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Product Details
Amazon Exclusive: Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan Reviews Under the Dome
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan share their enthusiasm for Stephen King's thriller, Under the Dome. This pair of reviewers knows a thing or two about the art of crafting a great thriller. Del Toro is the Oscar-nominated director of international blockbuster films, including Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. Hogan is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Standoff and Prince of Thieves, which won the International Association of Crime Writer's Dashiell Hammett Award in 2005. The two recently collaborated to write the bestselling horror novel, The Strain, the first of a proposed trilogy. Read their exclusive Amazon guest review of Under the Dome:   The first thing readers might find scary about Stephen King's Under The Dome is its length. The second is the elaborate town map and list of characters at the front of the book (including "Dogs of Note"), which sometimes portends, you know, heavy lifting. Don't you believe it. Breathless pacing and effortless characterization are the hallmarks of King's best books, and here the writing is immersive, the suspense unrelenting. The pages turn so fast that your hand--or Kindle-clicking thumb--will barely be able to keep up. You Are Here. Nobody yarns a What if? like Stephen King. Nobody. The implausibility of a dome sealing off an entire city--a motif seen before in pulp magazines and on comic book covers--is given the most elaborate real-life alibi by crafting details, observations, and insights that make us nod silently while we read. Promotional materials reference The Stand in comparison, but we liken Under The Dome more to King's excellent novella, The Mist: another locked-door situation on an epic scale, a tour-de-force in which external stressors bake off the civility of a small town full of dark secrets, exposing souls both very good...and very, very bad. Yes, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," but there is so much more this time. The expansion of Kings diorama does not simply take a one-street fable and turn it into a town, but finds new life for old archetypes, making them morally complex and attuned to our world today. It makes them relevant and affecting once again. And the beauty of it all is that the final lesson, the great insight that is gained at the end of this draining journey, is not a righteous 1950s sermon but an incredibly moving and simple truth. A nugget of wisdom you'll be using as soon as you turn the last page. This Is Now. Along the way, you get bravura writing, especially featuring the town kids, and a delicious death aria involving one of the most nefarious characters--who dies alone, but not really--as well as a few laugh-out-loud moments, and a cameo (of sorts) by none other than Jack Reacher. Indeed--whether during a much-needed comfort break, or a therapeutic hand-flexing--you may find yourself wondering, "Is this a horror novel? Or is it a thriller?" The answer, of course, is: Yes, yes, yes. "...the blood hits the wall like it always hits the wall." It seems impossible that, as he enters his sixth decade of publishing, the dean of dark fiction could add to his vast readership. But that is precisely what will happen...when the Dome drops. Now Go Read It. --Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The Story Behind the Cover
Click on image to enlarge  The jacket concept for Under the Dome originated as an ambitious idea from the mind of Stephen King. The artwork is a combination of photographs, illustration and 3-D rendering. This is a departure from the direction of King's most recent illustrated covers.
In order to achieve the arresting image for this jacket, Scribner art director Rex Bonomelli had to seek out artists who could do a convincing job of creating a realistic portrayal of the town of Chester's Mill, the setting of the novel. Bonomelli found the perfect team of digital artists, based in South America and New York, whose cutting edge work had previously been devoted to advertisement campaigns. This was their first book jacket and an exciting venture for them. "They are used to working with the demands of corporate clients," says Bonomelli. "We gave them freedom and are thrilled with what they came up with."
The CGI (computer generated imagery) enhanced image looks more like something made for the big screen than for the page and is sure to make a lasting impact on King fans.
Meet the Characters Dale Barbara
Barbie, a drifter, ex-army, walks with a burden of guilt from the time he spent in Iraq. Working as a short-order cook at Sweetbriar Rose is the closest thing hes had to a family life. When his old commander, Colonel Cox, calls from outside, Barbie's burden becomes the town itself.
Julia Shumway
The attractive Editor and Publisher of the local town newspaper, The Chester's Mill Democrat, Julia is self-assured and Republican to the core, but she is drawn to Barbie and discovers, when it matters most, that her most vulnerable moment might be her most liberating.
Jim Rennie, Sr.
"Big Jim." A used car dealer with a fierce smile and no warmth, he'd given his heart to Jesus at age sixteen and had little left for his customers, his neighbors, or his dying wife and deteriorating son. The town's Second Selectman, hes used to having things his way. He walks like a man who has spent his life kicking ass.
Joseph McClatchey
Scarecrow Joe, a 13-year-old also known as "King of the Geeks" and "Skeletor, a bona fide brain whose backpack bears the legend "fight the powers that be." Hes smarter than anyone, and proves it in a crisis.
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Chester's Mill, Maine (click on image to enlarge) |
Product Reviews
 (1 stars) - Interesting Premise, too twisted
------Review contains minor spoilers------
I enjoy the occasional horror novel, and I found this novel intriguing. But I admit that some elements of King's writing style do not appeal to me and seem immature, like the little boy who must write the grossest thing to get attention. That's sort of how I view King. He lacks subtlety and goes straight for the gross out.
His female characters aren't very well done. They seem quite spiteful and unlikeable. For instance, the Lesbian Character who was portrayed as a borderline predator who neglects her child to do drugs and mutilate dolls.. They do not ring 'true' as female, just as spiteful parodies of women.
His portrayal of Christians and Conservatives was sort of weak as well. It was clear the author has a mini-axe to grind against Christians.
Despite my dislike of various plot elements, I enjoyed the audiobook up until the necrophilia scene where I decided I was too grossed out to continue. I draw the line at certain subject matter and that is one of them.
 (4 stars) - The Book Is Huge...A Good Read...But Not King's Best Work
I have read King since I was a teenager, and I love most of his books. I do tend to enjoy the horror / supernatural a little more than the rest though.
Keeping that in mind, I did enjoy Under The Dome. You may be surprised by it's size and weight. It is a big thick book to say the least.
Since most people have already hashed out the plot, I won't spend time on it, I will focus on what I liked or disliked about the book.
The character development is pretty decent for such a large collection of players. While I didn't find myself truly caring about the characters as much as I would have liked, King did a pretty good job of helping the reader get to know them. I think there were just too many characters for him to properly create a truly personal relationship type of bond with the reader.
The beginning is good, the middle is slow, and the ending finished a little too quick!
Although the book starts out decent enough, I did find the pages drag on about halfway through. This might be because we don't meet anybody new, and we have a pretty good idea of who is good or evil. The ending came quicker than I imagined it would. We have 900+ pages of anticipation, and it just seemed the entire story was closed out too quick when the end finally rolled around. That was my feeling about it anyway.
Horror fans won't find much. If you read King for the horror, you may be disappointed with Under The Dome.
Sure, there is plenty of human nature gone bad horror, but as far as good old fashioned crazy horror, there isn't any.
That doesn't mean Under The Dome isn't a good King book, because it is.
However, some fans may be expecting a different type of story.
Under The Dome is an enjoyable read, and it will take you a while to read it.
Although not King's best in my opinion, it is still a great book.
 (3 stars) - now I remember why I stopped reading King's books
I quit reading Kings books a couple years ago because I figured out that he ends up killing everyone you care about at the end of the book.and then I get sucked into reading this book and after taking 11 days to plod though it I once again get sucked into alll the charaters getting killed of again.
Plus the fact that he Killed the main bad guy just stuck in my crawl. 1st of all we don't get the big showdown at the end between Big Jim and the rest of the heros, then I thought for sure that some of the bad guys would come to there senses and turn against Big Jim, then to top it of I wanted they bad guy to survive so someone could tell him "there heres the town you wanted to control so bad and now run it" only to have Big Jim to basically stumble to his own death.
Also why was there no Mayor to this town? no county commissioners or anyone above town selectmen? I just don't think that secletctmen can have this much control.
 (5 stars) - Great Book, but....
I love Stephen King, I love every word he has written, even the books that weren't his "best"work. This book is no different, from the very first page I was sucked in.
The ONLY issue I have is the book is SO darned big. I have arthritis in my hands and holding this book is a chore for me.
I would have gladly paid a bit more and had them split it into two books. I can't be the only person around who had trouble just holding this book while reading it.
Other than that - great read as always! Thanks Mr King, you always take me for a great ride!
(3 stars) - If you liked this, let me recommend....
If you like Stephen King, you'll like this. Stephen King shows his usual skill in making a supernatural premise believable, with his usual finely drawn characters and extensive plotting. As with most Stepehn King books, it would not suffer from being 200 or 300 pages shorter.
That said, let me recommend 2 novels that deal with a similar plot device- Michael Grant's Gone and Hunger. In these books, as with " Under the dome" a barrier of supernatural origin suddenly shuts off a town from its surroundings, trapping the population, in this case all children. This series of books is intended for young adults, but this adult -with-no-kids reader enjoyed them. If you are a teenager or an adult open-minded enough to try books aimed at teens, by all means give these books a try.
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