Under the Dome

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Raul Esparza

Length: 34 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2009 Stephen King (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Under the Dome

Is there anything you would change about this book?

starts out a little slow and hard to follow all of the characters

How did the narrator detract from the book?

voice is just a little to soothing and had characters with southern accent, not the voices that I heard from Maine

Was Under the Dome worth the listening time?

I watched the series when it was on tv and this was a little different as with most books the movies and not usually as good as the book

Must Listen for Steve King fans!

Wow, just wow!! I stayed up until midnight to finish this book I was so enthralled by the story. Amazing characters that will truly stay with me.

Compelling story of horrific human behavior

Read from May 29 to July 08, 2013

Listened for Fun (Audible/#DomeAlong Reading Challenge)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.75

Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Wasn't too impressed with the ending (the reason for the dome) but the overall story was compelling. I am an "ender" though so that made a huge impact on my rating!

Story Thoughts: Without discussing the ending (which I disliked), the rest of the story was a fantastic character study of the human race (which yes I understand could be tied into the ending but still didn't like it). I think the story showed the best and the worst of people in circumstances that maybe didn't call for it. This was a quick breakdown in society (I think 10 days total) and it was brutal. The beginning of the story was a little slow but the "meat" of the story was fantastic!

Character Thoughts: I wouldn't say the characters in Under the Dome were as compelling as the characters from The Stand BUT I would say they hold their own. There are many different character types running around and with the exception of 4--I would say none of them are straight up good or evil. Of the 4 that I do think fall on the clearly evil or saintly (and yes I thought one character was written to "good") they even had interesting character ticks. Overall, it is the characters that make Under the Dome compelling and a page turning read.

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Raul Esparza / Length: 34 hrs and 29 mins


I am just going to say it: whenever a narrator takes on a big project like Under the Dome with several different characters/pov's they take a huge risk. I think Raul pulled it off! Yes, the length and number of characters would have been better suited to a full-cast recording BUT Raul did an excellent job on his own. I will be watching for more audiobooks narrated by him.

Final Thoughts: I would recommend Under the Dome to anyone who likes compelling stories of horrific human behavior. Don't say I didn't warn you because there is HORRIFIC (JR) human behavior!

Perfect Steven King

I have read a lot of Steven King books but this is my first audio book. I'm hooked. Great character development, perfect narration. This one should be made into a move. You will really get pulled into the story. Just remember to set your sleep timer.

Excellent each time!

This is the sixth time I've listened to this book, and I must say, still as incredible as the first time!

mummer54

I am 7 hrs into this book and while the story is dragging a bit I think (hope) it will get better -- IF -- I can get past the reader and finish the book. The accents are terrible and the reader often sounds very bored with his job and sounds like a gay valley-boy. Who chose this guy? Stephen King require your agent to have some influence in the choice of readers!

great listen

loved it. intriguing from the start. compelling characters and the way the story is woven together makes it hard to put down once you really get into the story. I highly recommend this book. well with a credit

Amazing human characters!

Like many of his books before, King brought this town to life with all of it's lifelike characters. The only qualm I have is that I believe he forgot where he was going with the story at some point in the latter third. Overall, I loved it like I love most of his books.

Not King's Best Work

Would you try another book from Stephen King and/or Raul Esparza?

Raul Esparza did a great job reading this book.
Stephen King stereotyped virtually all of his characters. There didn't seem to be any characcters who would've surprised the reader. Likewise the story was ho-hum. I loved King's 11/22/63. It was a great read.

Would you recommend Under the Dome to your friends? Why or why not?

No. It was lacking at many levels. The story line was very cliche; characters were stereotypical.

Which scene was your favorite?

I didn't have a favorite scene.

Did Under the Dome inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

I generally love King's work, but not this time.

Fantastic book, could not put it down

As an avid Stephen King fan, I did expect to love this book, but I was much more involved in the story that I even anticipated. The ending has one thing that is a bit trite, but otherwise another example of his amazing imagination and excellent story telling.