Thursday, July 23, 2009

A King Blockbuster?

Since Stephen King retired from writing after he finished the Dark Tower series, his writing has met with a modicum of success. Cell was okay, and I liked Blaze (written as Richard Bachman), but he’s still looking for a breakout bestseller.

Perhaps, and hopefully, that will change on November 10 when Scribner releases the 1,088-page Under the Dome. This is Amazon.com’s product description:
On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out.

Has Steve found his old form ala The Stand, or will it be another long, drawn-out gab fest?


Product Description © Amazon.com

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Charlie, I hope he delivers.

And that award I mentioned I had for you soon? It is here.

Literature Crazy said...

I'm put off by the length of the novel, but the plot hook sounds incredibly compelling.

Mary Witzl said...

I'd probably read it. And my kids absolutely will.

Pat said...

The only one of his I've read was 'Stephen King on writing' which I enjoyed. I'll be interested in your verdict even though I seem to be stuck on memoirs and psychological thrillers at present.

Meg said...

Hmm. Sounds good. Remember how I recommended Duma Key? Well, I got to the end and it just totally sucked - almost as if he found himself running out of time and needed a quick finish. But, the rest of the book was amazing.