Stephen King completes "Under the Dome"

missingtime

Stephen King completes epic novel after 25 years

Under the Dome, which King began writing in the 1980s, runs to more than 1,000 pages and will be published in November

It's been incubating for 25 years but Stephen King is finally ready to show the world the 1,000-plus page epic he first attempted writing in the 1980s. Under the Dome, in which an invisible force field seals off a Maine town from the world, is due to be published this November, his publishers have said.

Weighing in at a whopping 1,120 pages, Under the Dome is a return for the bestselling author to the arm-breaking heft of his classic novels The Stand and It. King told an audience at the Library of Congress in Washington DC last year that he'd first had the idea for the book 25 years ago, and made a stab at writing it. "I tried this once before when I was a lot younger, but the project was just too big for me and I let it go, I let it slide," he said. "But it was a terrific idea and it never entirely left my mind. It just kinda stayed there and hung out, and every now and then it would say write me, and eventually I did."

Set in the town of Chester's Mills, Maine, "on an entirely normal, beautiful fall day", inhabitants suddenly find that the town has been sealed off 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 neighbouring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact," King revealed on his website. "No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when – or if – it will go away."

Characters in the cast of more than 100 include Dale Barbara, a Gulf veteran and now a cook, the town's newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital and three children. They're up against an evil politician, Big Jim Rennie – who's desperate to hold onto power and will stop at nothing, even murder – and his son, who in classic King style, "is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry". Meanwhile, time under the Dome is running out.

King, the author of more than 50 books, has said that the new novel "deals with some of the same issues that The Stand does, but in a more allegorical way".

"Since it's over a thousand pages long, I sure hope people like it," he said earlier this year in his regular column for Entertainment Weekly.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/03/stephen-king-under-dome

me_right_one

Brilliant, cant wait to have a read. Sounds all Stephen King-ish already!:)

zipped

wow I never heard this- am re-reading insomnia at the moment- love that book!

Manach

The plot seems to be similar to Patrica Anthony's 'The Happy Policeman'. Still, it would have the Stephen King touch.

Ann22

Reminds me quite a bit of The Simpsons movie:). Should be good though.

D-FENS

This sounds very promising and hopefully a return to form for King, who's offerings in the last ten years or so pale in comparison to his earlier works. Love the fact that it sounds like classic King i.e. normal people in a normal town experiencing something extraordinary / supernatural.
Everyone, including the man himself, seems to class The Dark Tower as his masterpiece but for me that title goes to something like the Stand or IT when he's writing to his strengths and not trying to be too clever and this seems more up that street than the Gunslinger & co.

Dades

Would love to read something new along the classic lines of The Stand from King!

Think I'll wait for the paperback though. :pac:

I'm looking forward to this.

oxygen_old

I remember when I was young reading It, the stand and insomnia, and thinking nothing of the length. Since then, everytime I pick up a paper back Im like "Only 300 pages, its long enough... I guess". Pushed me onto those sparling sci fi books.

Plot sounds a little like the stand doesnt it? lawlessness ensuing after local townspeople have to set up their own justice, some larger supernatural force behind it all etc...

Still tho, looking forward to 1000+ pages of King

CatFromHue

has anyone read "the dome" ?

if so what so what did you think?

picked it up myself today and it is a big book!

Heckler

Finished 'under the dome' a few days ago. Always been a King fan. Thought it was a very good book but nowhere near as epic as something like The Stand, IT or The Talisman. (Not epic in the "wow man that song was effin' epic" sense. Epic in the more traditional sense.)

The ending I felt was very Dean R. Koontz-ish. If you've read DRK you'll get what I mean. Then again i don't think the ending was the point, it was what happens along the way, which is fine too because he did a good job at that.

Just my 2 cents.

Ann22

I've just finished it. It was quite good tho' I struggled to get through parts of it. I doubt I'll read it again. I don't think the ending was explained properly either.

BossArky

Ann22 wrote: »

Reminds me quite a bit of The Simpsons movie:). Should be good though.

+1.

Homer in the Simpsons movie wrote:

Dooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh

---

mmmeeeeee

:pac:

Macsimus

D-FENS wrote: »

This sounds very promising and hopefully a return to form for King, who's offerings in the last ten years or so pale in comparison to his earlier works. Love the fact that it sounds like classic King i.e. normal people in a normal town experiencing something extraordinary / supernatural.
Everyone, including the man himself, seems to class The Dark Tower as his masterpiece but for me that title goes to something like the Stand or IT when he's writing to his strengths and not trying to be too clever and this seems more up that street than the Gunslinger & co.

Aye, I enjoyed The Dark Tower as I was reading it - but without putting up any spoilers, I found the ending incredibly unsatisfying - especially as it took so long to get there - at least I was reading them all in one go and hadn't had to wait 20 odd years from first book to last. I had the same feeling after The Dark Tower as while trying to watch the last episode of lost i.e. that the story teller was a bluffer who was making it up as he went along with no grand plan for where it was going.

Anyway the new book does sound like vintage King so looking forward to it.

youcancallmeal

I have avoided King since I read Duma Key, reckon I might give this a go as the concept sounds interesting. The Stand is up there with my top 10 books, I must of read 4 times already!

thebiglad

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I have avoided King since I read Duma Key, reckon I might give this a go as the concept sounds interesting. The Stand is up there with my top 10 books, I must of read 4 times already!

I would agree, SK has gone down a bit in recent books (Cell, Liseys Story, Duma Key) but I have persevered and Just After Sunset is definitely worth getting.

Anyhow back to The Dome - great writing and blazed through the book but very dissapointed with the end - despite that it was an enjoyable book but as already posted not in the same league as IT or The Stand.

TheEscapist

Just started reading it and I'm struggling to get into it which is worrying as people have been saying that they enjoyed until the end. I've only read the Stand, IT and the Shining by King so maybe my standards are a little to high. But I'll persevere and read on and see how it pans out.

Dades

Finished it last night. Really enjoyed it, tbh. Again, nowhere near The Stand or IT in terms of scope - but almost 'vintage' King nonetheless.

He thrusts his fists against the post and still insists he sees the ghosts...

tHE vAGGABOND

150 pages in - Im quite close to a 'meh' and casting it aside

Ann22

thebiglad wrote: »

I would agree, SK has gone down a bit in recent books (Cell, Liseys Story, Duma Key) but I have persevered and Just After Sunset is definitely worth getting.

Anyhow back to The Dome - great writing and blazed through the book but very dissapointed with the end - despite that it was an enjoyable book but as already posted not in the same league as IT or The Stand.

Yeah, Cell was just ok, gave up on Lisey's story, it was too much of an effort to make sense of it, I'd like to read a general description of the story. Duma Key was just ok...After Sunset though was very good especially 'N' (the one with the standing stones in the circle).
I find some of his books can be a struggle at the beginning to get into but the 'getting into' bit in The Dome seemed to take forever. It was really well written alright but like I said, I wouldn't be in a hurry to read it again.

KRIS VL

I'm looking forward to this.

the iceman come

I entoyed it,took my time about it though so had to keep re-capping to get back into it, the ending was sad to say a bit predictable,but all in all a good read,be intersting to see if a movie ever comes out of this,a lot of visuals flying around which just could come up trumps.

Red Hand

Read it late last year...enjoyable, but not King's best.

youcancallmeal

Anyone know if you can get this in Paperback, Amazon say the paperback edition its not being released till July 2010. Maybe the first edition is out of print and they are releasing another one?

CatFromHue

I got a paperback copy in my local bookshop in Decemeber.

Maybe try your local book shop.

I enjoyed the book alot.

Did anyone else feel Jim Rennie would look like the rich eccentric cowboy from Texas from the simpsons in real life?

Flash86

CatFromHue wrote: »

Did anyone else feel Jim Rennie would look like the rich eccentric cowboy from Texas from the simpsons in real life?

That is exactly how I pictured him too. Despite the lack of any mention of a cowboy hat, I knew it was there.

Also Dale Barbera looks like Jake Green from the show Jericho in my head

Junco Partner

he'll never top the stand or the dark tower books

mrgardener

thebiglad wrote: »

Anyhow back to The Dome - great writing and blazed through the book but very dissapointed with the end - despite that it was an enjoyable book but as already posted not in the same league as IT or The Stand.

Don't most Stephen King Books have disappointing endings?
I loved IT, The Stand and most of his earlier works, but inevitably, I am nearly always left p**sed off with the ending.

niallon

+1 On the Simpsons cowboy. Rennie was nearly ruined as a result! I stopped reading King after The Dark Tower, Cell, The Stand, Dreamcatcher and Nightmares & Dreamscapes. I figured I covered plenty of timeframes (The Dark Tower does that on its own I guess!) but I have to say Under The Dome has reignited my interest.

Yeah, the ending wasn't the best. To be honest, I was happy with the resolution/explanaition, I just would have preferred more chatter about it, seemed like King was avoiding digging any deeper. From a character point of view however I think he definitely touched upon the sort of folk he had back in The Stand -

Rennie was a Flagg of sorts, Randolph his Lloyd, Barbie was a more than capable Stu and damned if Junior wasn't Harold Lauder.

But yep, this was another problem I had I suppose. I do think King succeeded in recreating the type of characters that one can easily connect to á la The Stand but on the other hand, maybe he was trying too much to emulate The Stand as well.

Oh and

Come on, Chef WAS Trashcan Man!

NewFrockTuesday

Im halfway through it now and am really enjoying it. I don’t think theres ever going to be another Stand – you just don’t get that gold twice in a lifetime. The first Stephen King book I read was Christine when I was about 9. I stole it from my cousins SK collection and read it through – I remember being so frightened I used to have to leave it down and come back when I was braver or it was daylight again (under the covers with a torch! ) – it scared the absolute bejaysus out of me as it was my first experience with horror of any sort on a literary level.

Hell of an introduction! The only time Ive been as scared since is when someone bought me House of Leaves about 3 years ago. Ive given it to a friend to read as I got too freaked. My Dad gets the same way about some books. He had to get Mum to finish Sophies Choice for him. :pac:

Paddy Samurai

Dades wrote: »

Would love to read something new along the classic lines of The Stand from King

Try Swan Song by Robert McCammon , it's better imo.

Amhran Nua

Macsimus wrote: »

Aye, I enjoyed The Dark Tower as I was reading it - but without putting up any spoilers, I found the ending incredibly unsatisfying

Bigtime, he really phoned it in on the last couple of books. I still haven't forgiven him for going back and rewriting the rest either - if you're getting this series, get the ORIGINAL not the adjusted versions. Its fairly hard to imagine how he could have messed up what could have been an excellent series any further, but he managed it.

ixoy

From an Irish perspective, did anyone else find it amusing when

the only airline stupid enough to plough one of its planes into the dome was Aer Lingus (yeah yeah Air Ireland in the books but we know exactly what he meant!)

Block (8

Newfrocktuesday wrote: »

I remember being so frightened I used to have to leave it down and come back when I was braver or it was daylight again (under the covers with a torch! ) – it scared the absolute bejaysus out of me as it was my first experience with horror of any sort on a literary level.

Exactly the same as me when I read IT at around the same age

After that experience I went on a rampaging through SK's books and picked up Clive Barker along the way.
Just about to start Time Traveller's Wife (after seeing the film) and might give the dome a try after it.

NewFrockTuesday

I finished this on Monday. Im not giving anything away....but me and ol' SK will be having a frank and open exchange about his ending when I stalk his house - thanks God Youtube

If this book were a dish, it would be a fantastic beef and Guinness pie with a crappy shop bought pastry left too long in the oven.

NewFrockTuesday

ixoy wrote: »

From an Irish perspective, did anyone else find it amusing when

the only airline stupid enough to plough one of its planes into the dome was Aer Lingus (yeah yeah Air Ireland in the books but we know exactly what he meant!)

Youre evil.

I find the inner muttterings of the charachters very amusing. Big Jims in particular, hes very funny in his assessment of other folk from that pedestal hes got hisself on!

Exactly the same as me when I read IT at around the same age

I saw the film first and its still one of the scariest Ive ever seen, bearing in mind you wouldnt get me witin a million miles of Saw or anything involving Pinhead, so the treshold barely exists in my case Im such a wuss. Ive never even gone near the book as I know I wouldnt enjoy it.

I was home recently and found Needful Things. Im going to have it on standby for the next couple of months for when I cant settle on a genre that night.

@ Block(8 - if you want The Dome, I live in Dublin and can meet you in town to pass it on.

Eoin

I just finished this over the weekend. I have to agree with the general sentiment - vintage King for most of it, but an unsatisfying ending. I think the character parallels to The Stand are a bit of a stretch though.

Little thing I noticed - he seemed to make a big effort to throw in modern references for no real reason. As if he had a lot more of it written the first time around, and wanted to update it.

I'm not too sure why the time-line was so rushed either; perhaps it was to emphasise that it was Rennie that caused all the problems.

NewFrockTuesday

I thought the present and recent past events mentioned were a bit laboured as well - almost like he was trying to drag the script he comitted to so long ago kicking and screaming into the world today. I wasn't terribly comfortable with it really, kind of like sitting on a holiday suitcase cos youve packed too much in.

Agreed re the time lines as well. The degeneration of socisty was alot faster than in the stand. As one of his greatest works, its bound to draw parallels from a charachter stand point with anything he releases from then on.

orchidsrpretty

I would love to read this but am having trouble trying to find it in paperback(I hate hardbacks). Anyone any info?
Thanks

Pittens

Teh criticisms of the ending are a bit off, in my OP. The mechanisms for what caused the Dome are irrelevant - the real story was how people reacted under pressure. Thats what King was writing about, the Dome was a McGuffin and a Deus Ex Machina.

NewFrockTuesday

Pittens wrote: »

Teh criticisms of the ending are a bit off, in my OP. The mechanisms for what caused the Dome are irrelevant - the real story was how people reacted under pressure. Thats what King was writing about, the Dome was a McGuffin and a Deus Ex Machina.

Orchidspretty, if youre in Dublin you can have my copy. Its paperback. I find it far less painful when I doze off and the book flops onto my head

Yes Pitens, but that was the whole theme of the book. No excuse for a lazy ending.

Eoin

Pittens wrote: »

Teh criticisms of the ending are a bit off, in my OP. The mechanisms for what caused the Dome are irrelevant - the real story was how people reacted under pressure. Thats what King was writing about, the Dome was a McGuffin and a Deus Ex Machina.

You're talking about two completely different things. The dome itself was contrived, but it worked. The ending didn't.

calex71

Just finished this , have to say I really enjoyed it. Wasn't too let down by the ending as I pretty much expected it and didn't see it ending much differently.

For me the book was all about the characters, It's been a long time since I've come across such a loathsome bastard as big Jim. I actually had this on audio book so I think it was very well read and made me hate big jim even more.

The Chef was also a favorite of mine.

One slight niggle was, I do agree the time line seemed a little rushed.

I popped my Stephen king cherry on this one, not sure why I've never read him before, maybe becasue I hate reading books if i have seen the movie 1st Glad I read this as there is a TV series in the works for next year, and very early on I said to myself hmmmm this kind of reads like a screen play Would this one be an accurate representation of king's work over all

sxt

calex71 wrote: »

I popped my Stephen king cherry on this one, not sure why I've never read him before, maybe becasue I hate reading books if i have seen the movie 1st Glad I read this as there is a TV series in the works for next year, and very early on I said to myself hmmmm this kind of reads like a screen play Would this one be an accurate representation of king's work over all

Well done on popping your SK cherry:)-Stevo is a master at character driven storytelling. I imagine that is why many directors try and translate his work to the screen. If you enjoyed "Under the Dome" you will really like "The Stand"!

calex71

sxt wrote: »

Well done on popping your SK cherry:)-Stevo is a master at character driven storytelling. I imagine that is why many directors try and translate his work to the screen. If you enjoyed "Under the Dome" you will really like "The Stand"!

I saw the movie when it came out, and so have a vague memory of the Stand so vague all I remember was it was good So I think I will try that one next, not sure if "Misery" would be a good one for me? I expect it's the same as the movie but just more gruesome?

Eoin

calex71 wrote: »

not sure if "Misery" would be a good one for me? I expect it's the same as the movie but just more gruesome?

That sums it up well. I think that was one of the better film adaptations. I think Pet Semetary is one his best books, so I'd give that a go as well. It moves at a decent pace as well.

ncmc

Just finished this last night and really enjoyed it. But would agree with the other sentiments that the end is a bit disappointing.

I thought the idea behind what was causing the dome was really clever, but felt the ending was so rushed. After being a major character for the whole book, Rusty was barely mentioned in the last 50 pages. I think he should have focused on more than just Barbie and Julie when the dome came down

. It reminded me a bit of Cell, great book, but the climax basically 2 pages, not like The Stand were it's building and building.

Still, a great return to form for King, I find it funny that people found it hard to get into. The minute I read the first page, I was hooked, again, like Cell in that respect. It got into the action straight away.

youcancallmeal

Just finished this last night as well and I enjoyed it for all the reasons previously mentioned. What annoyed though me was the way a big deal was made of it taking him 25 years to write the book and he still couldnt come up with a better ending than

begging and receiving pity from the mysterious leatherheads!?

Another thing that bothered me was the way he likes to end chapters/sections with silly remarks like 'that was last time he would ever see daylight' and 'they werent to realise just how bad the air would get'. He kind of spoils the book for you but I suppose it was of buidling up the tension to keep the reader interested?

millenniumlady

I just finished Under the Dome. I really really enjoyed it all the way through. I finished it very quickly. I really couldn't put it down, but I thought the ending was a little disappointing. Oh yeah, and the;

“…’Wear it home, it’ll look like a dress.’”

“She was talking about the brown sweater?”

“No. About our lives. Our little lives.”

“If she gave it to you, let’s put it on.”

Sorry, what? I'm sure the rest of you found it terribly deep and meaningful, but to be quite honest the message is kind of lost on me! I think 'the moral of the story' is clear without this added complication, and King puts serious emphasis on it.

I love some of the characters; Junior, Jim Rennie and Chef especially.

Maybe I'm being picky. It's a solid book.

Btw, the James McMurty song is real! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_pvmEH7LJE !