The first Stephen King novel I read was The Shining. I was in 8th Grade at the time and had just seen the movie which had scared the shit out of me. It wouldn't be until I went back and read King's other novels that I realized how much a masterpiece the book is and how much the film is completely disconnected from it. But I was hooked and I've been reading King's work with anticipation ever since.
Whenever he published a new novel, I'd buy it and crack it open the day it was published. I fondly remember plowing through It in 2 days (and being somewhat disappointed in the ending). The last King novel I read all the way through was Black House. I skipped over Dreamcatcher (don't remember why), but came back to it in March of 2002. It became my workout book. I could only read it while I was riding the recumbent bike. I got about halfway through before April came around and I had my aneurysm. It took me 2 years to eventually pick the book up and finish it. And while I still continued picking up his new books (From a Buick 8, Everything's Eventual, The Dark Tower V, VI & VII, The Colorado Kid, Cell, Lisey's Story, Blaze, Duma Key and Just After Sunset), I didn't actually open them to read (although I did try reading Cell -- got about 50 pages in and stopped).
And then somewhere, somehow, an enthusiasm built in me for his latest novel Under the Dome. Not sure why, maybe it was because it was a mythical book that King had tried writing twice before and never finished (once under the title of The Cannibals). It arrived and I opened it and started reading. Two days later I was done.
Under the Dome concerns the town of Chester's Mill in Maine (where else). One day an invisible dome descends upon the town covering the whole thing area (exactly on its borders) and cutting it off from civilization. King paints a great portrait of what would happen if something like this existed. Moving vehicles would smash into it, the air would become still then stale and as the wind blew particles outside they would slowly collect on the surface turning the view into a murkey muddy mess.
Meanwhile, in the town society starts to fall apart. Like The Stand and The Mist before it, Under the Dome is really a look at how society can unravel at the seams when faced with unexplainable circumstances. People start falling into two categories: those that want to proactively find a way out (change) and those that want to proactively find a way to use the situation to their advantage because its a "new world order" (in actuality preserving the status quo). King's political commentary is not subtle at all. The town is run by a group of Selectmen, but it is the Second Selectman who really runs the show (and he's not happy that Obama's president).
King is still able to present us with a huge cast of characters that remain three dimensional and engaging. His writing style has always been one of accessibility that easily drags a reader in. Here, he keeps you engaged for the entire run of the novel -- even up to the somewhat disappointing ending. Let's face it, if a giant dome were to appear and seal off an entire town one day there would only be two explanations: it's man-made (meaning "the government") or its alien. I won't tell you which one King opts for, but it leads of a vague, confusing and somewhat silly resolution at the end.
All in all, Under the Dome falls on the better end of the King spectrum. It isn't The Stand, but it isn't The Tommyknockers either. Its worth a read whether you like King or not.
Meanwhile, it has inspired me to "catch up" on what I've missed. I'm probably going to start with The Dark Tower books and go back to the beginning of the series. Anyone interested in starting a book club to discuss them?
Be seeing you.
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