by Lynn Mason

Created on: January 31, 2010

What happens when a population becomes cut off from the rest of the world inside an impenetrable dome? Stephen King examines the behavior of a small town society suddenly cut off in his newest satisfyingly thick work of suspense. “Under the Dome” is a fast paced rip roaring ride of a book examining basic human character in conditions of extreme stress and fear. The story manages to keep up the breathless pace for over a thousand pages as it explores the age old though forever relevant theme of good versus evil with plenty of scathing social commentary. Reminiscent of his earlier works it is a must read for long time fans.

“Under the Dome” is a fully current and grown up story with shades of William Golding’s classic novel “Lord of the Flies”, Nazi Germany, and the universal childhood terror of ‘what if’. Typical of King, the novel is set in small town Maine, where current social issues and universal terrors mix with devastatingly toxic results when a mysterious barrier shuts the town in causing immediate mayhem and crisis to come. In a startlingly short period the municipality is forced to cope with a quickly unraveling society. The majority of the population remains behind closed doors and through their non-involvement and apathy an overblown used car dealer seizes the opportunity for power and things begin to spiral even further out of control.

References and similarities to the Nazi regime are abundant from the insane man who leaps at the chance to seize control of a panicked people through lies to the newly recruited teenage thugs who populate the police force. Organized religion gone awry hides the evil that was always present in Chester Mills and plays a role in the quick disintegration of reason that follows the seclusion. The speed of society’s deterioration and the suicides and violence that follow are horrifying while highlighting the apathy and disconnection from community prevalent in America today and the tendency to blindly follow with little or no thought.

King, a master of characters, provides not only insanely evil characters to hate but good guys to care for. The good side is led by a disillusioned and decorated soldier, Dale Barbara. His sadly small group is populated with a small town newspaper editor, who reminds us of the importance of knowledge and disclosure, a caring minister, and typical of King the fresh innocence and brilliance of heroic children and few others. Barbara’s group searches for answers and fight the insane proclamations of city selectman Jim Rennie. Rennie sees the opportunity for the power he feels he’s always deserved, enlists the allegiance of some seriously bad characters and is not about to hand over the reigns of power in what he sees as his own little kingdom even when the president orders it.The closed environment becomes a pressure cooker for not only pollution which almost instantly begins to change the weather and poison the land but also the reactions and fears of the people which are just as quickly ignited into conflicting reactions. While the reactions of the people are the main event the fiery conclusion and resolution provides a chilling explanation which whispers ‘what if’ to the scared lonely child in everyone.

Author of over fifty bestselling novels Stephen King has once again produced an action packed winner guaranteed to keep you up all night turning pages. “Under the Dome” was published in November 2009 by Simon and Schuster, the hardback book retails for $35.00.

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