becky_97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I went into my read of Under the Dome well aware that Stephen King is a phenomenal writer, and that thought was upheld as I dove into over 1,000 pages of well-built tension and horror in a story where, after a mysterious dome locks the townsfolk of Chester's Mill away from the rest of the world, everything starts to descend slowly into carnage and chaos.
Under the Dome is a monster of a book, but each of the well-written chapters fleshes out the cast into a believable collection of townsfolk, each of whom gets to tell their story throughout the novel. Having such a massive cast for a book seems daunting, but their stories and the stretch of their lives before the start of the fateful October Dome Day makes them feel real.
It's a brilliant book that made me sad, thoughtful, angry, and downright disgusted at times. Stephen King has such a talent for writing antagonists, and
Spoiler
when a murderer isn't the most morally grey character,I wish there were more to the ending. The book is well-written and drawn out, but the last few pages fly by. Overall, though, Under the Dome is another of Stephen King's masterpieces, and I imagine it'll stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, Animal death, Police brutality, Car accident, Gun violence, and Gore
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Torture, Racism, Fatphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Rape, Racial slurs, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Hate crime, Addiction, Biphobia, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Dementia, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Abandonment
Minor: Chronic illness, Ableism, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Antisemitism
necrophilia, cancer, brain tumor,mkejen's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Medical trauma, Car accident, Blood, Animal death, Addiction, Drug use, Violence, Rape, Gun violence, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Misogyny
cheezh8er's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Body horror, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Murder, Mental illness, Gun violence, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Sexual assault, Rape, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Excrement, and War
aesweole's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Murder, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Vomit
Minor: Child death
nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Cancer, Gore, Sexism, Gaslighting, Racism, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
lantheaume's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's a page turner for 1,000 pages - which is impressive.
Beware - it's a heavy book! :-)
Not a plot spoiler below, but wanted to make sure folks opted in to see it by choice.
Spoiler
book is a great read but the ending was a let down for me after 1,000 pages. I'd give it a 4 to 4.5 for the first 900 pages and a 3 for the last 100.Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Rape, Violence, Gore, Murder, and Addiction
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child death
This is about how messed up things can get. Think lord of the flies. Extremely well done but there's a lot of trigger warnings in this book,allison1316's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Gore, Drug use, Sexual violence, Animal death, Self harm, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Death, Rape, Murder, Car accident, Blood, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
nichole_of_numenor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a character study on steroids. Not just for the sheer volume of characters (around 100?!?!?) but the way the small town being trapped under an impentratable dome accelerated the paths each character was already on. The ultimate character crucible. Trapped in such a finite space, this work is also a commentary about how fast we are accelerating our own ending -- between emissions, thoughtless consumption of resources, and general disregard for an environment that is perhaps more fragile than would seem.
Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Car accident, Drug abuse, Suicide, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
alsoannabanana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Graphic: Cancer, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Child death, Car accident, Bullying, Animal death, Death of parent, Addiction, Violence, Murder, Medical content, Drug use, Torture, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Body horror, Blood, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, and Alcoholism