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Book Review of Under the Dome

Under the Dome
paigu avatar reviewed on + 120 more book reviews


This book reminded me of "The Stand" because it was more heavily focused on the characters. Like "The Stand," this book begins with a sudden, mysterious conflict- in this case, a dome clamps down over the town, shutting it off from the rest of the world. What follows in a great psychological read of the tensions that accelerate within the townsfolk. The good/bad conflict of a power-hungry car salesman/pseudo town leader and the ex-military diner cook is wonderfully drawn out. Where this book goes wrong is Mr. King's desire to throw in the "weird" element. The dome needs some sort of explanation, but the one Mr King offers is just too weird and disjointed; it does not fit in with the book at all. However, I also had the feeling he was trying to avoid the "government conspiracy"/bad military coverup controversy. Oh well, the coverup conspiracy would have made more of a fit than the ending he chose.