Under the Dome: heavy to hold but worth the weight

I received Stephen King's new novel Under the Dome as a Christmas gift. I had a hard time putting it down, despite the fact that in the hard cover edition the novel is over 1000 pages. It was one of those reading experiences where I wished I had a Kindle or, better yet, an iPad.

I have always enjoyed King's story telling. He sometimes is criticized for being a bit long-winded with unnecessary description. I have to admit there were times I found myself sneaking ahead of what I was reading because I wanted to find out what was going to happen to a character. But I attribute that to King's ability to create great suspense. Sometimes I wonder if he creates lengthy descriptive passages in an effort to almost tease the readers - kind of like when the commercial comes on right before the resolution to a suspenseful situation on your favourite TV show.

At any rate, I was first a bit skeptical about the novel. The whole notion of a dome trapping an entire town, albeit a small town, seemed a bit ludicrous. The image of Homer Simspon and his son Bart on a motorcycle racing up and down the wall of the dome that trapped their town Springfield kept popping into my head.

But it seems the crazier the premise, the more believable King can make it. And he makes it believable because his focus is on the "what ifs." What if a small town was trapped, how would people react? What if the leadership of that small town comes into question, what will transpire? What if people in that small town have things to hide, how will they hide their secrets?

Unlike a lot of fantasy and science fiction writers, King spends less time on the "technical" side of what is happening and focuses instead on the human element. He does provide enough information that explains the situation to help the reader suspend his/her disbelief. But this is done to make way for an exploration of human qualities, from bravery and courage to corruption and greed. King's large cast of characters do not disappoint.

Like a lot of King's "epics," Under the Dome may be a difficult book to physically hold onto, but it is certainly not a hard book to read.