Thanks to Suvudu for the head’s up!

Under the Dome by Stephen King

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens — town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing — even murder — to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

A full wrap-around version of the cover is also available. Click the image to see a bigger version of it, if you so please:

Under the Dome by Stephen King, full wrap-around cover

In a recent email I recieved, Under the Dome was pegged as King’s longest novel since The Stand and has apparently existed in some form or another since the ’80’s. Beyond the Dark Tower series, I’ve not really had much experience with King, but I’m still curious to see how Under the Dome turns out.

Discussion
  • Dave October 6, 2009 at 9:46 am

    I’m reading it at the moment, will finish it this week some time, and it really is an incredible book – one of his best, and well worth a read. :-)

  • aidan October 6, 2009 at 9:48 am

    I’m not a huge Horror fan, but King’s publisher seems to be positioning this more as a Science Fiction-Thriller than Horror, so it’s caught my eye a bit more than his usual releases. Glad to hear it’s worth reading.

  • Seth October 6, 2009 at 9:51 am

    I haven’t read the Dark Tower books, though I’d like to. I read and enjoyed The Shining, and read part of It. King’s character development is great.

  • name(erforderlich) October 8, 2009 at 8:20 am

    The setting reminds me of the simpsons movie somehow :-)

  • Emperor October 9, 2009 at 3:04 am

    Interesting. For whatever reason, Im reminded of that movie the Mist. As for King though, I have now become somewhat obsessed with the need to read Dark Tower. Western Fantasy?

    Euphoric. Really.

  • Rob B October 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    I’ve read the majority of King’s novels and this book as some elements he does really well like a large cast of characters (Needful Things, IT, The Stand)
    Epic (IT, The Stand, The Talisman) – I’m really looking forward to it.