa impressione di perdita di atmosfera mi deriva proprio dalla diversità del tema trattato o meglio dal modo in cui è trattato: King ha sempre usato il mostro cattivo come allegoria delle nefandezze umane, mentre qui ci presenta l'uomo nudo e crudo, l'uomo reale, con conseguente perdita di "effetto scenico". Tra le cose che mi hanno convinto poco ci metto anche il finale, ma per una questione assolutamente personale, io quando si tirano in ballo "alieni&co." storco sempre un pò la bocca, preferisco il caro vecchio fantasma/vampiro/mostriciattolo/demone. Ma, ripeto, non è tanto importante la spiegazione del perchè la cupola si trovi lì, nè del come scompaia, il succo di questo romanzo è tutto ciò che sta nel mezzo.
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