false 26 685 578 true 5728057 read 1 true 1084065 currently-reading 106 true 1084064 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81247683 to: Romeo and Juliet (Paperback) by William Shakespeare
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81247678 to: Macbeth (Paperback) by William Shakespeare
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8099212 The Good Guy (Hardcover) by Dean Koontz
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34577916 to: The Bridge (Mass Market Paperback) by John Skipp
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56223825 to: Under the Dome: A Novel (Hardcover) by Stephen King
Not all Stephen King books fit neatly within the horror genre, and to me, Under the Dome is a case in point. Part science fiction, part mystery, part action-adventure, the novel is, like many King books, a character study that examines, albeit fictionally, the various quirks of human nature.

Like IT, 'Salem's Lot, The Tommyknockers, and other King novels, Under the Dome is set in a small town in Maine, complete with both friendly people and an undercurrent of small-town parochialism. When the town is cut off under mysterious circumstances, the human nature examination begins in earnest.

Some of the town's people do what we all like to think we'd do in such a situation: they band together and try to work through the problem rationally, demonstrating courage, thoughtfulness, and foresight. Of course, if all the town's people did such a thing, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell, and it certainly wouldn't be a Stephen King story. As the character examination continues, we see that other people, including the main villain of the story, decide that petty tyranny is a preferable path to travel in a crisis.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I can't give it five stars, like I gave to Duma Key, because it's just not as good. I also noted several flaws in Under the Dome, including the unnecessary length of the book and the profusion of characters that, at times, got confusing, even to me, and I generally enjoy complex storylines with lots of characters to keep track of. These flaws, however, were minor to me and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

That's all I'm going to say about the storyline and what I thought of it, because I don't want to ruin it for others. I do, however, want to do my fellow Constant Readers a favor by addressing some of the attacks that have been leveled against this book and King himself.

In general, these attacks, by reviewers here and on Amazon.com, claim that the book is a bunch of "liberal propaganda" or "left-wing mumbo jumbo." To that, I have two initial, brief responses:

1. It's only fiction. Take a deep breath, think rationally, and settle down.
2. The criticisms are nonsensical and without merit.

More specifically, here are a few more detailed criticisms I've seen and my response to them:

Criticism: "This book is filled with liberal distortions!"
I read that review before reading the book, so I kept my eye out for these so-called "liberal distortions." I didn't find any. All I saw were facts used in a fictionalized context. If some of those facts are uncomfortable to people of certain ideological persuasions, so be it, but I didn't see it as a reason to criticize the book, viciously attack its author, or dock it a star or two.

Criticism: "There are too many in-your-face, liberal rants in this book!"
There are? This was another thing I kept looking for, and I never found a single "rant" within the 1,072 pages of the book.

Criticism: "Of course, there just has to be a remorseful, regretful Iraq War veteran as one of the main characters!"
What's wrong with a remorseful, regretful Iraq War veteran serving as a character in a novel? I find that it makes it more contemporary, in-touch, and realistic. The character's presence also allows for real human emotions to be a part of the book, as most mentally balanced people do feel regret and remorse when put in a situation where they have to kill other human beings or witness atrocities that were committed against people who turned out to be innocent. Is including such content in a novel political? You bet it is, but it makes the story all the more real to the reader.

Criticism: "All the villains are Republicans!"
I'd like to say this claim is merely an exaggeration, but it's really just a flat-out lie. The main villain is indeed made out to be a Republican, and King leaves a few others open to reader interpretation, but most of the villains have no political affiliation that the reader can discern. They're either small-minded, violent thugs, or they're villains by circumstance. Not only that, but one of the main heroines of the story is identified, several times, as a staunch, lifelong Republican.

Criticism: "This book is too political, more political than any other Stephen King novel!"
Have you read Firestarter? Because really, it's by no means subtle in its political nature.

I find it sad that I had to tack on a mythbuster to my review of a work of fiction, but I felt it had to be done. So many of the one-star reviews of this book circulating on the Internet are so wildly inaccurate and filled with baseless ad hominem attacks against King that someone had to say something in response. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79471192 Breathless: A Novel (Hardcover) by Dean Koontz
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78982061 Audrey's Door (Mass Market Paperback) by Sarah Langan
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8152952 to: Breeding Ground (Mass Market Paperback) by Sarah Pinborough
During the past several years, apocalyptic horror novels have been filled with zombies, zombies, and more zombies. There have, however, been some exceptions -- Brian Keene's The Conqueror Worms is one, and this book, Breeding Ground, is another.

It's the end of the world, and the planet is teeming with...well...take a look at the cover, and you'll figure it out pretty quickly. While the leading theory as to how this particularly nasty infestation came about is a bit far-fetched, Pinborough's entertaining writing style and interesting characters allow the reader to stay engrossed in the story without too much of a distraction.

It's no profound piece of literature, but Breeding Ground is a fast-paced, high-action, entertaining read. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Feeding Ground, Pinborough's sequel to this book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34577933 to: Candlenight (Paperback) by Phil Rickman
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34577925 to: Evil Offspring (Paperback) by J.N. Williamson
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