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Stephen King's Under the Dome
11/24/2009
I just finished reading Stephen King's latest book "Under the Dome". I'm not a big King fan but, you know, a DOME! How could I pass? Overall it's a very solid offering, strongly reminiscent of "The Stand" but I personally found it a bit disappointing. Why? Well...
My favorite part in most science fiction novels is the section when a group of very smart people - usually scientist - sit around and ratiocinate the science behind whatever mysterious phenomenon is confronting them. What do the aliens want? How is this space-disease defeated? Or in this case, what are the exact physical properties of the dome and the scientific theories behind its creation?
Unfortunately, such discussions never occur. The dome is merely cool plot device which none of the characters seem at all curious about. I'd guess that less that two of the book's thousand-plus pages are devoted to any real discussion of the dome's properties. "Under the Dome" is a book of hyped emotions, political parables, and judeo-christian mysticism but not really science or even science fiction. That doesn't mean it's a bad book - not at all. It's just not the book I'd hoped for.
As in most King novels I've read you get:
- King's standard "blood and boogers" vulgar world view
- Great villains including the charismatic scheming leader, a couple of beyond-insane-and-scary killers, and innumerable "just following orders" dullards.
- Pulp-novel quick pacing and an easy writing style that keeps the pages turning.
- Heroes who, though not idiots, make some really,
really stupid decisions. - Simplified versions of good and evil that conveniently group characters into one column or the other.
- A steady suffusion of mysticism with plenty of premonitions, judeo-christian imagery, and even a ghost talking to a dog (I'm not kidding).
- Plenty of nods to other King books and bits of King mythology
11/24/2009 | Permanent Link
