Once I read that it was a story he originally started in the mid-70s, I was interested. I'm a fan of his old work - not real crazy about much he has written since The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. His last few novels have seemed to return to his roots -- to the fiction I loved best. When I read Misery, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as a Constant Reader. King always refers to his fans as Constant Reader, and like the character in Misery, I resented the exploration he wanted to do with his writing. Exploration that went outside the box he had written in, and that I had come to love, for the past 20 or so years of his career.
So I approached his new book as I have countless others over the past few years. An undying optimist, I keep hoping he will produce another book that will grab me "in the old way". Sometimes he comes close to that which my soul desires, but lately hasn't pulled me all the way in like he used to. With Under The Dome, he was quite successful. Once again, I sat, completely transfixed, unable to stop turning the pages.
Many, many years ago, I could connect so strongly with fictional characters that to stop reading felt as if I left their lives in limbo, waiting for me to return so they could continue living. Characters in a good book come alive for me. I love them, fear for them, cry with them, and loathe those that are meant to be loathed. In Under The Dome, King has written a masterpiece with one of the largest character development plots I have ever encountered. (Hence the 1,088 pages of a story that takes place in less than a one week time frame.)
I think George Lucas and Gene Rodenberry should utter a prayer of gratitude that King's talent and ambition never turned toward the Science Fiction genre. With Under The Dome, King more than proves that he could have given Lucas or Rodenberry a run for their money in developing worlds and plots with a multitude of characters. Don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to compare Star Wars or Star Trek to Under The Dome. But *I* have to give someone credit who can develop and maintain 50+ characters and provide the reader with the ability to become intimate with each character.
There are a couple of parts in the book that I felt were loose ends. I won't go into those here because I don't want to spoil it for anyone. No worries though. The loose ends do not detract from the overall greatness of this book.
A real page-turner that I literally could not put down! I started reading the book on Thursday evening. On Friday morning, I finally had to tear myself away so we could get dressed and head to the pow wow in Ocala. (We didn't get there until 4 o'clock as a result!) I still read the book as we drove up to the pow wow and probably would have read it on the way home if it hadn't been dark! Instead I slept on the way home and then stayed up as late as a I could reading once we got home again.
Sunday morning I woke up at 7 AM with a slight touch of diarrhea. (I hate that word. It has to be one of the hardest words to spell in the entire English language!) Since I was running to the bathroom every 30 minutes, I decided I'd just lay in bed and read for a while until I felt better. (Convenient, huh?) After Troy's fourth or fifth trip to the bedroom to check on me, he realized he wouldn't be seeing me until the book was finished. I could not tear myself away. So at 8:30 PM that evening (long after the diarrhea was gone), I finally read the last sentence.
Do I recommend it? Most certainly! Suggestion: it's a $35 hardcover book. I had a 50% off coupon for Barnes & Noble and thought I was getting a real steal of a deal. Yesterday I logged into Amazon.com and saw they are selling it for $14.50!!! (Although, I wonder how much shipping is with a book that heavy!)
If you do read it, let me know your thoughts. Comments are ALWAYS encouraged!
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