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

Best in Years

I have been reading Stephen King for over 30 years and this is his best in many years. It rivals "The Stand" and "It" and any King reader knows that means it is great. This is the first of King's books I listened to instead of reading, and the narration added to the enjoyment.

Great Narrator

The Narrator does a GREAT job. The book keeps you listening even though it is very long.

WORTH EVERY SECOND!

This book took me back to Duma Key and The Cell. If you are a Stephen King fan you have to listen!!!

Not my favorite from King

Going into it, I had high expectations, as I have enjoyed several of King's novels. This was a very long-winded novel filled with many characters who lack any redeeming characteristics. Without giving anything away, the ending was not very satisfying. King was able to weave a complex tale, full of character development and political intrigue, but it felt lacking in a way I just can't pinpoint.

Great story and very good narration

I am not usually a Stephen King fan but I found this book one of the best I have heard in a long time. Never slow, something new always happening, kept my interest the whole book. A very honest portrait of small town northern New England, as I have know it for the last 60 years. From the bully politicians to the ignorant religious zealots. The only fault I could find is that the narrator never quite got the accents anywhere near New England.

I felt like I was right there.

I read reviews of this audio book before I actually purchased it and was aware of some opinions that Raul Esparza's narration style was off-putting.

I don't necessarily agree. Some of the female characters portayals are, honestly, annoying because of Esparza's choice to render them in a higher pitch with an "adult mimmicking a child" type of inflection. His general narrating style was a bit like Joe Friday from that old TV show... "just the facts, mam..." But considering the main character is ex military it worked, as far as I'm concerned.

The story itself was strong enough in premise and character relatability that I was able to ignore the negative.

I finished listening to this Dec. 31, 2009 in the midst of fireworks, the too frequent sounds of sirens and general New Year's Eve shenanigans and to say that I related seems insufficient.

I felt like I was right there... When the book ended and I heard the expected, "This has been Audible..." I literally had to shake myself out of the story line. It is one of King's best.

Another King Triumph

What made the experience of listening to Under the Dome the most enjoyable?

Under the Dome is gripping from the outset. Few authors grab a hold like Stephen King and never let up and that is definitely true of this book. I've read a lot of King's books through the years but this is the first I've listened to and it did not disappoint.

I'm not sure I've read another book where I truly wished the characters didn't make the decisions they did, or didn't do the things they did. There were times when I was literally talking back to the book,

What about Raul Esparza’s performance did you like?

Raul Esparza does a terrific job giving life to an enormous cast of characters and finding a way of keeping nearly all of them unique. Of particular note was his reading of the characters Big Jim Rennie, Junior, and Carter Thibodaux. So well done are these voices that if the story was ever made into a film, etc. I would want the actors to sound like they do in this recording!

Any additional comments?

While it's a great tale, admittedly the end left me a bit unsatisfied.

POSSIBLE SPOILER... I was extremely disappointed that such an grand antagonist did not get a greater downfall. His ultimate demise was simply not satisfying after 1,000 pages of weaving evil machinations and getting away with it.

That said, all in all this book was great and I highly recommend it.

Stephen King does it again!

This book was dynamite, my family almost threw me out of the house because I was "plugged in" for so long. I like most of King's books but he did an excellent job with this one, mysterious plot, excellent characters and fast paced. Just long!

Enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed the plot and narration but was very disappointed when the book ended and I knew that there was another 7 hour chapter to listen to. The chapter that came labeled as part 5 was actually chapter 1. I had wondered through the story how some of the characters had developed but took it for granted that I wasn't supposed to know yet. If you want to hear the story in order, be sure to start with the chapter that begins with "who are you looking for" Of course on the bright side, listening this way is almost like having a "prequel". Two stories for the price of one.

Awesome Stephen King...

I had quit reading Stephen King for several years because his novels were coming out so fast and the quality of his writing seemed to decline instead of getting better. I felt that the publishers were pulling everything he'd ever written from dusty old closets just to get one more book on the market to cash in on his name. I decided to take a chance on "Under the dome" and was so glad I did! This is classic King and I've loved every minute of it. I had a pleasant surprise when I heard references to one of my favorite characters by an entirely different author, and used accurately! I stopped my ipod and thought "did he really say ____" (don't want to kill the surprise for you!). I am in the 5th download and do not want the story to end. Will it be too far out there for some people? Probably, but I read for pure entertainment and don't get my knickers in a knot when plot lines seem implausible. Is it good entertainment? Yes! Would I recommend it? Absolutely!