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Under the Dome

An epic thriller from the No.1 bestseller

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Under the Dome

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Raul Esparza
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King's bestselling novel centres on a small town suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible dome.

In UNDER THE DOME, King has produced another riveting masterpiece. The end of every chapter hooks you into the next, drawing you inside a psychological drama that is so rich, you don't read it, you live it.

It is the story of the small town of Chester's Mill, Maine which is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. No one can get in and no one can get out.

The normal rules of society are suddenly changed and when food, electricity and water run short, the community begins to crumble. As a new and more sinister social order develops, Dale Barbara, Iraq veteran, teams up with a handful of intrepid citizens to fight against the corruption that is sweeping through the town and to try to discover the source of the Dome before it is too late . . .

(P)2009 Simon & Schuster Audio©2009 Stephen King First Contact Mystery Psychological Science Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Scary Fiction
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Most reviews of this book say it's a return to the style of 'The Stand' - which is true - and no bad thing in itself!
Characters - (of which there are dozens) are well rounded and believable.
Plot - Entertaining throughout and frightening in parts.
Interest is maintained throughout the book - although it may have been a slightly better book for being just a little shorter.
Generally - well worth a listen - and well read.
Recommended - try and make the time to listen to this book.

Typical Stephen King

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Typically Stephen King; at times disturbing with its graphic and quite brutal imagery, but no denying the skilfulness of the storytelling.

Despite knowing where things were headed, and what was bound to happen, it was still a gripping ride.

I did enjoy this – although it gave me a nightmare about being trapped a few days after finishing it (fortunately, only the one nightmare). This is another of those books which I will probably recall for many years to come.

I couldn't quite decide between 4 or 5 stars. 4 because it was both so unlikely and yet predictable (and it gave me a nightmare!!), but settled on 5 because despite the above, it is well written and the concept itself was thought provoking. In a previous review on a different book, I commented "good idea, poorly executed". This is the opposite: "Simple idea, very well executed".

The narration is solid – good character definition with distinctly identifiable voices.

It gave me a nightmare!

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I have listened to this audio book five times and shall probably listen indefinately. An amazing piece of work, one of King's best, the character list is immense and yet you get to know them all in detail, you can feel the sun on your face and the dust in your eyes, you can feel pain and happiness in chapters like you are actually experiencing it, you can eagerly and bitterly resent characters yet feel love and safety in others.
The story is incredible and keeps you totally drawn in without allowing yourself to miss a single second. This truly is a masterpiece and wish I could erase it from memory so I can listen afresh over and over.

Absolutely Incredible Writing

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This story is essentially about the fact that "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglee". The "clustermug" reference is to the habit of Jim Rennie, the corrupted 2nd selectman of Chester's Mills, in avoiding cuss words (he is oh so religious). Big Jim is typified by King as the wheeler dealer who worms his way into positions of absolute power, and then becomes so corrupted thereby that he can't discriminate between his ego needs, and the welfare of his community.
His character may be familiar to many who look over the parapet from time to time and he is also the most interesting character.
Chester's Mills is not unlike many closely woven social groups, embodying the best and the worst of human usage and abusage. Most of us would not object to much of what routinely goes on here, and King's descriptions (although seen by some reviewers as over-long) establish the necessary basis for the disaster which is immediately apparent from the start of "Under the Dome".
Whatever moral judgment a listener may be tempted to embrace, such issues are more or less irrelevant, as the events unfold it seems that Chester's Mills is being randomly sinned against by forces beyond our ken.
One always hopes for a happy ending when sh** happens, sometimes there is one, sometimes not - so wait and see - you will have to listen until the end of Raul Esparza's fine reading of this everyday story of country folk.
Raul has a brilliant ear for the nuances of the "yankee" dialect, and to non-American english speakers such as myself, this dimension is really entertaining.
Thanks Stephen you work very hard to get a result - I believe you have one here!

Clustermugs Happen Here - watch out!!

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Would you consider the audio edition of Under the Dome to be better than the print version?

I think you gain something extra from listening to audio books, but to say that they are better than print in any eventuality is not really accurate. That said, Raul Esparza really brings the characters to life.

What other book might you compare Under the Dome to, and why?

I would have to draw comparisons with The Stand, largely due to the character interplay. Much as with The Stand, Under the Dome throws a cast of unlikely bedfellows together, puts them in a situation which will strain them and allows you a fly on the wall view of all hell breaking loose as a consequence.

What about Raul Esparza’s performance did you like?

Esparza really makes the effort to give each character a sense of individuality. The reading of certain characters really gives insight into the author's intention (or at least Esparza's understanding of it). His voicing of Big Jim Rennie was so good that I would cringe to hear the character appear. The lackadaisical drawl, as well as King's vivid descriptions, really make the character appear to you.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The constant foreknowledge of how the Rennie's intended to frame Barbara was so well done that it became difficult to continue listening. I had to force myself to go on knowing what the inevitable consequences would be. The scene where he is arrested by the new deputies, and the reactions of characters that we have come to view as "the good guys" when they think that he is a murderer was really emotive.

Any additional comments?

All in all this is a really great listen and I would love to hear more audio books voiced by Raul Esparza

Brilliant but painful

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