Under the Dome

A Novel

De: Stephen King

Narrado por: Raul Esparza

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

Awesome

Starts off a little slow but once he sets the stage the book takes off. I could not believe it was a 30'some hour book, sat in the drive way a few nights to finish chapters.
I would highly recommend this book, well worth the time and credit.

The King at his best

From the first chapter to the last, you’ll be hooked. Great characters and lots of twists.

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street reimagined.

If the only thing you know about Under the Dome comes from the TV show from a few years back then you're in for a treat. Don't get me wrong, the TV show wasn't bad, though to be honest I found it somewhat lacking, and perhaps that is because I enjoyed the book so much. I know what you are thinking, books usually are better than the movies (or in this case the TV show) and that is true, but what is also true is that the Under the Dome TV show didn't follow the book exactly. Yes, the premise was the same, and many of the characters were named the same, with some of them even acting the same, but quite a bit of the story and the characters got radical makeovers. Some characters might have had the same name they had in the book but aside from the name they were nothing like they were portrayed in the novel. So as I said, if you are only familiar with the story from the TV series, you're in for a treat.

I'll try not to post any spoilers, the story revolves around a small town in Maine where one day out of the clear blue a massive energy dome envelopes the town of Chester's Mills. In typical King style, the town is loaded with a ton of interesting and complex characters, many at odds with each other. With the dome in place, king invites us to sit back and watch the chaos unfold, and there is indeed plenty of chaos to witness as the search for answers as to what the dome is and how to bring it down starts, both inside and outside of the dome. There is also the power struggle for who will control Chester's Mills. The story is quite engaging and you'll likely find yourself saying I'll just listen a little longer...just a little longer, and then suddenly realize you've been listening all day, lol. As much as I love King, and he is indeed one of my favorite authors, I do feel that some of his works often suffer in the third act. Some of his endings are spectacular and some, like Under the Dome tend to be lacking or underwhelming. And in terms of Under the Dome I found that to be the case when I originally read the book and again now that I've listened to it. It doesn't ruin the story by any means, I just felt it should have been .... more is the only way I can describe it. Even with that said, I enjoyed my return trip to Chester's Mills and don't doubt that some time down the road I'll return to visit again, either by re-reading it or re-listening to this audiobook.

If asked how to best describe the book I would say this is King's reimaging of the classic Twilight Zone episode The Monster Are Due on Maple Street.

Regular Listerner

I'm just an average guy. No scholar, no one important... I read/Listen for just pure and simple enjoyment. I don't over-analyze, or even try to remember ever little detail of the writings I read or listen to. In my opinion, I really liked the book. The narrator was easy on the ears, and the story line was easy to follow. Thanks

I love this book!

I love this book so very much! The narration is exceptional as is the story!

Interesting listen

I will admit...this was my second attempt at listening to Under the Dome and first time finishing it. I had a hard time getting into it a year or two ago when I first got it. stopped and never restarted until this week. I found the characters interesting...definitely the way characters acted seemed very plausible and made me wonder what I would do in a similar situation. Enjoyed this the second time around but felt it dragged a bit in the beginning (I was easily distracted while listening). Would recommend if you like lots of character development and don't mind slower stories.

very fun

This is definitely not one of his best, but still a very fun book. This is a story for those who prefer the fear of being trapped with a small(ish) group of people with no way to escape.

Amazing

Phenomenal story, narrator threw me off a couple times when narrating children and women, but never pulled me out of the story

Narrator

The narrator is boring he doesn’t have a lot of feeling I think too monotone.

The book really held my interest.

Very well narrated, couldn't wait to hear what was going to happen next.Excellent story line.