Book Review: Under the Dome by Stephen King (!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!)

[MrWildboy94]

Wow. I thought the ending would be a lot better. I'm about 271 pages into Under The Dome (I like it, as well), but I don't know how I feel about reading the rest of the novel and coming-out to this conclusion. As you said: It's a love/hate relationship.

[RullyisJRM]

@MrWildboy94 Uh oh. I think it would have been best if you didn't see this spoiler review of the novel before you finished it. lol.

[wb4ever1]

I agree with all the complaints about Under the Dome and how it has way too many of Stephen King's usual tropes: a fiery holocaust, a magic dog, hateful and stupid small town Maine citizens, bad things happening to good people, silly similes, and subplots that go nowhere, but no matter, nobody creates a narrative drive better than King. Oh, and when they make the movie, how about James Gandolfini as Big Jim, Timothy Olyphant as Barbie, Laura Linney as Julia, and Marshall Allman as Junior.

[RullyisJRM]

@wb4ever1 Not sure about the casting (heard an HBO mini-series is being planned, with Spielberg producing) -- I'm never really good at that, but I definitely agree with your thoughts on King's narrative drive. It's usually the journey in King's books that get his readers hooked.

[skinnygoth19]

@wb4ever1 I got John Goodman as Big Jim, Jeremy Renner as Barbie, Courtney Cox as Julia. Gandolfini was a good choice, but I couldn't get his voice to resonate in my head like I could Goodman.

[RullyisJRM]

@skinnygoth19 Can't go wrong with Jeremy Renner. 

[wb4ever1]

@skinnygoth19 Another good choice to play Big Jim would be John Lithgow; base this on his performance as the Trinity Killer on Dexter. He's terrific at projecting the false sincerity necessary for the character.

[creepykels]

i was disappointed by the "climax" as well. very very disappointed. i think it showed how tired stephen was after working on the book for 10 years, you know?

[RullyisJRM]

@creepykels Yeah, perhaps it was just a little too ambitious. He may have known how to start it and what will take place, but not how it ends. Oh well, it happens. lol.

[donniedarkodevotte]

You hit the nail on the head with everything that is wrong with this book. I just finished it last night, so it's fresh in my memory. My main problems with it:

1. Too many villains. In a book this long, he could have fleshed out plenty of people to root for. In the end, only three stood out and (Barbara, Rusty and Julia)

2. Idiotic characters. Did they have to keep approaching Rennie alone, with threats of exposure? I felt they deserved to die.

3. Very silly rushed ending.

[RullyisJRM]

@donniedarkodevotte Glad you agree with my review. :) I should have mentioned there were too many villains.

[donniedarkodevotte]

@RullyisJRM

Also, Andrea. The official who was hooked on Oxycontin. I didn't mention her because I almost exceeded 500 letters, but what a waste she was. King had her go through hell to get clean. You think she's going to do something great. Instead, she doesn't tell Julia about the file, even though Brenda Perkins died trying to give it to her. That was completely out of character and made her look like the biggest idiot in the book at the town meeting. What a waste indeed.

[RullyisJRM]

@donniedarkodevotte Absolutely. It seemed as though her character was being built up for a purpose, but she really didn't go anywhere besides ruining the VADAR file side plot. In fact, I don't think we've heard from her again after that incident. The book had many town idiots, but she may have taken the top spot.

[donniedarkodevotte]

@RullyisJRM

She thankfully gets shot after her fiasco with her shaky hands dropping both the VADER file and the gun. Too bad King didn't add an, "Andrea fell to the ground, gasping for air, pulling what little she could through the gaping bullet hole in her neck. She survived a total of 10 seconds. The only woman who wore high heels to the meeting finished her off as she stepped on Andrea's neck in a panicked dash, driving her heel into the wound." > : D Idiots should suffer big time.

[RullyisJRM]

@donniedarkodevotte Oh yeah! I almost forgot she had a tragic (though deserving) end! Lmao. Still wasn't enough to justify her dropping the dang file, though. :(

[Myytmovies]

dude, it's a book. take it easy

[RullyisJRM]

@Myytmovies I know. And this is just a review of the book.

[taylorcassell7]

I was shocked when Andy Sanders teamed up with Chef to take down the radio station for the propane

[RullyisJRM]

@taylorcassell7 That was a DEFINITE shocker. Chester's Mill was doomed from that point on.