Under The Dome: A Novel
Stephen King
Nov 2009 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Raul Esparza
4.7star
84 reviewsreport
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34 hr 25 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
The “propulsively intriguing, staggeringly addictive” (USA TODAY) novel from master storyteller Stephen King—a #1 New York Times bestseller.
It is a typical October morning in Chester’s Mill, Maine: glorious weather, a perfectly blue sky, and quiet. Then, all hell breaks loose. Inexplicably, and simultaneously, a plane falls from the sky in flames; a woman’s hand is severed; and a farmer’s John Deere explores (with him on it). A few moments later, a pulp-truck crashes spectacularly. Somehow, an invisible and impermeable barrier—exactly following the town’s perimeter—has descended upon the town.
Life under the dome quickly becomes a hothouse—with the best in some people and the worst in others flourishing. There are unambiguous heroes and villains, from a supremely corrupt local politician to a very enterprising newspaper reporter. The situation under the dome deteriorates by the minute: supplies of everything are diminishing quickly, the citizens are panicking, and the police force, under the control of the diabolically devious alderman Jim Rennie, implement their own version of martial law. Meanwhile, Barbie, brave Iraq war vet and short order cook, and a band of intrepid pals engage in a race against time to find the source of the dome and raise it before there’s nobody left alive in Chester’s Mill.
Under the Dome is filled with a marvelous and enormous cast of over 100 characters. King’s trademark idiomatic language is pure pleasure to read. “Nowhere in Mr. King’s immense body of work have his real and fantasy world collided with such head-on force” (The New York Times Book Review).
It is a typical October morning in Chester’s Mill, Maine: glorious weather, a perfectly blue sky, and quiet. Then, all hell breaks loose. Inexplicably, and simultaneously, a plane falls from the sky in flames; a woman’s hand is severed; and a farmer’s John Deere explores (with him on it). A few moments later, a pulp-truck crashes spectacularly. Somehow, an invisible and impermeable barrier—exactly following the town’s perimeter—has descended upon the town.
Life under the dome quickly becomes a hothouse—with the best in some people and the worst in others flourishing. There are unambiguous heroes and villains, from a supremely corrupt local politician to a very enterprising newspaper reporter. The situation under the dome deteriorates by the minute: supplies of everything are diminishing quickly, the citizens are panicking, and the police force, under the control of the diabolically devious alderman Jim Rennie, implement their own version of martial law. Meanwhile, Barbie, brave Iraq war vet and short order cook, and a band of intrepid pals engage in a race against time to find the source of the dome and raise it before there’s nobody left alive in Chester’s Mill.
Under the Dome is filled with a marvelous and enormous cast of over 100 characters. King’s trademark idiomatic language is pure pleasure to read. “Nowhere in Mr. King’s immense body of work have his real and fantasy world collided with such head-on force” (The New York Times Book Review).
Ratings and reviews
4.7
84 reviews
Carlos Garcia
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May 23, 2018
I am a massive Stephen King fan and the only way for me to enjoy his books
is by audio book. Mr. Esparza is damn good and the majority of the story
grabs you and keeps you in. The issue I had was I didn't feel fulfilled in
the end. I didn't feel satisfied and for a reader/listener, that's a big
deal. There haven't been many books that let me down, but this one did. I'm
just happy I didn't have to read it for myself. There is also an issue with
the audio of this book as you need to blast your volume to full blast just
for it to be understood.
Mr Eff
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August 29, 2022
Good story, good narrator. I don't know why one reviewer complained about the character voices. The narrator did a great job on the different character voices. I especially like how the skateboarder sounded like Otto (the school bus mechanic) from the Simpsons. Yeah, I'm 41 years old and I grew up with the Simpsons. Bite me. Also, I'm not going to spoil anything by giving away any details about the ending, but I liked it. it wasn't a let down ending, it was weird and twisted and explained the dome, and the source of the dome just fine. It was a lot more of an explanation than you'd get out of any "true" UFO book. I don't disbelieve in UFO's but they surely aren't from space and aren't running a crossbreeding program. think about it. would we humans cross-breed with apes? no. so if "aliens" are a superior life form, why would they breed with humans, which are an "inferior" life form? they wouldn't. but so many UFO nuts can't imagine any other scenario, so they're stubbornly closedminded
Mike O'Brien
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October 1, 2024
I read this book many years ago but it been so long I honestly couldn't remember the ending. I probably said this about multiple Stephen King books but honestly at this moment I think it is the best book he ever wrote. he absolutely kept the pedal to the metal I was cripped from almost the beginning to the end. Cheers Cheers
About the author
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch, the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of 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 Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Raúl Esparza starred on Broadway in The Homecoming, Company (Tony nom., Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award), Taboo (Drama Desk Award), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Cabaret. On television he had a recurring role on the ABC series Pushing Daisies. His film credits include Sydney Lumet's FInd Me Guilty.
Raúl Esparza starred on Broadway in The Homecoming, Company (Tony nom., Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award), Taboo (Drama Desk Award), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Cabaret. On television he had a recurring role on the ABC series Pushing Daisies. His film credits include Sydney Lumet's FInd Me Guilty.
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