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

GREAT book, lousy Narrator

Been a LONG time since read a King book and forgot how indepth he goes into character development. I know these characters so well I feel like I should send them Christmas cards. That development leads to the length of the book.

The story is unique and keeps you tuned in. I drove around the block to keep listening. There were times were I'd get so angry at the characters, which I guess is a good sign.

The narrator really is weak and at first I almost stopped listening to it just because of it. But after awhile you get too involved in the book to really pay attention. Highly recommended.

A Very Entertraining Story & Listen!

If you get a little turned off by the idea of a 32 hr book - don't worry. You'll wonder why it's over so quick. A fantastic story & narration. (Left me wondering if Big Jim the Chief was contrived while listening to Carol King's Smackwater Jack song). It's a small world after all. Mankind should behave at least 1/2 as intelligent & diligent as ants to be worthy enough to share it. Enjoy

Just OK for me

I am not a Steven King junkie, but I have read and liked several of his early novels. I read this because I got the sense from the TV show that there might be a good book behind the show. Seemed to be a very stereotypical small town America type of story line. Life is rarely if ever so cut and dry. Politically I fear King is probably further afield than I am. Perhaps I am not ready to face the reality painted by King in this book. Such an acerbic view of the "power players" in small town America really just didn't sit well with me despite King and I probably being from the same political tendency. I believe America is filled with better people than those described. Perhaps I am too idealistic, but the story really grated on me. Yes I liked the show better. Last point I wanted to make is the science behind the dome never made any type of sense to me. I read lots of sci fi lots of science magazines, and I just didn't understand the build up of how the technology worked, why it was feasible, how it was only deployed in one American town etc. Three stars just because 1 star - maybe I'm too idealistic about the nature of those in power, 1 star - technology thing never made sense to me. Hate to give poor reviews. Idealists and technology / sci-fi enthusiasts should probably skip this one.

Loved it

This constant reader thought the story was wonderful, and a must "read"/listen. The pace was just right and the characters were so much fun both the likeable ones and the hateable ones. Unlike some other reviewers I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. I thought he brought great personality to the characters.

Way Too Long For No Reason

First this is NOT a spoiler!

The main gist is in the title of the book. Or if you prefer, imagine living under a dome with no real law, and the resources are quickly dwindling. Welcome to the story.

THE GOOD: The premise of the book! The introduction and mystique of the Dome! The character descriptions and development! The action descriptions! The realness of the characters!

THE BAD: Read below...

Is Stephen King a great writer? Yes! Is this book his best work? No! I would say it qualifies as average. About 25% of the book is engaging "action," which means people are doing some type of activity, or something is happening to them that makes you sit up and pay attention. The remaining 75% is needless character development and chatter. King introduces dozens and dozens of characters and then weaves the story through and around them, which makes it tough to form a relationship with them. I found myself skipping back to re-listen to bits throughout to try and follow who he's talking about at any given time...and what was important to remember, and what I could chalk up to as blathering. Tough to tell.

There are too many characters with too much attention paid to each one for what seems to be no real apparent reason...so many details. I found myself also being forced to try an follow and connect their stories, and recall conversations - and less time actually enjoying the book. Maybe it would have been easier to read than listen to...?

The final outcome was boring and un-eventful. The lead-in to the ending was being built, and built, and built and then ... plop. So little detail and attention was paid to the ending.

This book would have been WAY better as a short story, or a "normal-length" story...chop out 3 of the 5 chapters and call it good :)

Heck, even King says in his own voice at the end that he loves books with tons of characters and drawn-out character development! Cool if that's your thing :)

Good Effort brought down by Bad Narration

I am still listening but very disappointed by the inept narration. speaker puts emphasis and pauses in the wrong places. Honestly, it would have been better if King had done his own narration, at least we know that he is familiar with the material.

Could have been better

Would you listen to Under the Dome again? Why?

No, the ending is lame and the story can only be told once

If you’ve listened to books by Stephen King before, how does this one compare?

From a 1 to 10 I would say its a three or four, as the beginning is good.

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

I think he didn't excellent job

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Everybody getting killed

Any additional comments?

Not a repeat read!!

Fascinating story made better by a great narrator

Great story done by a perfect narrator. The narrators slower delievery was a perfect fit for this kind of quirky story. Ive just finished listening to 'Christine', where the narrator was crisp and businesslike, and perfect for the story. Here, the sometimes clipped tones or slow drawls served to really emphasize the characters, and give the sense of unreality that the story demands.

Unlike other works by King, this one keeps the slightly off-kilter sense of the story reflected in the characters and in their words. The narrator captures this perfectly.

A Fascinating story with a slight sense of unreality and dreamlike quality.

Interesting story with some evil characters

If you could sum up Under the Dome in three words, what would they be?

Bring some oxygen

What was one of the most memorable moments of Under the Dome?

When the bad guy finally dies.

Which character – as performed by Raul Esparza – was your favorite?

All characters were diverse, but the lead character was my favorite.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction.

Any additional comments?

Entertaining all in all. I really got to hate the bad people depicted in this story.

mind gripping story

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

Those characters that I loved to hate so deeply they just couldn't killed bad enough for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Under the Dome?

That idiot Carter didn't pull the trigger when he had the chance, and oh how he paid.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What happens in the Dome stays in the Dome.