Under the Dome by Stephen King

Under the Dome by Stephen King

2009, Scribner

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Synopsis: On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away. 

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

The Good: I loved Under the Dome. I loved the premise. I loved the town. I loved the characters, good and creepy alike. While this novel is a story of a town trapped by some unknown force and all that entails in itself, it is more so a story about people and how they relate to one another - something that Stephen King absolutely excels at. The mystical forces behind the situation do not hold a candle to the inner workings of the town and all who reside there. Human nature is always the true horror and King works his magic with the residents of Chester's Mill to make this novel psychologically disturbing in the best ways possible. Over 1000 pages just flew by and I could not get enough.

The Bad: Nothing bad here. Loved it, loved it, loved it.