Thursday, December 3, 2009

The bodies are racking up in Under the Dome...


Amidst Thanksgiving, Internet-outage, and the never-ending job search, I haven't been able to read as much as I would have liked. Either way, I am up to about page 750 or so, so about 3/4 of the way through. And when I can read it, I can't put it down.

And the body-count! I guess I should have expected that this wouldn't be a comedic romp like The Simpsons' version, but dang! Murders left, right, suicides piling up, planes crashing. And all for because of a big ass dome!

It's only been 4 days and some change in the book, so King wasn't lying when he said it only takes up a week. Some things that progress don't seem like they would happen that fast (like the mini-global warming effect or how the town has become so quickly divided...also, there's a character in it that is sick and it seems like they go from relatively okay to terminal in just a couple days, whereas in real life it would take months).

Also, some of the things that are happening seem kind of ridiculous, but more in a way that says 'this could really happen if a town was put in this position and its kind of ridiculous that humans could stoop so low.'

Also, I know now the origin of the dome. Or, at least, what category it falls under. It was what I guessed from the beginning, as it seemed the only logical explanation. There's still a good amount of mystery about it and the person who discovered the source was just thrown in jail, so we'll see how that pans out.

Even though this book is long as life, it's getting to that point where I'm wondering how everything will work out only 300 pages. It feels like I'm more in the middle than rounding out to the end. But I have faith and  hopefully the ending isn't a 'hey, the beings responsible for the sudden application of the dome decided to suddenly take it away, problems solved!' It would be a lot more satisfying if the town fights for and earns its own escape.

2 comments:

  1. Is it a book that women would like too?


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  2. I'd think so. King's fanbase is wide and diverse. My mom, a long-time single mother who works at the library of Congress as a researcher, is a fan. My step-father, a former marine, is one, too. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that King doesn't just do horror. His first three books (big ones, too: Carrie, Salem's Lot, and The Shining) were horror, but then he went on to do things like the Green Mile, Dolores Caliborne, and Shawshank Redemption.

    Under the Dome has some horror elements, but only a little, and nothing you couldn't find from a non-horror writer.

    To answer your question, I think that if you like this book or not will depend a lot on your tastes and none on your gender. There are some strong female characters (now that I think about it, most of the 'villains' are males and most of the ones with redeeming qualities are female) and King also does a good job in entering the female psyche (Gerald's Game).

    I'd say to definitely give it a try and let me know how it goes. Oh, and thanks for visiting :)

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