What IS The Dome

So what exactly is the Dome?

Writers at CBS said they changed the cause of the dome that slams down over Chester's Mill.  King said he wished he'd thought of their idea to begin with.  Did they really change it? What if they just told us they changed it to keep us watching?  Probably not.

Some things we've learned about the Dome:

• It gives a first time electrical shock when touched.
• It does not like electrical devices, like hearing aids or pacemakers.  
• Small amounts of water can come through.
• The Dome cuts off all communication with the outside (other than visual).  So there is no TV, not internet and no cell phones.
• It goes deep.  Residents can continue to dig down without striking the Dome.  How far does it go?  Is it a complete circle?  Does it go as deep as it does high?
• It causes some young people to have seizures and say, "The pink stars are falling."

I would like Mr. Monk or Sherlock Holmes to come put those clues together into something reasonable.  So, back to the old question -- what is causing a giant dome to cover Chester's Mill?

Give me your suggestions. Here are a few. . .

• An alien force-field
• A Cocoon
• The work of a rogue mad scientist (minions could pull this off, right?)
• A terrorist plot
• A natural phenomena

Bombing The Dome

picture credit: wsj.com

Episode 5 of Under The Dome was once again a thrill.  I am excited about this show partly because they feel so safe letting the plot take a different path than King's novel.

There are spoilers here.  So don't read this if you haven't seen episode 5.

MOAB: Mother Of All Bombs.  So how do you take down a dome? Well, if you're the government, you could bomb it.  Of course, since this is episode 5, not 13, the audience is pretty sure the dome isn't going to pop. King dealt with the bomb issue early in the novel also, probably to get it out of the way since it is one of the most obvious ideas.

To drop a bomb on an American city -- even one with a Dome over it -- would require the signature of the President of the United States. I can't think of any president who would sign off on that!  (I can think of a former VP, but not a president)  Imagine the political uproar that would take place on the outside if the president allowed the military to drop a bomb on a city inside the States.  Even if he declared the Dome itself a terrorist threat, the public outcry and threat of impeachment would quell that idea.

The rational for dropping the bomb was not explored by the show.  Is the Dome in some way a threat to those on the outside?  The only threat is to those on the inside, who will be wiped out if the bomb is successful.

My notes:

1. This episode introduced us to some interesting insights into both Reverend Coggins and Big Jim.  First, with Coggins, we discover he's the real deal.  While King gave us a pretty one dimensional cardboard preacher-bad guy, this episode showed us a man who, though crazy, actually does believe.  He is a man of faith.  When he hears "Moab" come through his hearing aid he immediately makes a Biblical connection.  But his fear reveals his faith. When put under stress, he goes to the only thing he really knows to do -- repent and return to preaching.

2. About Big Jim -- the nasty is starting to really show through!  Wow, last week left us with quite a cliff hanger.  Big Jim finds Angie in his basement.  Quite a welcome twist from the book!  Big Jim sets her free – but is he really so kind hearted?  Well, he sets her lose from a shelter, not telling her to go to the cement plant -- after all, the mother of ALL bombs is on the way.  He loosed her hoping she'd die in the oncoming explosion.  What a naughty thing to do.

3. What does the message "the pink stars are falling" mean?  We are offered the hypothesis that perhaps this is a message from the Dome itself.  Interesting.

4. We are also given a new idea as to what the Dome might be.  The appearance of Monarch butterflies makes one character suggest that the Dome is like a cocoon.  That they will come out from under the dome transformed.  Probably not -- but it does show us that the authors have something really cool up their sleeve.

5. Funny, the writers act like only the military would know military time.

6. With the MOAB doing all of its damage outside of the dome, Bruce Willis, the guy who lives next door to the Dome, now has reason to be upset! (talkstephenking.blogspot.com Bruce Willis Lives Next Door To The Dome)

Remembering Under The Dome

Tonight CBS premiers the Summer mini-series UNDER THE DOME.  I'm really looking forward to it.  I loved the book!

Of course, up to this point, all I know about Under The Dome comes from the book.  The images in my mind are formed and built on King's words.  But after I watch the first episode of Under The Dome, everything is going to change.  No longer will my only viewpoint of this story come from Stephen King.  There will now be visual images, new story lines, characters will come to life in a new way.  All of that is good.  I also know that in some ways watching a visual adaptation of a book causes you to forever change your understanding of that book.  So, in some ways, I'm saying good bye today to Under The Dome as I've known it thus far.  (Don't laugh at me, I know this is corny)

A reader builds a special bond with a writer.  Words have the power to move directly from his typewriter where he builds each scene, enacts each sound effect, summons each character -- to my page where I see it all come to life in the theater of the mind.  No middle man needed.  Even though he sells millions of books, each time I read the words it's as if it's just me and Mr. King sitting in a room as he tells me a story.

Under The Dome is a novel that I remember enjoying quite a lot -- but I don't remember a lot of it!  I do not recall each plot turn with the detail I did The Stand.  Probably good, since it will give me some freedom watching the movie.  Has a movie ever irritated you as you watched it because it was making giant turns the book didn't?  What sticks deeply with me is early scenes of the Dome coming down.

Let's have some fun!  I went through some of my Under The Dome Journal entries and collected some of my favorite notes from the novel.

NOTES FROM UNDER THE DOME JOURNAL:

• Two guys walking along, one inside the Dome, one outside the Dome. Nice!
• Wow. This book really, really moves. Chopped off hands, dead people, car wrecks. All good stuff. 

In Their Heads

From Dome Journal #3: I'm freaked out by how King can take me inside Juniors head. I don't like it. I don't want to understand him. But that's what makes King such a good writer. I do identify. I liked the part where he woke up and hoped it was all a dream. I've had bad events in life where I woke up and thought -- ahhh! So it wasn't a dream?!

Can You Lick The Dome?

From Dome Journal #6: . . .It seems that little attention is given to the dome itself. Wouldn't little kids try to climb it? Anyone poked it -- with something other than a cruise missile? Licked it? that only comes to mind because it's Christmas time and I just saw that movie where the kid licks the pole and his tongue sticks. I wonder what would happen if you stuck your tongue to that Dome. . .! Get a shock probably.

From Dome Journal #5: The image of people washing the Dome was wonderful! If only we could do that on planet earth. I have this mental picture of those planes that drop water on fires coming over the dome and dropping water on it so they can see exactly where it's at.

Narrative Coolness!

From Dome Journal #7: One of the things I really like is King's easy, conversational narration. In fact, I find myself saying: "Oh, I didn't know you could do that!"

For instance, the main paragraph on page 474 is wonderful. Notice how King is acting like a tour guide. He suddenly moves to present active tense and speaks directly to the reader. It is as if the constant reader has been transported inside the Dome and is sitting a-top the store roof with Mr. King as he points out what's going on.

• "There is a pause, a moment of in-drawn breath. think of a cat teetering on two wheels, deciding whether or not to go over."
• "See Rose Twitchell looking around..."
• "See Anson put his arm around her waist."
• "Listen to George Roux howl through her hanging mouth..." (yuck)
• "See the reinforcements."
• "Next comes Linda Everett.."
• "See Julia arrive just behind Linda and Marty..."
• "See frank DeLesseps kneel down beside Mel just in time to avoid another rock..."
• "Then... then someone yells. . ."

This is all stuff your English teacher will tell you not to do. But it's stuff readers love! Now, it's annoying when a writer stays in that mode for an entire novel. King doesn't even stay there for one whole page. But when he uses this narrative style, it is very powerful.

THE CANNIBALS:

From Dome Journal #1: Having read the first 120 pages of the Cannibals, I can honestly say that this version is much, much stronger. In the Cannibals people simply spent their time trying to open the door. Interesting, but not superly superly interesting. But the dome coming over an entire town opens the story up. The problems here are going to be much bigger than doors that won't open.

King doesn't take the long build up he did with Needful Things and other books. The action is immediate. The payoff's start coming quickly.

From 2009 Review of The Cannibals: talkstephenking.blogspot: The mystery revolves mostly around doors not opening. I'm sure this is explained much uller in the rest of the text. I only caught one reference to what was happening outside. "Daylight was starting to come out there, but Pulaski could not remember ever having seen a daylight quite like this one -- thin, watery, almost wavery. For a moment he was struck by unreality, by a sense that somehow his eyes were deceiving him. . ." p.42 Then we drop into a flashback.

King cut off on a pretty good line: "for the first time he felt something pierce his confusion and harried annoyance at being late. He found nothing welcome about the new emotion. It was fear." p.61 hehe -- that's good!

What's brutal is what a good read this is. There's a lot oo energy to it. Just straight story! King explains the apartment, moves to his character, speeds through a normal morning, and then slams the whole story into a great problem. No one can get out. I assume by the title that they won't be going to Vons anytime soon. Who gets eaten? Who does the eating? Gosh, my appetite is indeed wetted, Mr. King!

(Unfortunately, Under The Dome never caused the characters to become the Donner Party)

TSK: Under The Dome and Cannibals

Monsters On Maple Street

From Dome Journal #9: This book is starting to remind me of that Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters are due on Maple Street." One of the things I like about King's writing is that he develops themes we are familiar with in new ways. Some seem to see this as a weakness, I enjoy it very much. Besides, King has the ability to up the ante. And I always believe that King gets his ideas out of his own head -- he's not stealing from The Simpson's or Twilight Zone. Anyway, Serling only gave us a quick "what if. . ." while King gives us the full answer "this is what would happen!"

Perhaps even more pointedly, the book reminds me of Star Trek's "Charlie X." (Because in that episode, the Enterprise and crew and nothing more than an alien child's toys.)  The book has also been compared to an "adult version of Lord of the Flies." Appropriate, since it deals with how people change when there is not a larger body to enforce the rules. (Dome Notes)

QUESTIONS. . . 

• Does anyone notice that all of the pictures of UNDER the dome are from OUT of the dome? Why doesn't someone draw a picture of Under The Dome?  (Dome Journal #3)
• Note: The dome traces the exact border of the town. Leading to a question: Is the town a circle? Am I missing something?  (Dome Journal #4)
• I wonder if Julia Shumway is in anyway modeled after Anne Colter. (Dome Journal #4)
• So, what stops the dome from reappearing in another part of the U.S.?
• Is this Science Fiction or Horror?
• Can I buy one of those boxes somewhere? 
• Will the bad guys come to a better-bad end?  
• Did anyone do a body count?  (Anyone want to volunteer to keep the body count for the TV series ?)

TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE NOVEL UNDER THE DOME 

Notes On Under The Dome

I don't do full book reviews. Leave that to Lilija. His review of Under The Dome is very good --http://www.liljas-library.com/showreview.php?id=221.

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I offer only a few notes on Under The Dome, having finally blazed through the last three disks.

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1. The ending. The ending felt sparse, almost rushed. Indeed, as some have noted, I would have liked a little more involvement with the aliens.

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2. The theme reminds me of The Mosters Are Due On Maple Street, or perhaps even more pointedly, Star Trek's "Charlie X." The book has also been compared to an "adult version of Lord of the Flies." Appropriate, since it deals with how people change when there is not a larger body to enforce the rules.

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3. There are a lot of Biblical references in this book. I didn't keep count, but at once point I found myself thinking, "Now where have I heard that?". . . OH YEAH! It's in the Bible! Gosh. Thankfully Big Jim is not the only one quoting Scripture.

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4. Characters fate: Some readers made a lot about the bad guys not getting a bad enough ending. However, of the three wost evil doers, I felt the ending was very fitting in each case. I will not offer any spoilers! I will note that Big Jim's death was not a disappointment at all.

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5. Genre: Is this scfi or horror? It's pretty classic Stephen King. Actually, it's neither. He leans toward the gross and the dark, but ultimately it's a drama about people in a certain situation. The aliens don't matter so much, because the real question is: How would people act if they were cut off from the world?

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6. Was this similiar to The Stand? It's not The Stand. However, it does have similiar themes -- as promised. "God" does not appear as a character! that was pretty awesome in the Stand when the very finger of God came from the sky. Actually, other than the Dome itself, this novel removes itself from a lot of the supernatural elements found in The Stand.

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7. Favorite Characters: Rusty Everett, Brenda Perkins.

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8. I was glad King killed Lester Coggins off early. He was going to annoy me if I had to read an entire book with this guy as a lead character.

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What I liked

The Dome
The fearless blood and guts

Dust collecting on the dome. I wouldn't have thought of that.

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What I didn't Like:

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You always have to include this in 3rd grade book reports! Actually, I can't think of anything. It could have been another 50-100 pages for me, and I would have enjoyed more explanation about the dome, the aliens and a little more cleaning up. But at some point King has to stop writing UTD and get started on that next DT book. (Hey, for a book that started with "The Cannibals" no one ate anyone else.)

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Questions:

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1. So, what stops the dome from reappearing in another part of the U.S.?
2. Does Barbie now get a Colonel's retirement pay?

3. Will Julia start another newspaper?

4. Did anyone do a body count?

5. How did that box make a dome?

6. Can I buy one of those boxes somewhere?

These questions are important to life.

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Links:

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Dome Journal, http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/search/label/Dome%20Journal
UTD, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_Dome

Star Trek, Charlie X: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708424/synopsis

Dome Journal #9

Monsters On Maple Street

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This book is starting to remind me of that Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters are due on Maple Street." One of the things I like about King's writing is that he develops themes we are familiar with in new ways. Some seem to see this as a weakness, I enjoy it very much. Besides, King has the ability to up the anti. And I always believe that King gets his ideas out of his own head -- he's not stealing from The Simpson's or Twilight Zone. Anyway, Serling only gave us a quick "what if. . ." while King gives us the full answer "this is what would happen!"

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Things that leave me scratching my head:

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1. Coggins popularity. He is presented as a Jim Jones type, an over-bearing preacher who controls his people. And apparently a Pat Robertson fan (truly, that's the scary part). But after the Dome goes up, there seems to be very little attempts by the congregation (whoever they are) to gather. Usually in times of crisis people gather at their church's. And cults draw especially close, since the ignorant "sheep" don't know what to do unless someone tells them.
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2. At the press confrence Colonel Cox is cut off by "that no spin yapper." ie: Bill O'Reilly. But he's not a reporter for Fox, he's a commentator. Thus allowing for more yapping -- sigh.
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3. Is the Big Jim character realistic? I spent a lot of thsi book thinking that Big Jim was not at all rooted in a shred of reality. It seemed like King just took everything we don't like in humanity and jumbled them together into this strange character called: Big Jim. So track with me:
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. . . no one likes used Car dealers, so Big Jim is a used car dealer.

. . . no one likes cults, so Big Jim is a member of a cult.
. . . no one likes politicians, so Big Jim is a politician.
. . . no one likes murderer's, so big Jim is a murderer.
. . . no one likes fake Christians, so big Jim is a fake Christian.
. . . no one likes drug dealers, so big Jim is a drug dealer.
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Now at some point here, I'm going: Can we just have Randall Flagg back? Big Jim is a used car polotician cult attending murdering drug dealer?

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And then we learn that Big Jim has gotten in trouble for unethical practices at his Used Car dealership. Can I just ask, real quick -- How does this guy get elected? Well, only in America! I once heard someone say that Ted Bundy could have been governor.
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But, the more I think about it, the more willing I am to buy in to Big Jim. Mostly, King's "feelin' it" comments nailed it for me. Big Jim is all about power and self confidence.

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My Grandfather pastored a church many years ago that was attended by Mr. Bill Suff. Worth mentioning because Mr. Suff was also a serial killer. Yep! he sang in the choir, and killed at night. Makes me wonder: Why would someone who has no problem killing buy into a faith that says that in the end, we stand before the judge of men. My only thought on that is that they think in Christainity they can find redemption -- or in Big Jim's case, power. One of those.

Homer Under The Dome

Hey, just a quick note:

I noticed twice in a very short space that King mentioned that someone sounded like Homer Simpson. An interesting comparison.

p.629 "Doh wake im." To Thurse she sounded like Homer Simpson.
p.638 "You sound like Homer Simpson," Sammy said.

I guess Homer was on King's mind that day.

Under The Dome Notes #8

If you haven't read UTD yet, beware, this might be a spoiler.

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Remember people complaining that the villians in UTD don't have good enough death scenes? That might be true of Big Jim and a few others, but it's not universally true. In fact, I just read a pretty satisfying death for good ole Frank DeLesseps got shot up (in some pretty private parts). Sammy Bushey, who he raped, gets her revenge, and it's not pretty. Well, actually, it is pretty, when you are looking for payback. And things don't come out too good for good ole Georgia, either.

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I point this out only because the scene was so well written, and there is that whining out there that King doesn't give a satisfying end ot the bad guys.

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I once watched Red Dawn with the death count on. It was really cool! Well, when i read that people were unhappy about the way the bad guys die off, I decided to turn my UTD death counter on.

Rev. Coggins Self-flagellation

Is Stephen King Out Of Touch?

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"Stephen King is really out of touch," I thought as I listened to Under The Dome. King has Reverend Lester Coggins practice self-flagellation. That is, he beats himself with a rope -- 12 knots representing the 12 apostles (or 12 tribes?)

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Self-flagellation is a rather obsecure act of punishing oneself usually for religious reasons.

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1. It is done by some to identify with the suffering of Christ. In the Philippines I have heard of people being crucified by choice.

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2. It is also practiced for humility.

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3. It is also done to atone for personal sin. This seems to be Coggin's motivation. He feels guilt for two things: First his involvement with Big Jim and the drug operation, and second for his use of pronography.

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As a pastor, I'm familiar with the act, but didn't really think anyone did that. "Does King think religious people actually do this?" I found msyelf asking. It's like those people who assume I own a copy of Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ. Right. . . that's what my family does for fun. . . we eat dinner and then watch Jesus get beat to death. Let's just say, I don't own a copy.

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It felt like that same kind of misunderstanding that King was making about Christians. Not that he seemed to be saying all Christians do this, but because he would think any Christian in the modern would would still do this seemed out of touch to me.

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King Is Actually At The Top Of His Game:

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Then I read a reuters today! They reported that the very popular Pope John Paul the Second practiced self-flaggelation with a belt. he did this, the article said, to "imitate Christ's suffering." The article, which is citing an upcoming book, also said John Paul, "engaged in a practice known as mortification, the self-infliction of pain in order to feel closer to God, whipping himself with a belt that he kept in his closet. The book also said that when he was a bishop, he often slept on the bare floor so he could practice self-denial and asceticism."

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I understand the act of self-denial. That's actually Biblcial -- The idea behind fasting. Of course, in the Old Testament you have a lot more feasts than you do fasts!

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Now this is where King gets spooky. He has the ability to take a practice and then show it twisted out of proportion. Like a cult leader might actually do. Suffice to say, after reading the article today I found myself much more willing at accept King's Rev. Coggin's as a realistic character. Now. . . how Big Jim ended up in his church is another story.

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Article: Pope John Paul flagellated himself, new book says: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60P46G20100126

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picture: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5xroHpIAk3Y/Sz2U01UYUtI/AAAAAAAAC_8/4_qgkNAwJRQ/s1600-h/Poppet+Reads+Stephen+King+Under+the+Dome+Lisa+Snellings+detail.JPG

Under The Dome Notes #7

This book is outstanding! One of the things I really like is King's easy, conversational narration. In fact, I find myself saying: "Oh, I didn't know you could do that!"

For instance, the main paragraph on page 474 is wonderful. Notice how King is acting like a tour guide. He suddenly moves to present active tense and speaks directly to the reader. It is as if the constant reader has been transported inside the Dome and is sitting a-top the store roof with Mr. King as he points out what's going on.

• "There is a pause, a moment of indrawn breath. think of a cat teetering on two wheels, deciding whether or not to go over."
• "See Rose Twitchell looking around..."
• "See Anson put his arm around her waist."
• "Listen to George Roux howl through her hanging mouth..." (yuck)
• "See the reinforcements."
• "Next comes Linda Everett.."
• "See Julia arrive just behind Linda and Marty..."
• "See frank DeLesseps kneel down beside Mel just in time to avoid another rock..."
• "Then... then someone yells. . ."

This is all stuff your English teacher will tell you not to do. But it's stuff readers love! Now, it's annoying when a writer stays in that mode for an entire novel. King doesn't even stay there for one whole page. But when he uses this narrative style, it is very powerful.

How Do You Get Out Of The Dome?

I m couious how the residents of Chesters Mill will escape the Dome.

Remember the riddle:
Q: How do you get out of room with no windows and no doors -- just a table and a mirror.
A: You look in the mirror and see what you saw. You take the saw and cut the table in half. Two halves make one whole. Put the hole on the wall, and walk out.

How will Barbie walk out? So far, as I've read:

• You can't crash your way out.
• You can't shoot your way out. In fact, the bullet might bounce!
• You can't use a cruise missle and just blow a hole in the dome. Though the description of the fires and the ride along with the missle was AWESOME! No writer has ever taken me on ride aboard a United States cruise missle. Sweet.
• You can't use acid to cut a hole in the dome.

Of course, the reader knows that none of these ideas will work. Come on, this is not a spoiler -- when page 300 has a missle and it's a novel over a thousand pages! "Really, the missle worked, they got out on page 320 and the rest of the book was about Junior fleeing the authorities." I think not.

It is interesting the amount of dust and junk the Dome collects. Symbolic, of course, of planet earth, since "we all live under the dome." Also interesting that the initial "shock" from touching the Dome can go away. Meaning you can later touch it without effect.

So, please, share your ideas. How would you get out of the Dome? And none of you who know the answer (read the end of the book) give it away. My ideas:

• Look in the mirror, see what you saw. . .
• Beam me up Scotty
• Find the source of the Dome and blow it up.
• Become good friends with David Copperfield (the magician) and hve him make you disappear. Or better yet, that kid from Tommyknockers... oh wait, not better yet! I just remembered where he sent his brother.

Okay, I have no good ideas.

Under The Dome Notes #6

I've been reading since November, and the progress for me is slow. Seems Bev Vincent said he read this in a weekend. . . incredible.

Just a a few of observations, none of them connected to plot.

First, Raul Esparza gives each character their own voice. Something that really doesn't stand out early on, since you haven't heard these people very much. But as the story progresses, you feel like you know the person just by Esparza's voice. Little Walter's mother's whiny voice, or Big Jim's slow drawl -- each is unique.

Second, it seems that little attention is given to the dome itself. Wouldn't little kids try to climb it? Anyone pokedi t -- with something other than a cruise missle? Licked it? that only comes to mind because it's Christmas time and I just saw that movie where the kid licks the pole and his tongue sticks. I wonder what would happen if you stuck your tongue to that Dome. . .! Get a shock probably.

Finally, I continue think that the cheif villian is poorly portrayed. People this seriously self-deceived are not usually functional. He's able to kill, sell drugs and more -- but he doesn't drink because he actually has a conviction about this? guys like that usually turn out to be closet drinkers because they don't really believe any of it.

Under The Dome Notes #5

Picture -- Raffi Anderian / Toronto Star

As usual, just notes.

• I think that picture (above) is great!

• It is interesting that King manages to discuss in his novels the great "unmentionables" -- Politics and Religion. So, as a conservative preacher, how do I think he handles the two? Obviously, I see the world through very different lenses than Mr. King. So far, I'd say he gets at least a B. It is interesting that the Cannibals had hints of very religious people as well, so it's a theme that seems to stick close to this story.

• Big Jim is exactly the kind of "born again" Christian that could make any preacher cringe, or leave the ministry. King is good at getting inside people's heads, but a deacon who runs a used car lot who is a town selectman who is running a meth operation. . . something just isn't adding up for me. But, I'll go with the flow here. It is true that the scariest people are those who feel the end justifies the means.

• The descrption of the fight scene between Junior and Barbie was great. And I like it that the chief's wife isn't just a marshmellow after her husbands demise.

• The image of people washing the Dome was wonderful! If only we could do that on planet earth. I have this mental picture of those planes that drop water on fires coming over the dome and dropping water on it so they can see exactly where it's at.

• King does a good job getting inside people's heads. It's disturbing!

Under The Dome Notes #4

picture by by Crocazill http://crocazill.deviantart.com/art/Under-the-Dome-cover-designs-137189882

The book just got beautifully gory. The kind of stuff horror fans love. Eyes hanging from the socket, brains. . . nice.

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I missed a chunk of reading because of a disk failure. And, the book does look so heavy to lug down. . .

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As with other posts, this is nothing more than my own notes as I read. But feel free to look over my shoulder and I always welcome your comments.

• The question: Can a bullet penetrate the dome? Answer: Best not to try.


• Suspicion: That the dome is generated from inside Chester Mill.


• Barbie seems rather bold in his open disrespect of authority. Former privates might act that way -- but Captains find it almost impossible to shake off the training to respect authority.


• I wonder if Julia Shumway is in anyway modeled after Anne Colter.


• Lester Coggins is the kind of preacher that freaks me out. Are they out there? Sure. In plenty? No. They're usually leading cult groups. I don't yet know what he partnered with Big Jim for, but guys like Coggins are not usually bullied very easily.


• I'm surprised that there haven't been more attempts to burst through the dome. People seem to accept the situation kind of easily. But it reminds me of a scene in the Cannibals.


• Note: The dome traces the exact border of the town. Leading to a question: Is the town a circle? Am I missing something?

Under The Dome Notes #3

I'm not reading this quickly. I'm reading this on CD. It's only 1 (one) mile to work. This used to be good. . . but now I'm wishing I had 20 or 30 minutes drive time.

• A question: Does anyone notice that all of the pictures of UNDER the dome are from OUT of the dome? Why doesn't someone draw a picture of Under The Dome? I'm just sayin' . . .
• Two guys walking along, one inside the Dome, one outside the Dome. Nice!
• I'm freaked out by how King can take me inside Juniors head. I don't like it. I don't want to understand him. But that's what makes King such a good writer. I do identify. I liked the part where he woke up and hoped it was all a dream. I've had bad events in life where I woke up and thought -- ahhh! So it wasn't a dream?!
• Calling Wolf Blitzer "Wolfie" is totally disgusting. Gross. Yuck. Now we're moving into the realm of horror. Gross. I'm going to go brush my teeth now.
• Oh! And the description of the smell of blood. . .

This is pretty random, isn't it? Notes are like that.

Under The Dome Notes #2

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Wow. This book really, really moves. Chopped off hands, dead people, car wrecks. All good stuff.

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Just one comment about the religious radio station; the Jesus music. How Great Thou Art and What A Friend We Have In Jesus is not exactly what's running on most religious stations. Contemporary Christian music has pretty well taken over the air-waves. But I guess somewhere, maybe in Maine, Christian music still runs hymns. Maybe there's organ music interludes. Exciting. But on this coast, the religious stuff got a little more hyper. Duke probably wouldn't like it.

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Oh, the logging truck was pretty cool.

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See how pointless these notes are. You're welcome.

Under The Dome Notes #1

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A long book is hard to keep up with. By the time you're finished, you've forgotten interesting sub-plots that got you there. I thought it would be fun, for me anyway, to write some notes as I read. This will be nothing more than my own rambeling notes.

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1. Writing.

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King's writing is extremely good. Sharp, descriptive and well paced. I'm only a few pages in, and already there's been a small animal cut in half, plane crash and a murder.

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2. The Cannibals.

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Having read the first 120 pages of the Cannibals, I can honestly say that this version is much, much stronger. In the Cannibals people simply spent their time trying to open the door. Interesting, but not superly superly interesting. But the dome coming over an entire town opens the story up. The problems here are going to be much bigger than doors that won't open.

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King doesn't take the long build up he did with Needful Things and other books. The action is immediate. The payoff's start coming quickly.

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3. UNDER the dome, okay!

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So, I"m not very bright, okay! My children remind me of this often. And, I'm not reading U.T.D. in my easy chair, I'm listening as I drive around our small town. Somehow I missed that the plane was on the UNDER side of the dome. I kept wondering how Dale was seeing the parts fall. Shouldn't it slide off the dome? Then I realized: OH, stupid! The plane was inside the dome.

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4. What a naughty boy.

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Junior certainly has an attitude problem. Wow! I love the way King brings us inside his head -- even when that head is exploding with pain. And it is also interesting that he passes information to the reader that none of the characters in the book know. For instance, that Jim Rennie Jr. has a brain tumor that doctors never thought to look for. Actually, in the realm of writing, I thought the narration usually had to follow the same knowledge the characters had.

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I won't say any more, other than Junior is a very very naughty boy. I'm freaked out that King has gotten me to see the world from Junior's distorted view already.

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5. Rated R.

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How good is this book? I find myself sitting in the car listening even when my driving is done. My wife's head appears in the window. . . "you coming in?" her look says. Listening does add its own problems, like I can't listen while my kids are in the car. Too much talk about breeding farms! And it's not stuff that will get past a nine year old.

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I wonder what they'd really rate this if it was a movie. Well, it went to HBO, not NBC -- that says something.

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Aren't-ja glad you read all that mess.