Boek
Under the Dome
| Auteur | Stephen King |
| Eerste Uitgave | 2009 |
| Uitgave | 2009 |
| Uitgeverij | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Vorm | roman |
| Taal | Engels |
| Bladzijden | 880 bladzijden |
| Gelezen | 2013-11-28 |
| Score | 8/10 |
Inhoud
Celebrated storyteller Stephen King returns to his roots in this tour de force featuring more than 100 characters -- some heroic, some diabolical -- and a supernatural element as baffling and chilling as any he's ever conjured. On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mills, 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 selectwoman, 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. With some of the most spectacularly sinister characters King has ever imagined and a driving plot, UNDER THE DOME is Stephen King at his epic best. This book will thrill every reader who's ever loved a novel by King.
Bespreking
Old spice King material
The small Maine town of Chester’s Mill hides under a dense layer of superficial make-believe many dark secrets. When one Saturday in October suddenly an invisible barrier appears around the town it becomes completely separated from the outside world. No-one seems to have an explanation for what has happened, but its effects are bringing the community to a boiling point. Whereas many are just trying to do everything to survive this catastrophe, some players smell big opportunities. But in order to obtain their selfish goals, they need to get rid of some of their darkest secrets. Big sacrifices will have to be made.
With Under the Dome Stephen King returns to a formula that has proven its merits in his previous works like The Stand. Assemble a huge cast of strong characters, put them in a desperate situation and with a sarcastic, evil grin turn up the heat. Combine this with King’s expertise in small-town insanity, as masterly showcased in Needful Things, and you must get a masterpiece, no doubt. Quite understandably the expectations are set extremely high.
Feeling rather let down by his latest works, I started reading this tome with quite some reserve. But quickly I was enjoying the freshness of the story. It reminded me, I am glad to say, of the high days of the Stephen King era. The characterization, the plot ingenuity, the subtle hint of irony, the masterfully suspension of disbelieve. It all fitted nicely together and makes Under the Dome a real page turner. I really loved the way King gave for every possible implausibility a perfectly acceptable explanation at the right moment, so that you never got stuck is brain loops like “this would never happen” or “no-one would act like this”.
But calling this work a masterpiece might just be too much honor. It could have been, certainly, be it not for the conclusion of the story. It might sound crazy, but I think that Under the Dome is actually too short. At about three thirds of the book the conflict is pushed to the extreme and a gear is shifted. It feels like Stephen King was so captured by the story that he forgot to prepare for a conclusion. Suddenly he decides to close off many storylines and prepare for a grand finale that has not much to do with the rest of the narrative. This is a real shame, because it could have been so great, but now it got stuck at “simply good”.
Nevertheless is certainly ranks with the better works of our Constant Writer and shows that he has far from lost his craftsmanship.