Under The Dome

Under The Dome by Stephen King is a gigantic (and I do mean gigantic.  Have you seen the size of that book?)  statement about the corruption that can come from power.  Especially when you're a big fish in a little pond like Big Jim Rennie, or Junior, his murderously deranged son.

 

When a dome suddenly descends upon the small town of Chester's Mill effectively caging them in, the town occupants are cut off from the outside world.  This gives Rennie the prime opportunity to assume the power he's always wanted.  But not everybody in the town supports Rennie's rise to power.  Drifter line-cook Dale Barbara, or Barbie, and newspaper editor Julia Shumway are two of his most prevalent opposition. 

 

As fresh oxygen wanes and temperatures rise, the town divides into factions, secrets are divulged and, in true King fashion, destruction ensues. 

 

All right, the truth is, I am not a King fan.  His writing style is not to my taste and I have a personal problem with statements he's made in public, so I don't make a habit of reading his books.  I say this because I truly did like this book and I want you to understand that it earned its rating wholeheartedly with me.

 

There were so many moments where I would have to put this story down and just gape in jaw-dropping horror.  So many "What the f***?" moments. But that's King.  There was a lot of description to slog through, and since I'm more a dialogue and action propelled girl, it became somewhat tedious.  I also found the ending to be a let down after a lot of awesome buildup.  But, getting up to the end, well, let's just say there is a reason Stephen King is so critically acclaimed.

 

If you're a King fan, or even a sci-fi/horror fan, I highly recommend this book.  Even if you're not but you want to escape to a disturbing new reality for a while or need a change of pace, this is the book for you.

 

My rating: 7 out of 10.