I finished Under the Dome at about 2:00am on January 6th, completely unable to stop reading until I’d reached the end. When my prediction came true, I knew I was in for a ride.

Except for when Stephen King slows down the pace and switches to present-tense, for the most part the story is very fast-paced. When Halloween comes early to Chester’s Mill, King slows everything way down and you feel completely helpless as you watch it happen right before your eyes.

Because of its fast pace and its display of how easily a tragedy can change even the best of us for the worst, I would say that Under the Dome was better than The Stand — which is one of my all-time favorite Stephen King novels. While reading, I felt like I was a part of the town, and I became very invested in all of its citizens and the events that unfolded. (I even felt a little bad for Junior at times, because I know what it’s like to live with chronic pain.)

Synopsis
A small town in Maine becomes trapped underneath a giant Dome, reminiscent of the bubble part of candy machine toy containers. The town is led by money hungry Second Selectman James “Big Jim” Rennie, who does a lot more than just bully people.

References To Other Stephen King Works

• Castle Rock — Chester’s Mill, the town Under the Dome is set in, is a small town right near Castle Rock. Longtime readers of SK will remember Castle Rock as being the setting of several stories where very, very strange things happen.
• Route 119 — The number 19 is a reference from SK’s Dark Tower series. Route 119 goes right through Chester’s Mill.
• Bus 19 — Again, 19 is a reference from The Dark Tower. I won’t spoil you, but believe me when I say the scene involving Bus 19 is awesome. (And by awesome I mean, “I am a Stephen King fan and the fucked up things he makes happen are awersome.”)

If you haven’t already, go pick up Under the Dome. It’s over a thousand pages long, but well worth the time you’ll have to invest in getting from beginning to end. Really, you won’t even notice.

Freaking Stars: ★★★★★