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So, the behemoth that is Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” has finally ended. At least for me.
I freely admit that the first “chapters” of the book were completely compelling. The description of the Dome appearing out of thin air and the immediate consequences gave me, Constant Reader, a feeling of relief. Sometimes King is able to pull me in immediately (as he did here), but other times the opening of his novels are sluggish. Color me pleased he latter was not the case when it came to “Under the Dome.”
The book is certainly the lengthiest in King’s recent repertoire. Weighing in at over a thousand pages, the novel contains one of the largest and most complex set of characters he has ever written. The two main characters, Barbie and Jim Rennie, also mark a high point for King when it comes to the love and hate generated by the author. That is a difficult thing to do, but he flawlessly makes me love and loathe.
Without giving much away in this section, I admit the pages kept turning. The political and social minutiae that populate the town is wholly fascinating. Who knew reading about town selectmen and their little lives could be so interesting? The concepts presented, once I got past the craziness of a Dome coming down, made sense and were based on realities readers can believe.
For the most part.
While the first 850 to 900 pages have a “I could see that happening” feel, the ending falls way short. Too often King uses some sort of beyond-this-world ending to wrap things up. I must admit, I kept hoping and wishing for “Under the Dome” to have a believable ending. After all, the rest of the book was set in reality.
Don’t get me wrong, the action and actions of the characters in the end still made sense, but I was disappointed that the Dome itself was not caused by something wholly terrestrial. In just about any other book this would NOT have been an issue. But when King uses three-fourths of his book keeping our feet on the ground, he manages a big “screw you” in the end.
Sorry, but alien kids using the town of Chester Mill as a play toy (like a human kid burning ants with a magnifying glass, as the author put it) comes off as a cheap out. Why couldn’t the Dome have been caused by someone in the town after all? Preferably by one of the main characters? I kept waiting for one of my favorites to reveal a super-secret ulterior motive.
But no.
And that nearly ruined it for me. Sorry, but the ending must match the rest of the book. And, in the case of “Under the Dome,” I feel cheated.
Overall, I would have to rate the book a 7 out of 10. All seven points are awarded based on the characters populating the town, the description of the Dome, and the page-turning effect King presented. Had the ending been something more preferable, it would have easily been 9 points.
Good try, Mr. King. But work on your endings!
I freely admit that the first “chapters” of the book were completely compelling. The description of the Dome appearing out of thin air and the immediate consequences gave me, Constant Reader, a feeling of relief. Sometimes King is able to pull me in immediately (as he did here), but other times the opening of his novels are sluggish. Color me pleased he latter was not the case when it came to “Under the Dome.”
The book is certainly the lengthiest in King’s recent repertoire. Weighing in at over a thousand pages, the novel contains one of the largest and most complex set of characters he has ever written. The two main characters, Barbie and Jim Rennie, also mark a high point for King when it comes to the love and hate generated by the author. That is a difficult thing to do, but he flawlessly makes me love and loathe.
Without giving much away in this section, I admit the pages kept turning. The political and social minutiae that populate the town is wholly fascinating. Who knew reading about town selectmen and their little lives could be so interesting? The concepts presented, once I got past the craziness of a Dome coming down, made sense and were based on realities readers can believe.
For the most part.
While the first 850 to 900 pages have a “I could see that happening” feel, the ending falls way short. Too often King uses some sort of beyond-this-world ending to wrap things up. I must admit, I kept hoping and wishing for “Under the Dome” to have a believable ending. After all, the rest of the book was set in reality.
Don’t get me wrong, the action and actions of the characters in the end still made sense, but I was disappointed that the Dome itself was not caused by something wholly terrestrial. In just about any other book this would NOT have been an issue. But when King uses three-fourths of his book keeping our feet on the ground, he manages a big “screw you” in the end.
Sorry, but alien kids using the town of Chester Mill as a play toy (like a human kid burning ants with a magnifying glass, as the author put it) comes off as a cheap out. Why couldn’t the Dome have been caused by someone in the town after all? Preferably by one of the main characters? I kept waiting for one of my favorites to reveal a super-secret ulterior motive.
But no.
And that nearly ruined it for me. Sorry, but the ending must match the rest of the book. And, in the case of “Under the Dome,” I feel cheated.
Overall, I would have to rate the book a 7 out of 10. All seven points are awarded based on the characters populating the town, the description of the Dome, and the page-turning effect King presented. Had the ending been something more preferable, it would have easily been 9 points.
Good try, Mr. King. But work on your endings!
