2013: The year I began King of Macabre which uncannily coincided with a lot of Stephen King related releases, some that before I started this I was unaware of. My goal with King of Macabre is to read and review everything related to Stephen King so I began with his first books. However, as 2013 has been a year full of Stephen King releases, I also wanted to read and review his latest books, tackling his work from both sides as it were.
After I read Doctor Sleep I had the choice of either reading Joyland (also released 2013) or Under the Dome. I had only heard about Under the Dome because it was adapted into a TV series that premiered in June 2013. It was recommended to me when I started this blog that I should read Under the Dome as the TV series would be airing. I didn’t have any pre-conceived notions about Under the Dome apart from hearing positive commentary. Therefore unlike the sequel to The Shining, I wasn’t necessarily eager to read it.
The day I finished reading Doctor Sleep, I held Joyland and Under the Dome in my hands and I really could have gone either way but decided in the end to go epic, so I went with Under the Dome. By a weird coincidence, I started reading on 21 October and that’s the same date when the book starts – it was meant to be! Well, I am so glad that by starting this blog in 2013, it led me to read Under the Dome because it’s a definite Stephen King must read.
Although only published in 2009, this book for me is classic King. You hear that King’s early work is much better than his most recent, but this is definitely not the case with Under the Dome and after reading it, it is definitely one of my favourites. It probably has the classic feel to it because King has stated that he came up with the original concept in 1976. It’s not that often that I read a book and I literally cannot put it down, this was the case with Under the Dome. I consumed the book in just over two weeks and with over 1000 pages, I can only compare the experience to reading It, so for me makes this book Stephen King pedigree.
Reading Doctor Sleep immediately before Under the Dome, I can now say the overall vibe of Doctor Sleep is different from his earlier work. As Doctor Sleep was the first book I read of King’s from the 21st century, I blogged that perhaps King’s work in the 21st century is perhaps tamer – smoking doesn’t play a role nor does the word nigger crop up which are ingredients of classic King. I have to now take back the 21st century analysis part because the feel of this book is similar to his early books.
I also commented that I found that Doctor Sleep was nearly endanger of being preachy – nearly. One of the characters in Under the Dome proves that King does not have a preachy agenda and that’s Sam Verdreaux. Sam represents the randomness and seemingly unfairness of the human condition– it does not follow that if you lead a good and healthy life, you’ll end up living long and healthy. Sam is a heavy smoker and drinker, towards the end of people hundreds are people die because of the pollution under the dome, however Sam is one of the last survivors (although does eventually die).
This book had the potential with its overall theme as King used writing this book as an opportunity to write about the serious ecological problems we face today, the dome being a metaphor for the planet – we are all under the dome. King managed to avoid even a hint of a preachy message in my opinion.
My favourite Stephen King book so far is It for many reasons. I am happy to be corrected, but I don’t think It is described as epic in the same way as The Stand is. I therefore distinguish It with his epic work and I would say that Under the Dome equals if not out shines The Stand for its epical nature. Regarding reading experience, Under the Dome is more of a page turner than The Stand. What made The Stand intriguing was the supernatural character of Randall Flagg and the supernatural abilities of Mother Abigail.
The supernatural intrigue (which I love!) began to emerge in Under the Dome, The Great Pumpkin and the Pink Stars, but these concepts were felt half-baked and then fizzled out. I suppose that’s the point – the style is supposed to leave you wanting more creating an eerie mystery. However similar concepts have been developed in a much thorough way in It and The Stand and this was the outcome I wanted in Under The Dome. Overall, it is a fantastic book, the ending was a little disappointing however with King it is the journey not always the destination.
What I am really hoping for is for future short stories or even a sort of sequel that would go into deeper detail about the Leatherheads – I want to know more about them! I just feel that there is more to learn (or for King to write) about the pink moon and stars and The Great Pumpkin! If this comes at a later stage in the future, the lack of supernatural intrigue will be forgiven. For example for me, I have previously said I wasn’t a fan of ’salem’s Lot, however I read the short story Jerusalem’s Lot (in Night Shit) afterwards and it completely changed my opinion. Likewise with Under the Dome, I think a short story needs to supplement it.
I made sure I watched the 13 episodes of the TV adaptation before I blogged about Under the Dome, however there is apparently going to be another season. What is good about the TV series of Under the Dome is that Stephen King is an executive producer so the changes made had his approval. The TV series is very different to the book so I am genuinely curious what’s going to happen in the second season as the storyline seems to be going a very different direction than the book. King has commented, “Other story modifications are slotting into place because the writers have completely re-imagined the source of the Dome.” I am therefore intrigued enough to commit to watch season 2 next year.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of reading Under the Dome and the book is superb in relation to the journey however not so much the destination. I was disappointed with the ending, however as Stephen King is on board with the TV series, maybe he’ll contribute to an alternate ending. I really am hoping that the leatherheads, pink stars and The Great Pumpkin have a wider meaning in King’s cosmology!
KING OF MACABRE 