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

excellent story but narrator...

King is one of the GOATs when it comes to writing, so nothing really to report there, but the narrator.... I think he may need to take a trip to Maine. apparently people on Maine talk with a Californian accent, and the children there sound borderline mentally retarded. also, it's possible to be from Maine and use stereotypical southern Baptist terms without sounding like you were born and raised in South Carolina.

much better than the movie.

I have listened to this book multiple times in a couple of years. very enjoyable.

Fantastic book

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

The variety of characters reacting to a horrific situation was realistic.They behaved how I would imagine people would if something like that really happened.

What does Raul Esparza bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He made the villains (and all of the characters) sound like you'd expect them to. Their personalities were conveyed by their styles of speech. A few characters actually made the hair stand up on my neck. Great for a thriller/drama.

If you could take any character from Under the Dome out to dinner, who would it be and why?

"Barbie", the hero. I would want to console him and let him know he did a great job.

Any additional comments?

I didn't want the book to end, even though it was so long. I just wish the scene with the villain getting his just reward would have lasted longer!

Good listen

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed the story. Felt like a few threads weren't wrapped up well at the end.

Great story, I love a long novel!

Another great book by Stephen King!
If you like end of the world kind of stories, this one is a good choice.
Going to pass this one on to my husband and grown son, because I know they will enjoy it too.

Loved it

Of course, I love everything of Stephen King's, but this one was sci fi/fantastically believable. It left me on the edge of my seat every time I stopped reading for a time. I enjoyed listening to it at work, home, on the road and everywhere in between. I cooked to it, cleaned to it, entered data to it, and almost lived it. The town reminded me of a place I just moved from: the people too. I just loved it!

great story

what an interesting and lively story so many wonderful characters from a great writer. Stephen King never disappoints.

better than I expected from the reviews I read

the story was well written and well read. the narrator did excellent. I'll listen again

under the dome

loved it narrator was awesome for a book liks this. i only stuggled to finish it because of the cursing Stephen King likes to use a lot but other than that great master piece as always.

Pseudo-English Accents Get Tiresome

The story is passable but my review is based mostly on the narration. Every woman the narrator voices has an almost English accent, as if an English school marm is his impression of how all women talk. Every “no” is “neheau.” It’s not a dealbreaker but expecting the tea and crumpets to break out every time Jeuliahhh enters the room does get a bit distracting after a while.