*********Spoilerish********
Rachel wrote: "Meh...maybe? It was a really obvious reference but it was fleeting and didn't one of the kids or teenagers say it? "

It was in a blog post that Scarecrow Jim was reading. It really jarred me and broke my suspension of disbelief. Usually when I read, I slip right into it with time and pages flying, very immersed. It pulled me right out of it. :(

Other than that I'm a quarter of the way through the book and really enjoying it!

berrybuzz wrote: "***********Sorta/Kinda/Maybe a Spoiler**********

Now I'm a fan of the re-occurring characters, towns, and occasional shared history that happens in King's books, but did the reference to The Mist..."

Meh...maybe? It was a really obvious reference but it was fleeting and didn't one of the kids or teenagers say it?

***********Sorta/Kinda/Maybe a Spoiler**********

Now I'm a fan of the re-occurring characters, towns, and occasional shared history that happens in King's books, but did the reference to The Mist movie just go a little to far for anyone else?

Holly wrote: "I haven't read the entire thread so forgive me if this question has been addressed. I am on page 326 and just finished the chapter where Junior picks up the kids that were wandering in the forest. ..."

The reason Mrs. Rennie isn't in the picture any more is explained a little bit later in the story. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say anything else :)

I haven't read the entire thread so forgive me if this question has been addressed. I am on page 326 and just finished the chapter where Junior picks up the kids that were wandering in the forest. When the little girl hugs him he says he has never felt that feeling. Did the story address why Jim Rennie's wife/ Junior's mother is not in the picture ? Did I miss it ? I know there was a conversation earlier in this thread about the question of whether Junior is crazy or evil or affected by a brain tumor to change his personality. Could his lack of mother figure play a role ? THanks for advising if you know the answer to the whereabouts of Mrs. Rennie.

Oh, Stacie, I do not agree. King states in the afterward that one of the things he wanted most was to keep the "pedal to the medal" during this book - and I think he did that excellently. I absolutely loved this book - it lacked, of course, the delicate touches of "Lisey's Story" or "Duma Key" - maybe that's what you're referring to.

I also did not perceive any os the characters as caricatures (whoo - that's some sentence!!") I simply saw them as standard characters in Stephen King's collection. The earnest, well meaning woman - the slightly loopy librarian, and above all, the extremely intelligent kid who has a few solutions of his own -- all known before from King's works, and all loved. Jim Rennie was but a different form of so, SO many King villains.

The only criticism I can agree with above is that of Jason's complaining about the very unnecessary introduction of a "supernatural" element -- the book just didn't need it, -- and I LOVED UTD!

I have to reluctantly agree with you Stacie. This is not King at his best. Far from it. Parts of it feel too rushed, and the characters are essentially caricatures, the villains almost comic-book bad. So bad as to be unbelievable. Annie Wilkes is a worthy villain -- so well-developed she fairly screams off the page (and haunts me still) -- but Big Jim Rennie and his son Junior? Totally forgettable, and that's disappointing.

There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed (and you could tell King had a blast writing it), but compared to The Stand? IT? Even The Tommyknockers? or The DT series? It doesn't hold up.

Uh oh! Can of worms! :D

I'm afraid I'm going to open up a can of worms here, but... I found this one disappointing. I should explain that one of the joys I find in King's writing is how well he does the 'nuts and bolts' of his craft. He's got great stories, but more than that, he can write really well... and I didn't see the same level of technical mastery in this one- or at least the technical 'tricks' he used didn't work well for me. My experience reading King is that everything in his stories- from what is happening to how it's told- is necessary to the story as a whole, it builds on what happened earlier and forms a foundation for what happens next, and when you get to the end you're left with the overall impression that the story is complete and the conclusion inevitable (of course, there are exceptions... no one can be perfect all the time ;p). That's not the way this book made me feel... I found that the shifts in tenses between chapters hampered the flow of the story, and the chapter where he randomly switched to an omniscient narrator POV completely broke the tension and momentum for me and yanked me so far out of the story that it was a struggle to get 'back into the moment', so to speak. There were lots of things that I liked, and some that I even loved (Horace and Libby especially) but on the whole I was disappointed with this read.

As far as not writing a good novel since his accident.... I think duma key was a better novel overall. But i also LOVED this one. The ending was a dissapointment though

Martin wrote: "...Best book I`ve read this year!..."

I second that.

Just finished too!!! Best book I`ve read this year! I only started reading King in March of this year, but so far I have 15 under my belt (inlcuding the Dark Tower books). UTD would have to be my favourite stand-alone of his that I`ve read. Don`t let the length scare you. It gets right into the action from page 1. And for those that say that King hasn`t written a good book since his accident, then I strongly suggest reading this novel of his (I think you`ll change your mind!)

Oh well, I couldnt resist reading the above, so now I know. Still gonna enjoy the read though!!

I finished this at 12:30 this morning and loved every minute of it. It is my favorite King book so far (I have only read 3, but have seen all the movies based on his books). I did not feel that it fizzled at the end, like some people here did. The action was nonstop the entire time.

***SPOILERS***
There were a few things I didn't care for in the story. One was the ghost of Brenda Perkins telling Julia's dog, Horace, to get the Vader file at Andrea's house--it introduced a supernatural element that was completely unnecessary and only served to diminish the story overall, IMO. The other was the description of the aliens, all the assumptions made about their behavior and intentions, that everyone just "knew" they were children, and that the aliens were so anthropomorphized. There were also some physical aspects and characteristics of the dome that did not jibe with me, though they likely resulted from SK's lack of understanding of physics and they did not bother me too much.

I love this book and would recommend it to anyone, even those who are not SK or even horror fans.

Passed the halfway point last night. I dont want it to ever end!!!

I am so envious of you guys - just under 2 weeks and I'll finally have the electronic version!

I am really enjoying this one so far. It's big but the reading is actually going really fast.

I finished this one this morning around 1:30 am. It's the newest among my favorite novels (Funny how many King novels occupy the top 20....hmmmmm...you'd almost think I was a fan. LOL)

I just finished this book last night and found it to be excellent.

LOL! Sounds like a plan to me :)

Fran,
Get your priorities in order!
Take a day or two off work :) haha

Fran wrote: "didnt get that far yet, last i read the kids just went out with the giger counter. Im really into the story and wish I had more time to dedicate to reading it, but things are really busy right now..."

didnt get that far yet, last i read the kids just went out with the giger counter. Im really into the story and wish I had more time to dedicate to reading it, but things are really busy right now. As it is Im usually up til 1:00 or 2:00 trying to get my reading time in :)

"***********POSSIBLE SPOILER***********

remember the scene with the ants?
Thinking about it, I would say this relates to Big Jim's thought process. He has a captive audience, is beyond the control of most in authority, and can act out on his cruelty to his black heart's content. Kinda like the mean kid when no adults are around.

\Fran wrote: "***********POSSIBLE SPOILER***********

Oh crap!! That would explain the boy's (cant remmeber his name, sorry) comment that THEY WERE the experts!"

***********POSSIBLE SPOILER***********

Oh crap!! That would explain the boy's (cant remmeber his name, sorry) comment that THEY WERE the experts!

***********POSSIBLE SPOILER***********
Wouldn't it be SO funny if it was all a silly kids game? Think _Wordprocessor of the Gods_ gone awry!

Fran wrote: "Theories? I'd be apt to agree with Barbie's idea that he's just dreaming it all, but I know thats not like Stephen King. So im gonna say a goverment screw up or experiment."

Theories? I'd be apt to agree with Barbie's idea that he's just dreaming it all, but I know thats not like Stephen King. So im gonna say a goverment screw up or experiment.

Really feeling jealous here, the hardback won't come out in Karachi, Pakistan until next month at the earliest, there's usually a 3 month lag, which is a killer. Must admit, have been sneaking peeks at the spoilers and the stephenking website - just can't wait that long to find out what's happening:)

Holly wrote: "...wondering How people feel this book compares with Duma Key ?..."

I enjoyed Duma Key, but am enjoying Under the Dome so much more. I am completely absorbed in it!

Lonnie wrote: "Sam - the birthday girl wrote: "Angie wrote: "I wish a author who I love would come to a city near me. It always seems they stay on the east coast! "

try livin' on the West Coast of Australia A..."

is he coming again????

Tom-

The Ruth McCausland leaving town scene in Tommyknockers is Chapter 6 specifically section 11, in my version it is page 335.

In terms of Duma Key I felt much more in the "heads" of those characters where this book is much more descriptive of action but not as much thought. I guess I have to read the whole thing to really compare because it took a long time to get invested in Duma Key and it wasn't nearly as interesting as this one. I agree UTD is much closer to "The Stand."

Holly, MOST excellent catch! I don't remember that scene; where in the book is it? Chapter? [better yet, page?:]
Thanks.

Holly wrote: "Hello Stephen King Fans .. First time I am posting here... wondering How people feel this book compares with Duma Key ? I also happen to be simultaneously reading "Tommyknockers" . When Ruth McCaus..."

I like the dome way better than I liked duma key! I wasnt too impressed with Duma Key. Dont get me wrong it was a good book and I probably would haved loved it if it was written by any other author, but its not one of the master's best works imho. Must be a b*tch setting the bar so high for yourself, lol.

Hello Stephen King Fans .. First time I am posting here... wondering How people feel this book compares with Duma Key ? I also happen to be simultaneously reading "Tommyknockers" . When Ruth McCausland tries to leave Haven , she wonders if a "Dome" will prevent her from going... It turns out to be more like an elastic force field but I also wondered if there were any other references to this (Domed places) in any of SK other works. I agree that Jim is creepy, Junior may be impacted by his tumor but is primarily an evil character to start with. I am only about 250 pages in, so this thread is tough to read and dodge spoilers.

Robert wrote: "i havent read any comments. I will when i have finished but i just want to say

I HATE THE CHARACTORS IN THIS BOOK

in this i mean

SK MADE ME HATE THE CHARACTORS IN THIS BOOK

He has done a good j..."

You know...I'm kinda with you there. There are a lot of characters in this book I find truly disgusting and not many I really, really like. Barbie and Julia are ok, but I didn't fall in love with them as I usually do with SK's heroes. The one character I did love was Piper Libby. I totally related to her!

And SPOILER...

I found Junior's interest in the kids creepy as well. I get the idea that no one is all bad or all good, but his obsession with them made me ill after his attachment to his "girlfriends". When he talked about going to get them I had a feeling that they would end up in "the pantry" as well.

Bondama wrote: "*****spoiler alert ********

Leslie, if you're 500 pages in, you must have missed the explanation of the "bad blood" between Junior and Baaarbie . . . it's just a small aside, but basically, one of..."

that's why I stated he was evil earlier as well. If he had been a sane non-evil person he would have gone to the authorities with the accusation instead of trying to be a vigilante.

Bondama wrote: "*****spoiler alert ********

you must have missed the explanation of the "bad blood" between Junior and Baaarbie

Oh right, That detail had slipped my mind.

*****spoiler alert ********

Leslie, if you're 500 pages in, you must have missed the explanation of the "bad blood" between Junior and Baaarbie . . . it's just a small aside, but basically, one of the girls (the one who works at the steakhouse) made a move on Barbie, and was turned down by him. That made her tell her boyfriend (one of Jr.'s gang) that Barbie had raped her. That's why the parking lot beat down ensued.

I can't wait to get this book... hopefully for Christmas (too short of time to read it from the library)!

Angie wrote: "I am avoiding this thread since I don't have my hands on the book... if there happens to be a "problem" in the thread someone let me know (now with great Constant Readers here there shouldn't be an..."

Oh now I'm deviously plotting out to cause problems. :D

angie this is the same reason why i skipped to the bottom of the page with the page down button just to say.. its a great book...really worth picking up

I am avoiding this thread since I don't have my hands on the book... if there happens to be a "problem" in the thread someone let me know (now with great Constant Readers here there shouldn't be any problems right?).

I KNOW!! I thought the other guy was one in on that encounter with sammie too. Im just not getting the conflicting personality traits of these guys!

i havent read any comments. I will when i have finished but i just want to say

I HATE THE CHARACTORS IN THIS BOOK

in this i mean

SK MADE ME HATE THE CHARACTORS IN THIS BOOK

He has done a good job at making charactors that you will want to see brought to justice hehe. Stephen is a master at this. Im listening to the audiobook at work and i have about 8 hours to go and i keep cringing because.... I HATE BIG JIM!!! :D

********************SPOILERS AGAIN***********************



Yes, Junior and Barbie had issues before, but they began after he had been expelled from school (or whatever) and it seems as if his possible tumor had already begun to affect him at that point.

Lonnie wrote: "in Arnold voice "It's not a toomer!" :)

I think the tumor issues are amplifying the evil. He wanted to beat up Barbie for no reason before the book even starts.

"

Well keep in mind that we're plopped into to story right as the dome falls and that Junior and Barbie had already had issues with each other. I'm only 500+ pages in, so I don't know what started the bad blood between them...or if we ever know, but I don't see Junior as evil. I see him as emotionally and mentally incapable of making good or even reasonable judgements. He's deranged and sees more and more people around him as his enemy. For this reason, I didn't find it odd at all that he felt compassion for the children. The other fellow with him did also and wasn't he one of the men involved in the - situation - with Sammey Bushey? (I'm intentionally vague for those who might not have gotten that far.)

Of course my opinion could change at any point....I'm only about half way through. :)

in Arnold voice "It's not a toomer!" :)

I think the tumor issues are amplifying the evil. He wanted to beat up Barbie for no reason before the book even starts.

Chris wrote: "That's true, Kandice....one big reason that he is going nucking futs....."

Ha ha ha!

That's true, Kandice....one big reason that he is going nucking futs.....

Kandice wrote: "Junior also has a BRAIN TUMOR! I mean, it doesn't sound like he was an angel before, but a lot of his feelings now are because of that, not his true personality."

I hope your guessing at the brain tumor thing since I havent gotten that far yet. But I do think the thought crossed my mind because of all his headaches, but then again a lot of people especially the kids are having issues too.

*************************SPOILER undetermined page**************************


Junior also has a BRAIN TUMOR! I mean, it doesn't sound like he was an angel before, but a lot of his feelings now are because of that, not his true personality.