REVIEW: Under the Dome

A novel by Stephen King

If ever there was a book with a theme, this is it, and King wants you to know it: A person may be smart and reasonable, but a group of people are easily manipulated by fear and are in no way reasonable. The premise here is that a small town is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world by a formidable and invisible dome. The difference between this dome and that of The Simpson’s Movie is that no one knows the source of this one. The dome itself certainly creates some issues (people crashing into the dome not knowing it’s there, survivors being cut off from loved ones or providers, diminishing supplies, stagnant air and water, etc.), but it is the people inside the dome who are the source of many of their own biggest concerns (greedy and opportunistic politicians being chief amongst them). Although the novel may seem somewhat unwieldy at over 1,000 pages, the plot is quick-paced; the writing style is entertaining; and the text is broken up into small and easily-consumable chapters. Other than the concept and the names and backgrounds of some of the characters, the book and the TV show are considerably different, so don’t let interest in one of them dissuade you from the other.

– Darryl Woods, Main Library, Charleston, S.C.

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