Stephen King's "Under The Dome"

[LouCipherr]

I read Under The Dome and finished a few weeks ago - i have to admit, while not his best work, this is some of the best stuff I've read from King in a while. This book is a lot like "The Stand" (although not as good, it's similar in structure, the amount of characters, the intertwined sub-plots, etc) - and it has some fantastic moments, however, there are a few things I could've done without. The crazy sheriff? Didn't he already cover that ground in several previous novels (most notably, Desperation)? Also, what causes the dome and the resolution are a bit... well... odd for lack of a better word and without giving everything away to those who might still read it. Endings to his stories are never King's strong point (IT anyone? Tommyknockers? Cell? horrible endings!) but this one was at least a few steps up from some of his previous efforts. I have to say, after Lisey's Story, Duma Key and Cell, this is a nice refreshing kick in the pants by King. Speaking of which, Just After Sunset (came out just before Under the Dome & was a collection of short stories) has some great stories in it, especially "A Very Tight Place"

[DubiousComforts]

The crazy sheriff? Didn't he already cover that ground in several previous novels (most notably, Desperation)? There is no "crazy sheriff" in Under the Dome and no character is possessed or influenced by alien/supernatural intelligence as in IT, Desperation, The Regulators or Dreamcatcher, to name a few. Another refreshing change with Under the Dome: no character is a writer!

[LouCipherr]

There is no "crazy sheriff" in Under the Dome and no character is possessed or influenced by alien/supernatural intelligence as in IT, Desperation, The Regulators or Dreamcatcher, to name a few. Another refreshing change with Under the Dome: no character is a writer! You don't consider Big Jim as a crazy Sheriff? Ok, he's a "Selectman" - symantics....

[DubiousComforts]

You don't consider Big Jim as a crazy Sheriff? Ok, he's a "Selectman" - symantics.... Big Jim Rennie is a politician/businessman and his behavior isn't unpredictable or "crazy." That's what is so great about it. There is a sheriff/police chief in the novel and he's not crazy in any way, shape or form. You could have better argued that The Chef is your typical crazy King wild card character/plot device, just like Trash Can Man in The Stand. That would be my only complaint regarding the characters.

[LouCipherr]

Big Jim Rennie is a politician/businessman and his behavior isn't unpredictable or "crazy." I don't see intentionally starting riots as "predictable" for any businessman or politician. I don't see half the stuff Rennie did as being anywhere near the realm of normal either. Burning down newspaper offices (well, having his own men do it)? That's "normal" behaviour? The guy was a control freak and pulled out all the stops to keep himself in control. There was no line he wouldn't cross (including killing some of his own men) so I don't see where that's particularly normal (or should I say, non-crazy). That sound like a full-on, unpredictable, crazy nutbag if you ask me. I certainly don't see the Chef as anywhere near crazy. He was one of the few that seemed to have his head on straight throughout the entire story.

[Hopegiver]

Does anyone remember a Twilight Zone (or it could have been Outer Limits, Night Gallery or some other show like that) episode about a dome covering a small town? I think there were maybe two different episodes. Other than that I know there are a few books that have domes in them. My favorite was a sci fi book titled "Manhattan Transfer" http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Tran.../dp/0812519523

[Tricky]

What minds eye picture did you guys have of Big Jim then? I kind of thought of him as a cross between Boss Hog from the dukes of hazard & Porky from the film Porkys!

[JDFP]

Personally, I think Big Jim Rennie would be the perfect role for Meat Loaf. Do you know how you get certain actors/actresses stuck in your head when you're reading a character in a novel? For me, Big Jim became Meat Loaf when reading it. I think he'd do an amazing job with the role. As far as "Under the Dome" goes, I personally really enjoyed "Duma Key" and "Just After Sunset". I thought "Lisey's Story", "Cell", and most of his more recent stuff is utter tripe crap though. So, for me, this was a wonderful turn of form for King and for enjoying his work. I prefer his short stories to his novels though, so I'd all for more short-story collections coming out in the future. I think he is best when it comes to the shorter form/novella's than trudging along with a longer work. The two exceptions, for me at least, are "Christine" and "The Stand". j.p.

[DubiousComforts]

I don't see intentionally starting riots as "predictable" for any businessman or politician. I don't see half the stuff Rennie did as being anywhere near the realm of normal either. Burning down newspaper offices (well, having his own men do it)? That's "normal" behaviour? You're serious? Authority figures manipulating and/or instigating riots, social unrest and terrorism for their own gain is a completely alien concept in the history of human existence? Gotcha. Rennie is a corrupt, cunning and conniving sociopath that would use any means necessary, even murder, to exert his control over others, but that doesn't automatically make him "crazy." He knows exactly what he's doing, even in the way that he manipulates people with religion. I certainly don't see the Chef as anywhere near crazy. He was one of the few that seemed to have his head on straight throughout the entire story. You're talking about the character who is continuously stoned on crystal meth with his finger on the trigger of a detonator throughout the entire story, right? Even Rennie couldn't predict the loose cannon that is The Chef. We obviously must have read completely different novels, so it makes little sense to discuss these finer points until I'm able to track down a copy of this bizarro world version of Under the Dome that you're talking about. The author wouldn't happen to be Richard Bachman? Does anyone remember a Twilight Zone (or it could have been Outer Limits, Night Gallery or some other show like that) episode about a dome covering a small town? I think there were maybe two different episodes. The Outer Limits episode "A Feasibility Study" concerns a town being transported to another planet for an alien experiment. Also, the early 60s sci-fi movie The Slime People had a race of underground creatures enslaving Los Angeles within a wall of solidified fog. Though The Outer Limits episode had the main characters sacrificing themselves for the good of mankind, neither story is as detailed a study of human nature like Under the Dome. What minds eye picture did you guys have of Big Jim then? A slightly shorter, heavier and stockier version of John Goodman. (Meatloaf would be a good choice, too, JDFP.)

[Mr.G]

This book is a lot like "The Stand" (although not as good, it's similar in structure, the amount of characters, the intertwined sub-plots, etc) - and it has some fantastic moments, however, there are a few things I could've done without. Off topic, but I wanted to share with everyone I found the OOP DVD of The Stand at FYE for 10 bucks tonight!

[Danny]

i finally finished this a minute ago and i am totally of two minds about this book. positives: Jim rennie was a great bad guy, a bit "top hat, moustache, tie the girl to the railroad tracks" cliche but a character in the truest sense of the word. i had a proper dislike for the guy, whereas other king antagonists like randall flag just seemed to be there to move the plot along. rennie was a deeply flawed human being that really kept me reading. manages a huge cast well. not since the stand have i read a king novel with so many characters that each had a valid part in the story. granted some like piper libby and ole' sam where filler-ish but there were so many greats in the book. avoids the "american army = dickheads in black helicopters" cliche. nuff said there i think. takes the simple idea of an impenetrable bubble and goes in some interesting directions with it. negatives: the story on the whole is basically just points from other king novels mixed together in a slightly disjointed way. its got the isolated split community of the mist with the premise king doesnt know or choose how to explain like in cell. its just there. the protagonist was easily the worst part, he bordered on 'larry stu' territory. he could do no wrong, and when things went wrong for him that was just time for him to take a breather on the bench to give 'screen time' as it where to other characters. on the whole his whole path through the story was very weakly constructed and served only to push the story along, when rusty and julia seemed to be doing that just fine on there own. another genius kid/ kids predict the final act in the first again. i get it. ya' liked akira, not every story needs the psychic kids!, i know it wasnt just kids by the end, but when you have a little girl have a psychic fit and foretell the final tragedy of the story you know its been spoiled by you because the kids always see the future in kings stories. this book took me a long ass time to read, at 876 pages thats an afternoon read for me of maybe 5 to 7 hours, i read a lot of books and read very fast, but i could not get into this for the life of me, not since dolores clairborne have i been so unable to engage with a king story. luckily it gets constantly better as it goes on, but the first 200 pages are a complete chore to grind through to get to the good stuff. the story turns out to be just an alien girl who thinks she is playing the sims. huh. i dont think rennie should have had the typical "bad guy comeuppance" scene its something king keeps using from 90s action movies. honestly i wouldve made rennie get found by col. cox in the bunker and made to face charges for all the things he did. the heart attack was an obvious cop out. overall i think king took some ideas that worked around a premise that conjured up a coo mental image. but ddi not know how to end it sufficiently and in the end its like a disjointed episode of the ray bradbury theatre. i cant be arsed to type much since its 4am and reading the last 476 pages in a sitting this late buggered my eyes up something fierce but its a solid king story, albiet minus the pop culture referential charm his other great works like christine had. its not his best, but still his best in a few years. -and meatloaf was totally the jim remmie in my head. maybe with a little full metal drill sarge thrown in.

[DubiousComforts]

-and meatloaf was totally the jim remmie in my head. I'm beginning to think that perhaps Rennie is actually this guy:

[JDFP]

this book took me a long ass time to read, at 876 pages thats an afternoon read for me of maybe 5 to 7 hours, i read a lot of books and read very fast, but i could not get into this for the life of me, not since dolores clairborne have i been so unable to engage with a king story. Wait, you said this took you a long ass time to read but then you say you read 876 pages in SEVEN HOURS? Am I reading that right? How is that even physically possible? I guess I consider myself a moderate reader when it comes to reading, but this book took me about two weeks to read and that was reading a good two - three hours every night. I just don't see how it's possible to read something that quickly... j.p.

[krakenslayer]

Wait, you said this took you a long ass time to read but then you say you read 876 pages in SEVEN HOURS? Am I reading that right? How is that even physically possible? I guess I consider myself a moderate reader when it comes to reading, but this book took me about two weeks to read and that was reading a good two - three hours every night. I just don't see how it's possible to read something that quickly... j.p. I dunno, I started reading it last night and I got through about a fifth of the book in about two hours, so I imagine reading the whole thing is doable provided there are no interruptions and he's really into the book. A lot of it depends on the book itself too: mostly print size (the hardback Under the Dome I have is printed with fairly large text so its less to read than a book of the same length with a smaller typeface) and sentence structure (Stephen King's prose is very easy to read, the eye just slides right over it, you rarely have to read a sentence twice; Mary Shelly on the other hand... well, it took me a month to get through Frankenstein and that's a tiny book).

[Danny]

Wait, you said this took you a long ass time to read but then you say you read 876 pages in SEVEN HOURS? Am I reading that right? j.p. thats my point, normally i could read this in a few hours. but i just kept getting about 20 chapters in in about 15 minutes, then just ended up putting it down and leaving it for a while, i know i read a little faster than the norm, but im not saying that to brag, just to say that the biggest negative is how hard this was for me to get into, and for king that aint his usual style with me.