Under the Dome

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: more like under the boredom

Too long, boring at times, it seemed that everyone under the dome were not smart enough to predict, or understand what was going on, the "heroes" were a bunch of teenagers, the supposed colonel had no leadership, good judgment or guts - basically Col. "Barbie" was a jelly back, wimp.
TERRIBLE book, I listen and listen waiting for the town people to "wake up and smell the coffee".

19 of 21 people found this review helpful

Disappointing to say the least.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, this book was not representative of other Stephen King work. Yes, there was lots of character development, but instead of interweaving their stories,I didn't really care about these people. It seemed like the bullies prevailed and there was no retribution, no payback. A few characters stood out, but they weren't especially heroic and never stood up to the bullies. Also, I wasn't buying that this town fell apart in less than a week. It seemed like a quick way to wrap up the story-- just kill nearly everyone. I wasted a lot of hours listening to this book-- I stuck it out to the bitter end and hoped that the story would redeem itself. It did not.

What could Stephen King have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

There's usually a lesson to be learned in Stephen King's books. The underdogs prevail-- not without losses or trials, but they, or their message, prevails.

Have you listened to any of Raul Esparza’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Raul Esparza before and I thought he did an excellent job. I would gladly listen to a book narrated by him again in the future.

Was Under the Dome worth the listening time?

No. At the end, the author thanked his editor-- this book would have benefited from a lot more editing. It was too long, plain and simple.

Any additional comments?

I was really disappointed because the book seemed lazily constructed. It was a good idea that ran out of steam. Killing off the characters just to end the book was an unsatisfactory end to the book that had promise when it started.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

the worst book I've read

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Very long and dragging. Leaves you with the bad mood after listening. Had to skip to the end to find find out what happened. What a waist of my credits.

What was most disappointing about Stephen King’s story?

story

What aspect of Raul Esparza’s performance would you have changed?

nothing

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

anger, sadness

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

crap book, awful narrator

What would have made Under the Dome better?

EDITING

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not narrated by Raul Esparza.

How could the performance have been better?

A producer or decent narrator. Plus if SK had spent more than a drunken binge writing this.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Yes. SK still keeps it exciting, despite the horrible small talk.

Any additional comments?

eh

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

under the dud

The ending was weak. Wouldn't waste my time.

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Under the Dome

Don't waste your credit, even for the long hours....AWFUL !!!

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

Less Believable Than the Earth is Flat

First off, I cannot believe people would resort to murder, suicide, and rape in less than a week much less the disaster management displayed in this book. If this is the kind of story people read Stephen King for then WOW.

Also, 34 hours of detail and story, less than 30 minutes of ending; what a let down. I can see why he started this idea when he started out but for a long-time author it is very immature and needs more development or at least some trim down and ending.

Finally, it took more than 34 hours to listen to it as I had to stop listening because some parts disturb humanity this book is best not read/heard by someone with depression or survivor issues.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Meh

The characters were shallow, underdeveloped, extreme stereotypes. It was OK at best. It just seemed to drag on forever.

11 of 12 people found this review helpful

I am a huge King fan, but this is his worst

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

Yes of course. I love Stephen King

What could Stephen King have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It was far too long, and some of the subplots didn't feel meaningful. The book lacked the compelling characters, surprising and thrilling plot, and overall enjoyment of his other books.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Raul Esparza?

Yes, the performance was perfectly fine.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It's still very interesting to read about all these people living under the dome, but the plot just didn't do it for me.

Any additional comments?

Skip this book and read one of King's better books.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

The end sucks!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

LOTS of time well spent. This is a VERY long book. The narrator is excellent.

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

No. The ending really doesn't make any sense and the good guys suffer FAR more than the bad guys.

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

Hard to say as there were SO many of them. Raul did a wonderful job with all of them.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. They made a TV series out of it though which from the little I've seen is VERY different from the plot of the book.

Any additional comments?

The end sucks.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful