Under the Dome

The Book

One of Stephen King's heftier novels, the paperback is just under 900 pages long. The story doesn't feel as though it is plumped out or full of unnecessary text, however, and each chapter keeps you engrossed in the microcosm of small town American life as it is put under pressure and gradually disintegrates.
An unexplained invisible barrier cuts of the village of Chester's Mill from the outside world and allows for an initial rash of grotesque and horrific events to take place, as people discover its inflexibility the hard way.
This is just the set up for allowing King to delve into a large collection of characters familiar to his stories - the religiously fervent, the megalomaniac bureaucrat, the increasingly unhinged sadist, the right man in the wrong place - and crank up the set pieces of confrontation and mutilation.

The author seems to have an unhealthy fascination with the mouth as a wound - so may of the citizens end up with bloody maws with broken teeth - which left me unsettled and not in the right way!




The Dome is used as a literal encapsulation for the planet and has a strong climate change message, where concern is expressed that no-one is looking at the long term view as the air inside becomes more polluted, water runs out and food becomes scarce. 



TV site




The TV series, with executive producers Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King, has a similar storyline but is more drawn out, in order to make things more episodic - an outbreak of meningitis, putting out a house fire before it spreads. Characters are changed with those in the book, making everyone less black and white as to good and evil. Jim Rennie is less ruthless, showing some care for certain individuals, a concern for the greater good and not as orchestrating - the mob riot at the food store is pure crowd rule, rather than instigated in order to increase a police controlled state. Barbie has killed Julia Shumway's husband and their developing romance is tainted by this knowledge. Different people die in the TV series and at different times to the book, which adds a bit of unexpected surprise for the reader. It does tone down the darker elements of King's imagination as well, avoiding the unhealthy interest Junior takes in the women he killed.



There are a few stupid rule breakers - technology like torches and pacemakers blow when close to the Dome, but IPads are immune (well done Apple for the upgrade!) and the Dome develops its own microclimate which means it rains just at the right time to diffuse tensions and provide drinking water.

The story is not concluded at the end of season one, so I am guessing that there will be at least another series to come. As an idea for a multi-character situation drama, Stephen King has delivered half a cow on a plate for script writers.  It will be interesting to see how long this will run and what additional stories will develop for the residents of Chester's Mill.

If you enjoyed the book, try Stephen King's The Stand

If you enjoyed the film, try The Wall (Die Wand).