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 … 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.
more
Good book. Don’t be afraid of the length. Worth it.
Not great, but very readable and certainly much better than the cheesy TV show.
Wonderful CREEPY characters. It’s a little sad to watch them when they do not act in their best interests and tragic shenanigans ensue…and when the chips are down it gets even worse. Not 5 stars because the ending left me feeling like I was sifting the sand of the story out and away from me rather than experiencing an elegant climax and denouement where I could firmly shut the book and enjoy the memory of the scares. Perhaps that is the intention? Because I feel pretty dirty and dusty emotionally just thinking about it, years later.
Hated the ending
No one can scare you like Stephen King
I read this story in the split paperbacks but my review is for the whole story.
The town of Chester’s Mill is doomed from the start when a mysterious dome comes down and cuts its citizens off from the world. There are the good guys and the bad guys, with the bad guys obviously taking over the town. Pitting innocent townspeople against the ones who are trying to do right for the town and its people. This was an action-packed, heart attack inducing, give you high blood pressure story. I found myself very frustrated and annoyed with some of the characters especially the Rennie family. It’s hard to imagine everything that is happening to the characters happens in such a short amount of time. The ending for me was perfect.
Part I of the novels starts off slow and does have some action and with part II it didn’t seem to slow down for me. Now I have an idea of what it would be like to be trapped with manipulating and power hungry people.
Not my favorite of King’s stories. Pretty good up to the end, didn’t enjoy the ending.
Everything’s great except the ending. The beginning and middle are worth it.
Wish there was a part II.
Love Stephen King
The story overall was good but, at 1000+ pages long, it just felt like a chore ro get through this book. The events of the story were interesting but the length took away any possible chance for suspense and excitement. Had this story been told in 600 pages, it likely would’ve been a thrill ride. I did not find myself eagerly awaiting the next twist in plot. The novel never truly captured my attention. Right from the beginning I was turned off. To top it off, the explanation for the dome and why it appeared was just plain poor. I know that the novel is abiut the individuals ans how they handle being trapped under the dome but I’m sure most readers were curious about its origin and the explanation given us was very disappointing. I would have stopped reading this early on if not for tle fact that, as a rule, I don’t like to give up on a book
Horrible ending after a huge time investment reading
King has again told a fascinating story that hooks you in. His clear and concise writing style enables the reader to visualize the actions of each character and the world they live in, even though it is creepy and weird. The TV miniseries of this book didn’t do it justice.
One of my favorite Stephen King books!
This should have stayed on the floor and unwritten. This was finished post accident and it shows
Okay…so they made a TV series out of this and, having read the book prior, I was excited…but then frustrated when they just kept dragging out the simple situation into too much. But the book…the book…when you find out what the Dome is and why it’s there, it takes your breath away. Meanwhile, you spend many pages worried about those “stuck” people and the micro-world they suddenly find themselves caught up in…while what resources, including the very air they breathe, run low. Forget the TV show…read the novel.
What a book this was. Huge huge book, and I could NOT put it down. I finished in a little under 2 weeks (and I had A LOT going on while I was reading it).
I kind of compare it to a more modern-day “lord of the flies” – with the dome being the island. There was a whole lot going on in this book and honestly the whole thing was so great.