Under the Dome

Stephen King

Dec 2009 · Hachette UK

About this eBook

Now with a stunning new cover look, King's 'propulsively intriguing . . . staggeringly addictive' (USA Today) No. 1 bestseller, that inspired the hit television series, centres on a small town suddenly cut off from the rest of the world.

Time isn't just running short. It's running out.

On a beautiful autumn day, a small New England town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into the dome and rain down flaming wreckage. A gardener's hand is severed as it descends. Cars explode on impact. Families are separated and panic mounts.

No one can fathom what the barrier is, where it came from, or when - and if - it will go away.

Now, a few intrepid citizens, led by an Iraq War veteran turned short-order cook, face down a ruthless politician dead set on seizing the reins of power in the town. But their main adversary is the dome itself . . .

Ratings and reviews

I read this book because of the series starting and it was my first Stephen King novel and to be honest I really struggled to get into it. Really good concept and great characters I grew to love. It just dragged a little and the ending was too fast, very hard to imagine someone giving in that easy!

Ridiculous story, a dome comes down over a town for no apparent reason, it is never explained in the story why this happened to this particular town and no one in the town ever really questions the incident either. Very poor story line, not worth your time reading it, can't believe they made a tv series based on this rubbish.

A good book read mostly just before sleeping, found myself wanting a read just one more chapter before putting it down. It did end quickly, but I feel that was the intended pace of the book. It moved very quickly from character to character, preventing the plot from becoming static and stale.

About the author

STEPHEN KING is the author of more than seventy books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His crime thrillers featuring Holly Gibney include Mr Mercedes, winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, and The Outsider, both of which were adapted into successful TV series, as well as Finders Keepers, End of Watch and the title story from If It Bleeds. Many of his titles are the basis for major motion pictures including IT, Stand By Me (adapted from The Body) and The Shawshank Redemption, which is IMDb's top-rated movie of all time. King is the recipient of The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2022, the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.