"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Under the Dome by Stephen King


I really LOVED this book. I have been known to say that I don't enjoy Stephen King. It's true. I know; how could I make such a blanket statement in so stoic a manner? Somehow, even though I don't enjoy Stephen King (wink, wink), I managed to devour The Stand. Three times. I explained this away with some lame excuse like, "There's an exception to every rule!" I think I now know the truth of it. I don't enjoy gory horror novels. But this kind of horror, The Stand kind of horror, or the Under the Dome kind of horror-now that, I can get into. And did. For over 30 heart-stopping hours. I was totally into it. So I'm revising my bizarre tendency to write off Stephen King (no pun intended). I will no longer claim that I don't enjoy Stephen King because I do enjoy some Stephen King very much. This is one of them. 
Under the Dome, in a very The Stand kind of way, weaves an apocalyptic drama that tests every strength and flaw in the character of each of the characters. While in the throes of my fresh-out-of-the-closet Stephen King adoration I had a reader's revelation-Stephen King brilliantly shows readers everything about his characters, without emotion. You know the good and the bad of all the players involved. The information is delivered in a matter-of-fact tone that forces no emotional ties, but somehow creates them anyway. The flat-lined unemotional delivery adds horror to the horror and before you know it, it's 3:00 in the morning and you haven't eaten or drank water or taken a bathroom break in 7 hours. And who cares, where is that guy with the gun/generator/dog/girl?!?

You will find an official plot summary at:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6320534-under-the-dome?from_search=true

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