I have been a huge Stephen King fan from the day I first read one of his books. It was The Dead Zone, and I was probably about 13. From then on, every trip to the library meant a new King book...until I had read everything the Warwick Public Library had of his. Now, when a new book comes out, I look forward to the day when I will find it on the KIN shelf at the library. And so, I was happy when I arrived at the library two weeks ago and discovered "Under the Dome."
At 1072 pages, I figured it would take me a while to read. However, once I started, I found myself grabbing every spare minute to continue...to the point where I had it at hand so I could read during commercials. It is the story of a small town in Maine (as so many of his books are). This particular town one day finds itself, as the title says, under The Dome. They are sealed in from the rest of the world. The characters include a former army lieutenant turned diner cook, a small town newspaper editor, a corrupt politician, and a whole cast of others. Surprisingly soon after the dome's appearance, the town becomes an experiment in human psychology. In many ways, things go exactly as you expect them to...but there are other things that you just don't see coming...especially when the origins of the Dome are revealed.
As I mentioned, I've been reading this book almost non-stop when I've been home. There is one exception to that. I do not, under any circumstances, read a Stephen King book in bed. I vowed many years ago that I would never do this again...after too many nights staying up to read "just one more chapter" followed by horrific nightmares. I have had an overactive imagination since I was small, and King's books provide a hell of a trigger for the things that go bump in the night.
Overall, I liked "Under the Dome." It isn't quite up there with my personal favorites: It, The Stand, Bag of Bones; the ones that I re-read semi-annually. I would, however, recommend it to anyone with an interest in human behavior.
Next up: Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden...another library pick.
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