Legendary writer Stephen King has achieved overwhelmingly positive reviews for his 1,088 page science fiction opus Under the Dome: A Novel
The author is best-known for his horror books, but he has also written in a number of other genres, including the science fiction and fantasy fields. Under the Dome examines events in the town of Chester’s Mill in Maine, when the town is, according to the book’s description, “inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field”.
If this sounds like it has the potential to create a situation right out of the television series Lost, that’s because it does. Nobody in the town can work out what the barrier is, or why it’s there, or how to get out of their sudden prison. Meanwhile, all sorts of secrets in the town come floating to the surface, as well as internal politics raising its ugly head.
Most critics who have received advance reading copies of the book have praised it, although some have noted its length could put some readers off. Writes Publisher’s Weekly:
“King’s return to supernatural horror is uncomfortably bulky, formidably complex and irresistibly compelling … King handles the huge cast of characters masterfully but ruthlessly, forcing them to live (or not) with the consequences of hasty decisions. Readers will recognize themes and images from King’s earlier fiction, and while this novel doesn’t have the moral weight of, say, The Stand, nevertheless, it’s a nonstop thrill ride as well as a disturbing, moving meditation on our capacity for good and evil.”
Dan Traeger, another reviewer whose look at Under the Dome was published on BlogCritics, said the book should be in line for a major prize, stating: “If there is any bit of class or good taste left in the science fiction community, Under The Dome will be put into contention for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.”
Writing on Suite101.com, Lindsey Mason wrote they couldn’t put the book down, claiming it was action-packed and a must-read for Stephen King fans, thriller fans, and those in general who enjoyed life-changing novels. And Total Sci-Fi Online gave the book a 9/10, describing it as an epic tale “in every sense of the word”.
However there have also been several less positive reviews of the book, with reviewers particularly pinioning its length – clocking in at nearly 1,100 pages. Austin Post writer David Fried said the book “shoulda been shorter” and noted some sections meandered, while Joseph Savitski from Sci-Fi Ghoul went even further:
““Under the Dome” is a decent novel, but certainly not up to the standard of King’s previous works. Despite being well-researched with well-drawn characters, the story feels drawn out with little to drive it forward but crimes the townspeople commit on each other for a large part of the novel. A good buy in its paperback format, but there isn’t enough in this effort to justify spending the price for a hardcover.”
Commentary
I haven’t read much Stephen King – I’m not a horror fan by any stretch of the imagination – I’ve only read the author’s 1987 work The Eyes of the Dragon (which was chilling).
However I believe I can fairly confidently predict that King’s novel Under the Dome won’t be taken seriously by many in the science fiction and fantasy communities, even though it will no doubt be one of the most popular novels in the genre to be published in 2009. It’s currently sitting on top of the Amazon top ten bestseller list; and it hasn’t been published yet. That’s on pre-orders alone.
The reason for this is that King, despite his frequent excursions into the sci-fi and fantasy worlds, and the fact that his horror often has elements from these worlds, is considered a “mainstream” author.
It’s for this same reason that many in the sci-fi/fantasy community won’t go near the books of Margaret Atwood – even though some of her recent books are plainly post-apocalyptic sci-fi, she has denied that they fit in the genre, and most believe they do not. Witness the fact that Stephen King has never been a finalist for the Hugo Award – it’s always authors who are much more firmly situated in the sci-fi and fantasy genres which win these sorts of plaudits.
Of course, whether a book fits into a genre or not is ultimately not important – it’s the quality of the writing and the impression it makes which define its status. And there seems to be a fairly large consensus building that Under the Dome is one not to miss.
(But 1,088 pages? That’s long enough to give any sci-fi/fantasy writer a run for their money when it comes to length. Shoudn’t this have been two books? Or even three??)
1088 pages is NOT long. It’s good value. Any reader of Fantasy novels regularly reads 750 – 850 pages … and then book 2 and book 3 of the series which will also be of similar length.
I LOVE Stephen King … not so much the classic horror stuff (however I do enjoy those too) but his other works. Yes, he’s mainstream, but he’s a frickin genius. The Dark Tower, The Green Mile, Shawshank Redemption … need I say more?
Can’t disagree with this!
Wow, this is the first Stephen King book that has piqued my interest in 20 years.
I’ve always known he as a lot of great stuff … but just haven’t gotten there yet. Too much to read :)
You found Eyes of the Dragon chilling? It isn’t even a horror novel, nothing even remotely frightening about it in fact.
Yes well I guess that illustrates how much of a wuss I am when it comes to horror ;)
Don’t remember much about it — read it in my early teens, about 15 years ago!
After “Duma Key” nearly knocked “The Stand” off the top of my all-time favorite books that I re-read frequently, I was afraid that King’s next novel would be a dud (relatively speaking), or at least not up to the phenomenal standard he set with Duma Key. However, from this and other reviews, it sounds like I have nothing to fear. Hurray! There’s nothing like going into winter with a new Stephen King book that will invite many readings before the snow finally melts for good.
Heh well one could say the same thing about summer; it’s about to start getting really hot and beach weather here in Sydney ;)