Book 101: Under The Dome

I couldn't resist this huge tome from Stephen King, even though I need to read quickly to finish my challenge! It's 1072 pages long, but it went fast anyway.

The premise is that a little town in the Northeastern U.S. is one day trapped, inexplicably, under an invisible dome. No one can get in or out. Water and gases can slowly trickle through, but heat and pollution are building up after only a couple of days. The military can't breach it and no one knows what to do.

There's a bit more of a supernatural element to it, but I won't ruin the surprise for you. Mostly, King sticks to what he's great at: developing characters who seem real and pitting them against each other.

There is a really, really bad guy who is GLAD for the Dome because he would love to take over as dictator. There are other bad guys and stupid guys who help the Bad Man and enjoy the hateful, childish tormenting of the good guys.

There are the good guys and the medium-good people who try to help each other and stop the bad guys, and some just aren't trying to hurt anyone.

King builds the plot up until the reader wishes to go to that town and kill the bad guys herself. But instead, all she can do is keep reading and trust that an appropriate fate awaits the baddies.

It is fun, imaginative, and entertaining. King's still got it.